Ballynahowna

Ballynahowna

Civil Parish of Kilbegnet

Baile na hAbhna, Town of the River

Ballynahowna is in the civil parish of Kilbegnet, in the barony of Ballymoe, County Galway. The townland is located at the Southern boundary of Kilbegnet parish, joining the civil parish of Killeroran in the Barony of Killian, Co. Galway.

The Down Survey Map (post Cromwell) showed Ballynahowna, under the name Lisgorr, was owned by John Bourke (Catholic) in 1670. The survey indicates there were 202 plantation acres of unprofitable land, while 69 acres were profitable. The survey also shows 69 acres of the land was forfeited.

O’Donovan’s Field Name Books states there is a section of bog at the South boundary of Ballynahowna. The book notes there is nothing of particular interest in this townland. The remaining land is made up of tillage and pasture.

Census 1841-1851

The census of 1851 shows Ballynahowna was comprised of 358 acres, 0 roods and 5 perches. The population in 1841 consisted of 60 males and 48 females, making up a total of 108 people. By 1851 the population had decreased to 49 males and 38 females with a total of 87 people. In 1851, there were 18 houses in total, all of which were occupied. The poor law valuation rate paid was £63-10-0.

1851 Old Age Pension Search Forms

Catherine Furey – Application Number C20 1569

Catherine applied for the old age pension on the 6^th March. At the time of application her full address was Mrs Catherine McNeill, Coalpits, Creggs, County Galway. According to Catherine she was the daughter of Peter and Madge Furey (nee Henry). Catherine’s application was successful, and she received £15 and 9 shillings per year.

Griffith’s Valuation 1847-1864

The Griffith’s Valuation showed Allen Pollock owned the land and kept 2 plantations of bog, one measuring 26 acres, 0 roods and 21 perches and the other 8 acres, 0 roods and 15 perches. He also kept a cottier’s house and garden and paid a total of £1-15-0. Allen leased a portion of his bog holding jointly to Michael Naughton and Patrick Hegarty measuring 3 roods and 33 perches. They each paid 2 shillings. Thomas Blighe, Patrick Mulligan and James Gavin jointly leased land from Allen measuring 5 acres, 1 rood and 21 perches, each paid 5 shillings. Bartholomew Mannion rented a house, office and land measuring 8 acres and 2 roods, paying £3 per annum. Thomas Blighe rented two separate holdings, land measuring 7 acres, 1 rood and 27 perches and house, office and land measuring 10 acres, 2 roods and 28 perches. Thomas paid £10-10-0. Patrick Mulligan rented house and land, paying £6-15-0 for 11 acres, 3 roods and 10 perches. James Gavin rented house, office and land measuring 11 acres, 2 roods and 30 perches. He paid a total of £6 per annum. Bridget Redington and John Wallace shared a holding with Bridget renting house and land and John renting a land measuring a total of 12 acres, 3 roods and 9 perches. Bridget paid £3-15-0, while John paid £1-15-0. Andrew White paid £5-10-0 for house and land measuring 12 acres, 2 roods and 9 perches. John Loughan rented house, office and land measuring 9 acres, 0 roods and 33 perches of £4 per annum. John Wallace paid a total of £4 for 9 acres, 0 roods and 15 perches with the tenement type being house, office and land. Martin Griffin rented house, office and land measuring 16 acres, 1 rood and 7 perches, Martin paid £6 per annum. James Griffin rented house, office and land measuring 28 acres, 2 roods and 11 perches paying a total of £10. Andrew Morrissy paid 15 shillings for house and land measuring 2 acres, 1 rood and 29 perches. William Gurley and Michael Connor shared a holding, renting house and land, and house, office and land respectively measuring a total of 18 acres, 1 rood and 19 perches. William paid £3-13-0 for his share of the holding, while Michael paid £4-3-0. Michael Connor and Michael Loughan jointly leased land measuring 11 acres, 2 roods and 34 perches, each paying £2-2-0. Patrick Loughan and Michael Loughan shared a holding measuring 26 acres, 3 roods and 23 perches in total. Patrick rented offices and land, while Michael rented house, office and land; each paid £5. Patrick Quirke (Jun.) rented house, office and land measuring 12 acres, 0 roods and 15 perches, paying a total of £4 per annum. Patrick Quirke (Sen.) paid £4-15-0 for house, office and land measuring 12 acres, 3 roods and 33 perches. John Muldoon (of Gorteenfadda) rented 84 acres, 3 roods and 33 perches of land and paid £3. John Dowd, jun. (of Tallavnamraher) rented a garden measuring 0 acres, 1 rood and 30 perches for 5 shillings per year. The Total Annual Valuation of Rateable Property in Ballynahowna was £97-14-0.

