Gortacoosaun

Gort an Chuasáin,

Gortacoosaun is situated in the civil parish of Killeroran, Barony of Killian, County Galway. Located in the South East of Killeroran, Gortacoosaun is bounded by the townlands of Cornananta Beg, Cornadrum, Ballinlass, Ballinvoher North and Ballinvoher South.

The Down Survey Map indicates the 1641 (Pre-Cromwell) owner of Gortacoosaun was Edmund McDonogh McFfarriagh O’Kelly (Catholic). The 1670 owner (Post-Cromwell) owner was Colonel John Kelly (Catholic). There was 1364 plantation acres of unprofitable land and 327 plantation acres of profitable land. 327 plantation acres were forfeited. The Down Survey name was Corncasky.

O’Donovan’s Field Name Books states that Gortacoosaun is the property of the Honble. G. Ffrench, who holds it under deed forever. Approximately ½ the townland is bog land, while the remainder is made up of arable land. It is mentioned that the roads are in good condition. It pays £8-12-6½ County Cess.

Census 1841-1851

According to the 1851 census, Gortacoosaun consists of 186 acres, 1 rood and 17 perches. The total 1841 population was 104 people, 60 of whom were male and 44 were female. There were 16 houses, each of which were occupied. The population had decreased to 77 in 1851, 43 of whom were male and 34 were female. There were 14 houses, and all were occupied. The poor law valuation rate paid in 1851 was £49-15-0.

Griffith’s Valuation 1847-1864

According to Griffith’s Valuation, Cath. E. Donnellan was the immediate lessor of the land.

Thomas Geraghty, Martin Mannion, Patrick Rogerson, Martin Kenny, John Kenny, Michael Donohue and Thomas Donohue jointly rented 45 acres, 0 roods and 35 perches on Holding 1. Thomas Geraghty paid £7-10-0 for house, office and land. Martin Mannion paid £1-15-0 for house and land. Patrick Rogerson paid £4-15-0 for house, offices and land. Martin Kenny paid £3-5-0 for house, offices and land. John Kenny paid £3-5-0 for house, office and land. Michael Donohue paid £3-5-0 for house, office and land. Thomas Donohue paid £3-8-0 for house and land.

Also on the same holding, Mary Mannion £0-3-0 for a garden measuring 0 acres, 0 roods and 25 perches.

Patrick Mannion kept a house, office and land measuring 2 acres, 1 rood and 20 perches and land measuring 1 acre, 1 rood and 13 perches of land in fee worth a total of £2-10-0.

Martin Kenny rented from Cath. E. Donnellan and paid £8-10-0 for 17 acres, 1 rood and 0 perches of land.

Thomas Geraghty rented land measuring 13 acres, 0 roods and 38 perches for £8-5-0. On the same holding, Thomas leased a house to James Mangan for £0-7-0.

James Gaffey paid £6-10-0 for land measuring 9 acres, 2 roods and 0 perches.

John Rogerson and James McKelly rented on the same holding. John paid £6-10-0 for 9 acres, 3 roods and 3 perches of house and land. James paid £0-15-0 for 0 acres, 2 roods and 25 perches of house and land.

Patrick Gathley rented house, offices and land measuring 9 acres, 3 roods and 35 perches for £6-0-0.

On Holding 8, James Gaffey, John Rogerson and Patrick Gathley jointly rented land measuring 2 acres, 2 roods and 11 perches. They each paid £0-4-0.

Cath. E. Donnellan kept a portion of bog measuring 74 acres, 1 rood and 12 perches in fee worth £0-15-0.

The total annual valuation of rateable property was £68-0-0.

Census 1901

There were 10 houses in Gortacoosaun in 1901, each of which were occupied. The total population was 46 people, 15 of whom were male and 31 were female. The heads of the households were as follows: Pat Gately, Dan Gaffey, Thomas Breheny, Michael Donohue, Anne Kenny, Hanoria Donohoe, James Mannion, Patrick Geraghty, Maria Rogerson and Malachy Crehan. All inhabitants of Gortacoosaun were born in County Galway and all were Roman Catholic.

Each house was listed as a private dwelling. There was a total of 39 farm steadings, consisting of 3 stables, 10 cow houses, 4 calf houses, 10 piggeries, 4 fowl houses, 6 barns and 2 turf houses. The census forms were collected on the 13^th of April.

