DNA

Autosomal DNA is passed down from both the mother and the father, is inherited by both men and women, and includes DNA that is passed down from all branches of your ancestors, such as via the paternal grandmother, maternal grandfather, maternal grandmother and the paternal grandfather. The Ancestry.co.uk DNA testing service and also the 23andMe company test only for Autosomal DNA and therefore connects you with people who you are related to through all branches of your ancestors. However, what is significant about Ancestry's and 23andMe's test is that they only connect you with people who you are related to within about the last 10 generations.

Via 23andMe I have shown to be a predicted 3rd to 4th cousin with a man whose great-grandparents were Michael Killilea and Margaret Dowd who married in 1879 in Ballygar, county Galway. Ballygar is just a short distance down the road from Creeveroe and it appears that Margaret Dowd was a sister of my 2nd great-grandmother Catherine Dowd who married Thomas Crehan, my 2nd great-grandad in 1873. Margaret Dowd's father has been confirmed as Patrick Dowd. Catherine Dowd's father has also been confirmed as Patrick Dowd as per her marriage certificate of 1873 and Margaret Dowd is one of the witnesses on the marriage record of 1873. Thus my DNA relative via 23andMe is a great-great grandson of Patrick Dowd and I am a great-great-great grandson of Patrick Dowd which makes us 3rd cousins once removed. This is inline with 23andMe's predicted relationship for us of 3rd to 4th cousins. See tree below:

Via both 23andMe and Ancestry DNA I have found several DNA relatives who have Crehan ancestors in their family trees. My connection with them does not necessarily have to be in the Crehan line, but as Crehan is the only shared surname in our ancestries then it seems more than likely that the connection is in the Crehan line. So far all of these DNA relatives have found to be related too far back for the connection to be found in written records and the more distant the predicted relationship is the less likely it is to be accurate. However, all of them trace their Crehan ancestors back to County Galway, Ireland, and some even trace trace their Crehan ancestry back to the same parish of Killian that the village of Creeveroe is a part of.