One Inch Maps

The One Inch series of Ordnance maps first appeared in 1858 based on reductions of the six-inch county maps of the time. The sheets were split and regrouped into the now familiar 205 sheets which cover the entire country. By the 1890s the first edition maps were seen as out-dated in both style and content and were replaced by the second edition which were coloured, mounted between two boards and made more suitable for outdoor use. These maps are very useful for the local historian as quite an amount of detailed information can be gleaned from these documents including individual houses, recently constructed railway lines.

Index to the one-inch series of Ireland:

One-inch maps which cover County Cavan:

Map No.LocationSurveyedRevisedPublishedPrinted
56Swanlinbar1899 1905 
57Lisnaskea1833-36190019021903
67Carrick on Shannon1836-38189919011904
68Cavan1836190019021903
69Cootehill1834-36190019021903
79Granard 1899-001903 
80Ballyjamesduff1837-39189919021903

Sample One-inch map, extract from Sheet 80, 1902:

O’Connell Diocese of Kilmore

Phillip O’Connell’s The Diocese of Kilmore: Its History and Antiquities tells the story of the diocese from the coming of St. Patrick to Ireland in the 5th century until the early 20th century. The diocese of Kilmore encompasses most of County Cavan and parts of counties Leitrim, Fermanagh, Meath and Sligo and straddles the border between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland . It is one of eight suffragan dioceses which fall under the Archdiocese of Armagh, the most senior primatial see in Ireland .

The diocese was formerly known as Triburnia or Tybruinensis because it once was owned by King Brian of Connaught and was formally established in 1152. The territory was more or less interchangeable with what became known as the Kingdom of Briefne , the lands of the rival O’Rourke and O’Reilly Gaelic clans. St. Felim established a church at Kilmore south of present day Cavan Town . In the mid 15th century Bishop Aindrias Mac Brádaigh received permission from Pope Nicholas V to transform it into the cathedral of his diocese.

Following the English reformation, the Catholic diocese was stripped of its cathedral, properties and possessions. Monasteries were dissolved and their wealth confiscated and over the centuries that followed Catholics who did not convert to the Protestant faith faced brutal persecution. In the early 17th century Protestant settlers from Scotland and England began colonised much of Ulster displacing the native Irish.

Catholicism remained the dominant religion of the native Gaelic Irish and what had been an ethnic conflict with British settlers now became a religious one too. A series of sectarian and nationalist rebellions and wars followed and ravaged much of Ireland between the 16th and 17th centuries culminating in the Protestant victory at the Battle of Boyne in 1690.

The Gaelic Irish families disappeared into obscurity as they were replaced by an Anglo-Irish landowning elite. The majority of the Gaelic Irish population who lived in wretched poverty as tenants on their own land clung stubbornly to their Roman Catholic faith. The established Anglican Church demanded that all regardless of religion should pay tithes. This discrimination was bitterly resented by both Catholics and Presbyterians alike.

Finally in the late 18th century the Penal Laws persecuting Catholics were gradually relaxed and an increasingly confident Catholic Church began to emerge. Bishop of Kilmore, Rev. Denis Maguire (1770–98) was involved in a church building program as restrictions on Catholic worship were lifted. Bishop James Browne (1827–65) founded the diocesan college in 1839. The diocese was ravaged by the Great Famine which saw a million die from starvation and disease across the country. In the 19th century, the issues of Catholic Emancipation, land reform and the Home Rule movement meant that the Catholic Church was intimately involved in politics. An eviction witnessed by a local Catholic priest was the basis for the ballad “By Lough Sheelin Side.”

O’Connell’s book is dedicated to Bishop Patrick Finegan (1910–1937) who served during a profound period of violent transition from direct British rule to Irish political independence. The Irish Catholic Church opposed violent republicanism and favoured peaceful democratic politics during the period 1916-1923 when Ireland was convulsed by the War of Independence and a bitter civil war. The threat of all out war with the Unionist Protestant population of what became the six counties of Northern Ireland was only narrowly avoided.

Following independence from Britain the burden of providing schooling, hospitals and other vital social services in the new Irish Free State fell upon the shoulders of clergy such as Bishop Finegan. At the same time Bishop Finegan was involved in fund raising for the Cathedral of Saints Patrick & Felim. He was to die the year before construction began. In the decades that followed, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kilmore played a leading role in all aspects of the lives of its people.

Revolution in Tullyhunco

Review from The Anglo Celt

A new book called ‘Revolution in Tullyhunco’ by Tomás O’Raghallaigh (79), a retired national school teacher from Killeshandra, has brought local history life as SEAN MCMAHON found out when he caught up with the author at the book launch last weekend.

