"Much confusion is inevitable in regard to the names, Kealy, Keeley, Kiely, Keily and Queally.  The birth registrations in 1890 for these names combined amounted to 110, Keily and Kiely accounting for 46 (chiefly in counties Waterford, Limerick and Cork), Keeley for 36 (chiefly counties Galway and Wicklow), and Kealy for 18 in Co. Kilkenny, the form Queally is used in Co. Waterford.  In 1659, Quelly and O'Quelly were enumerated as principal names in Co. Clare - the celebrated Dr. Malachi O'Queally, Archbishop- of Tuam, was of that sept.  The various forms beginning with K were them numerous in counties Limerick and Tipperary and in the midland counties of Leinster.  The Keeleys of Co. Galway are probably of the sept O'Caella in Irish, but possibly O'Cadhla, O'Cadhia called O'Kealy by Hardiman in his notes to O'Flaherty's book.  Iar-Connaught was chief of Connemara up to the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion of Connacht.  Dr. Lynchin his Cambrensis Eversius gives O'Cadhla sive Quaelly.  Hardiman says that the Co. Waterford name Kylety, Kiely today, is of another race and sept, O Caella in Irish, but that notable worker in the Gaelic revival, Patrick O'Kiely from Ring (d. 1948), always wrote his name O'Cadhla.  In the Ormond Deeds, in  which these manes appear frequently in different spellings, O'Kyally occurs in Co. Tipperary while members of the Kilkenny sept are called Kaaly, O'Kaylly, O'Kealy, O'Kaille, etc., which are presumably O Cxaollaidhe in modern Irish.  As already mentioned in Irish Families, Kealyh in counties Kilkenny and Leix has tended to become absorbed in the ubiquitous Kelly (O'Kelly was in fact one of the Seven Septs of Leix).  Examples of this will be found in Vol. IV of Carrigan's History of the Diocese of Ossory." 
         Edward MacLysaght.  More Irish Families, Dublin, Irish Academic Press. page 176.

Amy Magner, daughter of  Edmond Magner & Ellen Holloway, married William Kiely in Ireland.  One of her sons was Father Joseph Magner Kiely who was the pastor at St. Attracta in Cicero, Illinois.  Father Kiely participated in several Magner and Henneberry marriages and funerals.  St. Attracta was closed in the late 1980’s. Click here for a possible photo of Father Kiely.  Another son was Msgr. John Magner Kiely who was a parish priest in Brooklyn, NewYork.

Other children:  Maurice Keily, baptized on March 7, 1864 and Ellen Keily, baptized on October 28, 1865.  Both baptized in Bansha Parish, County Tipperary.

Joseph Magner Kiely was born August 14, 1870 in the Glen of Aherlow, Ireland and died on St. Patrick's Day 1956 in Chicago.  Father Kiley is buried in Holy Cross Cemetery, 3620 Tilden Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11203.  He was educated in St. Patrick college in Thurles, County Tipperary and later attended St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York, (NOTE:  this was the college where his cousin, Brother Robert Jerome Magner was the president),  the St. Mary Seminary in Baltimore, Maryland and St. Bonaventure Seminary in Allegany, New York.  He was ordained on june 4, 1898 in Buffalo, New York by Rev. James Edward Quigley.  His assignments were:  St. Gabriel from Sept 1898 to Feb 1902.  St. Mary in Highland Park, Feb 1902 to Aug 1902.  St. Rose, St. Mary in Joliet to July 14, 1905; St. Brendan, St. Mary in Reddick from 1913 to 1920 and was pastor at St. Attracta from Jan 16, 1920 to his death on March 17, 1956.  St. Francis College: http://www.stfranciscollege.edu/histmiss.html

