ME-ARCH-0382

Record Date: 
12 September 2024
Graveyard: 
Ardcath
Exact wording of epitaph: 

THIS STONE WAS ERECTED BY
Mr. THOs. WEIR
OF ORMOND MARKET QUAY OF DUBLIN
AS A TRIBUTE OF AFFECTION TO THE 
MEMORY OF HIS BELOVED WIFE
     CATHERINE
WHO DIED THE 30th SEPt. 1826
   AGED 26 YEARS
HERE ALSO ARE INTERRED 
TWO OF THEIR INFANT CHILDREN.

JOHN PAUL O'BRIEN DIED 1935
AND HIS WIFE ELIZABETH DIED 1966 

Memorial Type: 
Grave slab
Grave location
County: 
Meath
Latitude: 
53.607197222222
Longitude: 
-6.3934722222222
Additional details
Inscription legible: 
Yes
Number of people commemorated: 
5
People commemorated: 
Name: 
CATHERINE
Surname: 
WEIR
Date of death - day: 
30
Date of death - month: 
September
Date of death - year: 
1826
Age: 
26
Address: 
ORMOND MARKET QUAY, DUBLIN
Name: 
JOHN PAUL
Surname: 
O'BRIEN
Date of death - year: 
1935
Address: 
Drogheda
Relationship with first person: 
Unknown
Name: 
ELIZABETH
Surname: 
O'BRIEN (NEE) BARNWELL
Date of death - year: 
1966
Address: 
Bayview Cottage, Sunnyside, Drogheda
Name: 
2 infant children of the above Catherine
Surname: 
Weir
Relationship with first person: 
children
Notes: 

John Paul O'Brien was a Civil Engineer and Surveyor, born in Bunnanstown to Joseph Patrick O'Brien and Anne O'Brien. He married Elizabeth Barnwell from Clonalvy on October 19th 1908 in Ardcath Church. They had two daughters, Cathleen born on Sept 27th 1910 and Alicia born on March 31st  1912 and five other children. Elizabeth died in 1966. JP worked for Louth and Meath County Councils. (Source: Riochta na Mi 2026 Journal - John McCullen - "The 1909 diary of J.P. O'Brien - Architect, Engineering and Surveyor". Page 240 - 252)

In 1825, Thomas Weir was a prominent merchant and tradesman based at Ormond Market and Upper Ormond Quay in Dublin. Records from the early 19th century identify him as a vintner (wine merchant) and proprietor of a public house in this busy commercial district near the River Liffey. 

Historical Context of Thomas Weir (1825)
  • Business Address: He is frequently listed in Dublin street directories, such as Wilson's Dublin Directory (1825), at No. 11 Upper Ormond Quay.
  • Trade: He operated as a vintner and spirit dealer, a common occupation in the Ormond Market area which was a central hub for food and beverage distribution at the time.
  • Ormond Market: During this period, Ormond Market was one of Dublin's primary meat and produce markets, located just behind Ormond Quay. Vintners like Weir served the merchant and labourer population that frequented these stalls. 
The Area in 1825: Upper Ormond Quay was a prestigious business location, situated near the Four Courts, which had been completed roughly 20 years earlier. This meant Weir's establishment likely served legal professionals as well as market traders. 
  • Location: The quay runs along the north side of the Liffey between Capel Street and the Four Courts.
  • Social Status: While the quays were becoming more commercial, they remained a high-traffic area for both commerce and the legal profession. 
While the burial of Thomas Weir’s wife, Catherine, in Ardcath  suggests a family tie to the area, it does not definitively prove he was born there. In 19th-century Ireland, it was standard practice for families living in cities like Dublin to transport their deceased back to their ancestral home or family burial ground in the countryside.
Historical Context of Thomas Weir
  • His specific address at Ormond Quay (near the market) suggests he was an established businessman by 1825.
  • The Ardcath Connection: The headstone in Ardcath graveyard, erected by Thomas Weir "of Ormond Market Quay of Dublin," confirms that Catherine (died September 30, 1826, aged 26) and two of their infant children are buried there.
  • Ancestral Tradition: The choice to bury Catherine in Ardcath rather than a Dublin cemetery (such as Glasnevin or Goldenbridge) strongly implies that Thomas Weir or his wife had deep roots in that parish. At the time, transporting a body from Dublin to Meath (roughly 20-25 miles) was an expensive and deliberate act of honoring ancestral ties. 
Research Tips for Ardcath Origins
To confirm if Thomas was born in Ardcath, you can investigate the following records:
  • Parish Registers: Ardcath is in the Diocese of Meath. Search for baptismal records around 1790–1800 (assuming he was near Catherine’s age) on Catholic Parish Registers at the National Library of Ireland.
  • Tithe Applotment Books (1823–1837): These list landholders in Ardcath. Look for other Weir families who may have been his parents or siblings on the National Archives of Ireland Tithe Applotment site.
  • Griffith’s Valuation (1850s): Check for "Weir" names in the townlands surrounding Ardcath to see where the family held land. 
The presence of "infant children" on the stone indicates the family was actively growing in the 1820s before Catherine's early death. It is highly probable that Thomas was returning "home" to his native parish to bury his young family.