Ballymacoda
Parish-Register Context for the Dorgan / Dargan Family Archive
Introduction
Ballymacoda is one of the most important parish-register locations in the documented history of Patrick Dargan / Dorgan and Johanna / Anne / Nancy Flynn’s family. The Ballymacoda and Ladysbridge registers preserve the baptisms of five confirmed children between 1838 and 1846, immediately before Patrick appears in the Carrigkilter land records in 1847.
These baptismal records establish the early family group and preserve sponsor names that may help identify relatives, neighbors, and associated East Cork families. Ballymacoda should therefore be read alongside Carrigkilter, Ballybraher, Ladysbridge, Cloyne, Ballycotton, Garryvoe, and Aghada.
Carrigkilter remains Patrick’s principal documented landholding location. Ballymacoda and Ladysbridge provide the strongest surviving parish-register evidence for his family before that land record begins.
Why Ballymacoda Matters
The Ballymacoda / Ladysbridge registers provide a remarkably consistent sequence of baptisms for Patrick and Johanna’s children. They document the family across eight years and also preserve important sponsor names that can be compared with other Dargan / Dorgan, Flynn, Motherway, Barry, Savage, Millerick, and Boozane records.
These records are especially valuable because they provide family evidence independently of the Carrigkilter valuation records. Together, parish and land sources connect the documented family group with both people and place.
Confirmed Baptism Sequence
Daniel Dargan / Dorgan — 18 December 1838
Parents: Patrick Dargan / Dorgan and Johanna Flynn. Sponsors: John Motherway and Bridget Barry. Daniel is the earliest presently confirmed child.
Mary Dorgan — 13 May 1840
Parents: Patrick Dorgan and Anne Flynn. Sponsors: Daniel Dorgan and Eliza Flynn. The adult Daniel Dorgan serving as sponsor cannot have been Mary’s infant brother Daniel, baptized only in 1838. This older Daniel is therefore one of the most important current clues to Patrick’s earlier family.
Elizabeth Dargan / Dorgan — 11 February 1842
Parents: Patrick Dargan / Dorgan and Nancy Flynn. Sponsors: Patrick Savage and Bridget Savage. The use of Nancy provides important evidence for Johanna Flynn’s documented name variations.
Timothy Dargan / Dorgan — 18 February 1844
Parents: Patrick Dargan / Dorgan and Johanna Flynn. Sponsors: Ned Millerick and Mary Boozane. These sponsor surnames remain useful comparison clues in the wider East Cork family network.
David D. Dorgan — 8 January 1846
Parents: Patrick Dorgan and Nancy Flynn. David completes the currently confirmed baptism sequence before Patrick’s documented Carrigkilter land evidence begins in 1847.
The current page already contains these five children, though in a much longer individual-record format.
What the Baptisms Establish
The five baptisms securely establish Daniel, Mary, Elizabeth, Timothy, and David as children of Patrick Dargan / Dorgan and Johanna / Anne / Nancy Flynn.
Michael Dorgan and Patrick J. Dorgan are also securely connected to the same parents through later marriage records, although their baptisms have not yet been identified.
The registers do not by themselves prove that every child was born at Carrigkilter. Carrigkilter becomes Patrick’s securely documented landholding location through the valuation evidence beginning in 1847.
Sponsors and Earlier-Family Clues
Sponsor names are one of the most important research features of the Ballymacoda registers.
John Motherway, Bridget Barry, Eliza Flynn, Patrick and Bridget Savage, Ned Millerick, and Mary Boozane may represent relatives, neighbors, or close family associates. Their exact relationships should not be assumed without further evidence.
The most significant current clue is the adult Daniel Dorgan who sponsored Mary’s 1840 baptism. Because Patrick’s son Daniel was still an infant, the sponsor was necessarily another man. Whether he was Patrick’s father, brother, uncle, or another relative remains unresolved.
The Hill Cemetery, Ballymacoda
The Hill Cemetery is also important to the wider Dorgan family story.
During Bill Dorgan’s 2005 visit to East Cork, Liam Dorgan of Cloyne personally identified a grave there as that of Johanna Flynn Dorgan. The headstone records “Johanah Dorgan,” who died on 9 March 1895 aged 75. The inscription does not identify her husband or children, so the grave remains strong family and local evidence rather than conclusive documentary proof.
Other Dorgan burials at The Hill, including the Kilmacahill family associated with Edmond Dorgan, provide useful comparison evidence but should not automatically be assigned to Patrick’s Carrigkilter family.
Research Cautions
The Ballymacoda / Ladysbridge baptismal records provide direct evidence for five children of Patrick and Johanna, but sponsor relationships remain hypotheses unless supported elsewhere.
The adult Daniel Dorgan of 1840 is an important lead, not yet a proved father or brother of Patrick.
Nearby Dargan / Dorgan families at Kilmacahill, Garryvoe, Ballybraher, Cloyne, and other East Cork locations should likewise remain comparison families until documentary evidence establishes a relationship.
Children of Patrick Dargan / Dorgan and Johanna Flynn
The complete child sequence and detailed evidence for each member of the Carrigkilter family.
Patrick Dargan / Dorgan of Carrigkilter
The main family narrative for Patrick, his landholding, wife, children, and later branches.
Johanna / Anne Flynn Dorgan of East Cork
The companion narrative covering Johanna’s documented name variants, possible origins, family, and Ballymacoda burial evidence.
Carrigkilter Research Hub
The central research page for holding 8, valuation evidence, maps, family connections, and unresolved questions.
Midleton and Ladysbridge
The wider parish, civil, road, and local context for Ladysbridge and nearby family records.
Aghada
Important comparison context for the possible Flynn origins and Ballyandreen tradition.
Ballycotton and Garryvoe
The coastal East Cork context for related land, parish, Flynn, and Dargan / Dorgan evidence.
Records Archive
The primary-record collection for parish registers, land records, maps, census returns, cemetery evidence, and related sources.