http://mctiernan.com/10mysteries.htm 2-18-2023
michael@mctiernan.com
The Great Unsolved MacTighernan Mysteries & Accomplishments
1. Locate Reverend Stephen's "copybook"
He was interested in historical and Gaelic matters
for which he was made a member of the Royal Irish Academy in 1884. In
addition, Rev. Stephen McTernan, 1811--1906, was a member of the
Societe Generale in Paris, France for which he received an annual sum
of money. Rev. Charles Comey, curate of Cloonclare, Manorhamilton
uncovered Reverend Stephen's personal papers in 1907. They found the
papers in St. Claire's Chapel in Manorhamilton. Cloonclare was in the
ancient parish of Cloonloger, now included in the Catholic parish of
Drumlease, Co. Leitrim. More on his personal papers which are
called the "Copybook"
Finding this may be a key to unlocking the wider
McTernan family history as Rev. Stephen kept this diary from
childhood. Rev Stephen is my 1st cousin, 3 generations removed in
the T Group.
2. Understand the O'Rourke and McTernan connection in the Chapel
of Creevelea as it was the
traditional burial place of the McTernans of Rockfield, Mount Allen and
Heapstown [and Sheskin] where large recumbent flagstones mark their
last resting places. In close proximity another memorial links the
families of O'Rourke and McTernan and is inscribed as follows: Here
lyeth the bodye of Hugh O'Roirk and Catherine McTernan who departed
this life May 22, 1721. This is the mysterious gravestone that has
the symbols of playing cards, heart, spade, diamond and club along with
the etching of a cat. Tie one of the future DNA
testers to The O'Ruairc of Bréifne whose family were the
past kings of Drumahaire in Co Leitrim
3. Tie one of the DNA testers to James
McTernans, of the Rockfield McTernans a British
naval surgeon who was in the squadron which protected St. Helena during
the residence there of Napoleon,
and was present on the island at the death of that distinguished, but
unfortunate monarch in 1821. James was also the surgeon on a British
warship in the Chesapeake Bay in the War of 1812. In historical
documents, the Rockfield McTernans and the Heapstown McTernans [Rory's
line in the T group baseline] are called kinsmen and
are related.
4. Understand the meaning of the
4,000-year-old Cairn on Rory's Heapstown family estate. What
might be the connection to Rory's McTernan family who
are in the T Group baseline.
5. The McTernan
School: in Waterbury, CT. In 2005, St.
Margaret's-McTernan school changed its name to Chase Collegiate School.
The new name honors the Chase family, which helped to found both St.
Margaret's and the McTernan School. Charles
McTernan from Foxbourgh, MA founded the school. A male line may descend
from Charles' uncle, Patrick, 1863--, who was born in
Boston. Charles' son Donald married and lived in France having two
daughters. This family originally immigrated to the Boston area
from Co Leitrim. Long shot for DNA match.
6. Jane Aloyaia McTernan, 1888--, born in Calcutta station,
Bengal, India. To which DNA family does she belong.
7. Thomas McTiernan, 1883--1893, died at 10 years old at the army
station of Mount Abu which is a popular hill station in the Aravalli Range in Sirohi district of Rajasthan state in western India
near the border with Gujarat. There is no mention of his parents
in records.
8. Bernardette McTiernan, 1890--1893, most likely the sister of Thomas
above. Died at the army station of Mount Abu which is a popular hill station in the Aravalli Range in Sirohi district of Rajasthan state in western India
near the border with Gujarat. There is no mention
of her parents in records.
9. Whereabouts of the McTernan Stone, an excessively
heavy round stone thrown by Thomas McTernan known as Long Tom from
Ardvoley, the grandfather of John-Rev in the T Group
baseline. The stone thereafter was known as the McTernan
Stone. This Stone lies now in the area of Killavoggy.
10. Tirmactiernan, Co. Leitrim on the
banks of the Shannon/Erne canal system in South Leitrim. About 7.1
KM from Carrick on Shannon. Why was it named Tirmactiernan and what if
any connection to any in the DNA test?
11. What might be our connection to Rathmactiernane, a townland in
Killoran parish, Co Sligo listed in the Hearth roll of 1665 with Cahill
McTanist?
