Castlemoyle

The meaning of the Townland Name

Castlemoyle, An Caisleán Maol “the bald or flat castle”[1]

Location of townland

The townland of Castlemoyle is located in the north of the Civil Parish of Killererin in the Barony of Dunmore. It is bordered in the north by Hillswood East, the south by Kilmore, the east by Cornacartan and Corskeagh Beg and in the west by the townland of Agloragh. The Down Survey, records the townland as ‘Tonnemoyle’, Parish of Liskewy, and Barony of Dunmore[2]. In Castlemoyle in 1670, the owner was listed as the ‘Earl of Clanrickard (Protestant)’ and there were 39 plantation acres of unprofitable land, 92 plantation acres of profitable land and 92 plantation acres forfeited[3].

O’Donovan’s Field Name Books of 1830

According to O’Donovan’s Field Name Books of 1830,[4] early references to ‘Castlemoyle’ are found in the Chancery Inquisitions of Queen Elizabeth I (1558-1603); the Chancery Inquisitions of King James I (1603-1625) and William Larkin’s County Map of Galway 1819. Mention is also made of ‘Castlemoyle’ in The Boundary Survey Sketch Maps[5]. The survey also cites Pat McGann, bailiff as an ‘authority source’ on the established spelling of ‘Castlemoyle’. Today locally, the townland is spelled ‘Castlemoyle’. The townland is described as ‘the property of M. Browne Esq. Moyne’. It contains 199 acres statute[6] measure including about 40 acres of bog’[7]. Browne also retained lands in Garra and Carrowmannagh in Killererin as well as other lands throughout Galway.

Census 1841

Census 1841-1851[8]

There were 27 people living in the townland of Castlemoyle in 1841 in 6 households. In 1851 there were only 5 people living in 1 house. The Poor Law Valuation of Land in Castlemoyle in 1851 was £54 0s 0d.

Griffith’s Valuation 1855[9]

There was only 1 occupier of land listed in Griffith’s Valuation in the townland of Castlemoyle in 1855. Edward Blake retained a herd’s house, offices and land ‘in fee’ himself, totalling 198 acres, 3 roods and 36 perches at a total annual valuation of £76 0s 0d. According to the National University of Ireland, Galway, Landed Estates database, the dwelling mentioned above, Castlemoyle House, was built in the 18th Century and was the residence of the Deane family into the late 1770s. Thomas Browne occupied the house in 1814 and later in the mid 1850s, it was held by Edward Blake in fee, when it was valued at £8 0s 0d. Sebastian Nolan bought it from the Blakes and lived there until the late 1880s[10]. The house is now in ruins.

Census 1861-1881[11]

In 1861, the population totalled 10 people living in 2 houses while in 1871 there were 7 people living in 1 household. By 1881, there were 18 people living in 2 houses. In 1881 there were 11 out-houses and ‘farm-steadings’ in the townland. The valuation of land and houses in the townland in 1881 was £76 0s. 0d.

Census 1891[12]

There were 2 households and 12 people living in Castlemoyle in 1891.

Census 1901[13]

In 1901 there were 11 people or 2 families recorded in the census.

Patrick Whelan was married to Mary aged 50 and had 2 daughters Katie and Anney and a son John. A grandaughter Mary Joe and grandson Patrick also lived in this household, though all of Patrick Whelan’s listed children are recorded as ‘not married’. Patrick Whelan also employed a servant Martin Silk aged 60.

Peter Flaherty

Peter Flaherty was a married man aged 60 who lived with his daughters: Kate aged 20 and Maggie aged 18.

Patrick Whelan

Patrick Whelan recorded his occupation as ‘farmer’ and Peter Flaherty was recorded as ‘herd’. The only other occupation listed was Martin Silk, who was a ‘servant’. All of those recorded in this townland in 1901 listed their place of birth as Co. Galway.

Patrick Whelan’s house was the only 1st class dwelling in the townland. The house had 10 front windows and 8 people occupied 7 rooms. The home of Peter Flaherty was 2nd class and had 3 front windows. In this house, 3 people occupied 2 rooms. Patrick Whelan owned the land on which both houses in this townland were located. Peter Flaherty held no out-buildings, while Patrick Whelan listed 11 out-buildings.

Oldest and youngest persons in the townland in 1901

The oldest person in the townland in 1901 was Patrick Whelan aged 61 and the youngest person in the townland in 1901 was also Patrick Whelan aged 7, grandson of Patrick mentioned above.

