CAHIR is a market town between Tipperary Town and Clonmel situated on the river Suir at the foot of the Galtee Mountains.  It was once the stronghold of the powerful Butler family and is famous for it's magnificant castle which today is still one of the best-preserved castles in Ireland.  Cahir was also home to the Tipperary militia with its extensive barracks.

Here we find two Perry families living in the 1800s, which we haven't yet been able to connect to the other Tipperary families.

The first Perry we find living in Cahir is SAMUEL PERRY who was born between 1811 and 1813.  He was a Sergeant of Police with the Royal Irish Constabulary and in 1850 he married MARGARET CAREW of Cahir who was the daughter of the shopkeeper John Carew.  Samuel is noted as being the son of Henry Perry, farmer, on his marriage record.  Samuel and Margaret had 2 sons: Henry (1850-) and John (1853).  Samuel died in 1853 and left his wife a young widow with 2 small children.  His burial record was found at the vault in Magorban which oddly enough isn’t near Cahir but closer to Killenaule and is where some of the Kilboy Perry family were buried.  Although this is still speculation it appears that Samuel may be related to the Perry family of Kilboy.

The second Perry we find living in Cahir is HENRY PERRY, son of John Perry, farmer, who was born around 1835 and lived at Suir Mills in Cahir.   In 1854, at the age of 19, he enlisted in the Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC).  His profession on the baptismal records of his children is revealed as RIC officer and later as steward.

In 1867 Henry married his 2nd or 3rd wife, JANE PERSE, daughter of John Perse at St. Paul’s Church, Cahir.  He had previously married Mary English in 1857 and is listed as a widower on that marriage registration also.  It is unknown if he had any children with his former wives.  Jane Perse is listed as being a servant at Alta Villa, which was a former Butler residences and now belonged to the Going family.

Henry and Jane had 7 children:

1)      WILLIAM FREDERICK married EVELYN SUSAN BRACE in 1900 and had 4 children, Evelyn Francis (1902), Harry (1904) who married Rose Bird in 1928 and a son also named William Frederick (1907- 1968) who had 2 daughters Doreen and Joan.  William Frederick Sr. died in 1911 and Evelyn died in 1940 and both are buried at Kilcommon Protestant Cemetery.

2)      JANE FRANCES was born in 1868 and was a schoolmistress in Cahir.  In 1896 she married the RIC officer JOHN FOSTER of Ennis.

3)      MATTHEW HENRY was born in 1870 and died near Cashel in 1930.    Matthew was a baker and he married ELIZABETH (Lizzie) MOTTERSHEAD in 1892.  Lizzie died in 1966 and is buried at St. John’s, Cashel with her husband.  They had twin daughters, Elizabeth Margaret and Zilpha (?) Jane who were born in 1893. 

4)      RICHARD (1874-)

5)      ELIZA FRANCES GRACE (1877-)

6)      SAMUEL of Killarney was an engineer and born in 1879.  He married SARAH MARIA GRIFFITHS in 1906 and their children were; Florrie, Grace and Albert.

7)      ELLEN ELIZABETH was born in 1881 and married MR. O’CONNOR.  They had one daughter Dorothy O’Connor.  Ellen died in 1938 and is buried with her husband at Kilcommon Protestant Cemetery.

Henry died in 1893 and was also buried at Kilcommon Protestant Cemetery with his wife, Jane, who died in 1915.

The origins of this family are unknown and the living descendants also have no information before Henry and Jane.  The only reference to his father, John, was found on his marriage record at Old St. Mary’s Church in Clonmel.  Because these Perrys were a normal working class family it was never assumed that they could be related to the Perry family of Woodrooff  however, looking at the names, (with the Matthews and Henrys) we have noticed a similarity to those used in the Kilboy Perry family.

We haven’t been able to track down a male descendant with the Perry surname yet which, unfortunately, counts out solving their ancestry with a DNA test.

Any information on any of these Perrys would be greatly appreciated.