Kilbride Civil Parish and the Incidence of the Corcoran Surname in Griffith's Valuation
Kilbride Civil Parish falls within Tirawley Barony and only had 15 Townlands when the Griffith's Valuation was conducted in 1856 (one of which was a named, occupied Island). Ballycastle Roman Catholic Parish (formed in 1864) is the Parish that covers Kilbride Civil Parish. (Mitchell, 1988, p. 88). Doonfeeny Civil Parish is also part of this Catholic Parish. In the past it was referred to as Kilbride and Doonfeeny and even Kilbreedy. Microfilm number 1279204 has the records for Kilbride Civil Parish and covers the years 1853-1880.
I couldn't find any market or fair patent applications for any of the Townlands in Kilbride Civil Parish. There was very little in the way of commercial activity noted in the Griffith's Valuation for this Civil Parish that lies 7 miles from Killala, one of County Mayo's premier market towns in the 19th century. There were no Fair Greens, Tolls and Customs of Fairs, Corn Mills, Tuck Mills or a Forge in Kilbride Civil Parish in the 1856 Griffith's Valuation. The Townland of Carrowcor had a Pound and there were Herd's Houses in the Townlands of Carrowmore and Castletown and that was about the extent of the economic activity. (Griffith, 1847-1864; 2003, Kilbride).
As far as education goes there were National Schoolhouses in the Townlands of Kilbride and Shanaghy. I haven't read anything about any possibly "Hedge Schools" in this area.
There were no designated "Bog" Parcels, lakes or rivers that were noted on the Griffith's Valuation for Kilbride Civil Parish, however Samuel Lewis noted that there is a "considerable quantity of bog" in this Civil Parish in his "A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland." (Lewis, 1837; 1984, p. 54).
There were a variety of Landlords represented in Kilbride Civil Parish when the Griffith's Valuation was conducted in 1856, with Catherine Armstrong being the most prevalent in 7 of the 15 Townlands. St. George Stock was only present in only one Townland, but he represented most of Kilbride, the largest Town in Kilbride Civil Parish. Others of note were Harriet Gardiner, William Gardiner, Col. Charles Knox and the Reverend William Bourke. (Griffith, 1847-1864; 2003, Kilbride).
The Hussey De Burgh compilation: "The Landowners of Ireland" (1878) included landlords with over 500 acres of land or land valued at over 500 pounds. Catherine Armstrong, the most prevalent landlord in Kilbride Civil Parish was not included in this compilation, nor was William Gardiner. St George Stock is listed as residing in H. Jersey (I am guessing this is in England); he held 1,299 acres in County Mayo. I couldn't find a listing for a Harriet Gardiner, but there was a listing for a Henrietta Gardiner living in Farmhill, Killala that is only 7 miles from Kilbride Civil Parish so this may be her. She held 4,073 acres in County Mayo. Reverend William Bourke appears to reside in Heathfield, Ballycastle and holds 1,663 acres in County Mayo. Finally, Captain Charles Knox resides in Ballinrobe and holds 24,374 acres in County Mayo and 446 acres in County Donegal. (De Burgh, 1878; 2007, p. 47, 175, 254, 428).
Kilbride Civil Parish saw a population decline during and after the peak famine years like many other Civil Parishes in County Mayo. The population went from 1,963 in 1841 to 1,144 in 1851. By the year 1911 there were only 745 people living in Kilbride Civil Parish. Even more startling is the decline that took place over the next 68 years, there were only 247 people remaining in this area as of 1979. (O'Hara, 1982, p. 7).
Corcorans were documented in three different Townlands in Kilbride Civil Parish when Griffith's Valuation was conducted. Michael and James Corcoran shared a parcel in the Townland of Carrowmore; Patrick Corcoran held two parcels in the small town of Crott (borders Carrowmore on the west) and just north of Carrowmore were 4 Corcorans with multiple parcels each in the Townland of Kilbride, Owen, James Junior and James Senior and Mary. Owen Corcoran was a landlord for patrick Flannigan in this Townland as well. The fact that all the Corcorans in this Civil Parish were in Townlands that bordered each other seems to increase the likelihood of some connection in their family lines.
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.
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) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carrowmore | 3a | Corcoran, Michael | Gardiner, Harriett | Land, Herd's House and Office | 17-1-7 | 4-5-0 | James |
| Carrowmore | 3a | Corcoran, James | same | same | same | 4-5-0 | Michael |
| Crott | 1 | Corcoran, Patrick | Bourke, Thomas | Land | 49-2-19 | 16-15-0 | none |
| Crott | 3 | Corcoran, Patrick | same | Land | 5-1-10 | 1-4-0 | none |
| Kilbride | 1a | Corcoran, Patrick | Stock, St George | Land, House and Offices | 121-2-0 | 41-10-0 | none |
| Kilbride | 13b,e | Corcoran, Owen | same | House and Offices, one cottage | 1-5-0 | none | |
| Kilbride | 13d | Flannagan, Patrick | Corcoran, Owen | House | 0-12-0 | none | |
| Kilbride | 14 | Corcoran, Owen | same | Land | 42-0-10 | 15-5-0 for this and his next parcel | none |
| Kilbride | 15 | Corcoran, Owen | same | Land | 8-1-35 | same | none |
| Kilbride | 16a | Corcoran, James, Sen. | same | Land, House and office | 43-2-20 | 17-15-0 | none |
| Kilbride | 16b | Corcoran, James, Jun. | same | House and Office | 1-0-0 | none | |
| Kilbride | 29 | Corcoran, James, Jun. | same | Land | 15-2-5 | 10-15-0 for this and his next parcel | none |
| Kilbride | 30 | Corcoran, James, Jun. | same | Land | 6-0-30 | same | none |
| Kilbride | 16c | Corcoran, Mary | same | House and Office | 1-10-0 | none | |
| Kilbride | 17 | Corcoran, Mary | same | Land | 52-2-0 | 22-15-0 | none |
(Griffith, 1847-1864; 2003, Kilbride).