James Loughnan

James Loughnan was my great grandfather.

James was a merchant. He was born about 1836, just a few years before the Great Famine swept across Ireland. One record indicates that he was born in County Wexford and another, earlier record, suggests County Wicklow.

He married Mary D’Arcy some time before 1863 (..I hope..) and started a provisions business and bakery at 3-4 Slaney Place, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford before 1874.

Some commercial directories give the address as number 3, but the 1901 and 1911 cencii state that the family occupied number 4. So, the family appear to have lived next door to the shop.

In the Wexford Directory for 1885 James is variously described as "Baker and Flour Dealer", "Flour Dealer, Merchant Etc." and "Auctioneer". There are no other Loughnans mentioned in the Directory.

James and Mary had at least two children, Margaret (c1865 - 1918) and Josephine - my grandmother - (1874-1940). The gap between the two children suggests that there may be other, untraced, Loughnans.

The IGI records further children for James Loughman and Mary D'Arcy, but I haven't yet got the birth records, so there could be a wider family that I've not yet contacted.

James died on 31 December 1918, the year of the great ‘flu pandemic, although I don’t yet know whether this was the cause of his death. He is buried in the churchyard of St Aiden’s Cathedral, with his wife Mary.

Slaney Place, Enniscorthy

James' shop is in the middle of the picture, on the left hand side of the road running uphill in the centre of the shot.

The photo below was taken from the far end of the street in December 2006.