Obituary from the Archdiocese of Chicago in 1956:
”Requiem Held for Cicero Pastor, 85
Funeral services for the Rev. Joseph M. Kiely, 85, a priest of the Archdiiocese of Chicago nearly 58 years. Were held Mar. 21.  His Eminence Samual Cardinal Stritch presided and preached at the solemn requiem Mass in St. Attracta church, 4836 W. 13^th st., Cicero, where father had been pastor for 36 years.
Father died Mar 17 in St. Anne hospital after three weeks illness.  His cousin, the Rev. James P. Kiely, pastor of St. Timothy church, celebrated the Mass, assisted by the Rev. James A. Magner, procurator of the Catholic University, Washington, D.C., another cousin as deacon; and the Rev. Laurance M. Barry, S.J., president of St. Ignatius High school, subdeacon.
Assistants at the throne were the Rt. Rev Msgr William E. North, Los Angeles, Calif, editor of the Tidings, official paper of his Archdiocese, and the Revs Harold H. Sieger, pastor of St. Raphael church, and Joseph O. King, pastor of St. Pius X church.  Interment was at Holy Cross cemetery, Brooklyn, N.Y.
Father Kiely was active with his pastoral duties until his last illness.  He took a lively interest in community affairs and was known to scores of his townspeople.  Born in the Glen of Aherlow, near Tipperary, Ireland, Father Kiely was the youngest of a family of 12, five of whom entered the religious life .  He studied at St. Patrick college, Thurles.  After coming to the United States, he continued his education at St. Francis college, Brooklyn; St. Mary;s seminary, Baltimore and St. Bonaventure seminary, Allegany, N.Y.  He was a member of the first class ordained by Archbishop James E. Quigley, then Bishop of Buffalo, N.Y. on June 4, 1898.
Coming to the Archdiocese of Chicago, Father Kiely received his first assignment from the late Archbishop Feehan to be assistant to the late Rev. Maurice Dorney at St. Gabriel church.  His later assignments as assistant were at Immaculate Conception, highland Park; St. Rose of Lima, St. Mary, Joliet and St. Brendan’s.  Before going to Cicero he served for nine years as pastor of St. Mary’s, Reddick, and its mission of St. Laurence, Essex.  He was appointed to St. Attracta’s in 1920.”
Source:  Archdiocese of Chicago, Archives and Records Center, 711 W. Monroe St., Chicago, IL 60661.

             A nephew of Aimee Magner Kiely and Elizabeth Magner Henebry was Msgr. James Patrick Kiley who was the first pastor of St. Timothy's in Chicago.  Msgr. Kiely was born on May 17, 1885 in Chicago, the son of James Kiely and Bridget Kehoe.  He was baptized on May 24, 1885 in St. Gabriel Church, 4522 Wallace St. in Chicago.  The sponsors were Cornelius Maher and Alice Tobin.  Msgr. Kiely died March 4, 1970 at age 84.

St. Timothy Catholic Church at 6330 N. Washtenaw Ave in Chicago was founded in 1925 to serve the predominantly Irish families who had settled in the area around Devon Ave., west of Western Ave.  On April 5, 1925, George Cardinal Mundelein appointed Rev. James Patrick Kiely, a former assistant at St. Sebastian Church, to organize St. Timothy parish.  At the time Father Kiely started his pastorate, there were still truck farms in the area, but they were giving way to subdivisions of brick apartments and single-family houses.

         On January 24, 1936, Father Kiely celebrated the 25^th anniversary of his ordination.  In 1957, Father Kiely was named a Domestic Prelate with the title Right Reverend Monsignor.  He celebrated the 50^th anniversary of his ordination on November 23, 1960.  After serving the people of St. Timothy parish for 41 years, Msgr. Kiely was named pastor emeritus on March 4, 1966.  He died March 4, 1970 at the age of 84.

            Source:  History of the Parishes of the Archdiocese of Chicago, p. 946-947.  

National Archives Microfilm Publications

Section 237 Roll # 73

Name of Vessel: Ship Argyle,   Port of Embarkation: Cork

Date of Arrival: June 17, 1848,   Number of Passengers: 578

Ships Master: T. Brockbauty (sp)               

 Kiely family arrived with Henebry, Ryan and other families from the Glen of Aherlow.

Index to Griffith's Valuation of Ireland, 1848-1864

Kiley, Bridget           County : Limerick        Parish : Rathkeale        Location : Blossomhill

Kiley, Catherine        County : Limerick        Parish : Monasteranenagh        Location : Kilcurly

Kiley, John               County : Limerick        Parish : Kilflyn        Location : Coolfree

Kiley, John              County : Limerick        Parish : Monasteranenagh        Location : Cahirduff

Kiley, Patrick          County : Limerick        Parish : Rathkeale        Location : Englishtenements

Kiley, Silvester        County : Limerick        Parish : Clonagh        Location : Ballyegnybeg

See Kiely Family in Illinois:

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