Frass (Leagan Gaeilge – Fras): The townland of Frass is situated four kilometres east of Glenamaddy Town in north-east County Galway. In the 1830s O’Donovan gave the meaning of fras in the Field Name Books as grain, or seed. Another dictionary translation of fras is plentiful.
Distinctive Features:
• 1840 Historic Ordnance Survey Map shows a cluster of eight houses fitting the definition of a clachan village in the centre of the townland.
1656-58 Down Survey: The Down Survey online name of the townland is given as Common. The landowner is given as Cornelius Kelly who was a Catholic. The area of unprofitable land in the townland amounted to 208 plantation acres. The area of profitable land totalled 23 plantation acres. The 23 profitable plantation acres were forfeited in accordance with the Cromwellian Act of Settlement. The accuracy of the information published in the online site on this townland is open to question.

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 Catholic landholder in the townland of Frass who paid the tithe (tax) levied to support the Established Church (Church of Ireland) was Bartolomew 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 – “About 2/3 of this townland is bog, situated in the North portion of it there is a small portion of Fir planting and a village called after the townland. The remainder of the land is tillage and pasture.”
1856 Griffith’s Valuation: The townland covers an area of 285 acres 0 rood 20 perches and the total rateable valuation of the land and buildings combined amounted to £34 2s 0d.
At the time of Griffith’s Valuation there were only four occupiers in the townland of Frass – Kelly (2), Mathers and Horan. The landlord’s name was Bartholomew Kelly.
Adjoining Townlands: The following townlands share a border with Frass – Ballyhard, Sonnagh East, Lisnageeragh (Ballynakill Parish) and Cloonlara South.

Census Records: Population and Household data for the townland of Frass:

Census Years	1841	1851	1861	1871	1881	1891	1901	1911	2011
Population	54	7	9	19	33	14	7	6	6
Households	8	2	2	4	6	4	3	2	1

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