An Ré

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An Ré / Rea is a townland of 107 hectares or 265 acres and in the early part of the 20th century, 132 individual fields were mapped in this townland.

It is in the Electoral Division of Castlehaven North, in Civil Parish of Abbeystowry and the Roman Catholic Parish of Castlehaven and Myross

An Ré is bordered by the following townlands: Bán na gColpaí (Bawnnagollopy) and An Ráithín (Raheen) to the east, Blúid Thiar (Bluid West), Fearann an Ghiolla (Farrangilla) and An Lisín Rua (Lisheenroe) to the south, Lios an Ruacháin (Lissarankin) to the west and Muine Uí Mhothlacháin (Moneyvolihane) to the north.

OpenStreetmap contributors, with input from the Castlehaven & Myross History Society, have created a detailed townland map including all its minor placenames. Zoom in for further detail.

Etymology

An Ré was interpreted by Bruno O'Donoghue as as a level expanse of moorland (réidh). Another interpretation is flat, mountain land. In his article in Volume 7 of the Skibbereen and District Historical Society Journal, Eugene Daly also interprets it as a level moor.

History

Parish: The townland of Rea along with its neighbours, parts of Bawnagollapy and Farrangilla were in the Civil Parish of Abbeystrewery.In the 1850s they returned to the Roman Catholic Parish of Castlehaven and Myross .However some of the northern townlands of the parish lost their ‘Haven’ status. The townland was part of the Townshend Estate.

Lios: A lios still exists along with a Cillín or Children’s Burial Ground. This can be seen from the roadside as you travel to Skibbereen. This is well preserved and grave markers are still visible. Sadly this was the resting place for unbaptised children. Pity the distraught mother not allowed to give the child a name. These burials were normally carried out at night.

Evictions: There is also the shocking eviction of 23 families from Rea to the “barren mountain of Bluid” The land was given to John E. Browne at a lesser rent around 1849. This was hotly debated in the county newspapers of November and December 1869. The facts speak for themselves. In 1841 there were 152 residents in 27 houses while ten years later there were only 4 houses and 22 tenants. See Bluid West for further detail. The lease of the whole townland was subsequently taken over by William Lambert. Lot by lot, the land of Rea was sold until the final lot held by the Lambert family was sold in 1948.While most of the ditches are gone the field names still survive. One such field is Gort an Aonaigh (the fair field) and locals remember a story of cattle pulling ploughs as they tilled the land.

Creameries: Two generations of creameries, owned and managed by the Lambert family were in operation in the townland from ca. 1895 until 1928. The older creamery was about 10 yards west of the dwelling house in Rea. The newer creamery was located across the road. It was recently replaced by a modern house. The Lambert family ran a shop, creamery and general store. When the current occupiers purchased the farm in 1948, the remains of the shop was still in existence.

Creamery at Rea

Coursing: Coursing was another sport of former times as was hunting. Sadly a newspaper report of 1846 ??? tells of horses trampling in the Children's Burial Ground and disturbing recently interred remains. Also trotting races took place in Rea in the 1980s.

Famine: The book, The Famine Story" lists the men from each townland that were working on the Myross Relief Scheme on 28th August 1846 during the Great Famine. These were public works that involved hard labour for a low wage for a workforce that were already weak and starving. The list includes a Jerry Carthy from Rhea. We are not sure if this refers to this townland.

Housing

As part of Griffiths Valuation in 1853, a survey of house quality was carried out to calculate what rates were due by each household. These were issued in 1850 in the form of house books (Pg 1, Pg 2) and a guide on how to interpret these can be seen here. These show that 10 of the 11 houses in the townland at the time were class 3. This means that they were all thatched houses with stone walls with mud or puddle mortar (as opposed to houses built with stone or brick and lime mortar). Within class 3 there are a number of different categories. 9 of these houses are old (more than 25 years old) but out of repair while two are described as old and dilapidated, scarcely habitable. The other house in this townland at this time is class 1 which means that it was slated and built with stone or brick and lime mortar - it was described as medium (not new), but in sound order and in good repair. All of the class 3 houses in the townland at this time are between 4 foot 6 inches (!) and 6 foot 3 inches tall which indicates that they are single storey at this time. The class 1 house is listed as being 9 foot tall..

