Cloonlara North (Leagan Gaeilge – Cluain Lára Thuaidh): The townland of Cloonlara North is situated five kilometres north of Glenamaddy Town in north-east County Galway. The Irish form of the townland name translates as ‘the north meadow of the mare’, cluain means meadow, lár means mare and thuaidh means north. Other forms of the townland name are Clownelaragh and Cloonlaragh North.
Distinctive Features:
• A Ringfort and three Enclosures, one of which contains the ruins of a castle called Cashlaunnatreenode (Caisleán na Trineóide – Trinity Castle) are published in the National Monuments Service Archaeological Survey Database in the townland of Cloonlara North. (It is reputed that the MacAogáin (Egan) family who resided in Park Castle, Clonbern, and were brehons to the kings of Connacht owned Caisleán na Trineóide. [Glenamaddy Map & Gossipping Guide]
• Two distinct clusters of houses know as clachans, each containing about twelve dwellings and each called Cloonlara and a Corn Kiln appear in this townland on the 1840 Historic Ordnance Survey Map.
1656-58 Down Survey: The Down Survey information posted online on Cloonlara North is misleading and incomplete in some respects. Part of the information provided applies to Cloonlara South.
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 decipher the names of landholders. In so far as it can be ascertained the only Catholic landholder in the townland of Cloonlara North who paid the tithe (tax) levied to support the Established Church (Church of Ireland) was Michael Keaveny. Protestant occupiers of agricultural holdings were exempt from this tax.
1838 O’Donovan’s Field Name Books: O’Donovan describes the townland as follows – “About 1/2 of this townland is bog. Situated in the N.W. portion there are two villages called Cloonara that in the South portion has a pond about 2 1/2 chains N.W. of it. There are two forts. The remainder of the land is tillage and pasture. About 3 chains N.W. of the pond is one of the Forts on which is to be seen the appearance or fragments of Boislain Tria-no-da, i.e. Trinity Castle.”
1856 Griffith’s Valuation: The townland covered an area of 215 acres 2 roods 26 perches and the total rateable valuation of the land and buildings combined amounted to £68 0s 0d.
There were 14 occupiers in Cloonlara North at the time of Griffith’s Valuation – Cullinan, Finigan (2), Keavney, Kenny, Morgan (2), Stritch, Timothy (4) and Walter Cullinan and Partners. At the time of Griffith’s Valuation the landlord in the townland was Richard Stritch.
Adjoining Townlands: The following townlands share a border with Cloonlara North – Knockauns West, Knockauns East, Ardeevin, Felimspark, Loughpark, Cultiafadda and Meelick.
Census Records: Population and Household data for the townland of Cloonlara North:
Census Years | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 2011 |
Population | 83 | 73 | 67 | 59 | 66 | 70 | 64 | 66 | 15 |
Households | 16 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 5 |
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 – Ballinapeaka, Ballinastack, Barna, Boyounagh More (Middletown), Bushtwon, Cashel, Classaghroe, Cloonacross, Clooncon East, Clooncon West, Cloonkeen, Cultiafadda, Eskeromullacaun (Esker), Felimspark, Glenamaddy, Gortaganny, Gortnagier, Kiltullagh, Knockauns, Lisheenaheltia, Loughpark, Meelick, Scotland, Shannagh More, Stonetown and Woodfield.
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
Glenamaddy Map & Gossipping Guide