I find myself trying to find some nugget of information in Ireland that might lead back to my 2x great grandfather, Michael Egan b. between 1808 to 1813.

He was said to have been an educated man. This information came to me from my great grandmother, Michael Egan’s seventh living child, as well as from the descendant of his oldest child. My family says that he was educated to become a priest. Obviously he didn’t finish up. (or maybe not so obviously, hmmmm) My grandmother said he was educated at “Dublin University”. As I understand it, Dublin University is actually Trinity, so I doubt that this information is accurate.

Based on this information, these are my assumptions:

1. The second son was educated to be a priest (isn’t that Irish tradition?)

2. His family must have had some money to be able to send him to a seminary

3. I thought that in the early 1800’s Catholics were not allowed to be educated.

I found a Michael Egan at Maynooth..The time line is perfect, except that I can trace him throughout Limerick to his death. So obviously it wasn’t him. And I found a Patrick Egan, who was educated to become a priest, but didn’t, and he had a son named Michael, born 1810, who had a son born 1875 (really!!) P.M. Egan who became the Mayor of Kilkenney in 1887.)

http://www.libraryireland.com/Pedigrees1/Egan-2-Heremon.php>