Matt Kissane

Clauric · 20-05-2014 12:01am #1

I was reading a book, part of which covers the period 1913 - 1923 in Ireland, and Dublin in particular. The book features stories about two members of my family and the people in their social circles. Most of these people I have heard of, such as Collins, Boland, Pearse, MacDermott, etc. and these are (reasonably) well known.

However, I came across a name that I am not familiar with, that of one Matt Kissane (who married one of my relatives). I have not heard of that name before, and I was wondering if anybody knew anything about him, and ultimately, if he had any children with my relative?

Many thanks

CDfm · 23-05-2014 9:05am

Have you tried looking him up in the census or other records from the period?

Clauric · 23-05-2014 11:22am

CDfm wrote: »

Have you tried looking him up in the census or other records from the period?

It was the first place I looked, followed by the military archives bureau and the military pensions database. The census shows Matt Kissane (x1) and Matthew Kissane (x1) in 1911 and 1901.

Unfortunately, I know nothing about this Matt Kissane, bar that he married my cousin. No age, DoB, DoD, birthplace, married date, or anything that me might have done (or not done). The only place I've seen him mentioned is in Maire Mhac an tSaoi's autobiography, but based on the names also mentioned in the surrounding paragraphs, I was hoping somebody might know who he was.

CDfm · 23-05-2014 3:36pm

Clauric wrote: »

The only place I've seen him mentioned is in Maire Mhac an tSaoi's autobiography, but based on the names also mentioned in the surrounding paragraphs, I was hoping somebody might know who he was.

Maybe you should post the detail you do have and the paragraph and page and it might jog peoples memories ?

Clauric · 23-05-2014 3:55pm

CDfm wrote: »

Maybe you should post the detail you do have and the paragraph and page and it might jog peoples memories ?

Unfortunately, I don't have the book to hand currently, so I can't tell you the page number. The relevant part of the paragraph reads as follows:

‘About 1910, when I was a small girl in Eccles Street, a cousin of mine [almost certainly Bee Doheny, later Mrs Matt Kissane] took me to the house of Miss Kit Ryan [afterward (the first) Mrs Sean T O’Kelly], where she was staying. They took me out to St. Enda’s where we were received by [Padraig] Pearse. We met also Tom MacDonagh, Willie Pearse [both executed after the Rising] and Tomas McDomhnaill there…’

Italics and underline were added by Maire Mhac an tSaoi to Margaret Mhac an tSaoi's statement to the Bureau of Military History. This is the only information I have for Matt Kissane

CDfm · 23-05-2014 10:30pm

Have you located Bee Doheny ?

Clauric · 24-05-2014 10:47am

CDfm wrote: »

Have you located Bee Doheny ?

Yes, I located Bee a while back, and have her in both the 1901 census in Ireland, and the 1911 census in the UK. The reason I am looking for Matt is that I am trying to trace what happened to Bee after 1916-1921 and to find her children, grandchildren, etc.

My thought behind finding Matt was in part to try and track down their children, and as so often happened in my family, to dig out his, and their role in the founding of the state.

CeannRua · 24-05-2014 7:30pm

Check www.freebmd.org.uk. There is a 1917 marriage for Matthew Kissane and Brigid Doheny in England. There are also births listed for children with a Kissane father and Doheny mother. The birth and marriage certs can be ordered from the English General Register Office.

Clauric · 24-05-2014 7:32pm

CeannRua wrote: »

Check www.freebmd.org.uk. There is a 1917 marriage for Matthew Kissane and Brigid Doheny in England. There are also births listed for children with a Kissane father and Doheny mother. The birth and marriage certs can be ordered from the English General Register Office.

Thank you very much

johnny_doyle · 25-05-2014 11:31am

Clauric wrote: »

‘About 1910, when I was a small girl in Eccles Street, a cousin of mine [almost certainly Bee Doheny, later Mrs Matt Kissane] took me to the house of Miss Kit Ryan [afterward (the first) Mrs Sean T O’Kelly], where she was staying. They took me out to St. Enda’s where we were received by [Padraig] Pearse. We met also Tom MacDonagh, Willie Pearse [both executed after the Rising] and Tomas McDomhnaill there…’

the book "The Same Age as the State" has been converted by Google books and is viewable online. Hopefully that link works.

