Person:Alice Dunne (2)

Alice (known as Ally) Dunne has yet to be traced prior to her marriage in 1845. It is quite likely she was from the Monasterevin area, which is where she married, had all six of her children and died. Her death certificate implies that she was born in 1814 or 1815, and given that the Catholic parish registers for Monasterevin only date from 1819 it is entirely possible that she was from Monasterevin but her early life has gone unrecorded. Four of the godparents of Ally's children were called Dunne (Ann, Betty, John and Mary), hinting at possible members of her family.

Ally's first confirmed sighting is on 29th November 1845 at Monasterevin in County Kildare, when she married a blacksmith named Maurice Cleary. They went on to have six children together between 1846 and 1857, all of whom were baptised at Monasterevin. At the time of their marriage they both lived in the town itself, but later settled at Skirteen, a townland to the west of the town on the opposite side of the River Barrow. Here, Maurice had his smithy beside a lock linking the River Barrow to the Grand Canal.

After suffering from chronic stomach disease for several years, Ally died on 2nd March 1872 aged 57. Maurice was left with their six children, who then ranged in age from 25 down to 14. Maurice outlived Ally by over 21 years.

1. ↑ ^{1.0 1.1 1.2} Death certificate, in General Register Office of Ireland. Civil Registration.

   1872. DEATHS Registered in the District of Monasterevan in the Union of Athy in the County of Kildare
   No.	Date and Place of Death	Name and Surname	Sex	Condition	Age last Birthday	Rank, Profession, or Occupation	Certified Cause of Death, and Duration of Illness	Signature, Qualification, and Residence of Informant	When Registered	Signature of Registrar
   613	Second March 1872 Skirteen	Alicia Cleary	Female	Married	57 Years [1814/5]	Wife of a Blacksmith	Cancer in Stomach 1 month Uncertified ~ Certified Chronic Disease of Stomach - Several years 6/3/72	Maurice Cleary present at death Skirteen	Fifth March 1872	Joseph Storey Registrar

   
2. ↑ Kildare Genealogy. Kildare Genealogy.

   She was called "Ally" at her marriage and at the baptisms of her children.