
Gortullaghan () is a
townland
A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...
in the
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...
of
Templeport, County Cavan, Ireland. It lies in the Roman Catholic parish of
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 18 ...
and barony of
Tullyhaw
Tullyhaw ( ga, Teallach Eathach) (which means 'The Territory of Eochaidh', an ancestor of the McGoverns, who lived ) is a Barony in County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland. The area has been in constant occupation since pre-4000 BC. Locat ...
.
Geography
Gortullaghan is bounded on the north by
Dunglave in
Swanlinbar parish and
Derrynacreeve townland in
Corlough parish, on the west by
Tawnagh townland in
Corlough parish, on the south by
Mullaghlea townland and on the east by
Gortmore
Gortmore () is a townland in the civil parish of Templeport, County Cavan, Ireland. It lies in the Roman Catholic parish of Templeport and barony of Tullyhaw.
Geography
Gortmore is bounded on the north by Dunglave and Gub (Kinawley) townla ...
and
Moherloob
Moherloob () is a small townland in the
civil parish of Templeport, County Cavan, Ireland. It is in area and lies in the barony of Tullyhaw. As of the 2011 census, there were no people living in Moherloob.
Geography
Moherloob is bounded on th ...
townlands. Its chief geographical features are a stream, spring wells and dug wells. Gortullaghan is traversed by the national secondary
N87 road (Ireland)
The N87 road is a national secondary road in the north of County Cavan, Ireland.
Route
The route leaves the N3 at Belturbet and passes through the towns of Ballyconnell and Swanlinbar in north County Cavan before crossing the border with ...
, minor roads and rural lanes.
The townland covers 171 statute acres.
History
In medieval times the McGovern barony of Tullyhaw was divided into economic taxation areas called ballibetoes, from the Irish ''Baile Biataigh'' (Anglicized as 'Ballybetagh'), meaning 'A Provisioner's Town or Settlement'. The original purpose was to enable the farmer, who controlled the baile, to provide hospitality for those who needed it, such as poor people and travellers. The ballybetagh was further divided into townlands farmed by individual families who paid a tribute or tax to the head of the ballybetagh, who in turn paid a similar tribute to the clan chief. The steward of the ballybetagh would have been the secular equivalent of the
erenagh
The medieval Irish office of erenagh (Old Irish: ''airchinnech'', Modern Irish: ''airchinneach'', Latin: ''princeps'') was responsible for receiving parish revenue from tithes and rents, building and maintaining church property and overseeing the ...
in charge of church lands. There were seven ballibetoes in the parish of Templeport. Gortullaghan was located in the ballybetagh of "Bally Cloinelogh" (alias 'Bally Cloynelough'). The original Irish is ''Baile Cluain Loch'', meaning 'The Town of the Lake Meadow')
A sub-division of Gortullaghan is called Tomena ()
The 1609 Ulster Plantation Baronial Map depicts the townland as ''Gortalachin''.
The 1652 Commonwealth Survey spells the name as ''Gartullaghen''.
The 1665 Down Survey map depicts it as ''Gortinelechin''.
William Petty
Sir William Petty FRS (26 May 1623 – 16 December 1687) was an English economist, physician, scientist and philosopher. He first became prominent serving Oliver Cromwell and the Commonwealth in Ireland. He developed efficient methods to su ...
's map of 1685 depicts it as ''Gortenelehin''.
The 1652 Commonwealth Survey lists the proprietor being ''Mr Henry Pigott'' and the tenant being ''Farell Duffe McBrian''.
A grant dated 30 January 1668 from King
Charles II of England to Richard Pyett included, inter alia, ''lands of Gortallaghan containing 41 acres 2 roods and 27 perches''.
A grant dated 9 March 1669 from King
Charles II of England to
Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey
Arthur Annesley, 1st Earl of Anglesey PC (10 July 16146 April 1686) was an Anglo-Irish royalist statesman. After short periods as President of the Council of State and Treasurer of the Navy, he served as Lord Privy Seal between 1673 and 168 ...
included, inter alia, ''lands in the south part of Gortinelethin alias Gortinedickin containing 24 acres 1 rood and 13 perches at an annual rent of £0-6s-5 1/2d''.
