Kilbeagh Civil Parish and the Incidence of the Brennan Surname in Griffith's Valuation
Kilbeagh Civil Parish falls within Costello Barony and had 69 Townlands when the Griffith's Valuation was conducted in 1856 if you exclude the 5 Townlands that were transferred to County Roscommon in 1898. Two different Roman Catholic Parishes cover Kilbeagh Civil Parish, Carrowcastle (closer to Sligo) (that was formed in 1847) and Charlestown (that was formed in 1845). (Mitchell, 1988. p. 88). The Catholic Church records for Carrowcastle are covered on microfilm number 1279233 and 926004 and cover the years 1847-1908. This parish was part of Kilbeagh Catholic Parish at one point. The Catholic Church records for Charlestown Roman Catholic Parish are covered on microfilm number 1279230 and 926009 and cover the years 1845-1880 and 1845-1924 respectively. When the Griffith's Valuation was conducted for Kilbeagh Civil Parish there were Roman Catholic Chapels in the Townlands of Cashelduff and Temple. Graveyards were noted in the Townlands of Cashelduff, Cloonfane, Temple and Tonnagh and there was a Burial Ground in the Townland of Srah Lower.
I couldn't find any specific patent applications for Fairs for any of the Townlands in Kilbeagh Civil Parish. When the Griffith's Valuation was conducted in 1856, the Townland of Lowpark had a documented "Fair Green," but there were no parcels with the "Tolls and Customs of Fairs." (Griffith, 1847-1864; 2003, Kilbeagh). The Town of Newtowndillon (Bellaghy or Tulrahan) is mentioned in the "General Alphabetical Index to the Townlands and Towns, Parishes and Baronies of Ireland" as being part of Kilbeagh Civil Parish. I was unable to find this Town documented in the Valuation, but there is a listing for a patent being obtained for this Townland in 1767 by Luke Dillon for a market and four fairs. Apparently the fairs disappeared by 1830's but the market continued to take place. (Gillespie; Crawford, 1987, p. 89).
The Town of Charlestown is incorporated into two different Townlands in Kilbeagh Civil Parish: Lavy Beg and Lowpark. The Townlands of Lavy Beg and Low Park share a small border in their northernmost section of the parish. It is my understanding that the development of the Town of Charlestown was initiated by the Dillons in response to the Town of Bellaghy being developed by the Knox Family. Numerous Villages or Towns are listed under the Townland of Derrynabrock (easternmost part of the parish) in the Griffith's Valuation: Derrygerraun, Rivertown, Shanbally, Duffy's Village and Finn's Village. Economic activity appears to be distributed throughout Kilbeagh Civil Parish. The Townland of Ballyglass East has a Corn Mill, Tuck Mill and Farmhouse, Barnacahoge has a Corn Mill, Forge and Plantation, Carrowntober has Corn and Tuck Mills, Cartron has a Corn Mill, Killaturly has a Corn Mill, Finn's Village within the Townland of Derrynabrock has a Corn Mill, Lowpark has a Pound, Sonnagh has a Corn Mill, Tawnyinah Middle, Tawnyinah Upper and Tonnagh have Plantations and Temple has a Corn Mill. Herd's Houses were documented in the Townlands of Cloonmore, Killeen, Knockbrack or Trouthill, Lowpark and Stripe. This is the first Civil Parish where I have seen land specified as "Meadow" as in Glenmullynaha West. (Griffith, 1847-1864; 2003, Kilbeagh).
Numerous "Bog" parcels were noted in the Griffith's Valuation, but there were no lakes or rivers documented. Samuel Lewis noted that there were "very large tracts of bog and mountain" in Kilbeagh Civil Parish. (Lewis, 1984, 1984, p. 50).
As far as education goes, Board of Education National Schoolhouses were documented in the Townlands of Barnacahoge (in the western most part of the Civil Parish), Cloonfane (more centrally located) and Lowpark (Northwestern part of the parish). There also was a Schoolhouse in the Townland of Roosky, located in the eastern part of Kilbeagh Civil Parish.
Viscount Dillon was far and away the most prevalent Landlord in Kilbeagh Civil Parish followed by John Sadlier and more distantly by Jane Elizabeth Pugh and an assortment of others. (Griffith, 1847-1864; 2003, Kilbeagh). I referred to the Hussey De Burgh compilation "The Landowners of Ireland" that listed the landlords of Ireland that held over 500 acres or property valued at over 500 pounds in 1878, for information on the primary landlords of Kilbeagh Civil Parish. Viscount Dillon (Theolbald Dominick Geoffrey Dillon-Lee, 14th Viscount) had residences at Loughglynn House, Castlerea, County Roscommon as well as in England. He held 83,749 acres in County Mayo, 5,435 in County Roscommon and 136 acres in County Westmeath. I couldn't find any listings in this resource for John Sadlier. Jane Elizabeth Pugh was documented as living in County Sligo and held 621 acres. (De Burgh, 1878; 2007, p. 129, 376).