Census 1911[14]

In 1911 there were 11 people listed in the census: John Whelan aged 71 was a widower. He lived with his children: John aged 33, Catherine aged 27, Mary aged 17 and Patrick aged 15. His nephew, William O’Connor aged 7 also lived in this house.

Kate Molloy

Kate Molloy aged 50 was a widow. She lived with her children: twins Patrick and Thomas aged 14, Michael aged 11 and Honor aged 2.

Oldest and youngest persons in the townland in 1911

As in the 1901 census, the oldest person recorded in the townland was Patrick Whelan aged 71 and the youngest person was Honor Molloy aged 2, daughter of Kate Molloy.

Census 1991-2006

The attached bar graph plots the changes in population in this townland between 1841 and 2006 according to census information[15].

Mapping Change

The OS 1842 map[16] shows Castlemoyle House in the southwest of the townland surrounded by forestry at a principal trigonometrical point of 194 feet (a bench mark like this is a permanent mark used by Ordnance Survey to establish height at that point.)[17]. To the north of the house was a walled garden entered through an archway at the southwest corner. There was also a yard of outbuildings to the southwest of the house built circa 1830[18]. There was a quarry to the north and northeast of the house as well as a small fort. To the west were the ruins of two mills and a quarry pit. To the southeast of the house was a weir and lime kiln.

OS Maps comparison

A comparison between the OS 25 inch Map 1888-1913 and the Aerial Map 2000[19] shows how the landscape and geography of the area has changed. The 25 inch Map shows 2 mills, even at that time in ruins. Surprisingly, no major changes have taken place since, in terms of landscape when a comparison is made to the later aerial maps of the Ordnance Survey completed in 2000 and 2005. A large area of forestry is visible in 2000 and approximately one quarter of this has been removed by 2005 and the area seems to be reduced to bog. Castlemoyle House is the only house in the townland, though in the present day it is in ruins surrounded by a farmyard. According to the most recent census statistics available, there were 6 houses in the townland in 2006.

[1] Placenames Database, (http://www.logainm.ie/)
[2] Trinity College, Dublin, ‘The Down Survey’ (http://downsurvey.tcd.ie/)
[3] ibid
[4] Galway County Library,’ O’Donovan’s Field Name Books’(http://places.galwaylibrary.ie/)
[5] ibid
[6] PODUNK ‘Place Types and Land Allocation in Ireland’ (http://ei.epodunk.com/place-types.html) (June 2011) An Irish acre, the measure used from the 17th century, equalled 1.62 statute (English) acres, also called a plantation acre.
[7]Galway County Library,’ O’Donovan’s Field Name Books’ (http://places.galwaylibrary.ie/asp/fullresult.asp?id=26280) (Apr 2011)
[8] ‘Table VII –Area, Out-offices and Farm Steadings and Population together with the Valuation of  Each Parish, Townland and Township of the County of Galway in 1881’ (James Hardiman Library, National University of Ireland, Galway, p56)
[9] Ask about Ireland, ‘Griffith’s Valuation’ (http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index) (Feb 2011)
[10] National University of Ireland, Galway, ‘Landed Estates Database’ (http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie) (Apr 2011)
[11] ‘Table VII –Area, Out-offices and Farm Steadings and Population together with the Valuation of  Each Parish, Townland and Township of  the County of Galway in 1881’ (James Hardiman Library, National University of Ireland, Galway, p56)
[12] Census of Ireland for the Year 1911 [Province of Connaught, County of Galway] Area, Houses and Population, ‘Table VII-Area Houses Out-Buildings and Farm Steadings, and Population together with the Valuation of Each Poor Law Union, Dispensary District, Electoral Division, Townland in the County of Galway in 1911’ (Galway County Library, p111)
[13] The National Archives of Ireland, ‘Census Ireland 1901’, (http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/)
[14] ibid
[15] Kids Zone Learning with NECS ‘Create a Graph’,  (http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/)
[16] Galway County Library, ‘1842 Ordnance Survey Maps’ (http://places.galwaylibrary.ie/maps/) (Feb 2011)
[17] TrigPointing Ireland, ‘What is a Bench Mark?’ (http://www.trigpointing-ireland.org.uk/about.php?a=define) (Feb 2012)
[18]National Inventory of Architectural Heritage, Building Surveys’ (http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/) (Apr 2011)
[19] Ordnance Survey Ireland, (www.osi.ie/Mapviewer) (Jan 2011)