Census 1901

There was a total of 11 households in Ballynahowna in 1901. The total population was 66 people, 35 were male and 31 were female. The heads of the households were as follows: Michael Maloney, Patrick Bligh, Michael Lohan, John Wallace, John Donelan, Anne Donelan, Laurence Bligh, Mary Bligh, Michael Bligh, Thomas Raftery and James Gavin. All residents of Ballynahowna were born in County Galway and all were Roman Catholics. The census forms, which were collected on April 5^th, showed the 11 houses in the townland were classed as private dwellings. There was a total of 30 farm steadings consisting of 7 stables, 8 cow houses, 7 piggeries, 5 barns and 3 sheds.

Michael Maloney (58) lived with his wife Ellen (48) and their 4 unmarried children, John (17), Joseph (13), Bridget (10) and Thomas (7). Michael worked as a farmer and his eldest son gave his occupation as worker on the farm. The 3 youngest children were scholars. All members of the family could read and write. Both Irish and English was spoken by all members of the Maloney family.

Michael and his family lived in a 2^nd class house with 4 front windows and 4 rooms. Both the walls and the roof were made of permanent material. Michael owned the land his house was situated on along with 1 stable, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Patrick Bligh (24) was a married farmer who lived with his wife Kate (26), widowed mother-in-law Anne McCormack (60), brother-in-law Thomas McCormack (80) who was a widower and grandson Joseph Crean (11) [sic]. Anne recorded her occupation as retired farmer’s wife, Thomas was a retired farmer and Joseph was a scholar. All members of the family could read and write, except Anne who could read only. Patrick, Kate, Anne and Thomas spoke Irish and English.

The Bligh family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. The walls were made of permanent material while the roof was constructed using perishable material. Patrick owned the land his house was situated on along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Michael Lohan (50) lived with his wife Margaret (40), their 5 sons Patrick (12), John (10), Martin (7), Thomas (7) and Michael (10 months) and daughter Bridget (5). Michael was a farmer and Bridget’s occupation was listed as farmer’s daughter, while the 4 eldest sons were scholars. All members of the family could read and write except the youngest 2 children, who naturally were too young at the time of the census. Michael, Margaret and their 4 eldest children spoke Irish and English.

The Lohan family occupied a 3^rd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Perishable material was used to construct both the walls and the roof of the house. Michael owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

John Wallace (43) and his wife Mary (31) lived with their 3 daughters Honoria (8), Bridget (7) and Anne (2) and 2 sons Thomas (6) and Michael (4). John worked as a farmer and Michael was given an occupation of farmer’s son. The 3 eldest children were scholars. John and his wife could read and write; they also spoke both Irish and English. Honoria and Bridget could read and write, Thomas could read only, while naturally the 2 youngest were too young to read.

The Wallace family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. The walls were made of permanent material while the roof was made of perishable material. John owned the land his house was situated on along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 barn and 1 shed.

John Donelan (35) lived with his wife Ellen (36) and their 2 daughters Bridget (7) and Kate (5) and 2 sons Andrew (3) and Martin (1). John was a farmer and the 2 eldest children were scholars. John, Ellen and Bridget could read and write, as well as speak Irish and English. The 3 youngest children, Kate, Andrew and Martin naturally could not read, and no language was recorded for them.

The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Permanent material was used to construct the walls, while the roof was made of perishable material. John owned the land his house was situated on along with 1 shed.

Anne Donelan (37) was a widowed farmer who lived with her children Martin (9) and Michael (7). Both Martin and Michael were scholars. All members of the family could read and write. Anne and her sons spoke Irish and English. The family occupied a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Permanent material was used to construct the walls and the roof of the house. Anne owned the land her house was situated on along with 1 cow house and 1 piggery.

Laurence Bligh (36) lived with his wife Catherine (29) and their 5 children Michael (8), John (6), Margaret (4), Catherine (3) and Elizabeth (7 months). Laurence worked as a gamekeeper and his 2 eldest children were scholars. Laurence could not read but he spoke Irish and English. Catherine and the 2 eldest children could read and write, while naturally the 3 youngest children could not read at the time of the census. Catherine and Michael spoke Irish and English.

The family lived in a 3^rd class house with only 1 front window and 2 rooms. The walls were made of permanent material, while the roof was mad of perishable material. The land was owned by Mary Bligh, along with 1 stable and 1 shed.

