Knockauns West (Leagan Gaeilge – Cnocáin Thiar)
Knockauns is the most northerly townland in the parish of Glenamaddy Boyounagh. It is situated about six kilometres north of the town of Glenamaddy to the left of the Glenamaddy to Williamstown road. Knockauns is the anglicised form of cnocáin which is the Irish for hillocks. Thiar means west. Another form of the townland name is Knockanagh.
Distinctive Features:
- Two Enclosures and a Barrow registered with the National Monuments Service feature in the National Monuments Service Archaeological Survey Database.
- O’Donovan noted in the Field Name Books that Knockauns Village, a typical example of a clachan village with twenty houses, was situated in the south east part of the townland.
- Lime Kilns are mentioned by O’Donovan in the 1830s Field Name Books but they are not mapped.
1670 Down Survey:
The townland of Knockauns West was vested in Sir Oliver St. George who was a Catholic when Down Survey was carried out in Ireland in 1870. The amount of unprofitable land in the townland was given as 61 acres and the profitable came to 133 acres. The 133 acres were forfeited as prescribed in the Cromwellian Act of Settlement.
1823 – 1837 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 following Catholic landholders in the townland of Knockauns East (Little Knockauns) were deemed eligible to pay the tithe (tax) levied to support the Established Church (Church of Ireland) – McDonnell, McDermott and Kelly and possibly others whose names cannot be deciphered. Protestant occupiers of agricultural holdings were exempt from this tax.
1837 O’Donovan’s Field Name Books:
O’Donovan describes the townland as follows – “About 1/2 of this townland is bog situated in the eastern portion and two small portions in the western portion of this townland. There is a church yard at the S. boundary. The remainder of the land is tillage and pasture. A road passes from N.W. to S.E. through the townland. Knockauns West is situated at the North boundary of this parish joining the parish of Tampultogher, Barony of Ballymoe. O’Donovan recorded twenty houses and two lime kilns in the village on the occasion of his visit.
1856 Griffith’s Valuation:
The townland covers an area of 357 acres 1 rood 35 perch and the total rateable valuation of the land and buildings combined amounted to £75 6s 0d. At the time of the survey there were 13 occupiers in the townland of Knockauns West – Kelly, Havican (2), Egan (2), McDermott (2), Keaveney, Collins, Comber, Stritch (2), and Gore. The landlord’s name is given as Sir St. George Gore.
Adjoining Townlands:
The following townlands share a border with Knockauns West – Cloonlara North, Meelick, Knockauns East, Lisrivish (Templetogher Parish) and Pollshask (Templetogher Parish).
Census Records:
Population and Household data for the townland of Knockauns West:
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),_Bushtown, 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.
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