Recently I wrote about a bit of research on Bansha Castle and the O'Ryans of Bansha.
"The O'Ryans of Bansha Castle.
Bansha castle is mentioned as part of the Civil Survey under the townland of
Beallanchela in the Parish of Tample Ineyry in the Barony of Clanwilliam. See
Civil Survey Tipperary Vol II page 20
Beallanchela is made of 3000 acres. 1500 of that is Mountain and Woodland.
There are three owners;
Edward Butler of Ballybirrane Esqr
Piers Butler of Banshigh Esqr
The Lord of Castle Connell Theobald Bourke of Rossidrohid
and
Donnogh Macraigh Gent of Lisvonny Irish Papists
Piers Butler owns 1666 acres
Edward Butler 666acres
Theobald Bourke 416 acres
Donnogh Macragih 83 acres
The castle is mentioned in description of the lands “Uppon thsse lands stands a
castle in Banshigh wanting repayre”. This castle was to the east of the present
Bansha Castle, pretty much where the Marian road side shrine is according to
the OS maps.
So at this time the lands were most likely owned by the Butler family and
probably Edward Butler. The new Bansha Castle has an armorial plaque which
refers to Edmonde Butlere.
Edward and Edmond were interchangeable.
The description of this plaque on archaeology.ie states
“Edmonde Butlere', the 'E' being executed in an elborate interlace style. This
may refer to Edmond Butler of Rathbrit, second sone of John Butler of
Derryluskan, second son of James, ninth Baron of Dunboyne who was dead by 1600
(pers comm Gerard Crotty“
This may be him here
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmond_Butler,_3rd/13th_Baron_Dunboyne
In the William O’Ryan (WOR) archive there is a genealogical lineage for the O’Ryans
of Bansha Castle.
Unfortunately there is no reference to where it came from.
However it shows a
Daniel Ryan of Sollohead? M daughter of Dunboyne.
From this marriage we have Andrew O’Ryan and Edmond O’Ryan. Both I understand
are traceable in most records. Edmond O’Ryan is recorded as dying in 1839.
So Daniel and the daughter of Dunboyne would probably have been born circa the
1750s?
So I think it must have been through this marriage that the Ryans came into
ownership of Bansha Castle for a time.
However it is likely that for Daniel Ryan to be eligible to marry the daughter
of the Baron of Dunboyne, that he must have been a man of means himself.
It is now possible to stay at Bansha Castle and its website gives the following
history
https://www.banshacastle.com/history
Basically taking up when the Ryans were in ownership. It was acquired in the
late 1800s as a “grace and favour” house for Sir William Butler who was born in
nearby Ballycarron. You would have to wonder did he had some kind of family
connection to the house being a Butler also.
So that is what I have currently and I imagine there is a whole lot more about
this very interesting family."
While doing a search for an old and really interesting gravestone I happened upon in Monard graveyard. It records the death of William Ryan d1773.
I misread it and thought it was the Francis Ryan who died in a duel in 1773.
I had another look through the WOR archive about the Ryans of Solohead to see if there was anything else about the Daniel Ryan mentioned in the O'Ryan Bansha lineage.
This seems to be the origin of the Daniel Ryan and daughter of Lord Dunboyne's marriage.
Archdall Vol 6, p. 229
“Peter, the eldest son of Pierce Butler who succeeded to the
title of Dunboyne became the fifth Lord of Dunboyne but not being restored to the
manor of Dunboyne or any of the estates of the Duke of Ormond conveyed the
manor of Dunboyne to the said Pierce Lord of Dunboyne under certain yearly
rents 14 February 1669. And 16 December I675 the king granted to him the lands
of Loughrent in the County of Tipperary with a pension of 100 a year beginning
1 January 1687 on the establishment by King James II on whose account he was
attainted of treason and outlawed in the County of Meath 16 April 1691. He
married Ellen, or Catherine, daughter of Sir Thomas Hurley of Knocklong in the
County of Limerick and died in the beginning of 1689 having had issue James,
his heir, and four daughters, viz, Anne, married to Mr. English, the second to
Daniel O'Ryan of Scolloghode, Esq., Grace to Walter Bourke, near the Devils-Bit, called Mac-Walter,
Duhee O’Leagh, and the married secondly Mac O’Brien of Duharrow) and Elinor to
Mac-Robillion of Ballycloghy in the county of Cork”
Now we don't have any record of their offspring other than from the William O'Ryan lineage. However as we said before it could help explain how O'Ryans ended up owning what had been Butler lands.
We also see that this Daniel O'Ryan of Scolloghode was an Esquire. That is generally a step above a Gent.
In a lineage in the WOR archive we have a William O'Ryan of Sollohead born 1580 and dies 1637 (buried in Cashel Cathedral).
His heir is Derby O'Ryan of Solloheadmore (who features in the Civil Survey). He at last 6 sons and 6 daughers including a William O'Ryan.
His brother is a Daniel Fitzwilliam Ryan of Cashel who passes away in 1679. He has 4 sons.
In the lineage of Francis Ryan above - it appears he is claimed to be another son of William O'Ryan d1637. He doesn't feature in the lineage in the WOR archive.
So unfortunately we can't conclusively link the O'Ryans of Bansha to the Ryans of Solohead or the Ryans of Kilheferan.
If Daniel O'Ryan and the daughter of Piers Butler are married. The daughter of Piers Butler would have to have been born prior to his death in 1689. This puts pressure on that time-line working out.
However it definitely merits further research. Similar names are carried down through both.
There are definitely some male Ryan descendants of the O'Ryans of Bansha and I think it is definitely worth getting them to test for the Ryan DNA Project.
