 Inch Castle in silhouette - Inch Island, Co. Donegal An Uncommon Name "Sometimes you come across a name in Irish genealogical research that stops you in your tracks. Is it an Irish name whose modern form masks its ancient Gaelic roots, or is it one of those interlopers - brought in through colonialism, war, trade, or simple immigration? One such name landed on my desk recently: Lenny. According to my usual go-to handbook on the subject: "The Surnames of Ireland" by MacLysaght, there was no specific entry for "Lenny", and no real reference to possible derivatives, other than O'Lennon or Lennan, from the Irish "Ó Leannáin" or Lunny, from the Irish "Ó Luinigh" which was "originally from Co. Donegal, but now strongly associated with the adjoining Co. Fermanagh". The Lenny surname, in this case, was that of a family who was believed to have originated on Inch Island near Buncrana in County Donegal from at least the mid-1700s. My client, Tracey from near Portland, Oregon, reached out to trace her ancestor James Lenny, son of Daniel and Ann Lenny. James emigrated from Ireland in 1840 and settled in Delaware County, Pennsylvania. A fragment of family memory survived through a single line of song passed down through generations: "Inch Island, seven miles around and around." That line became the anchor to an intriguing investigation. So Few Records The only pre-emigration Irish record that could be found tying a Lenny family to Inch Island was the 1766 Religious Census, which lists a Daniel and James Lenny as "Papists" (Roman Catholics). Sadly, the original record was lost in the destruction of the Four Courts in 1922, so we rely on a transcription held at PRONI (Public Records Office of Northern Ireland in Belfast).
 1766 Religious Census for the Island of Inch, Co. Donegal What I uncovered through US Census records and passenger lists, however, pointed to a family who emigrated "en masse" from Derry between 1840 and 1848, including the grim year of "Black '47" during An Gorta Mór (The Great Hunger). Several family members departed via the quays in Derry for Pennsylvania in groups together, settling first in the 1850s in Ridley Township, Delaware County. They were carrying many "chests" and "boxes" suggesting a family with a little more in terms of the usual "just the clothes on their back" type emigrant of the time.
Selection of passenger listings from Derry to Philadelphia with Lenny family emigrants and Derry Journal newspaper advert for the Barque Creole  Transcription of the various family groups who left Co. Donegal via Derry to emigrate to Ridley Township in PA, USA Strikingly, no other Irish records from 1766 to 1840 mention the Lenny family on Inch Island. I had expected to find them in the Tithe Applotment Books (1823-37) or perhaps Griffith's Valuation (1847-64), but there was nothing. This absence suggested they may not have been tenant farmers. Instead, they likely earned a living through trade or skilled work - possibly in the boot and shoe business, as some family members appear in early US records as merchants in this industry with notable real estate holdings. The passenger listings note that this was indeed the trade of several of the brothers. This relative financial stability may have allowed them to emigrate together, without the staggered pattern typical of chain migration.
US Federal Census Records 1850 - Ridley Township, Delaware County, PA, USA where the Lenny family groups settled following their 1840s emigration from Co. Donegal, Ireland James Coscaden (Shipping) & Co, Derry As a little aside I would like to introduce some of the interesting background to one of the shipping lines that carried the Lenny family to the United States. The Barque Creole was the ship which left Derry in April 1847 at the height of the Famine. It carried nine members of the Lenny family at that time, arriving in Philadelphia on 25 May 1847. It was owned by James Corscaden (Shipping) & Co. which was established in 1830. When the Lenny family boarded the Barque Creole in 1846, they stepped into the heart of a vast, transatlantic network built by one of Derry’s most ambitious sons: James Corscaden. Born in 1807 above his family’s grocery shop at the foot of Shipquay Street, Corscaden left retail behind at 18 after his father’s death and entered the shipping trade - first with the McCorkell Line, then striking out on his own. He would go on to own more than ten ships, including the Creole, and carry thousands of emigrants from Derry to America.
