Garrafine

Garrafine / Gairfrian                                   Irish Grid M 69186 40546

Author: Roger Harrison

Description:

(John O’Donovan 1806-1861)

This townland is the property of Mr. Trevors who holds it under a deed for ever. It is a flat country, about 1/3 bog, the rest arable. It is situated about 4 miles west of Ahascragh. The houses are in bad repair. Pay Co. Cess £2. 5s. 7d.

Situation:

(John O’Donovan 1806-1861)

Lies in the N. East of the parish in the barony of Kilconnel, bounded by Garrafine Trench and Scarreeth in same barony and by Creggaun and Esker in the barony of Tiaquin, in this parish, by Rathbaun and Kinclare in the parish of Killosolan and barony of Tiaquin.

This is a list of townlands that share a border with Garrafine.

• Garrafine (Ffrench)
• Scarreth
• Creggaun
• Esker
• Rathbaun
• Kinclare

Census of Ireland (1821- 1911)

The first full population census of Ireland was taken in 1821 and the first four Irish censuses were arranged by county, barony, civil parish and townland.

1821: Only some fragments for small parts of county Galway survive. There are no records     for Ballymacward.

1831: The only surviving records are from Counties Antrim and Derry.

1841: There are no surviving records for County Galway.

1851:   There are no surviving records for County Galway.

1861: Census records for 1861 and 1871 were deliberately destroyed by the government

1881: The records for 1881 and 1891 were pulped as waster paper during the shortages of World War I.

1901: Full Census records are available   See below.

1911:   Full Census records are available   See below.

1911 Census

Overview of the townland.

The 1911 census shows that there were a total of 9 houses in Garrafine and that they were all occupied and listed as being private dwellings. All the houses were 2^nd class dwellings. Houses 1-5 and 7 had 2 rooms and 3 windows in the front, house 8 had 2 rooms and 4 windows, house 9 had 3 rooms and 3 windows and house 6 had 3 rooms and 5 windows. There were a total of 33 out buildings consisting of 7 stables, 8 cow houses, 6 piggeries, 1 fowl house, 7 barns and 2 sheds. There were a total of 55 people in the townland of Garrafine, 25 male and 30 female. The enumerator for the area was James P. Dalton.

House 1: Kelly

The head of the first household in Garrafine was the widow Delia (35) and she shared the house with 3 of her children, Joseph (11), Kathleen (7) and Jane (4). They were all born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. Delia and Joseph could read and write. Delia was a farmer while the children were all scholars. The house they all lived in was a 2 roomed, 2^nd class dwelling with a cow house. Delia Kelly was the landholder.

House 2: King

John (62) was the head of this family and he was married to Kate (50) and had been for 23 years and they had had 6 children and 5 of those had survived. They shared the house with 3 of their children, William (23), Mary Agnes (16) and Patrick (13). They were all born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. John and Kate spoke Irish and English but there was nothing entered for the others, which could indicate that they only spoke English. Apart from William, they could all read and write. John was a farmer, William was a labourer and Patrick was a scholar. The house they all lived in was a 2 roomed, 2^nd class dwelling and they had a shed. The landholder was John King.

House 3: Dempsey

The head of this family in house 3 was Edward (34) and he lived with his sister, Anne (39) and his brother, Thomas (31). They were all born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. All the family could read and write. Edward was a farmer and Thomas was a labourer. The house was a 2 roomed 2^nd class dwelling and they had a stable, a cow house, a piggery, a fowl house and a barn. The landholder was Edward Dempsey.

House 4: McDermott

William (75) and he had been married to Mary (58) for 31 years and they had had 8 children while only 7 of those had survived. Five of those children lived with them and they were Hugh (30), Michael (28), Maggie (19), Katie (16) and Norah (12). All were Roman Catholic and William, Mary and Hugh were listed as being born in Co. Galway but there was nothing entered for the others. William, Mary and Hugh spoke Irish and English. All could read and write. William was a farmer, Hugh and Michael were labourers and Norah was a scholar. The house was a 2 roomed, 2^nd class dwelling and they had a stable, a cow house and a barn. William McDermott was the landholder.

