Ballinlass

Baile an Leasa, town of the fort

Ballinlass is located in the civil parish of Killeroran, Barony of Killian, County Galway. Located in the South of Killeroran, Ballinlass is bounded by Ballanvoher North, Gortacoossaun, Cornadrum, Cornanantymore, Charlestown The River Shiven separates Ballinlass from Curraghboy and Trihill West.

The Down Survey Map states that the Earl of Clanrickard (Protestant) was the owner in both 1641 (Pre-Cromwell) and 1670 (Post-Cromwell).

O’Donovan’s Field Name Books indicates Ballinlass is the property of Hon. G. Ffrench, who holds it under deed forever. There is approximately 15 acres of bog land. ¾ of the town is under a demesne. Both the houses and the roads are in good condition. It pays £6-11-11 County Cess.

Census 1841-1851

According to the 1851 census, Ballinlass consists of 280 acres, 2 roods and 25 perches. The total population in 1841 was 72 people, 38 were male and 34 were female. There were 8 houses, all of which were occupied. The 1851 population was also 72 people, 36 of whom were male and 36 were female. There were 13 houses in 1851, 12 of which were occupied. The poor law valuation rate paid was £167-15-0.

Griffith’s Valuation 1847-1864

According to Griffith’s Valuation, Hon. Martin Ffrench was the immediate lessor of the land. Patrick Geraghty and Patrick Finlay rented land measuring 3 acres, 2 roods and 6 perches of land on Holding 1. Patrick Geraghty paid £2-5-0 and Patrick Finlay paid £0-15-0.

Thomas Geraghty paid £1-5-0 for 1 acre, 2 roods and 25 perches of land.

Patrick Daly rented 29 acres, 3 roods and 6 perches of land on Holding 3 and 8 acres, 0 roods and 20 perches of house, offices, corn and tuck-mill and land on Holding 4 for a total of £35-5-0.

Winifred Daly paid £7-10-0 for 7 acres, 3 roods and 32 perches of house, office and land.

Malachy Fallon rented house, office and land measuring 118 acres, 0 roods and 17 perches for £128-0-0.

John Brennan paid £6-10-0 for house and land measuring 8 acres, 0 roods and 20 perches.

Patrick Geraghty and Timothy Geraghty rented land measuring 26 acres, 0 roods and 0 perches on Holding 8. Each paid £6-0-0.

Martin Kenny paid £7-15-0 for 14 acres, 3 roods and 38 perches of house, office and land. Patrick Tully rented house and office on the same holding and 13 acres, 3 roods and 0 perches of land on Holding 11. Patrick paid £5-15-0.

Thomas Mannion paid £7-0-0 for 14 acres, 0 roods and 16 perches of house, offices and land.

James Geraghty rented house, offices and land measuring 15 acres, 0 roods and 0 perches paying £7-12-0.

Hon. Martin Ffrench kept 4 acres, 2 roods and 26 perches of plantations in fee worth £2-0-0. The total annual valuation of rateable property was £223-12-0.

Census 1901

There were 8 houses in Ballinlass in 1901 and all were occupied. The total population was 43 people, 21 of whom were male and 22 were female. The heads of the households were as follows: Anne Mannion, Thomas Grainger, William Daly, Rose Daly, Mary Tully, Martin Healy, Mary Geraghty and John Kenny. All residents were born in County Galway, except Mathias Naughton, Maggie Naughton, John Naughton and Thomas Dolan who were born in County Roscommon and Annie Dolan who was born in County Westmeath. All were Roman Catholic, except Thomas Grainger and Annie Dolan who were members of the Church of Ireland.

Each of the houses were listed as private dwellings. There was a total of 33 farm steadings, consisting of 4 stables, 1 coach house, 1 harness house, 7 cow houses, 7 piggeries, 4 fowl houses, 6 barns, 1 turf house and 2 sheds. The census forms were collected on the 12^th of April.