We were all taught history in primary and secondary school, but it seemed to be all about wars and battles and revolutions. Most most of it went in one ear and out the other and few were left with an understanding, for example, of how the Ulster Plantation became unstitched and, under the Wyndham Land Act of 1903, ownership of tenanted land in places like Cavan passed from the landlords to the tenants.
Tomás O’Raghallaigh’s new book gives a very enlightening insight into how land in Tullyhunco, a barony in County Cavan that extends from Carn, near the present Slieve Russell to the Shores of Lough Gowna, passed from landlords to tenants. According to Tomás, this was a real revolution and the author beautifully outlines the part played by our peasant ancestors in Tullyhunco in implementing it.
About six years of work and research went into writing the book and the erradite Tomás lights up with wisdom and energy as he outlines to the Celt, the truly amazing role our ancestors on small holdings played in fashioning the Ireland of today.
‘Revolution in Tullyhunco’ details how the Act afforded landlords the opportunity to cut their losses and rid themselves of their debt-ridden estates once and for all.

Land Commission formed
In December 1902 and January 1903, George Wyndham, who succeeded Gerard Balfour in 1900 as Under Secretary for Ireland, held a series of conferences with representatives of landlords and tenants to work out a formula that would be satisfactory to both sides. The result was a package, which would make it attractive for the Landlords to sell their tenants estates, while holding onto their demesne lands.
The Land Commission was established and bought out the land from the landlords. “They gave them a good price for it and then sold it back to the tenants. The landlord got paid in cash, which is always attractive. They were then able to pay off their debts and invent in things like railways and mining,” explains Tomás.
In March 1920, the Estate Commission estimated that £83m had been advanced for nine million acres transferred and that a further 20 million acres were being processed at a cost of £24m. In all, 11.5 million acres out of a total of 20 million acres in the country changed hands from Landlords to Peasants in the first 20 years of the 20th century.
“One by one the farmers got back their lands – it applied to the farmers North (there was no Northern Ireland at the time) and South, Catholics and Protestants. It was a bargain they could not turn down – Nationalists and Unionists bought out their lands, pocketed the deeds and went on living as if they had always owned the land,” details the historian.

Teaching career
Tomás commenced his teaching career in 1957 and went on to become principal in four schools in the county – Coronea, Corliss, Arva and Killeshandra. He retired in 2000 after 43 years in the classroom.
In his previous book, ‘Turbulence in Tullyhunco’, published in 2010, Tomás outlined how ownership of this tiny Gaelic Irish State was taken by five Scottish Landlords in the Ulster Plantation (1610), and how the area fared up to the battle of the Boyne in 1690.
Political and military history dominated the curriculum when a young Tomás O’Raghallaigh commenced his teaching career in the ’50s. “There was very little taught about the ordinary lives of the people or about the social and economic history or what mode of transport people used.
“Ordinary people had little say in the running of the affairs of the country, until the coming of democracy – some would say – they still have little say. The upper classes ran the show and made all the decisions that affected people’s lives. Nowadays, with democracy, we can complain and try and change things,” opined Tomás.
In ‘Revolution in Tullyhunco’ Tomás describes the type of people living in this part of Cavan: “The vast majority of the people, our ancestors, both Catholic and Protestant, belonged to the ‘lower orders’ of society. In our part of the country, this meant tenant farmers and cottiers, textile workers like scutchers, hacklers, weavers, spinners and seamtresses; craftsmen like saddlers, shoemakers, tinsmiths, blacksmiths, coach-builders, stone cutters and stone masons.”
He goes on to point out in the book: “The country was run by and on behalf of the upper classes. They had their politics, made speeches, wrote letters, published newspapers, collected taxes, tithes and rents, kept accounts, erected monuments, plaques and tombstones. They left their mark and when we study the history of the period, it is their history that we study. The irony is that it was the lower orders, the ‘history-less-men’ – to borrow a phrase of Padraig Colum’s (Scanderbeg) – who were the ancestors of almost all of our people today. They left little written evidence of their time on earth, and we only hear them talking, when they appear in court. As Jennifer Kelly puts it – ‘what the historian is left with is a snapshot of a life viewed through the lens of police reports, magistrates’ letters and the published accounts of assizes’.”

