Greethill

Greethill is in the Civil Parish of Athenry

Standard Name: Greethill 

Irish Form:  Cnocán Eimhir

Translation:  O’Donovan Field Name Book questions if it is “grit hillock” 

Other Forms of Name: Greet Hill (Barony Map)

Greethill is situated in the Barony of Athenry, three miles South West of Athenry town, bounded on the North by Gortrua (Gortroe), West by Derrydonnellmore and Coldwood, South by Caherfinisker and East by Killeeneen Parish and Cloughraun (Clorane) townland.

O’Donovan’s Field Name Book

Records from this source (1860’s) list Greethill as the property of a Mr. French containing 249 statute acres, 25 of which is covered with brushwood and stones, the remainder under cultivation. There is a large village of houses at its North Eastern extremity, at the South end of which is a fort.

The townlands that share a border with Greethill are:

Caherfinisker

Clorane

Coldwood or Foorkill

Derrydonnellmore

Gortroe

Moneyteige

The Down Survey (1641 pre-Cromwell; 1670 post Cromwell) 

The map of this Barony was destroyed in 1711. No copies have, so far, come to light.

The Down Survey Name is Knockanekillin. The pre-Cromwell Owner was Sir Richard Blake (Catholic), and the post-Cromwell Owner was Robert Blake (Protestant)

Griffith’s Valuation (1855) records 7 occupiers as:

Robert French

Martin Kane

David Nolan

Mary Leonard

John Healy

Mortimer Kane

Michael Malone

The total land area was 248 Acres 3 Roods 27 Perches

The rateable valuation of the land was £86.1s.0d and of the buildings was £5.12 shillings, a total of £91.13s.

Currency then was Pounds, shillings and pence £ s d

The Immediate Lessor, Robert French was designated “In Fee”. In fee were freehold tenures, derived from a grant from the Crown. The “description of tenements” was land, out-offices, and cottiers houses.

Mary Leonard sub-let less than 2 acres to David Nolan (from her less than 3 acres) and Mortimer Kane sub-let approximately 15 acres of his 54 acres to Michael Malone.

Tithe Applotment Books (1827)

The Tithe Applotment Book (Rental Applotment Valuation) has one entry for Greethill.

Patrick Keane 152 Acres, annual tithes £7.18s. 04d. Money was pounds, shillings and pence -£sd.

Census 1901

No records of Census prior to 1901 could be found for Greethill. In 1901 four families are recorded. 19 people resided in Greethill, 8 males and 11 females. All were Roman Catholics. Constable Owen Gaffney was the Census enumerator. The census night was 31^st March 1901, and the forms were collected on April 9^th, 1901. The Heads of Households were Patrick Keane, Thomas Healy, John Keane, and Michael Malone.

Patrick Keane’s Patrick Keane (80), a farmer, was the Head of the Family. Living with him were his wife Mary (67) and their two children, 1 son, Patrick (41,) and 1 daughter Honoria (23), both single and described as farmer’s son and daughter. The parents and son spoke both Irish and English and all could read and write. They were all born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholics. They lived in a private house made of blocks, brick, or concrete and had a roof of thatch, wood, or other perishable material. The house had 3 front windows, and 4 rooms were occupied by the family. The house was deemed a 2^nd class house. There were 6 out-offices and farm steadings – a stable, cow house, shed, fowl house, piggery, and a barn.

Healy’s Thomas Healy (60) was Head of the Family. He was a farmer and his wife Mary Healy (52), and all the family members were listed as farmers. All in the house could read and write and all, except the two youngest, spoke Irish and English. In the house on census night were daughters, Margret (29) and Mary (27), a son John (25), two daughters Honor (23), Catherine (18), Patrick (16) a son and a daughter Ellen (14). All 7 children were unmarried. They were all born in Co. Galway, as were their parents, and were Roman Catholics. They lived in a private house made of blocks, brick, or concrete and had a roof of thatch, wood, or other perishable material. The house had 3 front windows. 4 rooms were occupied by the family. The house was deemed a 2^nd class house. There were 6 out-offices and farm steadings – a stable, cow house, shed, fowl house, piggery, and a barn.

John Keane’s John Keane (64), a farmer, was Head of the Family and his wife Kate (49), son, John (14) daughter Bridget (11), and niece-in-law Kathleen Sheehan (8) were in the house on Census night. The parents spoke both Irish and English and all of the households could read and write. They were all born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholics. They lived in a private house made of blocks, brick or concrete and had a roof of thatch, wood or other perishable material. The house had 3 front windows; 4 rooms were occupied by the family. The house was deemed a 2^nd class house. There were 5 out-offices and farm steadings – a stable, cow house, shed, piggery and a barn.

Malone’s Michael Malone was Head of Household. He was a widower and a farm labourer. He could not read or write and spoke Irish and English. His house was one roomed and built with blocks, brick or concrete and had a roof of thatch, wood or other perishable material. The house had 1 front window and was deemed a third class house. It had no out-offices.

Census 1911 (Greethill in the sub-district of Moyveela)

Three families are recorded in Greethill. The Heads of Households are Mary Keane, Mary Healy, and John Keane, each family living in a private house. 17 people resided there, 7 males and 10 females. All were Roman Catholics. The census night was Sunday 2^nd April 1911, and the forms were collected on April 7^th, 1911. Constable Patrick Colreavy was the enumerator.

Mary Keane’s Mary Keane (77), a widow was the Head of the Family. Living with her were: Son Richard (50), a Labourer and single; Son Mortimer (38), a farmer, married; Daughter-in-law Mary Anne (28) 4 years married; Grand-daughters Delea Kate (3), Norah Agnes (2) and Grand-son Patrick Joseph (7 months). All the adults could read and write and spoke Irish and English except for the daughter-in-law who spoke only English. They were all born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholics. They lived in a private house made of blocks, brick or concrete and had a roof of thatch, wood, or other perishable material. It had 3 front windows; 4 rooms were occupied, and the house was deemed a 2^nd class house. There were 6 outhouses – 2 stables, a cow house, a calf house, a fowl house, and a barn.

Healy’s Mary Healy (70), a widow was the Head of the Family. Living with her were: her daughter Mary (32) unmarried, son John (37), a farmer and single; daughter Honor (27), son Patrick (27), a labourer and daughter Ellen (22) all unmarried. All in the household could read and write Mary alone spoke Irish and English. They lived in a private house made of blocks, brick, or concrete and had a roof of thatch, wood, or other perishable material. It had 3 front windows; 3 rooms were occupied, and the house was deemed a 2^nd class house. There were 5 outhouses – stable, a cow house, a calf house, a piggery, and a barn.

John Keane’s John Keane (78) was the Head of the Family and a farmer. In the house on census night were Kate Keane (60), his wife of 33 years; his son John (23), an unmarried labourer, and his daughter Bridget (21) single. A total of 5 children were born and 2 children were still living. All in the house could read and write and the parents spoke Irish and English. They lived in a private house made of blocks, brick or concrete and had a roof of thatch, wood or other perishable material. It had 3 front windows; 4 rooms were occupied, and the house was deemed a 2^nd class house. There were 6 outhouses – stable, cow house, fowl house, turf house, shed, and a barn.