Re the 1917 marriage mentioned, this shows up on Ancestry

Name: Matthew Kissane
Spouse Surname: Doheny
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1917
Registration district: St George Hanover Square
Inferred County: London
Volume Number: 1a
Page Number: 979

Name: Brigid Doheny
Spouse Surname: Kissane
Date of Registration: Jan-Feb-Mar 1917
Registration district: St George Hanover Square
Inferred County: London
Volume Number: 1a
Page Number: 979

A search on ancestry for the surname Kissane with the mothers maiden name as Doheny lists 7 children from 1917 to 1925 (Barbara, Matthew C, Mary, Michael, Patrick, John, Rosaleen - first 2 in London, next 2 in Kent, 1 in Surrey, 1 in Cheshire and 1 in Lancashire).

Not sure if he is your Matthew Kissane but in 1928/9, a Matthew Kissane took on the role of Secretary of the Manchester Ship Canal. A family tree in ancestry has him from Kerry (born 1884 died 1962) but no data re wife or children. Possibly the same man - a Matthew Kissane appears in the Navy List of 1919 as being Assistant Director of Materials and Priority, Controllers Dept, Admiralty. Appears to have an OBE in this Hansard page

http://hansard.millbanksystems.com/written_answers/1920/jul/08/ministry-of-transport-appointments

I think this is the Matthew born in 1918
http://www.specialforcesroh.com/showthread.php?9756-Kissane-Matthew-Cyril

http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/1155611/KISSANE,%20M%20C

He is commemorated on a memorial in the Trafford/Sale area which tallies with Cheshire/Lancashire/Manchester and appears to have been commissioned in 1941 from the Manchester Regiment TA

johnny_doyle · 25-05-2014 11:52pm

1903 appointments with the Admiralty as Mathias
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/11549/page/945

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/11556/page/1017

1918 appointment
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/13190/page/174

1919 Ministry of Transport appointment
https://www.thegazette.co.uk/Edinburgh/issue/13534/page/3874

Death certs could be ordered using the following info :

Name: Brigid Kissane
Birth Date: abt 1882
Date of Registration: Mar 1958
Age at Death: 76
Registration district: Surrey North eastern
Inferred County: Surrey
Volume: 5g
Page: 641

Name: Matthew Kissane
Birth Date: abt 1884
Date of Registration: Sep 1962
Age at Death: 78
Registration district: Surrey North eastern
Inferred County: Surrey
Volume: 5g
Page: 415

Attached is the obituary from Girton College re Rosaleen Brigid Kissane (1925-2007)

The Witness Statement of Sean T O'Kelly mentions Miss Bridget Doheny teaching in a college in London. Possibly her in the 1911 census in Yorkshire

Name: Brigid Doheny
Age in 1911: 28
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1883
Relation to Head: Boarder
Gender: Female
Birth Place: Ballingarry, Tipperary, Ireland
Civil Parish: Wakefield
County/Island: Yorkshire-West Riding
Country: England
Street address: 18 St Johns Square Wakefield Yorks
Marital Status: Single
Occupation: Assistant Mistress (Hith School)
Registration district: Wakefield

and possibly in Dublin for the 1901 census as an undergraduate

http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Dublin/Pembroke_West/Morehampton_Road__Part_of_/1288139/

Clauric · 28-05-2014 11:15pm

Thank you very much for the information.

Philip Wheeler · 20-05-2015 5:17pm

Hello Clauric,

I don't know if you are still interested in this, but my name is Philip Wheeler, and I am a grandson of Matthew and Brigid (Bee) Kissane. My mother was Rosaleen Kissane. Please feel free to get in touch.

Matt Kissane

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