A lease dated 23 December 1720 from
Morley Saunders to Thomas Enery of Bawnboy includes the lands of ''Gartullaughin''.
A deed dated 30 Apr 1740 by Thomas Enery includes the lands of ''Gortallahan''.
A lease dated 10 December 1774 from William Crookshank to John Enery of Bawnboy includes the lands of ''Gortallaughin''. as does a further deed dated 13 December 1774.
The Tithe Applotment Books for 1827 list seventeen tithepayers in the townland.
The Gortullaghan Valuation Office Field books are available for September 1839.
In the 1830s Gortullaghan and Tomena was owned, along with other lands, by Luke McGrath of Lakeville House, Gartinardress townland, Killeshandra (the
High Sheriff of Cavan in 1809), together with his daughter and her husband, Margaret and Richard Young. On 1 November 1833 they mortgaged the lands to Robert Hutton. Luke McGrath died in 1834, having left his share to his daughter Margaret Young. In 1848 Robert Hutton applied to court to sell the lands in order to get the proceeds of his mortgage and on 10 December 1849 a court ordered the sale. The sale took place on 13 December 1850 and maps of the Gortullaghan and Tomena land sold are still available. Robert Hutton bought Gortullaghan and Tomena at the sale and was still the owner during Griffith's Valuation in 1857.
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 examinat ...
of 1857 lists twenty one landholders in the townland.
Folklore from Gortullaghan in the 1930s is available in the Dúchas Folklore collection.
Tomena School
The book Bawnboy and Templeport History Heritage Folklore by Chris Maguire gives the following description of the school-
''Tomena National School. Taken under the National Board 27 July 1848. There was a teachers' residence attached to the schoolroom. The residence was burned about 1880 and two nephews of the teacher, Mrs. McManus, lost their lives in the fire. Later on the residence became a schoolroom, and Tomena a
two-teacher school. A fire in 1944 destroyed the original schoolroom and two teachers had to work in the same room until the new school was built in 1953. Principals in Tomena N.S.- Thomas McPartlan (1848-'51); John Baxter; Hugh McManus, Tirnawannagh; Mrs. McManus; Mrs. Lunney; Mrs. O'Hara; Michael Byrne; Chris Maguire (1937-'42); Rose Maguire (1942-'47); Nuala Waldron (1947-'48); Chris Maguire (1948-'56); Seán Lennon (1956-'59); Cáit Curran ; Mrs. John F. McGovern; Mrs. Grace Doonan. Assistant Teachers:- Miss Farmer; Philomena O'Dowd; Mrs. Cornyn.''
The Reports from the Commissioners of National Education in Ireland give the following figures for Tomena School, Roll No. 5306-
1854: One male teacher who received an annual salary of £12. There were 73 pupils, 35 boys and 38 girls.
1862: Hugh McManus was the headmaster, a Roman Catholic. There were 121 pupils, all Roman Catholic apart from 12 who were Church of Ireland. The Catechism was taught to the Catholic pupils on Saturdays from 11am to 12 noon.
1874: There were now two schools, one for boys and one for girls. Tomena Boys School. One male teacher who received an annual salary of £30. There were 92 male pupils. Tullybrack Girls School, Roll No. 10889. One female teacher who received an annual salary of £20. There were 75 female pupils.
1890: There were 85 pupils in the boys' school.
Census
In the
1901 census of Ireland, there are ten families listed in the townland,
and in the
1911 census of Ireland
The 1911 Census of Ireland was the last census that covered the whole island of Ireland. Censuses were taken at ten-year intervals from 1821 onwards, but the 1921 census was cancelled due to the Irish War of Independence.
The original records o ...
, there are twelve families listed in the townland.
Antiquities
The chief structures of historical interest in the townland are the sites of Tomena National School and Derrynacreeve Post Office. The site of the tumulus is not known.
References
External links
The IreAtlas Townland Data Base
{{Coord, 54.07514, -7.810271, display=title
Townlands of County Cavan