From 'The Fermanagh Story'

Beggan - (O Beagain) "This family was common in the Clones-Roslea-Donagh area. It was originally O Beacain and this was often anglicised Little. Little was itself a British name and some of the minor planters bore it. O'Donovan mentions Beggan under Clones and there are many Beggan inscriptions in Donagh cemetery." There are 139 Little voters in Fermanagh today, and 44 Beggans or Beagans."

My Beggan family comes from a small town called Rosslea (old spelling Roslea), in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. They are among many Beggan family branches in Rosslea and the surrounding area, which makes the job of tracing my line that much harder.  I'm quite lucky in that I have Beggan family contacts in Ireland but they don't know everything as they are pretty much younger than my father was.  I've also relied on things I remember my father telling me, although trying to confirm these pieces of information may or may not prove difficult.

     I have it on good authority that my Beggan line originated in Greaghawarren, which should, hopefully, be confirmed once I get hold of my g grandad's marriage certificate. *Update* According to John Beggan and Susan Lynch marriage certificate, John Beggan was living in Drumacritten. I have also learned that my Beggan family also came from Knocknalear townland and I have also found siblings and cousins from these places, in Corraleek and Eshnadarragh townlands too. All in Roslea, in the Parish of Clones. May I say a special thanks to James Mullan, for providing the townland map, and to Sean Rooney for editing to make the townlands clearer.

My line goes through Patrick Beggan/Catherine McElroy who are my ggg Grandparents. You will see them at the top of the Beggan Tree (click on the Beggan Tree link at the top of the page). One child of Patrick Beggan/Catherine McElroy who is not mentioned in the tree is Mary Beggan (b. about 1824 in Corraleek). I believe it is Mary who provides the link between the Beggan family and the Toal family of Smithboro'. Mary married Bernard Toal (b. about 1810) and had children, James and Thomas. This Thomas is the same Thomas Toal as mentioned in the Mary Ellen Beggan news story here You can see Thomas Toal and his family here in the 1911 Census

My grandmother was Susan Beggan, born 16th November 1903 at Drumacritten, Rosslea, County Fermanagh.  She was the daughter of John Beggan (pictured below, holding a scythe) and Susan Lynch.  Her siblings, as far as I can gather, were Sarah Jane, Catherine, Mary Ellen, Patrick, James Edward, Bridget and Margaret.  Below is the Beggan family in house number 2 in Drumacritten in 1911.

My great grandfather, John Beggan (known as 'Old John Beggan'), was the son of Patrick Beggan and Catherine Quigley. He was one of 10 children, the others being Mary, Catherine, Bridget, Sarah, Ellen, Patrick, Ann, Thomas and Margaret. Their mother, Catherine Quigley, immigrated to Providence, Rhode Island, USA in 1896, along with two children, Thomas and Margaret, who were still young at that point. They went out to join three others of Patrick and Catherine's children, Patrick, Ellen and Ann, who had already immigrated. John remained in Drumacritten, Roslea until his death. For some Beggan/Beggan related births, marriages and deaths, in Rhode Island and the USA, click here

Old John's son, Patrick Beggan - Married Susan Connolly (daughter of Michael and Mary Anne Connolly) of Scotstown Town. Susan Connolly and her family can be seen here You will notice the entries are in Gaelic. Below are the translations. They had a son, Frank, who died on 1st January 1996 and you can see their gravestones at Urbleshanny graveyard here

Below are some of the siblings of Old John Beggan and what I know of them:

Mary Beggan - Married Thomas Manley and lived in Crockawaddy. They had 10 children of which 5 were still living in 1911. One, Thomas (aged 22), can be seen living with them here in the 1911 census. Their son Thomas went on to marry a Margaret ?

Bridget Beggan - Married John Beggan of the Beggans of Knocknalear. According to the 1911 census they had 5 children of which 3 were still living. You can view the family in 1911 here. Two of their children, James Joseph and Luke Patrick, are still living at home.

Patrick Beggan - Emigrated to Providence, Rhode Island, USA where he married Mary Jane Cosgrove. Their children include Edward Joseph Beagan (possibly married Alice D. Wall), Thomas Peter Beagan (possibly married Mary H. Brady), Mary A. Beagan (married John P. Galligan), Rose E. Beagan (married Francis M. Keefe) and Eugene V. Beagan (married Julia V. Murphy).

For anyone researching the name Beggan, or any variant spelling, i.e. Beagan, Beggin, Bagan, etc,may I suggest you visit.... http://members.tripod.com/~Al_Beagan/start.htm where you'll find a wealth of information and messages. You will also find lots of other family surnames mentioned. A very good Beggan Resource indeed.

Another great Beggan site is a new site at http://geocities.com/jamesmullan@rogers.com/ Created by James Mullan and Maureen Batty. If your Beggan ancestors were from Roslea and the surrounding area, you really must check out this site!