Addergoole

Eadargoil in Irish or Addergoole meaning a place in a river or a fork between two prongs of a river

Researched by Killererin Heritage Society for their book - Killererin - A Parish History

Ruins of the old school in Addergoole. Photo taken in 2012
Photo: Killererin Heritage Society
Population graph for the townland of Addergoole
Pop. Graph: Clare Doyle for Killererin Heritage Society

Addergoole, Eadargúil, “place between forks”[1]

The townland of Addergoole is situated in the Civil Parish of Killererin in the Barony of Clare. The townland is bordered on the north by Killeighter, in the south by Togher Beg, the east by Grange and in the west by the townland of Carrowmoneen. The Down Survey, a mapping survey carried out between 1656 and 1658, records the townland name as ‘Ardigowle’[2]. In Addergoole in 1641 the owners were listed as ‘Richard Bourke (Catholic)’ and in 1670 ‘Thomas Deane (Protestant)’ and there were 109 plantation acres of unprofitable land, 115 plantation acres of profitable land and 115 plantation acres forfeited[3].

Early references in O’Donovan’s Field Name Books 1830

According to O’Donovan’s Field Name Books 1830, early references to ‘Adregowle’ and ‘Adragoil’ were found in the Chancery Inquisitions of Elizabeth I (1558-1603); to ‘Adregowl’ and ‘Adragule’ in the Chancery Inquisitions of James I (1603-1625) and references to ‘Adragail’ in the Chancery Inquisitions of Charles I (1625-1649)[4]. Another form of the name, ‘Adrigoole’ was found in the ‘Map of Property Surveyed in 1813 and 1814’[5]. Larkin’s County Map of Galway (1819) refers to ‘Addragool’ while the Boundary Survey Sketch Maps completed during the field names survey (which began in 1824) and officiated by John O’Donovan (1806-1861) and others[6], cited the spelling as ‘Addragool’. The Survey Notebooks themselves make reference to ‘Addragoole’ in the English and ‘Eadargabail’ in the Irish and state the local pronunciation in Irish as ‘Eadra gcúil’[7]. The townland is described as the property of H.R. Henry, Esquire, England, containing ‘151 ½ statute[8] measure including about 40 acres of bog’.[9] Today, locally, the townland is spelt, ‘Addergoole’.

Census 1841-1851[10]

In 1841 there were 82 people living in 14 houses. By 1851 this population was reduced to just 10 people living in 2 houses. The total area of land in the townland in 1851 was 151 acres, 1 rood and 39 perches. The total valuation of the land was £34 5s 0d.

Griffith’s Valuation 1855[11]

Hugh Henry owned all of the land in the townland in 1855. Henry held a herd’s and cottier’s house, office and land for himself measuring 151 acres, 1 rood and 39 perches at a valuation of £42 0s 0d. The area on which the National School stood was also held by Henry though no detail is given as to the area of this land. The school building was valued at £2 10s 0d. Henry owned vast areas of land in the parish of Killererin amounting to over 6,000 acres, including land in the townlands of Toghermore, Togherbeg, Tigreenaun, Shantallow, Pollbaun, Pollacapple, Omaunmore, Omanbeg, Lissavalley Glebe, Lissavalley, Lissnaminaun, Kilmore, Killeighter, Grange, Creevaghbane, Corskeaghmore, Corskeaghbeg, Corralea, Cornacartan, Coolrevagh, Cooldorragha, Cloonreddia, Cloonconra, Carrowgorm, Barnaderg and Ballynakilla. This land was valued at £2061 15s 0d.

Census 1861-1881[12]

There were 17 people living in the townland in 1861 in 5 houses. In 1871 there were 11 people living in 2 houses and in 1881 the population was reduced to 5 people living in 1 house. There was also an uninhabited house in the townland listed on the Census at this time. The total area of land in the townland measured the same as in 1841 with a valuation of £42 15s 0d.

Census 1891[13]

There were 2 people living in 1 household in Addergoole in 1891.

Census 1901[14]

There were 17 people living in Addergoole in 1901.

Pat Kelly

Pat Kelly lived in a 2nd class house on land owned by Cecil Henry. There were 10 people living in the Kelly house including the Head of Family, Pat, aged 42 who was married to Margaret aged 36. The household also included; Mary, aged 13, Delia, aged 12, Martin, aged 10, Margaret aged 7, Sarah aged 6, John aged 4, Michael aged 2 and William, aged less than 1 year old.

Timothy Moran

Timothy Moran also lived in a 2nd class house on land owned by Cecil Henry. (Cecil Henry was a grandson of Hugh Robert Henry mentioned earlier in Griffith’s Valuation. Over 600 acres belonging to Cecil R. Henry ‘were vested in the Congested Districts’ Board in April 1914’[15]).  There were 7 people living in the Moran house, including Head of Family, Timothy, aged 67 who was a widower; his son John, aged 31 and daughter-in-law Bridget, aged 30; grand-son Timothy, aged 9, grand-daughter  Mary, aged 5 and grandson Michael, who was less than 1 year old. Both families lived in 2 rooms in houses with 2 front windows.

Addergoole National School was also recorded on the Census, and it too was located on Henry land.

All of the residents of Addergoole listed their place of birth as ‘Co. Galway’ and all of the children were listed as ‘scholars’. Both John Moran and Timothy Moran listed their occupations as ‘shepherd’. Pat Kelly, Head of Family did not have an occupation recorded on the Census in 1901.

The oldest person in the townland was Timothy Moran, aged 67 and the youngest people were Michael Moran and William Kelly, aged less than 1 year old.

Census 1911[16]

There were 13 people listed in the Census in 1911. These included the following Heads of Household: John Courtney, Patrick Langan, Honor Stone and Patrick Lowry.

