Sonnagh

Sonnagh

Civil Parish of Kilbegnet

Sonnach,great mound or rampart

Sonnagh is situated in the civil parish of Kilbegnet, Barony of Ballymoe, County Galway. Located at the Northern boundary of Kilbegnet parish, this townland borders the parish of Ballynakill.

The Down Survey Map indicates the 1670 (Post Cromwell) owner of Sonnagh was Henry Bourke (Catholic). The Down Survey name was Sunnagh. There were 47 plantation acres of unprofitable land. 138 plantation acres were of profitable land and 138 plantation acres were forfeited.

O’Donovan’s Field Name Books states three portions of bog can be found in this townland. There is a portion of bog located in the South West corner, as well as at the South and North boundaries. Travelling from West to South East through Sonnagh is a bye road. The remaining land is made up of tillage and pasture.

Census 1841-1851

According to the 1851 census, Sonnagh consists of 282 acres, 1 rood and 24 perches. There was a population of 150 people in 1841, 76 were male and 74 were female. The 30 houses in Sonnagh in 1841 were all occupied. The population had decreased to 84 people in 1851, 47 of whom were male and 37 were female. There were 16 houses in 1851, all of which were occupied. The poor law valuation rate paid in 1851 was £78-15-0.

Griffith’s Valuation 1847-1864

According to Griffith’s Valuation, Edmund Kelly was the immediate lessor of the land. Anne Ward, Michael Cuddihy, Patrick Pettit, Margaret Ward and Bridget Scanlan each rented on the same holding measuring £65-0-0. Anne paid £1-15-0 for land. Michael paid £6-15-0 for house and land. Patrick paid £4-15-0 for house and land. Margaret paid £3-15-0 for house and land. Bridget paid £4-5-0 for house and land.

Hugh Fannin, Patrick Mee, Mrs. Ward, Martin Mee, John Curley, John Scanlan and Patrick Kelly each rented on same Holding 2 which measured 85 acres, 2 roods and 3 perches. Hugh paid £2-10-0 for land. Patrick Mee paid £5-10-0 for house and land. Mrs. Ward paid £3-0-0 for house and land. Martin paid £2-15-0 for house and land. John Curley paid £4-0-0 for house and land. John Scanlan paid £3-0-0 for house and land. Patrick Kelly paid £2-15-0 for house and land. Edmund Kelly kept a cottier’s house and garden in fee on this holding worth £0-5-0.

Patrick Scanlan rented house, offices and land measuring 45 acres, 1 rood and 24 perches for £23-0-0. Patrick Rowan paid a total of £7-9-0 for 5 acres, 3 roods and 15 perches of house, offices and land and a portion of land measuring 8 acres, 3 roods and 24 perches. Hugh Fannin paid a total of £16-0-0 for land measuring 4 acres, 0 roods and 28 perches and house, office and land measuring 31 acres, 3 roods and 19 perches.

John Scanlan rented 4 acres, 0 roods and 12 perches of land and 31 acres, 1 rood and 29 perches of house, office and land for a total of £18-0-0. The total annual valuation of rateable property was £109-0-0.

Census 1901

Civil Parish of Ballinakill

Martin Cooney headed the only household in the townland of Sonnagh, located in the civil parish of Ballinakill. The census form was collected on the 9^th of April.

Martin Cooney (60) was a widower who lived alone. Martin worked as a farm labourer. He could not read, but he spoke both Irish and English. Martin was born in County Galway and was a Roman Catholic. Martin lived in a 4^th class house with just 1 front window and 1 room. Perishable material was used to construct the walls and the roof of the house.

Civil Parish of Kilbegnet

There were 11 houses in Sonnagh in 1901, all of which were occupied. Sonnagh National School was also located here. The total population was 56 houses, 27 were male and 29 were female. The heads of the households were as follows: James Scanlon, Peter Fannon, Mary Kelly, Pat Curley, Mary Coyne, Bridget Warde, Pat Mee, Pat Scanlon, Pat Warde, Honoria Petted and Michael Cuddy. All residents were born in County Galway, unless stated otherwise. All inhabitants were Roman Catholic.

