In what may be a final attempt to ascertain the fate of Mary Allingham, niece of the poet William Allingham, who was orphaned following the deaths of her parents during the period of the Great Famine in Ireland 1840-46, the following is published in the hope that some descendants may see it and have family knowledge of Mary and of what became of her.

It was compiled by the indefatigable Soinbhe Lally, whose name is well known to long-time readers of this web site.

On a visit to Belfast in December 2000 she visited the Linenhall Library in that city, and in the card index of births, deaths, and marriages published in the Belfast Newsletter between 1800 and 1857, checked for Allingham entries. Two entries in particular were intriguing, those of John James Allingham and his wife Jessie, who were married in the Australian gold rush town of Ballarat on August 2, 1885.

The marriage entry records:

Allingham John James Formerly of Dublin to Jessie Niven Dublin at Ballarat, Melbourne Australia, married 2 August 1855

Mrs. John James Allingham Ballarat Australia Formerly of Drumcondra d. 25-11-1856

James Allingham of Capel St. Dublin died 5-6-1860

All other Allingham announcements of the period related to deaths in and around the neighbourhood of Ballyshannon, the birthplace of the poet William. One other is of some significance in that it records the death of a centenarian:

George Allingham aged 100 Boa Island nr. Pettigo d. 5-7-1842

The story of Mary and her fifteen co-emigrants from Ballyshannon is told in fuller detail in Girls Orphaned by the Irish Famine.