Anne Mannion (63) was a widow who lived with her unmarried daughter Annie (24), married son Thomas (42), daughter-in-law Margaret (33), their children Michael (6), Mary (3) and Katie (8 months), her widowed daughter Bridget Naughton (34) and her children, Mathias Naughton (7), Maggie Naughton (6) and John Naughton (4). Thomas worked as a farmer and Margaret was listed as a housekeeper. Annie worked as a seamstress, while Bridget was recorded as a servant. Mary, Katie and Maggie were listed as farmer’s daughters. Michael, Mathias and John were farmer’s sons. Only Thomas, Margaret, Annie and Bridget could read and write. Only Anne could speak Irish and English, while no language was listed for the others, suggesting they spoke English only. All members of the family were born in County Galway, except Mathias, Maggie and John who were each born in County Roscommon. The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 4 front windows and 4 rooms. Permanent material was used to construct the walls of the house, while perishable material was used for the roof. Anne owned the land on which her house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house, 1 barn and 1 shed.

Thomas Grainger (71) lived with his married daughter Annie Dolan (35) and son-in-law Thomas Dolan (37). Thomas (71) is listed as being married, yet there is no record of his wife here. Both Thomas and his son-in-law were farmers. Annie was listed as a farmer’s daughter. Each member of the family could read and write. Thomas (71) spoke Irish and English, while the others spoke English only. Thomas (71) was born in County Galway, while his daughter was born in County Westmeath. Thomas (37) was born in County Roscommon. Thomas (71) and Annie were members of the Church of Ireland, while Thomas (37) was a Roman Catholic. The family lived in a 1^st class house with 8 front windows and 6 rooms. Both the walls and the roof of the house were made using permanent material. Thomas owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 coach house, 1 harness house, 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house, 1 barn, 1 turf house, and 1 shed.

William Daly (60) was a widower. He lived with his 2 daughters Mary Ellen (18) and Bridget (12) and his 2 sons Nicholas (16) and William (14). William worked as a farmer. Mary Ellen was listed as a farmer’s daughter and both Nicholas and William were farmer’s sons. Bridget was a scholar. All members of the family could read and write. William (60) spoke Irish and English, while his children spoke English only. The family occupied a 2^nd class dwelling with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. The walls of the house were made using permanent material, while perishable material was used for the roof. William owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house, and 1 barn.

Rose Daly (64) was an unmarried retired servant. Rose lived alone. She could read only. But spoke both Irish and English. Rose lived in a 3^rd class house with just 1 front window and 1 room. Permanent material was used to construct the walls and the roof of the house. Thomas Grainger was the landholder.

Mary Tully (50) lived with her 4 daughters, Bridget (21), Margaret (20), Mary Ellen (14) and Lizzie (11). Mary was listed as being married, but there is no record of her husband here. Mary worked as a farmer, while both Bridget and Margaret were farmer’s daughters. Mary Ellen and Lizzie were scholars. All members of the family could read and write, except Mary who could not write. No language was listed for any member of the family suggesting they spoke English only. The Tully family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. The walls of the house were built using permanent material, while the roof was constructed using perishable material. Mary owned the land on which her house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Martin Healy (47) lived with his wife Mary (45) and his widower father Patt (88). Martin worked as a farmer and Mary was a farmer’s wife. Patt was listed as having no occupation. No member of the family could read or write. Martin spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for Mary or Patt, suggesting they spoke English only. The Healy family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 4 rooms. While the roof was constructed using perishable material, the walls of the house were made using permanent material. Martin owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Mary Geraghty (42) lived with her 2 daughters Annie (20) and Catherine (8) and her 6 sons, Michael (18), Patrick (16), Laurence (12), James (10), Thomas (6), John (4) and Malachy (2). Mary was listed as being married but there is no record of her husband here. Mary listed her occupation as farming, while Annie, Michael and Patrick assisted in the farming. Laurence, James, Catherine, Thomas and John were scholars. Malachy was listed as a farmer’s son. Only Mary, Annie, Michael and Patrick could read and write. Laurence, James and Catherine recorded attending school for education. No language was listed for any member of the family suggesting they spoke English only. The Geraghty family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Permanent material was used to construct the house walls, while perishable material was used for the roof of the house. Mary owned the land on which her house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 fowl house.

