CIVIL PARISH OF KILFARBOY - R.C. PARISH OF MILTOWN MALBAY.
TOWNLAND OF TOOREEN.
Townlands are the smallest administrative unit of Irish local government. The network of townlands, as it now stands was laid out in the first half of the 19th century. The Boundary Survey commenced work in 1824, marking out, on the ground, where necessary, the actual boundaries of every townland. Where they felt it necessary, they subdivided the pre-existing land divisions, to create smaller units. The Ordnance Survey built on the work of the Boundary Commission to produce maps of the entire country at a scale of 6” to the statute mile. This was done in County Clare during the 1830s.
As part of their work the Ordnance Survey carried out an extensive documentary and field survey of placenames and recorded the results of their work in Field Name Books. Some, but not necessarily all of the names recorded in the Field Name Books were incorporated in the subsequent maps. The Ordnance Survey set down definitive names for each townland and also for other features entered in the Name Books, these were signed with the initials J oD, presumably for John O Donovan, although not all of the initials were by the same hand. The information collected during the 1830s was first published in Tooreen map 1920
1. Cool Slieve [- Cúl Sliabh, (recte Cúl Sléibhe), the Back of the Hill], on the boundary with the townland of Illaunbawn. The meaning is self-explanatory.
Location map for No. 2 - Donnellan's Doon
Photo -Donnellan's Doon
Pronunciation
3. Kinnoulty’s Doon [- Dún , a Fort, a Place]. (see no. 2 above) Michael Joe McMahon asserts that the Kinoulty family came from the North of Ireland and settled in the parish of Cloona, (now part of Ennistymon Parish) in the early 1780s. This is substantiated to some extent by the comment of John Lloyd in his ‘Tour of Clare ---‘published in 1780 “A detour takes us to Mount Callan, the "fruitful environs" of which "are inhabited by the, descendants of Northern or Ultonian emigrants to this county during the late wars in this kingdom; they are an honest endeavouring people". Lloyd is referring to the Cromwellian transplantations.
Kinoulty’s Doon was also known as Doon a' Sigh, from Dún na Shí, Fairies Fort. All of this area was celebrated for supernatural beings.
Location map for No. 4 - Quinn's Doon
Photo - Quinn's-Doon
5. Kennelly’s Doon [- Dún, a Fort, a Place], (see No. 2 above). Property of the Kennelly family.
Location map for No. 6 - Pairc Maureen
Photo - Pairc Maureen
Pronunciation
7. Bun a Cruick [– Bun an Chnoic], Bottom of the Hill.
Location map for No. 8 - Gort a' Cuigeann
Photo - Gort a' Cuigeann
Pronunciation
9. Pairteacs [– Pairteach, probable abr. Moinéar or Talamh Páirteach, Shared Land or Meadow]. This seems to refer to a time when the land was held under what was called the Rundale system by which land was held in shared (originally family kin group)ownership. The land was unfenced and allocated among the participants in strips in such a way that everyone got a share of the different qualities of land in the holding. The allocations were regularly switched around among the participants, by lottery. The name Rundale derives from Roinn Dáil, Division by Committee. The system is explained in detail in an article by Tom Yager -‘What is Rundale and where did it come from?’ in Béaloideas 2002. The name Móinéar Páirteach occurs in Dough townland also.
Location map for No. 10.- the Dry Lake (site of. )
11. Gort an Aiteann [– Gort an Aiteann, the Field of the Furze].
Location map for No.12. - Murty's Bush
13. Pairc Bwee [– Pairc Bhuí, the Yellow Field]. Presumably the field was called after either the soil or the foliage.
<a title="O.S.6" map="" 1920="" sheet="" 31"="" data-cke-saved-href="http://oac.ie/site/content/non-members-redirect" href="http://oac.ie/site/content/non-members-redirect">Location map for No. 16 - Pairc Bwee
Pronunciation