Each house was listed as a private dwelling. There were 34 farm steadings comprising 5 stables, 2 coach houses, 9 cow houses, 2 calf houses, 5 piggeries, 2 fowl houses, 8 barns and 1 shed. The census forms were collected on the 6^th of April.

James Scanlon (49) was an unmarried farmer. He lived with his widowed mother Catherine (72), his unmarried sister Mary Anne (45) and 2 servants, farm servant Michael Trears (28) and general domestic servant Ellie Mannion (18). All members of he household could read and write, except Michael and Ellie who could read only. Catherine and Ellie spoke Irish and English, while there is was no language listed for the others, suggesting they spoke English only. Michael Trears was born in County Roscommon, while the rest of the household was born in County Galway. The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 4 front windows and 4 rooms. Permanent material was used for the walls of the house, while the roof was constructed using perishable material. James owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 coach house, 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house, 1 barn and 1 shed.

Peter Fannon (45) lived with his wife Kate (30), their 2 daughters Mary L. (7) and Agnes (4), their 2 sons Hubert (6) and Richard (3) and 2 servants Julia Heavy (15) and Johny [sic] Boyle (14). Peter worked as a farmer and Kate was national school teacher. The 3 eldest children were scholars, while Richard was listed as a farmer’s son. Julia worked as a general domestic servant and Johny was a farm servant. Peter, Kate, Mary, Hubert and Julia could read and write. Agnes and Johny could read only. No language was listed for any member of the family, suggesting they spoke English only. Kate’s place of birth was listed as the City of Sligo, while the others were born in County Galway. The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 6 front windows. Permanent material was used to construct both the walls and the roof of the house. There was also 1 stable, 1 coach house, 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house and 1 barn. Peter Fanning was the landholder.

Mary Kelly (52) was a widowed farmer. She lived with her 2 unmarried daughters Bee (28) and Winnie (19), her son John (23) and grandson Peter Kilcommon (4). Both Bee and Winnie were farmer’s daughters, while John and Peter were listed as farmer’s sons. Only Bee, Winnie and John could read and write. Mary spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for the rest of her family, suggesting they spoke English only. Peter was born in America, while the others were born in County Galway. The Kelly family lived in a 3^rd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Both the walls and the roof of the house were made using perishable material. Mary owned the land on which her house was situated along with 1 cow house.

Pat Curley (60) lived with his wife Mary (56), their daughter Mary (24) and their 2 sons Bernard (21) and James (17). Pat worked as a farmer, both his sons were listed as farmer’s sons. Mary (24) was a farmer’s daughter. Neither Pat or his wife could read or write, but each of their children could read and write. Pat and Mary (56) spoke Irish and English, while their children spoke English only. The family occupied a 3^rd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Both the walls and the roof of the house were made using perishable material. Pat owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house and 1 barn.

Mary Coyne (50) was a widow who lived alone. Mary worked as a farmer. She could not read but she spoke Irish and English. Mary lived in a 4^th class single roomed house with 1 front window. The walls and the roof were made using perishable material. Mary Coyne was the landholder.

Bridget Warde (50) was a widowed farmer. She lived with her 3 sons, Michael (23), John (16) and Peater [sic] (6) and her 2 daughters Mary J. (19) and Katie (9). Michael and John were listed as farmer’s sons. Mary J. was a farmer’s daughter, while Katie was a scholar. All members of the family could read and write, except the youngest child Peater. No language was listed for any member of the family, suggesting they spoke English only. The family lived in a 4^th class house that had just 1 front window and 1 room. Perishable material was used to construct the walls and the roof of the house. Bridget Warde was the landholder.

Pat Mee (55) lived with his wife Mary (57), their 2 daughters Bridget (20) and Kate (17), their son Michael (11) and their 2 grandchildren, Joseph Quinn (8) and Agnes Quinn (6). Pat worked as a farmer and both Bridget and Mary were listed as farmer’s daughters. Michael, Joseph and Agnes were scholars. All members of the family could read and write, except Pat and Mary. However, Pat and Mary spoke both Irish and English, while no language was listed for the others, suggesting they spoke English only. The family lived in a 2rd class house with 2 front windows and 2 rooms. The walls and the roof of the house were both build using perishable material. Pat owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house and 1 barn.