John Kenny (60) lived with his wife Margaret (48), their 2 children Patrick (11) and Mary Jane (9) and his unmarried brother Martin (44). John was a farmer and his brother was a labourer. Margaret was a housekeeper, while both Patrick and Mary Jane were scholars. All members of the family could read and write, except Martin who could not read or write. No language was listed for any member of the family suggesting they spoke English only. The family occupied a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. The walls of the house were constructed using permanent material, while the roof was made using perishable material. John owned the land o which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Census 1911

There were 7 houses in Ballinlass in 1911. Each of these houses were occupied. The total population was 34 people, 19 of whom were male and 15 were female. The heads of the households were as follows: Mary E. Grainger, William Daly, Martin Healy, John Kenny, Martin Mulry, James Geraghty and Anne Mannion. All inhabitants were born in County Galway, except the Grainger family in House 1 who were born in County Westmeath. All residents were Roman Catholic, except the Grainger family in House 1 who were members of the Church of Ireland.

Each house was listed as a private dwelling. There was a total of 29 farm steadings: 2 stables, 1 coach house, 7 cow houses, 1 calf house, 5 piggeries 1 fowl house, 7 barns, 1 turf house, 1 potato house and 3 sheds. The census forms were collected on the 17^th of April.

Mary E. Grainger (77) was a widowed farmer. She lived with her unmarried son Fred (39) and married daughter Annie Dolan (46). Annie had been married for 13 years and had no children. Fred was listed as a farmer’s son and Annie was a farmer’s daughter. All members of the family could read and write. No language was listed for any family member, suggesting they spoke English only. Each member of the family was born in County Westmeath. The family were members of the Church of Ireland. The family lived in a 1^st class house with 7 front windows and 7 rooms. Permanent material was used for the walls and the roof of the house. Mary owned the land on which her house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 coach house, 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house, 1 barn, 1 turf house and 1 potato house.

William Daly (73) was a widower who lived with his 3 unmarried children, Nicholas (27), William (25) and Bridget (23). William (73) was a farmer, and both of his sons were listed as farmer’s sons. All members of the family could read and write. William (73) spoke Irish and English, while his children spoke English only. The Daly family occupied a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. The walls of the house were made of permanent material while the roof was made using perishable material. William owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Martin Healy (68) lived with his wife of 26 years Mary (66). Martin and Mary had no children. Martin worked as a farmer. Neither Martin nor Mary could read or write. Irish and English was spoken by Martin and Mary. The family lived in a 3^rd class house with 2 front windows and 2 rooms. While the walls of the house were constructed using permanent material, the roof was made using perishable material. Martin owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house and 1 barn.

John Kenny (70) was a widower. He lived with his daughter Mary Jane (19), married son Patrick (22), daughter-in-law Mary (22), granddaughter Margaret Mary (4 months) and his brother Martin (65). Patrick and Mary had been married for 1 year and had 1 child. John worked as a farmer and Martin was a farm labourer. Patrick was listed as a farmer’s son. All members of the family could read and write, except naturally baby Margaret Mary. No language was listed for any member of the family, suggesting they spoke English only. The family occupied a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Permanent material was used to build the walls of the house while perishable material was used to construct the roof. John owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 barn and 1 shed.

Martin Mulry (32) was a married farmer. He lived with his wife Lizzie (22) and their son Patrick (1 month). Martin and Lizzie had been married for under 1 year. Both Martin and Lizzie could read and write. Martin spoke Irish and English, while no language was recorded for Lizzie, suggesting she spoke English only. The Mulry family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. The walls of the house were constructed using permanent material, while the roof was made of perishable material. Martin owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house and 1 barn.

James Geraghty (57) lived with his wife Mary (50), their daughter Catherine (21) and their 6 sons, Michael (28), James (19), Thomas (17), John (15), Malachy (13) and Martin (11). James and Mary had been married for 31 years and had 10 children, all of whom were living in 1911. James worked as a farmer. Michael and James (19) were farmer’s sons and Catherine was a farmer’s daughter. Thomas, John, Malachy and Martin were scholars. All members of the family could read and write. No language was listed for any member of the family, suggesting they spoke English only. The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Perishable material was used to construct the roof, while the walls of the house were made using permanent material. James owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 barn and 1 shed.

Anne Mannion (76) was a widowed farmer. She lived with her unmarried daughter Annie (33), widowed daughter-in-law Margaret (43) and her 4 grandchildren, Michl [SIC] (15), Mary A. (13), Kate (10) and John (8). Each of her grandchildren were scholars. All members of the family could read and write, except Anne who could not read. Anne spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for the others, suggesting they spoke English only. The Mannion family lived in a 3^rd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Perishable material was used for the walls and the roof of the house. Anne owned the land on which her house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 barn and 1 shed.