articles
From Murhaun to Potrero
The McManus family story in seven episodes, from Drumshanbo to San Francisco.
People in this article
“This journey of discovery started when I tried to research some family lore that had little or no detail and a lot of confusion.” — Catriona McManus Kelly
Catriona’s family narrative follows the McManus brothers across the Atlantic: the businesses and disputes of San Francisco, Paddy Mac’s life in Drumshanbo, and the newspaper trail that helped recover their story. Start with the overview below, then follow each episode for the detail and sources.
The story at a glance
| Period | Storyline |
|---|---|
| Nineteenth century; journeys under review | From Murhaun and Drumshanbo to America; different paths for the brothers |
| 1881 | Patrick’s reported Coercion Act arrest |
| 1891 | Drumshanbo political disputes and court proceedings involving Patrick and Con |
| 1892 | The Examiner’s illustrated account of the Potrero rivalry |
| 1894 | Con’s shooting, death and the Sweeney trial |
| 1896–1901 and beyond | Obituaries, surviving families and cemetery research |
Follow the story
From Murhaun to San Francisco
Family origins and migration; which journeys still need documentation.
Frank, King of the Potrero
The Union Hotel, business, politics and the man behind the nickname.
Paddy Mac returns to Drumshanbo
A pub, a family and a life on High Street.
Politics and the Coercion Act
Patrick’s arrest, followed by the 1891 court reports.
The Blue Mud Wars
The Welch rivalry and the Examiner’s illustrated 1892 account.
Con McManus: the shooting and trial
The July 1894 shooting and the newspaper accounts of Sweeney’s trial.
The brothers’ later years
Obituaries, surviving families and the search for burial records.A sidelight from the Union Hotel
Whisky the bear appears in an illustrated Examiner feature from January 1893, offering a comic newspaper portrait of Frank’s saloon world.
The Irish court reports
Read the McManus brothers in court, To Save the Priests, and Rowdies alongside the Coercion Act episode.
People, evidence and open questions
The Branch 2 chart shows the selected family structure. Person profiles keep the dates and research questions together; linked documents preserve the evidence. Newspaper allegations, migration stories and inconsistent ages still need comparison with original records.
This landing page and its new episodes were reorganized in September 2026 from Catriona McManus Kelly’s original article, first published here in February 2022. An unchanged copy of that article is retained in the research archive. The existing episode articles retain their own author credits.
Special thanks to Wedigo Watson for the original cemetery research assistance. Catriona’s central purpose remains: to preserve a family story that might otherwise have been lost.