Creggaun (Leagan Gaeilge – Creagán): The townland of Creggaun is situated four kilometres south of Glenamaddy Town in north-east County Galway. The Irish form of the townland name translates as ‘Stoney Ground’. Creig/creag/creagán in Irish means stoney. Other forms of the townland name listed in O’Donovan’s Field Name Books are Creggaan, Criggan, Cregane, Creggan, Kreagan, Creggany and Creggane.
Distinctive Features:
• A Ringfort and a Children’s Burial Ground are registered with the National Monuments Service feature in the National Monuments Service Archaeological Survey Database.
• 1840 Historic Ordnance Survey Map shows a cluster of ten houses named Creggaun Beg, fitting the definition of a clachan village, in the east of the townland.
• Kiltullagh Lough takes up a substantial part of the townland at the southern end.
1656-58 Down Survey: There is no Down Survey information available on Creggaun online.
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 Creggaun who paid the tithe (tax) levied to support the Established Church (Church of Ireland) was Philip McDonnell. 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 ½ of Kiltullagh Lough situate at the S. boundary belongs to this townland. There is a portion of bog at the N. boundary. There is a Turlough near the S.W. boundary. There is a Danish Fort and 4 Gravel Pits, the remainder of the land is tillage and pasture.”
1856 Griffith’s Valuation: The townland covers an area of 387 acres 2 roods 4 perches and the total rateable valuation of the land and buildings combined amounted to £147 15s 0d.
At the time of Griffith’s Valuation there were only four occupiers in the townland of Creggaun – Gibbons, Reilly, Burke and one occupier who was not identified. The landlords’ names were Michael Reilly and William S. Ball.
Adjoining Townlands: The following townlands share a border with Creggaun – Kiltullagh, Lehurick (Kilkerrin Parish), Monagormley (Kilkewrrin Parish), Polleighter (Clonberne Parish), Shannagh Beg and Shannagh More.
Census Records: Population and Household data for the townland of Creggaun:
| Census Years | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 2011 |
| Population | 31 | 14 | 12 | 25 | 17 | 15 | 7 | 20 | 9 |
| Households | 4 | 2 | 3 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
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