In 1834, Corscaden was appointed the first full United States Consul in Derry by the U.S. Secretary of State - a sign of the port’s growing importance in America’s immigrant story. His role wasn’t just diplomatic; it was deeply practical. From offices at London Street and Shipquay Street, he vetted and certified emigrants, ensuring they arrived in Philadelphia with the paperwork to pass quickly through customs. Corscaden’s network stretched far beyond the Foyle. He worked with industrial giants like DuPont to recruit Ulster workers for their American factories, turning Derry into a pipeline of skilled labour for the New World. The Creole itself was part of this machine - despite setbacks like a lightning strike in 1848 that nearly destroyed her masts.  Creole struck by lightning 1848. Artist Rodney Charman ©Rodney Charman For families like the Lennys, Corscaden’s work meant more than safe passage; it meant a lifeline to opportunity. His vision helped reshape Derry from a trading outpost into a gateway to the American dream. "Pre-Tour" Tour Although, I know Inch Island and have been there many times, it had been a while. To get a feel for the place again and to explore it in greater detail, I crossed the causeway from the "mainland" for a pre-tour reconnaissance trip. There, I met Boyd Bryce, a local farmer with a keen interest in local history whose own family also appears in that 1766 Religious Census of Inch Island. Boyd's farmyard is beside the ancient graveyard at Strahack, in the townland of Grange - he actually owns the land on which it is located. The graveyard, now split by a road built during the Napoleonic era to supply materials for the Martello Tower above the Swilly, lies within a serene patch of native woodland. The site once served an early Christian community and likely had a circular monastic wall, as seen across Inishowen's Maghtochair (Fertile Plain). Over time, it became a mixed burial ground for both Catholics and Protestants, with graves layered deep in a vaulted style, with Catholics buried on one side of the road and Protestants on the upper side.
Selection of photos from Strahack Cemetery on Inch Island Beside the graveyard stands a handsome stone flax mill once powered by a mill pond. It was owned by Boyd's grandfather, Robert Bryce and ancestors before him. Boyd shared some of the site’s history, and we were warmly greeted by his Border Collie, Sweep, who made sure we knew we were welcome.
Strahack Flax Mill and the beautiful Sweep (Boyd Bryce's Border Collie) Boyd also put me in touch with Tina Porter of the townland of Glack, who very kindly shared her own genealogical knowledge of some of the families of Inch Island. Like Boyd, she was unaware of the Lenny name on Inch but was very interested to be able to connect it to other families, such as the McMichael family who had lived in a house behind her own home on Inch. I will contact Tina again at a later date with on this and hopefully be able to work out some additional connections. The Lenny Family Descendants Arrive! A few days later, Tracey arrived in Ireland with her husband Paul and her brothers, Tom and Matt. They were keen to walk in the footsteps of their Lenny ancestors despite not knowing the exact location on Inch Island where they once lived. I curated a tour for them which gave them just that - an opportunity to get a general feeling of their family's background in this most beautiful and scenic landscape and to discover what that life may have looked like. We explored An Grianan Aileach, with its breathtaking views over Inch Island. The moment moved Tracey to tears. Visiting the land of her ancestors had been a lifelong dream and sharing it with her brothers made it even more powerful. Their photos and videos would travel home to their mother, now in her 90s, preserving the journey for another generation.
Stunning panoramic views from An Grianan Aileach From there, we drove into Derry City for another essential part of the tour. We visited the quays where so many Irish families - including Tracey’s ancestors - once stood before boarding ships bound for the United States. Standing at the very edge of where they last touched Irish soil brought an additional emotional weight to the journey. It helped bridge the distance of time and space, allowing Tracey and her family to connect with that moment of departure, loss, and hope. A short tour of the beautiful Guildhall followed so that they could take in the Planation Exhibition, furthering an exploration of the history which may have helped to instigate the journey of their Lenny ancestors to cross the Atlantic to the New World.
Derry City Tour including the quayside (the old docks), the Peace Bridge and the Guildhall After lunch, we circled Inch Island - from the dramatic Lough Swilly vistas beyond Inch Castle on one side and on the other, the pier. We explored the grounds of the abandoned Church of Ireland graveyard at Moress plus the other old burying ground at Strahack and admired the vibrant green fields stretching in every direction.
We even got to catch up with Boyd who so graciously spent some time with my American guests and regaled them with more stories of the island! This was a perfect moment whereby the descendants of former Inch Island residents got to meet up with a modern day local! They were delighted with the interaction and it was one of their favourite parts of the tour as they told me later. We then soaked up the quiet atmosphere of the final resting place of their ancestors, trying to imagine the lives of those who once called this place home.