House 5: Kelly

The widow Mary (65) was the head of this family and she had been married for 34 years and had had 7 children, all of whom had survived. She lived with 3 of those children, Thomas (32), William (30) and Kate (23). They were all born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. Mary spoke Irish and English. All could read and write. They were all listed as being farmers. The house was a 2 roomed, 2^nd class dwelling and they had a stable, a cow house, a piggery and a barn. The landholder was Mary Kelly.

House 6: Kenny

The widow Ellen (73) was listed as the head of this family and she shared the house with her son, Thomas (46) who was married to Delia (35) and had been for 11 years and in that time they had had 6 children and they also lived in the house and were, John (9), Mary (8), Ellen (6), Delia (4), Thomas (2) and Michael (6mths). Also in the house was another of Ellen’s sons, John (38). They were all listed as being Catholic but only Thomas (46) had a place of birth recorded and that was Galway. Only Ellen spoke Irish and English but there was nothing entered for the others, which could indicate that they only spoke English. Delia, Thomas (2) and Michael could not read but the others could all read and write. Thomas (46) was a farmer and John, Mary and Ellen (6) were scholars. The house was a 3 roomed, 2^nd class house with a stable, a cow house, a piggery and a barn. Ellen Kenny was the landholder.

House 7: Bleheim

The head of the Bleheim family was Michael (76) and he was married to Bridget (63) and they had been for 38 years and they had had 6 children, all of whom had survived. Four of those children lived with them and they were, Hubert (29), Catherine (20), Maggie (19) and Miller (sic) (23). They were all born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. Michael Spoke Irish and English and Bridget was listed as speaking only English but there was nothing entered for the others. They could all read and write and Michael was a farmer. The house they all shared was a 2 roomed, 2^nd class dwelling and they had a stable, a cow house, a piggery, a barn and a shed. Michael Bleheim was the landholder.

House 8: Morrissy

Denis (70) was listed as the head of the family in house 8 and he had been married to Delia (56) for 38 years and had had 13 children but only 8 of those had survived. Five of those children lived in the house at that time and they were Timothy (27), Delia (21), Denis (18), Bina (16) and Lilly (12). They were all born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. Denis spoke Irish and English and all could read and write. Denis (70) was a farmer, Timothy and Denis (21) were labourers, Bina was a shop assistant and Lilly was a scholar. The house was a 2 roomed, 2^nd class dwelling and they had a stable, a cow house, a piggery, a barn and a shed. Denis Morrissy was the landholder.

House 9: Mitchell

The last house in Garrafine was home to the Mitchell family and the head of the family was James (52) and he had been married to Bridget (39) for 15 years and in that time they had had 8 children and 7 of those had survived. They shared the house with those 7 children and they were Thomas (14), Helena (12), Michael (10), John (8), Mary D. (5), Katie (3) and Maggie (1). They were all born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. There were no entries under the Irish Language heading. All, except Mary D., Katie and Maggie, could read and write. James was a farmer and Thomas, Helena, Michael, John and Mary D were scholars. The house was a 3 roomed, 2^nd class dwelling and they had a stable, a cow house, a piggery, a barn and a shed. The landholder was James Mitchell.

1901 Census

Overview of the townland.

The townland of Garrafine had 11 houses in 1901 and they were all occupied, except house 11, but the landholder of that house was Patrick Hennelly. The occupied houses were all built of stone, brick or concrete and house 5 had slate, iron or tiles for roofing while all the others had thatch, wood or other perishable material for roofing. House 4 was a 4^th class dwelling and the others were all 2^nd class. House 4 had 1 room and no windows, house 5 had 2 rooms and 4 windows on the front and all the others had 2 rooms and 3 windows. There were a total of 38 out buildings consisting of 7 stables, 9 cow houses, 10 piggeries, 6 barns, a turf house and 5 sheds. The enumerator for the area was Constable John Kelly.

House 1: Mitchell

The head of the household in house 1 was James (42) and he was married to Bridget (28) and they shared the house with their children Thomas (4), Ellen (2) and Michael (8mths). They were all born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. Bridget spoke Irish and English and James and Bridget could read and write. James was a farmer. The house they all lived in was a 2 roomed, 2^nd class dwelling and they had a stable, a cow house, a piggery and a barn. James Mitchell was the landholder.

