Irish Genealogy Can be Fun!

My experiences doing family history in Ireland have generally been frustrating. Our Buchanans and McCallums left Ireland before there were good records kept.

My experience with a friend's Peter Evans' family was fun and exciting. Searching on the maiden name of Jane Cromer brought up a flood of information about German clock makers who emigrated to Ireland in the 1800s, including Jane's father, Conrad Cromer. He took over the watch making business of his father-in-law Robert O'Shaughnessy at 18 George Street, Limerick, Ireland. 

Robert in turn, had continued the fishing tackle business started by his father Daniel O'Shaughnessy, inventor of the famous Shaughnessy or O'Shaughnessy fish hook, still in wide-spread use over 200 years later. Daniel designed the O'Shaughnessy hook, but the metal was brittle and would sometimes break. Robert perfected the metallurgy, allowing his hook-makers to do the heating and tempering on the common Irish turf fire, producing hooks that were better than those produced by his deceased father and deceased elder bother John. An apprentice of John's by the names of Sells also sold O'Shaughnessy-style hooks in competition to Robert. 

But Robert's main business was watch and clock making. The Limerick museum has one of Roberts tall (grand-father) clocks on display. Some of Conrad Cromer's watches are still in existence and photos can be found on the internet.

Robert's children carried on the business after the death of Robert in 1842. Conrad married Jane in 1854, so 12 years later. Conrad's family carried on the business after his death in 1903. 

I would never have expected to find myself tracing the pedigree of a fish hook, but that is what led me to Daniel and John O'Shaughnessy!

O'Shaughnessy hooks can be seen on this page:  http://www.terminaltackleco.com/prod_detail_list/650/12