Martin Sheedy.bc1799.Co Clare.
                Preface by Jenny Williams Fawcett

According to his service record Martin Sheady (sic) was born 'in the parish of
Tonigrenryin or near the town of Clare', county Clare. 
Martin joined the 21st Regiment of Fusiliers at Limerick on the 12th October
1819 at the age of twenty. He served as a private, his regimental no: 156.
Martin served nearly fourteen years, nearly seven of those years were served
in the West Indies.Martin was discharged on the 12th February 1833.Martin
signed his pay and clothing declaration with an X on the 15th of January. The
Regimental Board were of the opinion that Martin's conduct "..has been that
of a good soldier, trustworthy and sober...". His disability or cause
of discharge record stated "According to the Surgeon's Report annexed it appears
that this is a case of disease and disability contracted in any by the service
without having being either attributable to neglect, design, vice or intemperance
or with intentional disease and the Board concurs in the opinion of the surgeon"
so it is obvious Martin was in ill health. Sadly the Surgeon's report was not
located and we have no information as to the nature of Martin's illness.
(src: PRO/WO/97/416)

The 'Tonigrenry' on Martin's service record is probably the often mispelt Tomgraney, 
(Toumgraney)-a parish in country Clare.(According to Samuel Lewis' Topographical 
Dictionary of Ireland, Tomgraney was also known as Tomgrenei, and these were the name 
of a parish in the baroney of Tulla, county Clare.
	"Tomgraney, or Tomgrenei, a parish, in the baroney of Tulla, County
	of Clare, and province of Munster; containing, with the post town of
	Scariff, and the village of Tomgraney, 5568 inhabitants, of which 
	number 400 are in the village......The parish is situated on the
	river and bay of Scariff,opening into Lough Derg on the Shannon,and
	on the new line of road from Killaloe to Portumna, constructed chiefly
	along ths shore of the lough.The seats are Raheens (Rev.Thos Brady), 
	Drewsborough House (francis Drew, Esq), Ballyvannon House (Lord Dunboyne)
	and Shannon View (M.Reddan, ESq).."

James Sheedy Macnamara,born c 1781 and who was transported to 
New South Wales in 1805, is also alleged to have been a native of nearby Bodyke.

In 1854 a Denis Sheedy was living in Washington D.C. when he advertised in the 
 Boston Pilot seeking the whereabouts of his brother JOHN SHEEDY. He stated
that John Sheedy was 'of Kelderry near Scariff,parish of Tourgreany Co Clare".
John Sheedy had arrived in America about the year 1828 and was last known to have
been living at Fortgipson,Arkansas.

The 
1855 Griffiths Valuation report gives many Sheedys in the Tomgraney parish.

Other Tomgraney Sheedy's are listed at http://www.hotkey.com.au/~jwilliams4/shirish.htm


* = sighted original record.