House 2: Morrissy

The head of this family was Denis (60) and he was married to Delia (48) and they shared the house with 7 of their children, Mary (25), John (21), Timothy (18), Delia (13), Denis (9), Sibina (sic) (5) and Eliza (2). They were all born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. Only Denis (60) and Delia (48) were able to speak Irish and English and all, apart from baby Eliza, were listed as being able to read and write. Denis (60) was a farmer, Mary was a farmer’s daughter, John and Timothy were farmer’s sons and Delia (13), Denis (9) and Sibina were scholars. The house was a 2 roomed, 2^nd class dwelling and they had a stable, a cow house, a piggery and a barn. The landholder was Denis Morrissy.

House 3: Bleheim

Michael (68) was the head of this family and he was married to Bridget (50) and they shared the house with 5 of their children, Michael (23), Mary (19), Catherine (13), Margaret (11) and Hugh (21). They were all born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. Only Michael could speak Irish and English but all the family could read and write. Michael (60) was a farmer, Michael (23) and Hugh were farmer’s sons, Mary was a farmer’s daughter and Catherine and Margaret were scholars. The house was a 2 roomed, 2^nd class dwelling with a stable, a cow house, a piggery, a barn, a turf house and a shed, The landholder was Michael Bleheim.

House 4: Kenny

The sole occupant of house 4 was William (60) and he was a Roman Catholic and was born in Co. Galway. He could speak Irish and English and could read only. He was listed as being a farmer. The house he lived in was a single roomed, 4^th class house and William Kenny was the landholder.

House 5: Kenny

Michael (72) was listed as the head of the family in house 5 and he was married to Ellen (62) and they shared the house with 6 of their children, Thomas (34), Delia (24), John (27), Ellie (24), Delia (17) and James (15). They were all born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. Michael and Ellen spoke Irish and English and the others all spoke only English. Michael was a farmer and mason, Thomas and John were masons and Delia and James were scholars. The house they all lived in was a 2 roomed, 2^nd class house and they had a stable, a cow house, a piggery, a barn and a shed. Michael Kenny was the landholder.

House 6: McDermott

The head of the McDermott family in house 6 was William (65) and he was married to Mary (50) and they shared the house with 7 of their children, Hugh (20), who was listed as dumb, Michael (18), Mary (16), William (11), Margaret (9), Kate (7) and Honoria (2). They were all born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. Only William (65) and Mary (50) could speak Irish and English. Hugh and Honoria could not read, Margaret and Kate could read only and the others could all read and write. William (65) was a farmer, Hugh was a farmer’s son, Michael was a post office letter carrier, Mary (16) was a farmer’s daughter and William (11), Margaret and Kate were scholars. The house they all lived in was a 2 roomed, 2^nd class house with a stable, a cow house, a piggery, a barn and a shed. William McDermott was the landholder.

House 7: Kelly  

John (65) was the head of this family and he was married to Maria (50) and they lived with their 6 children, Thomas (24), William (22), Martin (16), Mary (15), Katie (9) and Anne (12). They were all born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. Only John and Maria could speak Irish and English but there was nothing listed for the others, which could indicate that they only spoke English. John could not read, but the others could all read and write. John was a farmer, Thomas, William and Martin were farmer’s sons and Mary, Katie and Anne were scholars. The house was a 2 roomed, 2^nd class dwelling and they had stable, a cow house, a piggery, a barn and a shed. John Kelly was the landholder.

House 8: Kelly

The head of this Kelly family was Patrick (33) and he was married to Bridget (35) and they lived with 3 of their children, Mary Ellen (8), Delia (4) and Joseph Patk (2). They were all born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. Only Bridget was listed as speaking Irish and English. Mary Ellen could read only and Patrick and Bridget could read and write. Patrick was a farmer and Mary Ellen and Delia were scholars. The house was a 2 roomed, 2^nd class dwelling and they had a cow house and a piggery. Patrick Kelly was the landholder.

