In October 2025, I slowly started forming from DNA clues a possible extraordinary theory that George Cashel's mother is closely related to Mary O'Connell who married Daniel O'Connell.
There is quite a bit of evidence for this, but it is not proved yet. But we think we are nearly on the home stretch.
We finally know which branch of the Blennerhassetts we descend from. In 2020, using DNA and documents, we finally proved that we descend from the Blennerhassett Baronets branch. See Proof.
The remaining search is to figure out how.
George Cashel was probably adopted
If George Cashel's mother came from the O'Connell/Tuohy/Leyne family, then she was not Cashel. And we have a theory as to why he was called Cashel - because he was adopted by the Stephen Cashel family.
False alarm: Kitty Tuohy
In October 2025, I slowly started forming from DNA clues a possible extraordinary theory that George Cashel's mother is closely related to Mary O'Connell who married Daniel O'Connell.
On 12 Nov 2025, I discovered the tragic 1806 story of Kitty Tuohy in the O'Connell family. For a while I thought this must be our story. I proposed actual parents for George Cashel: Kitty Tuohy and "Black Arthur" Blennerhassett, of Blennerville.
On 2 Dec 2025, I discovered that Kitty's doomed relationship was with James O'Regan. The 1806 story was indeed a tragedy, but it is not the origin of George Cashel.
We continue however with the theory that George Cashel's mother is closely related to Mary O'Connell.
My own DNA carries evidence of my Blennerhassett ancestry.
I have a number of relations who DNA match the Blennerhassett/Yielding family. But on 18 July 2025, I discovered that my own DNA has a significant match to the Blennerhassett/Yielding family. This is my match to Eileen Owen. I had known for some time there was apparently a borderline match of me and her, but I was not sure what it meant. In 2025, I discovered she strongly matches multiple members of my family, so I revisited her matches, and discovered that Gedmatch had re-calibrated my match to her so that it is now significant (11 cM). It is now clear that my match to her is because of our shared Blennerhassett/Yielding ancestry.
Martha Lynne's ancestors
Updates on the ancestors of Martha Lynne (probably bapt 1598), the only certain Royal Descent for my Blennerhassett line.
The "Princes in the Tower" in 1483
Our Blennerhassett line descends through Martha Lynne from Miles Forest, keeper of the wardrobe at Barnard Castle, who is said to be one of the killers of the "Princes in the Tower" in 1483.
O'Mara papers
Hoping for some mention of Cashel.
Rowan manuscript (in my possession)
Garvey research in PRONI
"Black Jack's Book" in TCD
Chute papers in KCL
Blennerhassett letters in BL
Blennerhassett Baronets papers
Blennerville House visit
In July 2022, I finally got in to see Blennerville House, probably my actual surviving ancestral home.
Garden walk at Blennerville House.
It may have changed since the Blennerhassetts' time, but they did walk here.
Blennerville House from the garden side.
Photo about 1863-1864.
Denny papers
Conway
Blennerhassett Challenge is closed
The Blennerhassett Challenge, offering a prize of €1000 to anyone who solved the Blennerhassett problem, is now closed. Nobody won the grand prize.
I paid out six interim prizes of €100 to: Eily Moylan, Jackie Lindsay, Teresa Stokes, Emma Pinnell, Elizabeth Humphrys and Nicole Scannell-O'Leary.
Looking again at the Baronets branch
If Letitia Blennerhassett of Tarbert is not the link, who is?
By starting again and reconsidering the evidence, the obvious "plan B" is the Blennerhassett Baronets branch. We now pursue both documents and DNA in this branch.
DNA testing proved many things
Even if the Letitia theory did not work, the DNA testing proved much of the Cashel tree to be true. It gave major breakthroughs in Kickham, Pigott, Gould and other lines. It proved much of the "Black Jack" branch of the Blennerhassett tree to be true - even if that is of no use to me.
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