Derrylahan, an Anglicisation of the Gaelic, ‘Doire Leathan’ meaning ''The Wide Oak-wood'', is a

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

in the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Templeport Templeport () is a civil parish in the barony of Tullyhaw, County Cavan, Ireland. The chief towns in the parish are Bawnboy and Ballymagauran. The large Roman Catholic parish of Templeport containing 42,172 statute acres was split up in the ...

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. It lies in the Roman Catholic parish of

Glangevlin Glangevlin () is a village in the northwest of County Cavan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the townlands of Gub (Glangevlin) and Tullytiernan, at the junction of the R200 road (Ireland), R200 and R207 road (Ireland), R207 regional roads ...

and barony of

Tullyhaw Tullyhaw (, which means 'the Territory of Eochaidh', an ancestor of the McGoverns, who lived ) is a Barony in County Cavan in Ireland. The area has been in constant occupation since pre-4000 BC. Located in the northwest of the county, it h ...

Geography

Derrylahan is bounded on the north by Cornahaw townland, on the west by Carricknagrow, Derrynatuan and Lattone townlands and on the east by Corratawy, Edenmore and Gowlan townlands. Its chief geographical features are Carricknahurroo Lough, Derrylahan Lough, Lattone Lough, the source of the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( or archaic ') is the major river on the island of Ireland, and at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of I ...

in the

Shannon Pot Shannon Pot () is a pool in the karst landscape in the townland of Derrylahan near Cuilcagh Mountain in County Cavan, Ireland. An aquifer-fed naturally fluctuating pool, it is the traditional source of the River Shannon. It has connections, ...

, The Black River, mountain streams, water sinkholes, a waterfall, forestry plantations, dug wells and spring wells. The townland is traversed by the regional R206 road (Ireland), minor public roads and rural lanes. The townland covers 911 statute acres.

History

An early reference is in the Book of Magauran. Poem X, stanza 2, composed c. 1349 by Giolla na Naomh Ó hUiginn, which states, (In it is the well whence comes the Shannon, noblest stream in Inis Fáil). The 1652 Commonwealth Survey spells the name as ''Dirrelane'' and gives the owner as ''Ensigne Walter Reece and others''. In 1720 Morley Saunders was in possession. He leased his interest in ''Derrylahan'' to Colonel John Enery of Bawnboy by deed dated 24 December 1720. A deed dated 13 Nov 1738 includes: ''Derrylahan''. The 1790 Cavan Carvaghs list spells the name as ''Dirrelahan''. The Tithe Applotment Books for 1826 list three tithepayers in the townland. John O'Donovan visited Glan on Monday 16 May 1836 for the purpose of the Ordnance Survey then taking place. He states- ''We lodged in a farmer's house in Glen Gavlen for two days; on Tuesday we directed our course northwards through the parish of Templeport, over a very bad, rough, rocky road and indulged our curiosity by visiting the large spring well in the Townland of Derrylahan in which the Shannon (according to tradition) had its source. It is a round deep pool throwing out a stream of considerable size which the country people call the Shannon. The pool itself is called by some Poll Lagan Sionna, and Lag Bhun na Sionna by others''. The Ordnance Survey Name Books for 1836 give the following description of the townland- ''The townland belongs to Lord Annesly and is remarkable for being the spot where the Shannon river rises''. The Derrylahan Valuation Office Field books are available for July 1839.

Griffith's Valuation Griffith's Valuation was a boundary and land valuation survey of Ireland completed in 1868. Griffith's background Richard John Griffith started to value land in Scotland, where he spent two years in 1806–1807 valuing terrain through the examin ...

of 1857 lists thirty landholders in the townland. In the 19th century the landlord of Derrylahan was the Annesley Estate.

Census

In the 1901 census of Ireland, there are twenty-nine families listed in the townland. In the 1911 census of Ireland, there are twenty-six families listed in the townland.

Antiquities

# An earthen mound. The 'Archaeological Inventory of County Cavan' (Site No. 1897) describes it as- ''Not marked on OS 1836 or 1876 eds. A small, circular, steep-sided earthen mound (diam. at base c.4.2m; H 1.3m) tapering to a point. Significance unknown''. # The Shannon Pot. Local names for the Pot are (a) 'Poll Lagan Sionna', meaning ''The Hole in the Little Valley of the Shannon'' (b) 'Lag Bhun na Sionna', meaning ''The Valley of the Source of the Shannon'' (c) 'Lag na Sionna' (pronounced locally 'Lugnashinna'), meaning ''The Vale of the Shannon''. # Stone bridges over the rivers, including 'Shannon Bridge'. # Lime-kilns # Stepping stones over the Black River. # Foot-bridges over the Shannon and Black rivers.

References

External links

The IreAtlas Townland Data Base
{{coord, 53, 21, N, 8, 03, W, display=title, region:IE_type:city_source:GNS-enwiki Townlands of County Cavan Lime kilns in Ireland