Family believes relationship to Dan Donnelly

Two sisters who believe they are descendants of the famous pugilist Dan Donnelly paid a visit last week to The Hideout, which was associated with the 19th century fighter’s mummified arm for almost half a century, writes Brian Byrne.

Valerie Malik and Lorraine Ringling had in fact visited the pub back in 1988, where they saw the arm in its then repositary, a glass case over the fireplace. Retained by the Byrne family when the late Des Byrne sold the pub, the arm is currently on loan to a major exhibition, Fighting Irishmen. The exhibition is at the moment in the University of Limerick, having been already in New York, Boston, Omagh and Croke Park.

“My mother’s maiden name was Donnelly,” says Valerie Malick, “and it has always been in the family lore that we were descended from Dan Donnelly. But we have never been able to prove it, because the Dublin records were destroyed in the Custom House Fire of 1921.”

According to the family story, the Donnelly family related to the pugilist moved north to Belfast at some stage, by coincidence even setting up home in Townsend St in Belfast. Dan Donnelly himself lived in Townsend St in Dublin.

“And there’s another coincidence,” says Valerie. “I actually live in Coulsden in Surrey, very near where Dan Donnelly fought the fight at which he was knighted by the Prince Regent.”

Valerie and Lorraine are pictured here with Clare Boyce of The Hideout. Behind them is a framed poem and drawing presented earlier this year by Brownstown-based Dan Donnelly fan Barney O’Keefe.

This story was originally published in The Kildare Nationalist.