Pat Scanlon (66) was a married farmer. He lived with his wife Ellen (52) and their unmarried son Malachy (28). Malachy was listed as a farmer’s son. Only Pat could read and write, while Malachy could read only. Pat and Ellen spoke Irish and English, while Malachy spoke English only. The family occupied a 3^rd class dwelling with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Perishable material was used for the construction of the walls and the roof of the house. Pat owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house and 1 barn.

Pat Warde (65) lived with his wife Mary (55), their 3 sons, Pat (25), Thomas (16) and Joseph (10) and their 3 daughters, Mary (21), Ellen (14) and Kate (12). Pat worked as a farmer. Pat (25) and Thomas were farmer’s sons, while Mary (21) was a farmer’s daughter. Ellen, Kate and Joseph were scholars. All members of the family could read and write, except Pat (65) who could not read. Pat and his wife spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for their children, suggesting they spoke English only. The Scanlon family lived in a 3^rd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. The walls and the roof of the house were constructed using perishable material. Pat owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Hanoria Petted (75) was a widowed farmer. She lived with her 2 unmarried sons, Thomas (35) and James (31). Thomas worked as a shoemaker, while James was a farmer’s son. Hanoria could not read, but she spoke Irish and English. Thomas and James could read and write, but no each language was listed for them, suggesting they spoke English only. The family lived in a 3^rd class house with 2 front windows and 3 rooms. Both the walls and the roof of the house were made using perishable material. Hanoria owned the land on which her house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Michael Cuddy (30) lived with his wife Bridget (29), their 2 children Mary (2) and Michael (10 months) and his widowed mother Ellen (60). Michael worked as a farmer and Mary was listed as a farmer’s daughter. Only Michael and Bridget could read and write. Ellen spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for the others, suggesting they spoke English only. The 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. Michael owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Census 1911

There was a total of 11 houses in Sonnagh in 1911 as well as the Sonnagh National School. The population was 48 people, 26 were male and 22 were female. The heads of the households were as follows: Michael Cuddy, Timothy Pettit, Patrick Warde, Malachy Scanlon, Pat Mea, Bridget Ward, Mary Coyne, Pat Curley, Mary Kelly, Kate Fannon and James Scanlon. All residents were born in County Galway, except Kate Fannon in House 10 who was born in Sligo Town. All inhabitants were Roman Catholic.

Each house was house was listed as a private dwelling. There were 38 farm steadings, comprising 6 stables, 10 cow houses, 2 calf houses, 1 dairy, 9 piggeries, 1 fowl house, 8 barns and 1 store. The census forms were collected on the 7^th of April.

Michael Cuddy (42) lived with his wife Bridget (39), their 4 sons, Michael (11), Pat (7), James (5) and John (2) and their daughter Sarah (9). Michael and Bridget had been married for 13 years and had 7 children, sadly only 5 were living at the time of the census. Michael worked as a farmer and his 3 eldest children were scholars. Michael (42), Michael (11) and Sarah could read and write. Bridget and Pat could read only. 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. Permanent material was used to construct the walls of the house, while the roof was made of perishable material. Michael owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Timothy Pettit (43) was a married farmer. He lived with his wife of 3 years Bridget (31) and unmarried domestic servant Timothy Conneely (73). Timothy and Bridget had 1 child, the child is listed as still living, however, there is no record here. Only Timothy (43) and Bridget could read and write. Bridget and Timothy (73) spoke Irish and English, while Timothy (43) spoke English only. 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 perishable material was used for the roof. Timothy owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house and 1 piggery.

Patrick Warde (75) lived with his wife Mary (68), their son Thomas (26), their 3 daughters, Maggie (27), Nellie (24) and Katie (20) and their grandson James (10). Patrick and Mary had been married for 45 years and had 11 children, all of whom were living in 1911. Patrick was a farmer and Thomas was listed as a farmer’s son. Both Maggie and Nellie were national school teachers. James was a scholar. All members of the family could read and write, except Patrick who could not read. Patrick, Mary, Maggie and Nellie spoke Irish and English, while the others spoke English only. Each person was born in County Galway, expect James who was born in England. The Warde family occupied a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. While perishable material was used for the roof, the walls of the house were made of permanent material. Patrick owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and barn.

