Catherine

Catherine "Owen (Eoghan)" O'Sullivan Ring (1828-1911), daughter of Eugene Sullivan (b. abt 1800) & Catherine McCarthy (b. abt 1800)

For information on Catherine Sullivan & her husband Timothy "Tadgh" Ring, I am very grateful to their descendants in Ireland (GR in Tralee and JR in Dublin).

Catherine Owen O'Sullivan (wife of Timothy "Tadgh" Ring 1824-1897) is pictured with family members (from left to right): her grand-daughter Rosalie Rice, her son-in-law George Rice Sr., her son Eugene Ring, her daughter Eleanor "Ellie" Ring Rice 1867-1953 (nee Ring), Catherine Ring 1828-1911 (nee Sullivan, the wife of schoolmaster Tadgh Ring), and her grandson John Joe Rice (photo kindly supplied by GR, Tralee, Co. Kerry). Date of the photo is estimated to be about 1902.

Catherine Sullivan Ring was the daughter of Eugene (Eoghan or Eoin pronounced Owen) O'Sullivan and Catherine McCarthy. Nicknamed Catherine Mac Eoghain (or Owen because she was from the family of Eugene Sullivan, she remembered "the Bad Times", the Great hunger of the 1840s, but never spoke of the Famine "an droch-shaol", except to say: "Don't disrespect the food!" if anyone criticized the catering.

She had "trimmings" on the Rosary (trimmings in old Ireland were the prayers added on to the Rosary evening ritual): "For my father and mother, father-in-law and mother-in-law, for you Mike Connor, Mary Thade, Tom Jones and my own poor man." She married Timothy "Thade" Ring (1824-1897) of Millstreet, Cullen, Co. Cork in 1854 in Kenmare, Co. Kerry. Tadgh was “cliamhain isteach” – a son-in-law who marries into his wife’s land (Kilmurry townland, Kenmare, Co. Kerry), where he had to work hard to improve the land, by draining it and breaking huge stones.

Catherine received visits from An Bhean Mhuinteartha (Bean Mhuinteartha means “woman family relative” – an undefined relationship, probably distant. In this case, it was a woman without a home of her own who visited all of her relations– however distant – to stay a night or two and claimed her kinship with them), who used to praise her as one of the "Ceithearnachs" (a superior branch of the Sullivans, the local strong men, leaders or warriors) and disparage "the Rices and Reidys, Quills (feathers!) and Dalys -- what are they to you, mo chroi (my heart)?" So, the Sullivans -- especially our branch -- are noble!

Catherine's descendants in Ireland say that her parents were Eugene (Eoghan) O'Sullivan & Catherine McCarthy. Although we are more sure of the details on some of their children than others, they are as follows (as of 2007 conclusions): Catherine (1828-1911) - lived Kilmurry townland; Alice (b. abt 1830) remained in Ireland (Tuosist?); Eleanora (b. abt 1832) remained in Ireland or Northeast, USA; Boetious Henry (1835-1869) Janesville, WI, USA; Eugene William (1837-1886) Belvidere, IL, USA; Denis (b. abt 1840) remained in Ireland (Reen townland, Kenmare); Timothy Eugene (1845-1910) emig. abt 1866 to Belvidere, IL, USA; Michael (b. abt 1847) remained in Ireland (Carhumeengar/Ceathrumingearr townland); and Julia (1849-1924) Colo, IA, USA. All the siblings married eventually, 5 of them to other Sullivans. At the time of Catherine's marriage (at abt age 26) in 1854, her younger brother Boetious may have already left for the U.S. (abt 1853 at abt age 18) and her younger brother Eugene soon followed him (abt 1855 at abt age 18), so she (with her sturdy husband Tadgh) may have been the most likely family member to take over the family land. Some of the other siblings were said to be "of Carhumeengar" and the brother Michael stayed on that ancestral land, which was exchanged about 1940 by his son for better land near Kilcock, Co. Kildare where his descendants still live.

Some placenames that have been mentioned concerning our Sullivans are Cappanacush, Dunkerron and Reen townlands in Templenoe Civil Parish; Kilmurry, Carhoomeengar and Dromneavane townlands, Kenmare Civil Parish.

Tadgh & Kate's children and their descendants are widely scattered: Denis (abt 1855) lived in Galway; Jeremiah (1856-1940) lived on Valentia Island (descendants are also in Cahirciveen); Eugene (1857-1920) remained at the Kilmurry, Kenmare property; Nora (abt 1862-1941) emigrated to Brisbane, Australia in 1890 and married (1891) Peter Scott, Abbie (1864-1950) became a nun (1883) in Texas, Katie (1865-1929), after spending time in Waupon, Wisconsin (1920 census) with her Ring aunts, emigrated to Australia and lived with her sister Nora's family and the youngest Alice (1869) died in infancy.

Click this thumbnail to read the story of how Catherine helped her grandson John Dillon Ring (1888-1966) to avail himself of the O'Sullivan bourse (endowment left by Fr. John Sullivan of Dunkerron, Co. Kerry (abt 1633-1699), President of the Irish College at Louvain (Leuven), Belgium for the descendants of his brothers and first cousins to study for the priesthood (provided they were born in Ireland). Source: Kerry Archaeological and Historical Society Journals - The O’Sullivan Bourse in Louvain (Seoirse De Rís). Image kindly supplied by Tralee Library.

GR of Tralee adds (regarding Fr. John Dillon Ring): You may not know that John Ring was dropped from Irish seminaries because he had a habit of getting into fights. He persisted with his vocation and Leuven seemed a reply from heaven. He was admitted there with a warning that if he got into any fights he would be expelled from there too. So he became a model of peace. At the time, anti-clerical mobs often congregated around the gate of the college in Leuven to scoff, jeer and do worse as the students and priests came out. John ignored their insults, even from one guy who targeted him regularly by spitting at him, (he had to hold his peace if he wanted to stay for ordination and he did). This went on during the years of his studies, the same guy continuing to spit at him. Finally, John became a priest, said his first mass, and then walked out the gate. His adversary started the same barrage, but this time the reaction differed. John gave him a smack in the Jaw that cost the guy some teeth and said: "It will hurt you in future if you do that." That is called the Church Militant.

The photo on left is Fr. John Ring, probably pictured with his Janesville Sullivan cousins, need to check; The photo on right is Fr. John Ring and his sister Sally Ring (1898-1983), with their mother Sarah Cremin Ring (identified per JR, center b. 1863) of Valentia Island, so it was probably taken in Ireland. Three of Sarah's 13 children emigrated to the U.S. (Illinois): Fr. John in 1913, at the age of 24, from Queenstown to NYC on the Baltic; Sarah, age 21, arrived in NYC 25 Dec 1919 on the Mauretania from Southhampton; and the youngest child in the family Jane (1905-1994) emigrated 1929 to Chicago at the age of 24. Both photos were given about 1980 to HSMcK by Dr. BBS (1900-1990).

From the History of St. Patrick's Parish, Merna, Illinois, written in 1939: (on Fr. Ring, pastor 1932-1950) "The first year, probably, times were good, but then came the effects of the Depression, making it hard to meet the running expenses of the parish. Father, however, was patient and full of confidence . . . . Father Ring is kind, zealous for souls, and most comforting in sickness or trouble . . . . Our pastor and his beloved sister, Miss Sally Ring, are good company and we appreciate and enjoy having them with us."