Barna

Barna (Leagan Gaeilge – Bearna)

The townland of Barna is situated two kilometres east of Glenamaddy Town in north-east County Galway. Bearna is the Irish for gap.

Distinctive Features:

  • The 1840 Historic Ordnance Survey Map shows a cluster of thirty houses in the village of Barna fitting the definition of a clachan village. The houses are partly located along the Glenamaddy to Roscommon road but for the most part adjoin a side-road heading in a north easterly direction.
  • The south western portion of the townland occupied by Glenamaddy Turlough is subject to seasonal flooding.
  • Whiskey Hill (Knockane Whiskey), not elaborated on by O’Donovan in the Field Name Books, is located in the north eastern part of Barna and is included in the National Monuments Service Archaeological Survey Database.  

1656-58 Down Survey: 

The Down Survey name of the townland is given as Boynagh. The 1670 landowner is listed as the Protestant Archbishop of Tuam. The unprofitable land was adjudged to be 2,075 plantation acres with the profitable land amounting to 410 plantation acres. No part of the townland was forfeited because it was owned by a Protestant.

1823 – 1838 Tithe Applotment Books: 

Surviving documentation of the Tithe Applotment Books is in poor condition making it difficult, and in some cases impossible, to trace the townland and decipher the names of landholders. In so far as it can be ascertained the Catholic landholders in the townland of Barna who paid the tithe (tax) levied to support the Established Church (Church of Ireland) were John Saxon and Bart Kelly. Protestant occupiers of agricultural holdings were exempt from this tax.

1838 O’Donovan’s Field Name Books: 

O’Donovan describes the townland as follows – “There is a portion flooded Turlough at the S. end of this townland. There is a large portion of bog in the N. portion and at the East boundary. Barna village is situated along the N.W. boundary. There is a small portion arable land in the bog called Knockane Whiskey (i.e.) the hill of Whisky. There are Gravel Pits and Springs in this townland. The remainder of the land is tillage and pasture.”

1856 Griffith’s Valuation: 

The townland covers an area of 295 acres 1 rood 0 perches and the total rateable valuation of the land and buildings combined amounted to £77 4s 0d. The occupiers in the townland of Barna are given as – Fleming (4), Mahon (3), Tiernan (2), Mulryan (2), Egan (2), Browne, McGrath, Miskill, McGuire, Cunca, Kilmartin, Mannion, Luby, Murphy, Griffin, Canny, Dowd and Moran.  At the time of Griffith’s Valuation the landlord in Barna was John W. Browne.

Adjoining Townlands: 

The following townlands share a border with Barna – Clooncon East, Clondoyle BegMountkelly and Cloonlara South.

Census Records: 

Population and Household data for the townland of Barna:

Glenamaddy and the Irish Folklore Collections:

The article posted on this website under the ‘Heritage > Folklore’ tab provides an overview of the folklore material submitted by Glenamaddy parishioners to the National Folklore Commission, now known as the Irish Folklore Collections. It also explains the background to the 1937 Schools’ Collection (Bailiúchán na Scol) project which has good representation from a parish perspective.

The Irish Folklore Collections housed in the Folklore Department of University College Dublin contain a treasure trove of folklore material, some of which is accessible online. Both the Main Manuscript Collection and the Schools’ Collection contain a considerable number of submissions from collectors and informants who resided in the parish of Glenamaddy. The quick reference directories featured in the ‘Parish > Townlands’ section of this website complement the user-friendly search features of the dúcas.ie website and are helpful in tracking Schools’ Collection submissions associated with townlands. Submissions are categorised under – School, Teacher, Language, Volume Number, Page Number, Collector, Collector’s Townland, Informant and Informant’s Townland. Where applicable, Schools’ Collection directories showing online townland-related submissions appear at the end of the following townland posts on this website – BallinapeakaBallinastackBarnaBoyounagh_More (Middletown),_BushtownCashelClassaghroeCloonacross,  Clooncon_EastClooncon_WestCloonkeenCultiafadda,  Eskeromullacaun (Esker), FelimsparkGlenamaddyGortaganny, Gortnagier,  KiltullaghKnockauns,  Lisheenaheltia,  LoughparkMeelick, Scotland, Shannagh_More, Stonetown and Woodfield.

Schools’ Collection Townland-Related Quick Reference Directory:

Parish folklore submissions contained in the Schools’ Collection are also accessible online via the following links:-

Árd Aoibhinn National School – Part 1 – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613680

Árd Aoibhinn National School – Part 2 – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613681 

Glenamaddy Girls’ National School – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613677

Glenamaddy Boys’ National School – Part 1 – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613678

Glenamaddy Boys’ National School – Part 2 – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613679 

Gort na Léime National School – Part 1 – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4569061   

Gort na Léime National School – Part 2 – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4569062 

Lisheenaheltia Girls’ National School – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613675 

Lisheenaheltia Boys’ National School – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613676    

Glenamaddy submissions which form part of the Main Manuscript Collection are not posted online but may be examined in the reading room of the Folklore Department in U.C.D., Belfield, Dublin 4. Typed versions of some of the parish contributions contained in the Main Manuscript Collection are published under the ‘Heritage > Folklore’ tab on this website.

Quick Reference Directory of Glenamaddy folklore submissions in the Main Manuscript Collection:-

Author: Pat Keaveny

Sources:

Townlands in County Galway

1840 Historic Ordnance Survey Map

Place Name Books of Galway

The Down Survey of Ireland

The Tithe Applotment Books, 1823-1837

Griffith Valuation – Ask About Ireland

Central Statistics Office

National Archives: Census Reports 1901/1911

Essex University: Historic Population Census Reports

Historic Environment Viewfinder