Mary Bligh (68) was a widowed farmer who lived with her unmarried son Thomas (38). Thomas listed his occupation as farm labourer. Mary could read and write, and while Thomas could not read, both Mary and Thomas spoke Irish and English. The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 4 rooms. The walls of the house were made of permanent material while the roof was made of perishable material. Mary owned the land her house was situated on along with 1 stable, 1 cow house and 1 piggery.

Michael Bligh (39) lived with his wife Catherine (40), their 5 children, Mary (15), Patrick (12), Thomas (9), James (4) and Kate (2). Michael was a farmer and his 3 eldest children were scholars. Michael could not read but he spoke Irish and English. Catherine, Mary, Patrick and Thomas could read and write, and they all spoke Irish and English. Naturally, the 2 youngest children could not read at the time. The family lived in a 2^nd class house that had 2 front windows and 3 rooms. Both the walls and the roof of the house were made of permanent material. Michael owned the land his house was situated on along with 1 cow house and 1 piggery.

Thomas Raftery (33) lived with his wife Kate (40), son Pat (1) and widowed mother-in-law Honoria Mulligan (70). Thomas was a farmer and his listed his son’s occupation as farmer’s son. Honoria recorded her occupation as retired farmer. Thomas and his wife could read and write, and they spoke both Irish and English. Honoria could not read, and she spoke Irish only. Naturally, Pat was too young to read at the time of the census. The Raftery family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 2 rooms. Permanent material was used to construct the walls and the roof of the house. Thomas owned the land his house was situated on along with 1 cow house.

James Gavin (50) worked as a farmer and lived with his wife Maggie (45) and their 9 children. The couple had 3 sons, Michl (20), John (5) and James (3) and 6 daughters, Ellon (16), Maggie (14), Mary (11), Bridget (9), Annie (7) and Julia (1). Michl and James were farmer’s sons. Maggie recorded her occupation as farmer’s daughter while Ellon’s occupation was given as farmer’s son [sic]. Bridget, Annie and John were scholars. All members of the Gavin family could read and write, except for the youngest 2 children, who were too young at the time of the census. Irish and English was spoken by every member of the household, except Annie, John, James and Julia.

The family lived in 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 of perishable material. James owned the land his house was situated on as well as 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Census 1911

There were 11 households in Ballynahowna in 1911. The population was a total of 61 people, 33 were male and 28 were female. The heads of the households were as follows: John Wallace, Michael Maloney, Anne Donnellan, Patrick Blighe, Michael Blighe, Margaret Lohan, James Gavin, Thomas Raftery, Thomas Blygh, Lawrence Blygh and John Donnellan. All residents of the townland were born in County Galway and all were Roman Catholic. The 11 houses were listed as private dwellings. The census forms were collected on the 3^rd of April and showed there was a total of 39 farm steading comprising 2 stables, 10 cow houses, 9 piggeries, 4 fowl houses, 4 barns and 10 sheds.

John Wallace (54) was a farmer. He lived with his wife of 19 years Mary (42) and their 8 unmarried children, Norah (18), Bridget (17), Thomas (16), Michael (14), Annie (12), Patrick (9), Mary Kate (6) and Agnes (4).  All the children listed their occupation as scholar. All members of the family could read and write. John and his wife, along with their children spoke Irish and English. The Wallace family lived in a 2^nd class private dwelling with 3 front windows and 2 rooms. The house roof was made of perishable material while the house walls were made of permanent material. John owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house, 1 barn and 1 shed.

Michael Maloney (69) was a married farmer. He lived with his wife Ellen (57) and 2 unmarried sons John (27) and Thomas (17). At the time of the 1911 census, Michael and Ellen had been married for 10 years and 6 children, all of whom were living. John and Thomas both listed their occupation as farmer’s son. Michael and his children could read and write, but Ellen could read only. Michael and his wife spoke Irish and English. No language was recorded for their children. The family occupied a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 2 rooms. The walls and roof of the house were made using permanent material. Michael owned the land his house was situated on along with 1 cow house.

Anne Donnellan (48) was a widow. She lived with her 2 unmarried sons Martin (19) and Michael (17). Anne had been married 2 years and had 2 children before she became a widow. Anne worked as a farmer and her sons were farm labourers. All members of the family could read and write, and they all spoke Irish and English. The Donnellan family lived in a 2^nd class house with 2 front windows and 2 rooms. The walls and roof of the house were made of permanent material. Anne owned the land her house was situated on along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 shed.