12. A horse by the name of MacTiernan was racing in Dublin for the 2010
to 2012 season. He is running well, previously owned by Christine
Kiernan. Why did she name the horse MacTiernan?
13. Cathal Mac Tigernan was King of West Connacht... died 1059... which
means he predates the O'Rourkes. �ed in Gai Bernaig,
King of Connacht from 1056 to 1067, had invaded and conquered Maigh Seóla in
1051, blinding its king. Cathal mac Tigernán is the next
ruler of the kingdom recorded upon his death in 1049.
14. Origin of the 3 ring forts in the townland of Listernan, Co Cavan
and why the name which in Gaelic means Ternan's fort?
15. We are supposed to descend from the O'Rourks past kings of
Drumahaire & the O'Conor, past kings of Ireland. So far none of the
MacTighernans genetically match either The O'Ruairc or The O'Conor Don
Chieftains, but the T Group baseline is a perfect match to Michael
O'Rourke.
16. The unfinished list of all MacTiernans who were killed or served in
their country's armed services in the many wars for Freedom starting
with the Leitrim Plantation Wars and ending with WW II, http://mctiernan.com/mwardead.htm
17. Edward W. L. McTiernan from
Worcester, MA had a top 10 finish in the 1909 Boston Marathon (#9) See
1909 & 1911 results at https://www.athlinks.com/event/20238/results/Event/606309/Course/919125/Entry/279059842
In
1908, E.L. McTiernan representing Worcester, MA ran in the Brockton
Fair Marathon, starting in Boston, on Exeter Street, ending in
Brockton, MA at the fairgrounds. If you look at the attached clipping,
there is an Ed L. McTiernan of Worcester listed under the 1 Mile and 3
Mile runs. This is Edward William Lane McTIernan of Worcester,
5-29-1880--1955. Edward was the son of Thomas McTiernan and
Catherine Lane, both of Ireland, both immigrating to the US and died in
Worcester, Massachusetts. Edward worked for the streets department in
Worcester. If you look at the attached clipping, there is an Ed L.
McTiernan of Worcester listed under the 1 Mile and 3 Mile
runs. This is Edward William Lane McTIernan of Worcester,
5-29-1880--1955. Edward and his 6 children are in the T3 DNA
baseline because of his connection to Leo McTiernan and Jim-MA.
18. Potential but undocumented link of the Heapstown and Rockfield
McTernans to the Sligo O'Conors, past kings of Ireland http://mctiernan.com/3links.htm
19. The MacTier Championship
Cup, info supplied by Mike McTiernan of Canada. Most likely the cup
is named after a MacTiernan but additional research needs to be done to
trace the origin of the name of the cup. The MacTier Cup established in
1998 is awarded to the championship team for winning the top senior
men's rugby league in Canada. Since 2009 the cup has been awarded
to the winners of the Canidian Rugby Championship (CRC). Since
the inception of the CRC, the Ontario Blues have won the cup 6 times,
the BC Bears have won 2 times, while the Prairie Wolf Pack and the
Atlantic Rock both winning the cup 1 time.
Solved
or achieved so far
20. The McTiernan Seat since 1991 is an engraved bench in front
of The 300 year old
Powerscourt Arms
Hotel in Co Wicklow http://mctiernan.com/McTseat.htm
The hotel
was owned by Charlie McTernan, 1955-, until 2008 who is in the T2 DNA
Group
21. The pamphlet written in 1845 by James MacTernan, <1815--1855, of
the
Mount Allen [Co Roscommon] McTernans that settled at Heapstown, in Co. Sligo entitled: "An Address to my Fellow
Countrymen", in which James claimed descent from Tiernan
O'Rourke, Prince of Breffni. Found by John C. McTernan. This
James
McTernan also invented a new breed of horse called the Buckshot
Chestnut. This is Rory MacTiernan's family in the T Group
baseline.