History repeating itself?
As I read his vivid account from the book, I am driven to comment that not much has changed in some ways and it is a case of history repeating itself, as we still get some of our insight into the lives of working class people and the unemployed through the prism of the gardaí and judges, as they continue to be dutifully chronicled in the regional press.
While we are now a much more multi-cultural and multi-denominational society, Tomás in his book, recalls how people considering marrying across the religious spectrum, for example, had little choice but to leave the country.
But this did not only apply to religion, according to Tomás, and he has a lovely story in the book to illustrate a different scenario of the time in regard to class distinction.
“A girl eloped with her father’s servant boy and they ran off to Australia from Killeshandra. They got married in Belturbet and got the first train in the morning to Dublin en-route to Liverpool and onwards to Australia. The servant boy dressed up in his Sunday clothes – his boss asked him why he was dressed up and he said that he was going to a party for some of his friends who were going to America. His fiancée had to row a boat to reach their meeting point, and they walked the rest of the way to Belturbet,” explained Tomás.
The girl involved had £400 and the servant boy had nothing. “She must have been pretty smitten by him,” he quipped.

About the author
Tomás is married to Patricia Cartwright, a sister of George Cartwright, former chairman of Cavan County Board GAA, and they have one daughter, Barbara and three sons, Maurice, Darragh and Niall.


‘A great insight’ – Michael Swords
‘Revolution in Tullyhunco’ was launched by Michael Swords before an audience of 200 people in the Killeshandra Community Hall last Friday night and the gregarious Tomás O’Raghallaigh was delighted to sing copies of his book for over an hour after the launch. MC on the night was Eamonn Sexton.
Speaking at the launch, Michael Swords, lavished praise on Tomás’s latest book, which he said he had enjoyed reading.
“It gives a great insight into how the land problems started and details the various battles and uprisings along the way to the final settlement, which was made in the 20th century. This book is a must for all residents in the barony and further afield, who have an interest in local history, especially dating from the 17th to the early 20th century.
“He deals in great detail with the secret societies which were active on both Catholic and Protestant sides. The peep a day boys, the defenders, the ribbon men, the Molly Maguires – the clergy in the area were very much involved in the struggle, especially Fr Murray in Carrigallen and Fr Michael Corcoran, PP Gowna.”
The riots in Killeshanda and Arva are also mentioned, as is the fact that the Catholic Defence in Killeshandra organised lawyers to represent Catholics in court for the first time.

• The book, priced at €15,  is available in the Crannóg Bookshop and Easons in Cavan Town, in Moore’s Spar in Ballinagh; Sloane’s in Gowna; Lynch’s and Smith’s in Arva; Pat Masterson’s in Carrigallen; Réalta Bookshop in Ballyconnell and is also available in Gray’s, Owen’s and Your Fresh Today Extra stores.

Eight Townlands

Introduction

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Turbulence in Tullyhunco by Tomás Ó Raghallaigh

Turbulence in Tullyhunco by Tomás Ó Raghallaigh

With thanks to the author for kindly contributing the full version of his book to share with all those who have an interest in this period of the history of Tullyhunco and the wider Cavan area.

Read the book here:

Review from The Anglo Celt:

Turbulence in Tullyhunco by Tomás Ó Raghallaigh, illustrated by Cathrina Lyons is a study of the Ulster Plantation in Tullyhunco, a tiny Gaelic-Irish state which extended from Carn, near the present Slieve Russell Hotel to the shores of Lough Gowna.

It included the parishes of Kildallan, Killeshandra and Gowna, and was ruled by the McKiernan Family from their residence on the Hill of Croghan. Under the Ulster plantation, it became the Barony of Tullyhunco, and was granted to five Scottish Undertakers. They and their followers began to arrive there 400 years ago, in the latter part of 1610.

This book attempts to reconstruct what life was like for the Irish on the eve of the plantation, to explain why the English king and government decided to plant Ulster, to record the arrival of the planters and to assess the impact of this on the native population.

The Rebellion of 1641 is one of the most contentious events in Irish history, and there was plenty of action around Killeshandra with Castlehamilton and Croghan castles under siege for seven months.

After the Cromwellian re-conquest of the country, the planter families returned with a new set of followers, and colonisation resumed. This turbulent century ended with the Williamite wars, after which another wave of immigrants arrived from Scotland and the North of England.

Religion was a important matter for people at the time. The new settlers were Protestant, while the Irish people were Catholic, and this pattern has continued with their descendants down to the present day. The reasons for this are considered, and the activities of the various religious groups, Catholic, Protestant, Presbyterian, and Methodist, are outlined.

Much of the action takes place in the Killeshandra, Kildallan end of the barony, because the planters, like the Irish before them, tended to neglect the Arva, Gowna area, where there was only limited development before the 1700s. But the study should be of interest to all inhabitants and natives of the area, as well as descendants of prominent Irish families like the McKiernans/ Kiernans/ MacTiernans/ Tiernans, the Donohoes, Mastersons and Farrellys; and it should also be of interest to the descendants of the settlers who arrived here in the 1600s and 1700s.