Patrick Blighe (30) was a married farmer who lived with his wife Kate (30), their 3 daughters Mary (9), Kate (4) and Teresa (1), 2 sons Thomas (7) and Michael (5) and nephew Andrew Crean (17). At the time of the census, Patrick and Kate had been married for 10 years and had 5 children. Mary, Kate, Thomas and Michael were scholars, while Andrew recorded his occupation as a farm labourer. All members of the household could read and write, except Teresa who was too young at the time. Patrick, his wife Kate, Mary, Thomas, Michael and Andrew all spoke Irish and English. The family lived in a 3^rd class house with 2 front windows and 2 rooms. The walls of the house were made of permanent material, while the roof was perishable. Patrick Blygh owned the land along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 shed.

Michael Blighe (50) lived with his wife of 26 years Catherine (52) and 3 children, Thomas (19), James (14) and Katie (12). Michael and Catherine had 6 children, 5 of whom were alive in 1911. Michael was a farmer and Thomas gave his occupation as farm labourer, while James was a scholar. No occupation was given for Katie. Catherine, Thomas and James could read and write, while Michael and his daughter could not read. All members of the family could speak Irish and English, except Katie, who had no language listed. The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 2 front windows and 2 rooms. Permanent material was used to construct the walls and the roof of the house. Michael owned the land on which his house was located along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house, 1 barn and 1 shed.

Margaret Lohan (51) was a widower who lived with her 5 unmarried sons Patrick (22), John (20), Martin (18), Thomas (18) and Michael (10) and daughter Bridget (15). Margaret had been married for 23 years and had 7 children before being widowed. 6 of her children were living in 1911. Margaret recorded her occupation as agricultural farmer and Patrick listed his occupation as agricultural farmer’s son. John, Martin and Thomas were labourers, while Bridget and Michael were scholars. All members of the family could read and write. Only Margaret spoke both Irish and English, with no language being recorded for her children, suggesting they spoke English only.

The family occupied a 3^rd class house with 2 front windows and 2 rooms. The walls of the house were made of permanent material, while the roof was constructed using perishable material. Margaret owned the land her house was situated on along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house, 1 barn and 1 shed.

James Gavin (60) lived with his wife Margaret (57) and their 5 unmarried children, Bridget (19), Anne (17), John (15), James (13) and Julia (11). At the time of the census, James and Margaret had been married for 37 years and had 15 children, 12 of whom were living. James was a farmer, while the 3 youngest children were scholars. All members of the family could read and write. Everybody in the Gavin household spoke Irish and English.

The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 2 rooms. The house walls were made of permanent material, while the roof was made of perishable material. James owned the land on which his house was located along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house, 1 barn and 1 shed.

Thomas Raftery (46) and his wife of 12 years Kate (43) lived with their 2 children Patrick (11) and Anne (8). Thomas worked as a farmer, while both children were scholars. Thomas and his wife could read and write, while Patrick could read only, and Anne could not read. Thomas and Kate spoke Irish and English, but their children spoke English only. The family occupied a 2^nd class dwelling with 3 front windows and 1 room. Permanent material was used to construct both the walls and the roof of the house. Thomas owned the land his house was situated on along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 shed.

Thomas Blygh (48) was a single farmer who lived alone. While Thomas could not read or write, he spoke Irish and English. Thomas lived in a 3^rd class house with 2 front windows and 1 room. The walls were made of permanent material, while the roof was perishable material. He owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house and 1 shed.

Lawrence Blygh (45) lived with his wife Katie (38) and their 10 children. The couple had 5 sons, Michael (18), John (17), Jonnie (8), Lawrence (5) and Edward (2) and 5 daughters, Marianne (15), Katie (13), Lizzie (10), Bridget (7) and Julia (5 months). At the time of the census, Lawrence and Katie had been married for 19 years and had 11 children, 10 of whom were living in 1911. Lawrence worked as a farmer, and his 2 eldest sons, Michael and John were labourers. Katie, Lizzie, Jonnie, Bridget and Lawrence were scholars. Lawrence could not read but he spoke Irish and English, his wife Katie and their 7 eldest children could read and write. The 3 youngest were naturally too young at the time of the census. All members of the family, except Lawrence (Snr.) spoke English only.

The family lived in a 3^rd class house with 2 front windows and 1 room. The walls of the house were made of permanent material while the roof was made of perishable material. Lawrence owned the land on which his house was located along with 1 piggery and 1 shed.

John Donnellan (45) and his wife of 18 years Ellen (47) lived with their 5 children, Bridget (17), Kate (15), Andrew (13), Martin (11) and Patrick (5). John and Ellen had 7 children, 5 of whom were living at the time of the census. John was a farmer and Ellen described her occupation as housekeeper. The 5 children were scholars. Each member of the Donnellan family could read and write. Irish and English was spoken by every individual in the family. The family occupied a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 2 rooms. Both the walls and the roof of the house were made using permanent material. John owned the land his house was situated on along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 shed.