Tooreena
Tuairín Áithe
Roger Harrison / Forum Connemara
Townland: Tooreena
Civil Parish: Ballynakill
Barony: Ballynahinch
Church Parish: Letterfrack
District Electoral Division: Rinvyle
Area: 888.24 acres / 888 acres, 0 roods, 38 perches
Baptism and Marriage records for Letterfrack R.C. Parish 1821-1881
NUI Galway Digital Collections for Tooreena
West Connemara men who lost their lives in WWI (Clifden and Connemara Heritage Society)
1911 Census for Tooreena
Overview of Tooreena in 1911
The 1911 census shows that there were 8 houses in the townland at that time but only 7 were inhabited, house 8 was empty. All the houses were listed as private dwellings. All the houses were built of stone, brick or concrete and houses 3 and 7 had slate, iron or tiled roofs and the rest had thatch, wood or other perishable material for roofing. Houses 3, 4 and 7 were 2nd class dwellings and the rest were 3rd class. House 6 had 1 room and 1 window in the front, houses 1 and 2 had 2 rooms and no windows, house 5 had 2 rooms and 2 windows and the others had 2 rooms and 3 windows. The out-offices and farm-steadings return (form B2) shows that there were a total of 19 out buildings consisting of 3 stables, 6 cow houses, a calf house, a piggery, a fowl house, 2 potato houses, 2 sheds and 2 stores. The enumerator’s abstract return (form N) shows us that there were a total of 33 people in Tooreena at that time consisting of 18 male and 15 female. The enumerator was Const. John Sadlier.
The head of this family was Thomas (66) and he was married to Sarah (67) and had been for 38 years and in that time they had had 10 children and 8 of those had survived. They shared the house with 3 of their children, Pat (30), Sarah (23) and John (21). All were born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. All spoke both Irish and English and only Pat, Sarah (23) and John could read and write. Thomas was listed as being a farmer. The house they lived in was a 2 roomed, 3rd class dwelling with stable, a cow house and a potato house. Thomas Sullivan was the landholder.
The head of this Garvey family was Michael (35) who had been married to Margaret (38) for 5 years and they had had 3 children, all of which had survived. They shared the house with those 3 children and they were Bridget (4), Patrick (3) and James (2). All were born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. Michael, Margaret and Bridget all spoke both Irish and English and only Margaret could read and write. Michael was listed as being a farmer. They all lived in a 2 roomed, 3rd class dwelling with a cow house. Michael Gaevey was the landholder.
The head of this Wallace family in house 3 was Stephen (74) and he was married to Margaret (70) and had been for 44 years and in that time they had had 9 children of which 7 had survived. They shared the house with 5 of those children, Stephen (41), Kate (29), William (28), Annie (20) and Philip (35) who had been married to Mary (36) for 9 years but had no children at that time. All were born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. All spoke both Irish and English and all, except Stephen (74), could read and write. Stephen (74) was a farmer, Stephen (41) was a farmer’s son and William and Philip were farm labourers. They all shared a 3 roomed, 2nd class dwelling and they had a cow house. The landholder was Stephen Wallace.
The head of this Sullivan family in house 4 was the widow Catherine (68) and she shared the house with her sons Michael (23) and Thomas (20). All were born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. All spoke both Irish and English and Michael and Thomas could read and write. Michael and Thomas were farmers. They all lived in a 2 roomed 2nd class house and they had a stable, a cow house, a piggery and a potato house. Kate Sullivan was listed as the landholder.
Coyne (additional surnames: Lyden)
The head of the family in house 5 was Thomas (37) and he was married to Mary (33) and had been for 7 years and in that time they had had 4 children. They shared the house with those 4 children and they were Francis (6), Martin (5), Patrick (3) and Bridget (1) and also in the house at that time was Thomas’ mother, Nora Lyden (74), a widow. All were born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. Thomas and Mary spoke both Irish and English and Nora spoke only Irish. Thomas could read, Mary could read and write and the others could not read. Thomas was a farmer and Francis was a scholar. They all shared a 2 roomed, 3rd class dwelling with a cow house and Tom Coyne was listed as being the landholder.
The sole occupant of house 6 was Bridget (37). She was born in Co. Galway and was a Roman Catholic. She spoke Irish and English but was listed as being illiterate. She was a farmer and lived in a 1 roomed, 3rd class dwelling and she was the landholder.
The head of the last house in Tooreena was John (34) who had been married to Mary (30) for 5 years and in that time they had had 2 children. Those 2 children also lived with them and they were Mary Kate (4) and Michael (3). All were born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. John and Mary both spoke both Irish and English but only Mary could read and write. John was listed as being a herdsman. They shared a 2 roomed, 2nd class dwelling with a stable, a cow house, a calf house, fowl house, a barn, 2 sheds and 2 stores. The landholder was the Duke of Manchester.
1901 Census for Tooreena
Overview of Tooreena in 1901.
The census of that year shows that there were 8 houses in the townland and that they were all private dwellings. All of the houses were built of stone, brick or concrete and house 3 had a slate, iron or tiled roof while the others had only thatch, wood or other perishable material for roofing. Houses 3, 4 and 7 were 2nd class dwellings while all the others were 3rd class. House 2 had 1 room and 1 window, houses 1, 5, 6 and 8 had 2 rooms and 2 windows in the front, houses 4 and 7 had 2 rooms and 3 windows and house 3 had 2 rooms and 4 windows in the front. The enumerator’s abstract return shows that there were a total of 34 people in the townland at that time consisting of 17 male and 17 female. The enumerator for the area was Const. Edward Burke.