A portion of Costello Barony was transferred to County Roscommon in 1898. There are five Townlands that are listed apart from Kilbeagh in the Griffith's Valuation in a section entitled "Kilbeagh Part of," they are Calveagh Upper, Calveagh Lower, Currinah, Derrynanaff and Gortanure (these five Townlands were transferred to County Roscommon in a Government Act that took place in 1898).
I read an interesting story in the book "A Various Country, Essays in Mayo History 1500-1900". An essay by Desmond McCabe described an incident that involved the Townland of Cloonmore in Kilbeagh Civil Parish. Apparently law enforcement was trying to impose a bankruptcy "decree" on a Thomas Phillips who was a Landlord in Cloonmore in 1843. The decree was foiled when about 300 of his tenants rose up and took a stand against the sheriff with "Pitchforks, reaping hooks and large bludgeons." (Gillespie; McCabe, 1987, p. 112). John Sadlier was the only Landlord in Cloonmore when the Griffith's Valuation took place in 1856.
Kilbeagh Civil Parish saw a relatively small population decline during the peak famine years going from 9,963 in 1841 to 9,733 in 1851 in contrast to other Civil Parishes in County Mayo. (O'hara, 1982, p. 7). The numbers actually increased in the next three decades (that was relatively uncommon in the other County Mayo Civil Parishes in this period).
I am currently working my way through the Kilbeagh Charlestown Roman Catholic Parish Film and it is loaded with Brennans, it also is a fairly poor quality film (listed as "best available copy" and done in negative- black with white print).
There were Brennans as well as Brannans in Kilbeagh Civil Parish when the Griffith's Valuation was conducted in 1857. They appear to be found in four distinct clusters of Townlands. Luke Brennan and Michael Brennan were present in the Townland of Ballyglass East. Bordering Ballyglass East on the northeast were Michael, Luke and John Brennan in the Town of Lavy Beg. Luke Brennan was listed in the Town of Charlestown within Lavy Beg as a landlord for Thomas Grogan. The Townland of Lowpark borders Ballyglass on the northwest and has a portion of the Town of Charlestown within its borders as well. Here is where I found Luke and Michael Brannan as occupiers and Michael Brennan as a landlord for John McNamara and John Brennan as a landlord for John Gavaghan. Thomas, John and Bridget Brannan were all found in Barnacahoge, a large Townland in the far southeastern tip of Kilbeagh Civil Parish. Just north of Barnacahoge but separated by the Townland of Stripe were Brennans and Brannens in the four Townlands that were clustered together, Killeen, Cloonlyon, Trouthill (Knockbrack) and Tomboholla. Patrick Brennan Junior and Partners had a parcel in Killeen. Bordering Killeen on the East in the Townland of Cloonlyon were Patrick Brennan, Patrick Brennan Junior and John Brennan and Partners. Bordering Clooynlyon on the north in the Townland of Tomboholla were Thomas and Owen Brannan, John Brennan, John Brennan Junior and Partners and Patrick Brennan Junior and Partners. Bordering Killeen on the northeast and Tomboholla on the west in the town of Trouthill (Knockbrack) was John Brannan. The remaining Brennans were found in Glenmullynaha East (Dominick) and John, Patrick and James in Glenmullynaha West.
There is one caveat to keep in mind when looking at these findings from the Griffith's Valuation: The Griffith's Valuation only includes the individuals (occupiers) who own, lease or rent a parcel. For instance it will list a householder but not the individuals who live with him. It was common in County Mayo for individuals to share parcels, particularly of land (The Rundale system of communal land sharing). Sometimes the whole town shared one parcel of land. Shared parcels may or may not be with related individuals. Just because an individual is a lone occupier of a parcel does not mean that he is living in (house) or tilling (garden) this parcel alone. He may have numerous family members living with him, but they will not be listed unless they actually lease or own the parcel. Occupiers who sublet their acreage of land or houses to others will be listed as landlords.
As I mentioned previously I have not included the 5 townlands that were transferred to County Roscommon in this section, but there were no Brennans or Brannans the later transferred Townlands of Calveagh Lower, Calveagh Upper, Currinah, Derrynanaff or Gortanure when the Griffith's Valuation was conducted in 1857.