Pat Gately (84) was widower who lived with his married son Patrick (30), daughter-in-law Margaret (28) and his 2 granddaughters Maria (4) and Norah (2). Pat and Patrick worked as farmers and Margaret was listed as a housekeeper. Maria and Norah were farmer’s daughters. Pat, Patrick and Margaret could read and write. Pat and Margaret spoke Irish and English, while the others spoke English only. The family lived in a 3^rd class house with 2 front windows and 3 rooms. The walls were made of permanent material, while the roof was made of perishable material. Pat owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Dan Gaffey (55) lived with his wife Winnie (47), their son John (16) and their 3 daughters, Kate (14), Winnie (9) and Sarah (2). Dan worked as a farmer and Dan was a farm servant. Kate and Winnie were scholars. Winnie (47), John, Kate and Winnie (9) could read and write. Dan and Winnie (47) spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for their children, suggesting they spoke English only. The Gaffey family lived in a 2^nd class dwelling with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Permanent material was used to construct the walls of the house, while perishable material was used for the roof. Dan owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 fowl house.

Thomas Breheny (50) lived with his wife Mary (40), their 5 daughters, Kate (19), Norah (16), Annie (14), Ellie (12) and Maggie (10), their 2 sons Thomas (6) and Patk [sic] (2) and his sister-in-law Catherine Rogerson (25). Thomas worked as a farmer. Kate, Norah and Annie were listed as farmer’s daughters. Ellie, Maggie and Thomas (6) were scholars. Catherine was a farm servant. Mary, Kate, Norah, Annie, Ellie and Maggie could read and write. Only Thomas (50) and Mary spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for the others suggesting they spoke English only. The family occupied a 3^rd class dwelling with 2 front windows and 2 rooms. While the roof was made of perishable material, the walls of the house were made of permanent material. Thomas owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Michael Donohue (22) was an unmarried farmer who lived with his unmarried sister Annie (26). Annie was listed as a servant. Michael and Annie could read and write, and they each spoke Irish and English. The siblings lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Both the walls and the roof of the house were made of permanent material. Michael owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 fowl house and 1 turf house.

Anne Kenny (65) was a widowed farmer. She lived with her 2 unmarried children John (35) and Catherine (32). John was listed as a farmer’s son and Catherine was a farmer’s daughter. All members of the family could read and write. Anne and John spoke Irish and English, while Catherine spoke English only. The Kenny family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 4 rooms. The walls of the house were constructed of permanent material, while the roof was made of perishable material. Anne owned the land on which her house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Hanoria Donohoe (60) was a widow who lived with her unmarried son Michael (30). Hanoria worked as a farmer and Michael was a farm servant. Neither Hanoria nor Michael could read or write. Hanoria spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for Michael suggesting he spoke English only. The family occupied a 2^nd class dwelling with 4 front windows and 3 rooms. Permanent material was used to construct both the walls and the roof of the house. Hanoria owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 piggery and 1 fowl house.

James Mannion (23) lived with his wife Bridget (24) and his widowed aunt Maggie (53). James worked as a farmer and Maggie was listed as a servant. All members of the family could read and write. Maggie spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for James or Bridget 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 made of permanent material, while the roof was constructed using perishable material. James owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 barn and 1 turf house.

Patrick Geraghty (50) lived with his wife Celia (47), their son Peter (13) and their 5 daughters, Mary (15), Hannah (11), Margaret (8), Rosanna (6) and Winford (3). Patrick worked as a farmer. Each of the children were listed as scholars, except Winford who was too young at the time of the census. All members of the family could read and write, except Rosanna who could read only and Winford who was too young to read or write at the time. Patrick spoke Irish and English. Celia recorded that she spoke ‘R and English’. No language was listed for the children, suggesting they spoke English only. The family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 4 rooms. Permanent material was used to construct the walls of the house, while the roof was made of perishable material. Patrick owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 calf house, 1 piggery and 1 fowl house.

Maria Rogerson (35) lived with her 2 daughters Bridget (9) and Mary A. (5) and her son James (6). Maria is listed as being married, but there is no record of her husband here. Maria worked as a farmer and each of her children were scholars. Only Bridget could read and write, while Maria could read only. Maria spoke Irish and English, while no language was recorded for her children suggesting they spoke English only. The Rogerson 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 perishable material was used for the roof. Maria owned the land on which her house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Malachy Crehan (60) was a widower who lived with his 2 daughters Noria (20) and Maggie (18). Malachy worked as a farmer and both Noria and Maggie were listed as having no occupation. Malachy could read only, but Noria and Maggie could each read and write. Malachy spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for his children suggesting they spoke English only. The family lived in a 3^rd class dwelling with 2 front windows and 2 rooms. Perishable material was used for the roof of the house, while the walls were constructed using permanent material. Malachy owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Census 1911

There were 8 houses in Gortacoosaun in 1911 and each of these were occupied. The total population was 40 people, 16 of whom were male and 24 were female. The heads of the households were as follows: Daniel Gaffey, Thomas Breheny, Patrick Gately, Mary Rogerson, John Kenny, Michael P. Donohue, Michael Donohue and Patrick Geraghty. All residents of Gortacoosaun were born in County Galway and all were Roman Catholic.

