This Fanning family originated from Borrisoleigh in North Tipperary. Borrisoleigh is not far from Lissaroon and Clondoty and Bouladuff where related Fannings lived. There is a good chance that they were related, although I have not found a connection yet.
Johannah Fanning nee Bourke came out from Borrisoleigh in Co Tipperary between 1857 and 1863. Johannah was born c 1792 and died 13 June 1877 aged 85. She is buried in Boram Boram cemetery Hamilton Victoria.
She came out with her children: William, Joseph, Margaret, Johanna and Mary.
William married Johanna Meagher in 1870. She was also born in Co Tipperary and was the licensee of the Victoria Hotel, in Penshurst, which is near Hamilton. Johanna, his wife, was also a publican.They were involved with this hotel from 1891-1905.
Margaret married Terence O’Brien.


I’d like to hear from anyone researching this Fanning family or who knows more about them back in Ireland, particularly William Fanning’s parents and siblings.
From the Borrisoleigh site:
“Like most parishes, Borrisoleigh was badly affected during the famine years which saw her population drop significantly through starvation, disease and emigration. It was one the darkest periods of the parish and remains of old potato drills left, untouched since the 1840’s, can be seen in different parts of the parish, a symbol of abandonment of the land and in many cases the inability of people to work due to starvation and illness. A survivor of the famine recalled how “one morning I picked up a man lying dead on this spot, and another day I found five dead bodies on the road from Glankeen to Ballyroan, and t’was hard to get men who could help me bury them. More than once when I opened the door in the morning I found a dead body on the steps”.
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Hello,
My family (O’Brien) is decended from Margaret Fanning who married Terence O’Brien who also came from Borrisoleigh. We have a farm next to the Boram Boram Cemetry at Penshurst and part of the Springfield farm where some of the Fannings lived or died.
We are compiliing a history of Terence O’Brien but have been unable to locate any immigration records or Borrisoleigh records.
We have been to Borrisoleigh several times and have made contact with several friendly relatives (Quinnane’s in nearby Upperchurch) and would be happy to hear any more you have about the Fannings or O’Brien’s in Borrisoleigh or Victoria.
David O’Brien
Hi David,
Thanks for making contact. If you can email me directly at kathleenmfanningAThotmailDOTcom I can send you anything that might be of interest that I have collected on the Penshurst/Borrisoleigh Fannings. I don’t have a lot as I haven’t been able to establish a connection between them and my ancestors. But we may be able to help each other and discover something. regards
Kathleen
Hi,
I am a QLD academic tracing the backgrounds of footballers in Victoria during the 19th, century. In 1892, a player called Fanning, who was from Hamilton was a late selection in a game for St. Kilda v. Essendon in June 1892. He played another 2 games for St. Kilda that year. Would anyone know who this person was? His name? Occupation, etc.?
Thanks for your time
Dr. Mark Pennings (QUT)
m.pennings@qut.edu.au
I had a look at the birth records for the Hamilton Fannings and in 1874 William Francis Fanning was born at Mt Rouse to William Fanning and Johanna Meagher. He would be the right age,18, to have played footy. They had another son but he died age 1 in 1874.