 Paul, Tracey, Tom and Matt meet Boyd Bryce at Strahack History and Heritage of Inch Island, Co. Donegal It was important to share with Tracey, her brothers Tom and Matt and her husband Paul the history and heritage of the land of their ancestors and to this end, I explained some more of the island’s story. Inch Island, nestled in Lough Swilly off the Donegal coast, is a tidal island connected to the mainland by a causeway. Once known as the “Island of Oysters,” or "An Inis na n-Osirí" in the Irish language, it was famed for its abundant shellfish beds and rich coastal resources. Historically, it formed part of the ancient Gaelic territory of Inishowen, a land steeped in monastic tradition and maritime trade.  Though modest in size - measuring roughly seven miles in circumference, as echoed in Tracey's family song - the island has long punched above its weight in historical and cultural significance. Its strategic position in Lough Swilly made it both a haven and a launching point over the centuries, from early Christian settlements to British military fortifications. The Martello Tower built on its northern heights during the Napoleonic Wars is a lasting reminder of the island’s role in coastal defence.  Inch Fort, a Martello Tower constructed by the British to serve as a protective defence of Lough Swilly during the Napoleonic Wars Inch Castle stands on the southern tip of Inch Island in Lough Swilly, County Donegal. It was built around 1430 by Neachtain O'Donnell for his father-in-law, Cahir O'Doherty, to protect the Ó Dochartaigh Clann's Inishowen lands from sea and rival clans. The castle, part of a larger defensive network, was also a wealthy district's centre and the site of a significant conflict in 1454, known as the Siege of Inch, when rival O'Donnell cousins battled for the Lordship of Tirconnail.
The strategic location of the castle allowed control over trade and defence routes, especially against rival clans and English forces. Though now a ruin, its walls still rise dramatically above the shoreline, offering a glimpse into medieval Gaelic life. Surrounded by stunning scenery, Inch Castle is a haunting reminder of the turbulent history of Ulster and the once-powerful O’Doherty stronghold.  Beautiful aerial shot of Inch Castle - Photo: Cinematic Sky NI The name “Inch” comes from the Irish “Inis,” meaning island, and its landscape - green, rolling, and laced with fieldstone walls - retains much of its original character. Even today, the land has a lived-in, timeless feel. Narrow roads curve around old farmsteads, and stone ruins peer out from under hedgerows. It's not hard to imagine the generations who once fished, farmed, and foraged along its shores. In earlier centuries, Inch was well known for oyster farming, particularly in the shallow, sheltered waters along its southern and eastern shores. These beds supported a small but thriving local economy, with oysters transported to markets as far as Derry and beyond. Though the industry faded, the memory of the “Island of Oysters” remains part of the island’s legacy. Inch may be quiet today, but for those tracing family roots or walking its ancient lanes, it continues to echo with the lives once lived along its shores.  Inch House: Built in the Queen Anne style, The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage gives a date of ca.1730. Inch house overlooks the channel between Inch and Fahan. Originally built by the Earl of Donegall, the years the house has had numerous owners and lessors, including Swettenhams from Derry in the late 1700s, in 1837, one J. Kennedy esq. In the mid 1800s, it became the residence of Lord Templemore’s steward, Isaac Colhoun. During the famine, a shirt factory was built with over 50 looms to provide employment for the island’s community. A Last Look... We wrapped up the day in Buncrana, where we looked back across the water to Inch from Lisfannon and the Lookout. Finally, we stopped at the ancient monastic site of St. Mura’s in Fahan, before I took my leave of this lovely family group back at An Grianan Hotel in Burt.
Selection of images taken at St. Mura's Monastic Settlement in Fahan, Co. Donegal A Pleasure and a Privilege Later that evening, I received a touching message from Paul: "FYI - we are sitting around the table at dinner, singing your praises about the effort you went to find out what it was like for Tracey and family’s relatives to live in this area. We will write you a very good review in a few weeks when we get home. Thank you again." It was a pleasure and a privilege to share this experience with them. I look forward to continuing the journey as we delve into DNA analysis, which may uncover deeper ties - including unravelling more details to that potential connection to the McMichael family from Inch. As with all genealogical work, every answer opens a new door. And on Inch Island, those doors lead to stories waiting to be rediscovered.  From left to right: Matt, Tracey, Jennifer, Paul and Tom - An Grianan Hotel, Burt All photos taken by Jennifer McLaughlin-Doherty except where credited separately. Final Word of Appreciation I would like to extend my sincere appreciation to Boyd Bryce and Tina Porter of Inch Island for their sharing of Inch history and heritage. They were extremely knowledgeable, and very generous in giving their time and expertise to me and by extension to the Lenny family descendants - Tracey, Tom and Matt, and Tracey's husband Paul. **PINNED BLOG NOTE: If you are reading this from a third-party social media platform, then you are very welcome to my website. If you have some time to explore the various pages, I would be delighted! I will be posting regular blog articles here and consolidating some of the articles I have posted in various other sites in this space also.
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