The head of the first family in Tooreena was Stephen (62) who was married to Margaret (54) and they lived in the house with 4 of their children, Honor (16), Margaret (14, William (12) and Annie (8). All were born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. All spoke both Irish and English but only Honor, Margaret and William could read and write. Stephen was a farmer, Honor was a farmer’s daughter and Margaret, William and Annie were scholars. They all lived in a 2 roomed, 3rd class dwelling and Stephen Wallace was the landholder.
The widow Margaret (100) was the head of this family and she shared the house with her grandson Michael (19). All were born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. All spoke both Irish and English and neither of them could read. Margaret was a farmer and Michael was a farmer’s grandson. They shared a single roomed, 3d class dwelling and Margaret Garvey was the landholder.
The head of this Conroy family was John (27) who was married to Norah (25) and they lived with their children Patrick (8), John (7), Martin (4) and Mary Ellen (3). All were born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. John (27), Norah and Patrick all spoke both Irish and English but there was nothing entered for the others which could indicate that they only spoke English. Apart from Martin and Mary Ellen, they could all read and write. John’s occupation was described as a herd, and Patrick and John (7) were scholars. They all lived in a 2 roomed, 2nd class dwelling and the landholder was Mitchel Henry.
Heanue (additional surname: Faherty)
The head of this Heanue family in house 4 was John (42) and his wife Bridget (30) and they lived with their 2 sons, Paddy (5) and William (10mths) and a visitor Michl Faherty (60). All were born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. John, Bridget and Michl all spoke both Irish and English and the 2 children were listed as speaking English. Only John could read and write. John was a masoner and farmer, Bridget was a housekeeper and Michl was a general servant. They all lived in a 2 roomed, 2nd class dwelling and John Heanue was the landholder.
House 5 was home to the Keane family and the head of the family was John (65) and he was married to Sarah (60) and they shared the house with their daughter, Bridget (31). All were born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. All spoke both Irish and English but none of the family could read. John was a farmer and Bridget was a seamstress. The house they shared was a 2 roomed, 3rd class dwelling and John Keane was the landholder.
The head of the family in house 6 was the widow Kate (50) and she lived with her daughter, Mary (21) and her sons, Michael (18) and Thomas (10). All were born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. All spoke both Irish and English and all could read and write. Kate was a farmer, Mary was a farmer’s daughter, Michael was a farmer’s son and Thomas was a scholar. The house they shared was a 2 roomed, 3rd class dwelling and Kate Sullivan was the landholder.
The sole occupant of house 7 was the widow Penny (80). She was born in Co. Galway and was a Roman Catholic. She spoke Irish and English but could not read and she was listed as being a housekeeper. The house she lived in was a 2 roomed, 2nd class house and Penny Herward was listed as being the landholder.
The last family in Tooreena was the Sullivan family and the head of this family was Thomas (53) and his wife Sarah (50) and they lived in the house with 5 of their children and they were Bridget (20), Patrick (18), Honor (16), Sarah (14) and John (10).All were born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. All spoke both Irish and English and Thomas could not read, Sarah (50) could read only and the rest of the family could read and write. Thomas was listed as being a farmer, Bridget and Honor, farmer’s daughters, Patrick, a farmer’s son and Sarah (14) and John were scholars. The house they shared was a 2 roomed, 3rd class dwelling and Thomas Sullivan was the landholder.
Old Pension Census (1841-1851) for Tooreena
Thomas Sullivan – Application No. D/10 20767. The application was received on 19/09/1910. The Office of Customs and Excise was listed as Clifden 1. Thomas’ parent’s names were given as Thomas and Catherine Sullivan. The address in 1851 was Tooreena, in the parish of Ballynakill, in the barony of Ballynahinch, Co. Galway. The search was returned on 30/09/1910 with the note next “Particulars Found” saying ‘Thomas age 5 years’.
Eliza Davis – Application No. C/17 1165. The application was received on 05/02/1917 and Eliza’s address was given as Mrs Eliza Davis Frallagh, Claddaghduff, Co. Galway. Her parent’s names were given as Tom and Mary Davis (Sullivan). The address in 1851 was given as Tooreena, in the parish of Ballynakill, in the barony of Ballynahinch, Co. Galway. The search was returned on 07/02/1917 with the note ‘not found’.
Griffith’s Valuation (1847-1864) for Tooreena
Griffith’s Valuation shows that the main immediate lessors in Tooreena at that time were Robert J. Wilberforce and St John L. Clowes. St John L. Clowes leased 831 acres and 38 perches of land from Robert J. Wilberforce with an annual ratable valuation of £68. The following all leased from St John L. Clowes. Michael Morrin leased a house on 6 acres, 3 roods and 20 perches of land for £1 for the land and 10s for the house, Anthony Faherty leased a house on 6 acres, 2 roods and 29 perches of land for £1 5s for the land and 5s for the house and John Garvey leased a house on 3 acres, 3 roods and 20 perches of land for 15s for the land and 5s for the house. Patrick Coyne leased a house and office on 5 acres, 3 roods and 36 perches of land for 17s for the land and 8s for the buildings, Thomas Heany leased a house on 4 acres, 3 roods and 23 perches of land for 10s for the land and 5s for the house and Michael Sullivan leased a house and office on 22 acres, 1 rood and 38 perches of land for £3 for the land and 15s for the buildings. Thomas Sullivan leased a house on 3 acres, 3 roods and 29 perches of land for £1 5s for the land and 5s for the house.
1670 Down Survey for Tooreena
The 1670 Down Survey name for this area was Tuorynnae. The 1641 owner was Edmund O’Flaharty who was a Catholic and the 1670 owner was Richard, Earl of Westmeath, also a Catholic. There were 809 plantation acres of unprofitable land, 126 plantation acres of profitable land and 126 plantation acres were forfeited.
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