Each house was listed as a private dwelling. There was a total of 27 farm steadings, consisting of 4 stables, 8 cow houses, 7 piggeries, 4 barns, 1 workshop, 2 sheds and 1 forge. The census forms were collected on the 17^th of April.

Daniel Gaffey (69) lived with his wife Winifred (60), their married son James (31), daughter-in-law Catherine (32), grandson Daniel (1) and their unmarried daughter Sarah (12). Daniel and Winifred had been married for 39 years and had 7 children, 6 of whom were living in 1911. James and Catherine had been married for 2 years and had 1 child. Daniel worked as a farmer and James was a joiner and Sarah was a scholar. Winifred, James, Catherine and Sarah could read and write, while Daniel (69) could read only. Daniel (69) and Winifred 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 made of permanent material, while the roof was constructed of perishable material. Daniel owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery, 1 barn, 1 workshop and 1 shed.

Thomas Breheny (64) was a married farmer. He lived with his wife Mary (50), their 2 sons Thomas (17) and Patrick (12), their daughter Maggie (20) and their niece Catherine Rogerson (35). Thomas and Mary had been married for 20 years and had 9 children, 8 of whom were living in 1911. Thomas (17) was listed as a farmer’s son and Patrick was a scholar. Mary, Thomas (17), Patrick and Maggie could read and write. Thomas (64) and Mary spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed for the others suggesting they spoke English only. The family occupied a 3^rd class dwelling with 2 front windows and 3 rooms. Both the walls and the roof of the house were made of perishable material. Thomas owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 shed.

Patrick Gately (38) lived with his wife of 16 years Margaret (37), their 2 sons Thomas (15) and John (9) and their 5 daughters, Maria (13), Nora (11), Kathleen (6), Anne (4) and Maggie (2). Patrick worked as a farmer and his 6 eldest children were scholars. All members of the family could read and write, except the 2 youngest children Anne and Maggie. Patrick, Margaret, Thomas, Maria and Nora spoke Irish and English, while no language was recorded for the others suggesting they spoke English only. The family lived in a 2^nd class dwelling with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Permanent material was used to construct the walls and the roof of the house. Patrick owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Mary Rogerson (52) was a widowed farmer. She lived with her 2 daughters Bridget (19) and Mary Anne (15) and her son James (16). James was listed as a farmer’s son. All members of the family could read and write. Mary spoke Irish and English, while no language was listed 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 and the roof of the house were constructed of perishable material. There was 1 cow house. Mary Rogerson was the landholder.

John Kenny (48) lived with his wife Annie (38). They had been married for 7 years and had no children. John worked as a farmer. Both John and Annie could read and write. No language was recorded for either John or Annie, suggesting they spoke English only. The 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 on which his house was situated along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.

Michael P. Donohue (35) lived with his wife Norah (27) and his unmarried sister Mary (36). Michael and Norah had been married for under 1 year and had no children. Michael worked as a farmer. All members of the family could read and write. No language was listed for any family member, suggesting they spoke English only. The family lived in a 2^nd class dwelling with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Permanent material was used to construct both the walls and the roof of the house. Michael P. owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house and 1 piggery.

Michael Donohue (40) was a married farmer. He lived with his wife Catherine (32), their 2 daughters Mary (6) and Bridget (1) and their son Laurence (3). Michael and Catherine had been married for 7 years and had 3 children. Only Catherine could read and write. No language was listed for any family member suggesting they spoke English only. The Donohue family lived in a 2^nd class house with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. Both the walls and the roof of the house were constructed using permanent material. Michael owned the land on which his house was situated along with 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 forge.

Patrick Geraghty (62) lived with his wife Celia (59), their son Peter (22) and their 2 daughters Maggie (19) and Winnie (13). Patrick and Celia had been married for 28 years and had 9 children, 9 of whom were living in 1911. Patrick worked as a farmer and Peter was listed as a farmer’s son. Winnie was a scholar. All members of the family could read and write. No language was recorded for any family member suggesting they spoke English only. The Geraghty family occupied a 2^nd class dwelling with 3 front windows and 3 rooms. While the roof was constructed of perishable material, the walls of the house were made of permanent material. Patrick owned the land on which his house was located along with 1 stable, 1 cow house, 1 piggery and 1 barn.