For helpful details on how to interpret the following records, please take a look at the page I created on "Deciphering Griffith's Valuation."
| Townland | Map Ref Number | Occupier | Landlord or his Rep | Property Type | Area in Acres, Roods and Perches - a-r-p | Total Valuation in Pounds, Shillings and Pence | Shared with (other occupiers) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ballyglass East | 10 | Brennan, Luke | Dillon, Viscount | Land | 11-3-38 | 4-0-0 for this and his parcel below | none |
| Ballyglass East | 11 | Brennan, Luke | same | Land and House (in progress) | 5-1-30 | same | none |
| Ballyglass East | 12a | Brennan, Michael | same | Land and Farmhouse | 9-0-24 | 2-10-0 | none |
| Barnacahoge | 30a | Brannan, Bridget | Dillon, Viscount | Land, House and Office | 21-2-23 | 2-15-0 | none |
| Barnacahoge | 58a | Brannan, John | same | Land and House | 55-0-27 | 2-5-0 | none |
| Barnacahoge | 70 | Brannan, Thomas | same | Land and House | 28-2-32 | 3-5-0 | none |
| Cloonlyon | 1 (1) | Brennan, Patrick Jun | Dillon, Viscount | Land, House and Office | 229-2-24 | 4-15-0 | Patrick Brennan and 16 others |
| Cloonlyon | 1 (2) | Brennan, Patrick | same | Land, House and Office | same | 4-15-0 | Patrick Brennan Jun and 16 others |
| Cloonlyon | 1 (24) | Brennan, John and Partners | Dillon, Viscount | Land | 0-0-15 | 0-1-0 | none |
| Cloonlyon | 1 (29) | Brennan, John and Partners | same | Land (Severance) | 0-0-18 | none | |
| Cloonlyon | 1 (30) | Brennan, John and Partners | same | Land (Severance) | 0-0-5 | none | |
| Glenmullynaha East | 1 (16) | Brennan, Dominick | Dillon, Viscount | Land, House and Office | 871-3-30 | 3-5-0 | 36 others (whole town) |
| Glenmullynaha West | 15a | Brennan, John | O'Grady, Richard | Land, House and Office | 20-3-35 | 5-0-0 for this and his parcel below | none |
| Glenmullynaha West | 16 | Brennan, John | same | Land | 6-2-35 | same | none |
| Glenmullynaha West | 17 | Brennan, Patrick | same | Land | 2-2-15 | 5-5-0 for this and his 2 parcels below | none |
| Glenmullynaha West | 18a | Brennan, Patrick | same | Land and House | 22-1-5 | same | none |
| Glenmullynaha West | 19 | Brennan, Patrick | same | Land | 7-2-20 | same | none |
| Glenmullynaha West | 20a | Brennan, James | same | Land and House | 19-0-24 | 4-15-0 for this and his parcel below | none |
| Glenmullynaha West | 21 | Brennan, James | same | Land | 14-3-34 | same | none |
| Killeen | 1 u,v | Brennan, Patrick Jun and Partners | Dillon, Viscount | Land (severance) | 0-0-16 | none | |
| Lavy Beg | 5 | Brennan, Michael | Dillon, Viscount | Land and House | 5-0-37 | 2-10-0 for this and parcel below | none |
| Lavy Beg | 6 | Brennan, Michael | same | Land | 4-3-1 | same | none |
| Lavy Beg | 12 | Brennan, Luke | same | Land, House and Office | 7-1-14 | 2-0-0 | none |
| Lavy Beg | 25 | Brennan, John | same | Land | 7-2-37 | 2-10-0 | none |
| Lavy Beg (Town of Charlestown) | 7 | Grogan, Thomas | Brennan, Luke | House | 3-15-0 | none | |
| Lowpark (Town of Charlestown) | 32 (6) | Brannan, Luke | Dillon, Viscount | Garden, House, Office and Yard | 0-0-14 | 5-0-0 | none |
| Lowpark (Town of Charlestown) | 32 (17) | McNamara, John | Brennan, Michael | House, Office and Yard | 6-0-0 | none | |
| Lowpark (Town of Charlestown) | 32 (28) | Gavaghan, John | Brennan, John | Garden, House and Yard | 0-0-18 | 3-15-0 | none |
| Lowpark (Town of Charlestown) | 32 (31) | Brannan, Michael | Dillon, Viscount | Garden, House, Office and Yard | 0-1-10 | 5-0-0 | none |
| Lowpark (Town of Charlestown) | 32 (32) | Brannan, Michael | Dillon, Viscount | House and Yard | 4-0-0 | none | |
| Tomboholla | 1 | Brennan, John | Dillon, Viscount | Land | 82-1-10 | 1-4-0 | none |
| Tomboholla | 2a | Brannan, Thomas | same | Land and House | 101-1-11 | 2-14-0 | Owen Brannan plus 5 others |
| Tomboholla | 2f | Brannan, Owen | same | Land, House and Office | same | 2-18-0 | Thomas Brannan and 5 others |
| Tomboholla | 4c | Brennan, John Jun and Partners | same | Land (Severance) | 0-0-6 | none | |
| Tomboholla | 5a | Brennan, John | same | Land, House and Office | 84-3-4 | 4-15-0 | 3 others |
| Tomboholla | 5e | Brennan, Patrick Jun. and Partners | same | Land (Severance) | 0-0-5 | none | |
| Trouthill or Knockbrack | 3d | Brannan, John | Dillon, Viscount | Land, House and Office | 31-3-35 | 2-0-0 | none |
(Griffith, 1847-1864; 2003, Kilbeagh).