The book is illustrated by Cathrina Lyons, and her beautiful black and white drawings are complemented by a number of colour photographs of important sites as they are today. The author, Tomás Ó Raghallaigh, is a retired teacher, and has had a life-long interest in history, archaeology and the Irish Language. He has been Killeshandra correspondent of the Anglo-Celt for many years.

Ulster Inquisitions

Inquisitionum in Officio Rotulorum Cancellariae Hiberniae Asservatarum Repertorium Vol II details the local hearings (Inquisitions) which were held around the counties of Ulster and Leinster to enquire as to the ownership and boundaries of townlands.

These hearings took place over a number of years but it is the inquisitions of 1629, during the reign of King Charles I, which make up the vast bulk of the recorded documents relating to Cavan.

The order in which the townlands are listed generally correspond to the original schedule of grants from 1611. This makes it possible to trace the changing ownership, name changes and aliases of many townlands. It also lists sub-divisions of townlands, most of which no longer exist. Interestingly some have morphed into full townlands in their own right.  In some instances the names of tenants are provided as well as detailed descriptions of the physical boundaries and buildings encountered on the new manors/estates.


The Ulster Inquisitions: County Cavan.

The Ulster Inquisitions: Cavan Index

Pynnar’s Survey of 1619

The lack of progress and the reports coming back to London of the undertakers neglecting their duties led to the investigation and survey by Captain Nicholas Pynnar in 1618/19. The exact date of the survey was from 1st December 1618 to 28th March 1619.  Pynnar personally had been granted lands in Tullyhaw creating the manor of Pynnar. His brief was to establish how many families were planted, what buildings had been erected, how prepared they were to defend their estates, how much land was still occupied by the native Irish and to clarify other areas of concern.

Pynnar makes some interesting notes on progress in each of the Precincts including Castlerahin:

Captain Culme is to build a town called Virginia, for which he is allowed 250 acres. Upon this he hath built 8 timber houses, and put into them 8 English tenants; of which town there is a Minister which keepeth school, and is a very good preacher.

A number of native Irish are listed in this survey in the Precincts of Castlerahin, Tullaghgarvy, Clonemahown and Tullagha which were allotted to Servitors and Natives. Hill (George Hill, An historical account of the Plantation in Ulster at the commencement of the seventeenth century 1608-1620. (Belfast 1877) covers Pynnar’s survey comprehensively by barony as follows:

The Precinct of Loghtee (Loughtee Upr & Lr)             P.460

The Precinct of Tullaghconche (Tullyhunco)               P.469

The Precinct of Clanchie (Clankee)                             P.451

The Precinct of Tullagha (Tullyhaw)                            P.473

The Precinct of Clonemahown (Clanmahon)               P.468

The Precinct of Castlerahin (Castlerahan)                   P.457

The Precinct of Tullaghgarvy (Tullygarvey)                P.458

Hunter’s commentary on Pynnar’s survey relevant to Cavan is also detailed and worth consulting. (R.J. Hunter, The Ulster Plantation in the Counties of Armagh and Cavan, 1608-41 (Belfast, 2012), pp. 114-126)


The extract below covers the barony of Tullyhunco which includes the parishes of Kildallan, Killeshandra and Scrabby.

Plantation Papers 1610

This excerpt from Hill’s work covers County Cavan and can be found on pages 179-209 of the original book which includes Armagh, Tyrone, LondonDerry, Donegal, Fermanagh and Cavan. Included below is an interesting paragraph on Co. Monaghan which suffered greatly at this time, although not included in the plan of Plantation. Cavan is dealt with by barony as allotted to the undertakers and servitors with some mention of the displaced natives. This document draws heavily on the Survey of 1611 by Sir George Carew who was appointed to investigate the progress of the Plantation.

Gentleman & Scholar: Thomas James Barron, 1903-1992 by Jonathan A. Smyth


This publication explores aspects of Irish studies in terms of early Irish history, literature, archaeology and folklore. It includes a semi-biographical account of the industrious lifetime and valuable studies of Thomas J (Tom) Barron, native to Knockbride, Co. Cavan. The content extends  discussion of his vast contribution, as documented in the National Museum of Ireland, with particular emphasis on his ground-breaking theory on the significance of the early Iron-age ‘Corleck Head’.

Subjects

Archaeology and antiquity, Bailieborough, Brigit, The Corleck Head from Drumeague, Co. Cavan, Cumann Seanchais Bhreifne, Education in Ireland, Folklore and mythology, Knockbride Model School, Bailieborough, The National Museum of Ireland