22. The McTernan Street
in Cambridge, MA, USA
formerly Lake St. right outside of County Boston, named after WW II
veteran, William Francis, -1944 . This
is Myles
McTernan's family: Te DNA Group
23. McTernan Road,
Tinderry, NSW, Australia 2626:
is named after the pioneering McTernan family of the area, descending
from Hugh and
Mary McTernan of Michelago of which
Scott (AU) & Richard descend in the Ta DNA Group
24. Origin of McTernan Place,
Worrigee, NSW,
Australia 2540: is probably named after Barney
McTernan
[below], Hugh's
son who lived
down there and had a stagecoach business of which Scott (AU) &
Richard
descend in the Ta DNA Group
25. Barney McTernan,
being one of the stagecoach founders, is now a major character in the
book,
"Coachmen of the Nowra District" in Australia. Scott (AU),
Margaret & Richard in the Ta DNA Group relate to Barney.
26. Gwladys McTernan Park,
named after the mother of Scott-(AU), David, Grant and Richard in the
Ta DNA Group, a park in
Naracoorte,
South Australia, Australia, RIP
27. Origin of McTiernan Close,
Wilsonton, QLD,
Australia 4350: probably named after Sir Edward McTiernan who relates
to Leo
McTiernan in the T3 Group baseline
28. McTiernan Way,
a road in downtown Minto named
on 9-2-2013 by the Village of Minto, New Brunswick, Canada after the
long
history of the family in fire prevention. This is Michael (CN)'s
family in
the T DNA Group.
29. Bartholemew E. McTiernan, 12-11-1877--12-6-1917, born and died
in
Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Bartholemew, his mother Margaret
Gilroy and
his wife Frances Caroline Gough were all killed in the famous Halifax explosion
of
12-6-1917 which was and still is the largest man-made explosion after
the atom
bomb. Bartholemew is the great grand uncle of Greg McTiernan in
the T2 DNA
Group.
30. Lac McTiernan,
a
lake in Quebec, Canada, a 7 hour drive north of Ottawa and 5 hours
north of
Montreal. Lac McTiernan was named after William McTiernan born in Bryson,
Canada. He worked for the Canadian International Paper Company in
the
early 1930s. To find out more about the man and his father, David
McTiernan,
both worked in the back country of Gatineau River, read the following
book,
particularly chapters 14 and 15, Crawford, Venetia, et Gunda
Lambton. The
Wildest Rivers -- the Oldest Hills; Tales of the Gatineau and Pontic,
Maitland,
Ontario. Canadian International Paper Company may have been bought
by E.
B. Eddy Company. The family had a home in the Mason Lumber camp
operated
by the E. B. Eddy Company.
A second historical opinion on "McTiernan lake" in the Gatineau hills
which may not necessarily be named after a man that lived in Bryson by
the name
of William McTiernan, as Venetia Crawford explains in her book.
William
was the 2nd cousin, 2 generations removed of Thomas John McTiernan.
Tom, was
born and raised in Bryson, Quebec, but this "McTiernan lac" was
named by him as a joke!
Tom
worked in cartography for
Energy, Mines and Resources for 35 years. In the late 70s he and his
buddy Dan
Lacelle came across quite a few "un-named" lakes in the
Gatineau's. They thought it would be funny to name some lakes
after
themselves. I would have probably believed Venetia Crawford's story if
I would
not have found this pamphlet
on the
internet. Now - what are the chances that this hunting and fishing
lodge is
situated on the McTiernan and Lacelle lakes? Tom and his buddy Dan (and
probably another 5 or 6 guys) used to go fishing together all the time
in those
days. However, it is a surprise that the names stayed and that
these lakes
are now known as the McTiernan and Lacelle lakes. The Lac some
time
ago. This is Maggie's & Thomas' family in the T Group.
31. McTernan Colour of the
Year
This award is conveyed in honour of Irene McTernan, former Edinburgh
University
Sports Union Administrator (1980-2011), and awarded to the most
outstanding
individual for exceptional and sustained service to the organization,
delivery
and/or administration of a University Sports Club or EU Sports
Union.
Colours are approved by the Blues and Colours Committee This award is
confined
to the University of Edinburgh students and was introduced in 2011 to
mark the
retirement of Mrs McTernan after 31 years of dedicated service to EU
Sports
Union. Her husband, Allen is in the T DNA Group baseline.
32.
Maria McTernan Leadership Award is given annually by the Charles River Center in County
Boston, MA to
the most deserving person who has assisted in their support of programs
and
services for over 950 children and adults with developmental
disabilities. Maria
was the Chief Development Officer for the Center.