John Courtney

John Courtney lived in a 2nd class house on land he owned. John was aged 56 and was married to Margaret who was aged 46. The Courtney house also included sons James, aged 11, Bartley, aged 9 and a daughter Mary, aged 7. Patrick Collins, a farm servant also lived in John Courtney’s house.

Patrick Langan

Patrick Langan lived in a 2nd class house on land owned by Cecil R. Henry. Patrick, aged 40 was married and lived with his widowed mother, Mary, aged 80 and his sister Delia, aged 35.

Honor Stone

Honor Stone, aged 55 lived in a 2nd class house also on land owned by Henry and was unmarried.

Patrick Lowry

Patrick Lowry lived in a 2nd class house on land he himself owned. Patrick, aged 72 was a widower and lived with a son, Thomas, aged 33 and his daughter-in-law Mary, aged 33.

All of the households recorded a fowl-house amongst their out-buildings. The Courtney, Langan and Lowry households also had a cow-house and all with the exception of the Langan family had a barn. The Courtney family were the only family in the townland to operate a dairy while the Lowry household was the only household with a piggery.

All of the families on the 1911 Census listed their place of birth as ‘Co. Galway’. Unusually there were a number of varying occupations listed in this townland. While many townlands were occupied by farmers, in this townland, Honor Stone was listed as a ‘gate keeper’, Patrick Langan a ‘herd’ and Patrick Collins as a ‘farm servant’.

The oldest person in the townland in 1911 was Mary Langan, aged 80, who was a widow and the youngest person was Mary Courtney, aged 7, daughter of John Courtney.

Census 1991-2006

The bar graph in this document plots the changes in population in this townland between 1841 and 2006, according to census information[17].

Mapping Changes

The Ordnance Survey (OS) Maps (1837-1842)[18] shows that there were stepping stones and eel-weirs to the south of the townland on the river bordering the townland of Grange. The main road to Tuam also passed along the southern boundary from the east, at Grange, through to the west into Carrowmoneen. There were no houses evident in the north-western part of the townland; all dwellings were located towards the south, close to, or with access to the road. Outside of this large area, all of the remaining land was divided into small plots.

A comparison between the OS 25 Inch Map (1888-1913) and the OS Aerial Map[19] (2005) shows how the landscape and geography of the area have changed. The (1888-191 Map, shows that a spring existed in the centre of the townland and Addergoole National School was located just off the main road, and just north of the stepping stones shown on the earlier map.

By 2000 the large area of land in the north-west of the townland mentioned above, was planted with forestry. The stepping stones and eel-weirs are no longer visible, and in fact, that tributary of the river no longer flows along the southern boundary of the townland. A dam that was also visible in the early map further south of Addergoole in the townland of Togherbeg was a green field in 2005. Today there are 4 houses in this townland mostly located along the road to Tuam.

[1] Placenames Database of Ireland (http://www.logainm.ie/Viewer.aspx?text=Addergoole&streets=yes) (Apr 2011)

[2] Trinity College, Dublin, ‘The Down Survey’ (http://downsurvey.tcd.ie/landowners.php#mc=53.519656,-8.805316&z=14) (22 May 2013)
[3] ibid

[4] Galway County Library, ‘O’Donovan’s Field Name Books’(http://places.galwaylibrary.ie/asp/fullresult.asp?id=26038) (Apr 2011)

[5] Galway County Library, ‘O’Donovan’s Field Name Books’(http://places.galwaylibrary.ie/asp/fullresult.asp?id=26038) (Apr 2011)

[6] Galway County Library, ‘O’Donovan’s Field Name Books’(http://places.galwaylibrary.ie/asp/fullresult.asp?id=26038) (Apr 2011)

[7] Galway County Library, ‘O’Donovan’s Field Name Books’(http://places.galwaylibrary.ie/asp/fullresult.asp?id=26038) (Apr 2011)

[8] 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.

[9] Galway County Library, ‘O’Donovan’s Field Name Books’(http://places.galwaylibrary.ie/asp/fullresult.asp?id=26038) (Apr 2011)

[10] ‘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)

[11] Ask about Ireland, ‘Griffith’s Valuation’ (http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index) (Feb 2011)

[12] ‘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)

[13] 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, p110)

[14] The National Archives of Ireland, ‘Census Ireland 1901’, (http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/results.jsp?census_year=1901&surname=&firstname=&county=Galway&townland=Addergoole&ded=Killererin&age=&sex=&search=Search&relationToHead=&religion=&education=&occupation=&marriageStatus=&birthplace=&language=&deafdumb=&marriageYears=&childrenBorn=&childrenLiving=) (May 2011)

[15]  National University of Ireland, Galway, ‘Landed Estates Database’, (http://landedestates.nuigalway.ie) (May 2011)

[16] The National Archives of Ireland, ‘Census Ireland 1901/1911’, (http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/search/results.jsp?census_year=1911&surname=&firstname=&county=Galway&townland=Addergoole&ded=Killererin&age=&sex=&search=Search&relationToHead=&religion=&education=&occupation=&marriageStatus=&birthplace=&language=&deafdumb=&marriageYears=&childrenBorn=&childrenLiving=) (May 2011)

[17]  Kids Zone Learning with NECS ‘Create a Graph’,  (http://nces.ed.gov/nceskids/createagraph/default.aspx?ID=6a334b2bea6040ee8a7a6a409af127d8) (Feb 2012)

[18] Ordnance Survey Ireland, ‘25” Historical Map 1888-1913’ (www.osi.ie/publicviewer) (May 2011)

[19] Ordnance Survey Ireland, ‘25” Historical Map 1888-1913’ (www.osi.iepublicviewer) (May 2011)

This page was added on 02/03/2015.

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