Following on from your message saying that John Joseph Kearns' parents were Irish, Susan----

Now that we know that the parents of the John Kearns who was born in Castletown on 16th July 1882 were the same couple who married on the Isle of Man on 8th July 1880, then it's reasonable to assume that they were the same John and Margaret Kearns who were living at 4 Shore Road, Peel, at the time of the 1881 census. It seems very odd that this Irish couple had their places of birth listed as Isle of Man. Perhaps the enumerator had confused them with a different couple, or maybe he just wrote down what he thought he heard them say.

transcription from familysearch.org:

Household:

Name Relation Marital Status Gender Age Birthplace Occupation Disability
John KEARNS Head M Male 27 Michael, Isle of Man, England Fisherman
Margaret KEARNS Wife M Female 29 Peel, Isle of Man, England Net Weaver
Jane COSTAIN Boarder U Female 23 Peel, Isle of Man, England Net Weaver

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Source Information:
Dwelling 4 Shore Rd
Census Place German - Peel, Isle of Man, Isle of Man
Family History Library Film 1342344
Public Records Office Reference RG11
Piece / Folio 5597 / 15
Page Number 26