<>33
Anita McTiernan, --10-31-2020, RIP
from
Drumahaire. Anita, who had volunteered for over 21 years at the
Mutomo
Hospital in Kenya, Africa helping the hungry and poor kids has passed on after a short
illness in
Sligo town hospital. Originally, Anita was from Mullaghdoo and is
buried
in Carrowcrin Cemetery. Anita was in the T DNA Group. A very kind
woman
now with a high place in heaven.
34. Liz McTernan,
Paralympian and Iron Man world
record holder Liz McTernan is looking for sponsorship support to enable
her to
continue to achieve success at the highest level. Earlier this year Liz
became
the hand cycle world champion at the Ironman World Championships in
Kona,
Hawaii. She became only the second female wheelchair athlete to ever
finish the
Ironman World Championships, and she now holds the course record for
fastest
time. She moved into long course Triathlon in 2018. Liz is
in the T7 DNA Group. Read more at: https://www.louthleader.co.uk/sport/more-sport/ironman-athlete-liz-appeals-for-a-sponsor-1-8679462.
35. Madeleine
or Maddie McTernan of NSW, Australia won a silver
medal and two
4th place finishes in her first time competing at the Paralympic games in the
2020 Paralympics. What a great feat. Maddie is
the
daughter of Paul-Aus and therefore in the baseline of the T Group. https://m.coffscoastadvocate.com.au/news/maddies-paralympics-dream/2851013/
On September 15, 2021, the Leitrim Observer Newspaper published a piece by PJ Liddy
on Maddie's family origin in Leitrim and her Paralympic's
achievements.
36. Sarah McTernan,
is the daughter of Sined
McTernan and the niece of Paul-C McTernan in the T3a DNA group. Sarah
McTernan
represented all of Ireland at the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest
in Tel Aviv in May 2019. She came third in series four of The
Voice of
Ireland in April 2015.
37.
Dr. Susan McTiernan, the dean of
the Mario J. Gabelli School of Business at Roger Williams University
was
awarded the Patricia M. Flynn Distinguished Woman in Business
Education
Award for having had a significant impact on
women
by making a difference in business education. Dr. Susan McTiernan, the
recipient of the 2017 award, has been a pioneer and an instrumental
influence
on women in business and business education, and her work in this area
has had
an impact on many.
38. The Barr football team based in Co Cork instated a
Championship Cup
called the Kevin McTernan Cup for the Senior A Football competition
named after
the brilliant goalkeeper who was one of the great goalies in history.
It commemorates the great St
Finbarr’s player, selector, and club stalwart, who passed away in
October,
2017, and is fondly remembered out Togher direction.
The
Barr's great Kevin McTernan will be honoured when Mallow
face Éire Óg
https://www.echolive.ie/corksport/arid-40317260.html
39. Gene McTiernan of the Scranton Pennsylvania McTiernans has
written a book, "Black Veins Green Blood" on his immigrant Irish
ancestors
and how difficult it was for them working in the infamous Scranton coal
mines. In the early 1900s, the Scranton criminal courts hung
about
20
immigrant Irish coal miners for some made up reason. The solid
belief at the
time
was they were hung because they all belonged to the infamous Molly
McGuires.
40. Thady McTernan was chairman of the writing group that
produced the Local [Leitrim area]
history of the GAA and on the Editorial team. Thady
himself wrote a substantial part of the
history.
41. Margaret Cogan, nee
McTiernan,
--10-2022, RIP [T3 group baseline] was the model for the left statue of
the iconic bronz statue in Dublin done by her niece, Jackie
McKenna, called, Hags
with Bags, http//mctiernan.com/day.htm
42. Mary Ellen Burgess, nee McTiernan is
Eoghan McTiernan's 2nd cousin, 1 generation removed in the T3 Group
baseline. Mary Ellen wrote a great book, called Memories from the Heart that
depicts daily life in ruralIreland at the beginning of the 20th
century.
If anyone has any information on any of the
remaining unsolved
mysteries above, please let me know
Send E-mail to michael@mctiernan.com
If anyone has any information on any of the remaining
unsolved mysteries above, please let me know
Send E-mail to michael@mctiernan.com
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MacTighernan DNA