House 9: King / Mitchell

John (54) was listed as the head of the family and he lived with his wife, Kate (40) and their children, William (13), Margaret (10), Mary Anne (8), Kate (6) and Patrick (2) and also in the house at that time were 2 lodgers, John Mitchell (70) and his wife Mary Mitchell (71). They were all born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. John (54), Kate (40), John and Mary Mitchell could speak Irish and English. John (54), Mary Anne and Mary Mitchell could read only and Kate (40) was the only one to be able to read and write. John (54) was a farmer, William, Margaret, Mary Anne and Kate (6) were scholars and John and Mary Mitchell were mendicants. The house was a 2 roomed, 2^nd class dwelling and they had a cow house and a piggery. John King was the landholder.

House 10: Dempsey

The last house in Garrafine was home to the Dempsey family and the head of this family was the widow Catherine (62) and she lived with 3 of her children, Annie (27), Ned (24) and Thomas (21). They were all born in Co. Galway and were Roman Catholic. Catherine spoke Irish and English and the children spoke only English. Annie, Ned and Thomas could read and write. Catherine was listed as a farmer’s widow, Annie was a farmer’s daughter and Ned and Thomas were farmer’s sons. The house was a 2 roomed, 2^nd class house and they had a cow house and a piggery, Catherine Dempsey was the landholder.

Griffiths Valuation

The main immediate lessor for this townland was Ecclesiastical Commrs (sic) and they leased a number of tenements to various tenants. Thomas Kelly, William Kenny and Thomas Byrne jointly leased a herd’s house on 53 acres, 3 roods and 36 perches of land for which the each paid 18s for the land and 6s between them for the herd’s house. Patrick Raftery then leased a house on 3 acres, 3 roods and 39 perches of that land from the three of them for 12s for the land and 5s for the house and John Killilea and Thomas Kelly jointly leased a house on 2 acres, 1 rood and 36 perches of land from Thomas Kelly, William Kenny and Thomas Byrne for 7s for land and 5s for the house. All the other tenements were leased from the Ecclesiastical Commrs (sic) and they were the following. Laurence King leased 8 acres, 1 rood and 21 perches of land for £3 5s and a house for 5s, John McDermott leased 3 tenements, the first was 1 acre 2 roods and 23 perches of land for 8s, the second was 6 acres and 28 perches of land for £3 15s and the 3^rd was a house and offices on 2 acres, 2 roods and 26 perches of land for £1 10s for the land and 18s for the buildings. Thomas Byrne leased 3 tenements, 1 acre 1 rood and 23 perches of land for 8s, 8 acres and 24 perches for £4 and a house and offices on 19 acres and 37 perches of land for £11 15s for the land and £1 5s for the buildings. James Clarke leased 2 roods and 32 perches of land for 4s and also a house on 2 acres, 3 roods and 36 perches of land for £1 15s for the land and 12s for the house. William Kenny, John McDermott and James Clarke jointly leased 15 acres, 1 rood and 11 perches of land for which they each paid 3s annually. Martin Dempsey and John Bleeham (sic) jointly leased 2 roods and 11 perches of land for 1s, Martin Dempsey leased 4 tenements, 3 roods and 2 perches of land for 2s, 1 rood and 11 perches of land for 1s, 1 acre and 13 perches of land for 10s and a house and offices on 13 acres, 3 roods and 32 perches of land for £7 for the land and 10s for the buildings. John Bleeham (sic) leased 3 tenements, 3 acres and 2 roods of land for £1 8s, a house and offices on 1 acre, 2 roods and 24 perches of land for £1 for the land and £1 5s for the buildings and an office on 13 acres and 21 perches of land for £8 15s for the land and 5s for the building. Matthias Raftery leased a house on 1 acre, 3 roods and 15 perches of land for £1 for the land and 8s for the house, James Loughnan (sic) leased a house and small garden for 10s annually and William Kenny leased a house on 2 acres, 2 roods and 36 perches of land for £1 12s for the land and 5s for the house. Michael Kenny leased a house on 1 acre, 2 roods and 24 perches of land for £1 for the land and 5s for the house, William Kenny leased a house and offices on 26 acres, 2 roods and 10 perches of land for £15 for the land and £1 5s for the buildings, Thomas Kelly leased a house on 15 acres, 2 roods and 37 perches of land for £8 10s for the land and 12s for the buildings and Thomas Kenny leased 3 roods and 22 perches of land for 10s. The Ecclesiastical Commrs. (sic) had 30 acres, 3 roods and 4 perches of bog with an annual ratable valuation of 5s.