Malachy Scanlon (42) was a married farmer. He lived with his wife of 9 years Maria (42) and their 4 children, Mary Ellen (8), Patrick (7), James (5) and Kathleen (1) and his widowed mother Ellen (68). Mary Ellen was farmer’s daughter and Patrick was listed as farmer’s son. James was a scholar. Only Maria and Mary Ellen could read and write, while Patrick and James could read only. Ellen spoke both Irish and English, while the others spoke English only. The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Permanent material was used to construct the walls and the roof was made using perishable material. Malachy owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Pat Mea (69) lived with his wife Maria (68), their married daughter Mary Quinn (41), their 2 unmarried sons, Thomas (39) and Michael (21) and granddaughter Agnes Quinn (16). Pat and Maria had been married for 42 years and had 6 children, all of whom were living in 1911. Mary had been married for 20 years and had 3 children, each of who were living at the time of the census. Pat worked as a farmer. Mary was listed as a farmer’s daughter. Both Thomas and Michael were farmer’s sons. Agnes was a scholar. Only Mary, Thomas, Michael and Agnes could read and write. Maria could read only, while Pat could not read. Pat and Maria spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for the others, suggesting they spoke English only. The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. The walls of the house were build using permanent material, while the roof was made using perishable material. Pat owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Bridget Ward (61) was a widowed farmer. She lived with her son Peter (17). Peter was listed as a farmer’s son. Bridget could read only, while Peter could read and write. No language was listed for either family member, suggesting they spoke English only. The family lived in a 4^th class, single roomed house with 1 front window. Perishable material was used to construct the walls and the roof of the house. Bridget owned the land on which her house was situated along with 1 cow house.

Mary Coyne (72) was a widow who lived alone. Mary could not read, but she spoke Irish and English. Mary occupied a 4^th class dwelling that had just 1 front window and 1 room. Both the walls and the roof of the house were made using perishable material. Mary Coyne was the landholder.

Pat Curley (78) lived with his wife Maria (73) and their unmarried 3 sons, Michael (37), Patrick (31) and Bernard (29). Pat and Maria had been married for 53 years and had 12 children, 7 of whom were living in 1911. Pat worked as a farmer and each of his sons were listed as farmer’s sons. Neither Pat or Maria could read or write, but each of their sons could read and write. Pat and Maria spoke Irish and English, while their sons spoke English only. The Curley family lived in a 2^nd class house 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. Pat owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Mary Kelly (69) was a widowed farmer. She lived with her 2 unmarried children, Patrick (40) and Bridget (36), her nephew Peter Kilcommon (14) and her niece Kate Kelly (4). Mary worked as a farmer and Patrick worked as a general labourer. Bridget was listed as a farmer’s daughter and Peter was a scholar. Only Patrick, Bridget and Peter could read and write. Mary and her nephew Peter spoke Irish and English, while the others spoke English only. The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Permanent material was used to construct the walls of the house, while the roof was made using perishable material. Mary owned the land on which her house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Kate Fannon (46) was a widowed farmer and national school teacher. She lived with her 3 sons, Hubert (16), Richard (13) and Gerard (9) and domestic servant Mary Heavey (15). Each of Kate’s children were scholars. All members of the household could read and write. No language was listed for any member of the household, suggesting they spoke English only. Kate was born in Sligo Town, while the others were born in County Galway. The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 6 front windows and 5 rooms. Permanent material was used to construct the walls and the roof of the house. Kate owned the land on which her house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 dairy, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house, 1 barn and 1 store.

James Scanlon (68) was an unmarried farmer. He lived with his nephew John (13) and 2 servants, farm servant Michael Trears (55) and domestic servant Nora Reilly (21). John was a scholar. All members of the household could read and write, except Michael who could read only. No language was listed for any member of the household, suggesting they spoke English only. The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 4 front windows and 4 rooms. The walls of the house were made of permanent material, while the roof was made using perishable material. James owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.