My Grandfather on my fathers side is the son of John Maurice Danaher and Margaret Leahy who lived at Upper Athea. According to Jim Barrett this John Maurice Danaher was a brother of Philip Danaher in Glenagower. They were born around the same time 1786 and 1798 and both died in their 99th year. Lets hope I have inherited some of that. So my Grandfather in Athea and my Great Grandfather in Monemohill were first cousins.

This John Maurice Danaher had a son Maurice Danaher who was married to Julia Walsh and lived at Ahane, Knocknagoshel, Co Kerry. Julia Walsh was related to the writer Maurice Walsh “, possibly an Aunt of his. We can begin to imagine how Maurice Walsh came up with the characters in his book "Green Rushes" where he records the story of "The Quiet Man". There is strong evidence that he based it on his Ahane cousins. The principal characters included William and Ellen Danaher, names of two of his first cousins. When John Houston made his film he changed the names to Red Will Danaher and Mary Kate Danaher. The Quiet Man " Paddy Bawn Enright became Sean Thornton or Trooper Thornton. In real life William and Ellen were to meet a tragic end.

In 1936 four of Maurice and Julia Danaher's children, then elderly, died within a week of each other.  It appears that none of the four had married and they were still living together at home on their 70 acre farm.  Three of them, William, Maurice and Ellen, died on the 9th March 1936 and the fourth, Stephen, died a few days later in Tralee Hospital. I have extracted copies of this tragic story as it appeared in the "Cork Examiner'  between10th March and 2nd April 1936. Originally I was told that they died of poisoning as a result of drinking contaminated water collected from the roof of their house because their well had frozen over. However the verdict handed down at the final inquest was that they had died from 'natural causes'.  The evidence presented pointed to pneumonia and heart failure. The Coroner mentioned talk of poising but that there was no evidence whatsoever of this.  Their nephew Tim Danaher, who worked as a producer with RTE in his recording called 'A Gift of Ink' recalls their tragic deaths saying, 'they died because the common cold was no excuse to neglect the tyrant land'.

Danaher Walsh, Ahane

 Please click on the above link to view this section of our family tree. Needs to be updated to reflect Ahane connection 

My great grandparents, John Danaher and Margaret Leahy, were farmers and lived at Upper Athea. It appears that my grandfather married into the Woulfe family who ran the Post Office in the village.It is possible they helped him to set up his own business directly across the road from St Bartholomew's Church or he may have been given the running of the Post Office where Bartholomew Woulfe was postmaster. It is said he was the first Postmaster in Athea. There is a bridge outside the village called after him and known today as "Batts Bridge". Either way Grandfather's business prospered and he became quite wealthy and influential.

The page headed John Hunt should be read in conjunction with this one to get a fuller picture of the man. 

Slaters Directory for 1881  

I N ATHEA. 

Farmers

Colbert William, Danaher John H. Galway Charles, Hayes Michael, 

B(R)oche Stephen, Synan James 

John Danaher, Athea is listed in the same directory under Grocers And Spirit Dealers, Flour Factors and Dealers

Daniel Shine is listed as the blacksmith

Patrick Danaher is listed as a butcher

John Hunt is listed as  Publican