By the 1901 census, there are just 4 occupied houses in this townland at this time and all have walls of stone, brick or concrete with roofs of slate, iron or tiles. Three houses have two, three or four rooms with two windows in front (probably still single storey at this time) while the other house has seven, eight or nine rooms and four windows in front.

When we advance to the 1911 census there are still 4 occupied houses in this townland and, not surprisingly, all still have walls of stone, brick or concrete with roofs of slate, iron or tiles. Three houses still have two, three or four rooms with two windows in front (probably still single storey at this time) while the other house is now listed as having seven, eight or nine rooms and five windows in front.

Places of Interest

Lios: There is also a ringfort (lios) in this townland. It is known as Rea Lios. A ringfort is a circular fortified settlement that were mainly built during the Bronze age up to about the year 1000.

Cill: There is a disused children’s burial ground in this townland. These were used for children who died before they were baptised (as they could not be buried in consecrated ground).

Landmarks: Rea Cross and Rea Hill are two well known landmarks. The Caol stream defines the northern limit of the townland and it gives its name to Lios a' tStrutháin (the lios of the stream) or Lisrohane (also sometimes called Lissarankin Lios a' Rangain - the Lios of the river bank).

The ringfort and children's graveyard mentioned above are mapped on the Historic Environment Viewer

Interesting Placenames

Only two field names have been captured and these are the Cill Field (as this is the location of the disused children's graveyard) and also Gort an Aonaigh (the field of the fair).

There is a road running through this townland that is called Rea Hill and Herbie's Gulley at different points, There is a junction called Rea Cross in this townland.

If you want to see the actual locations of any of these, go to detailed townland map on Open Street Maps. If you know any other field names or placenames in this townland (or if you need to correct any or give further background information), please contact us at [email protected]

.Children Burial Ground - Rea

Folklore

Bull: The Schools Collection of 1938 gives more credence to the evictions with a story about a bull belonging to the land agent, Sayburn. Sayburn was so uncompromising that he even prevented the picking of ‘ brosna’ or sticks for the fire. To enforce this he had a very cross bull patrol the land. However, a man named Crowley came up with a solution. Using an ash plant (cáilaheen), he caught onto the bull's tail and the bull then took flight with Crowley in tow. Eventually the bull fell into a hole in Kilderry, now known as Poll a' Tairbh.

Lios: The lios close to the farmyard had an underground passage and the sows were constantly entering and getting stuck. The farmer tipped a few loads of stone into the opening to solve the problem.

Story-Telling: A certain house was a great place for scoraīochting, playing cards and story telling . One story is of a man going to the mart in the horse and cart. Going down the Bog Road, he noticed the horse struggling to pull the cart. However on passing Lissard the horse was happy again. Obviously the fairies wanted a spin home as well. One resident always sang “Johnny and his Camera”, where Johnny took photos of girls and they swore revenge on him.

Old Roads: In the 1960s, remnants of two old roadways were visible in the townland: one ran from just below the bungalow of the late John Driscoll on Rea boreen in a north westerly/westerly direction until it met up with what is now the entrance into Barney Bradfield's farm in Farranagilla and exited onto the Bog Road. At one segment, this road bordered the southern boundary fence of Gort an Aonaigh. The second road commenced at the intersection of the southern and eastern boundary fences of Gort an Aonaigh and ran in a north/north west direction along the eastern boundary fence of Gort an Aonaigh before it exited onto the Skibbereen - Castletownshend road about 200 yards east of Rea Hill.

Hedge School: There is no evidence of any hedge school in the townland. There was a hedge school in neighbouring Kilderry ( Killaderry) where John Brien (Catholic) earned £ 13-30 per annum . It was a pay school in a “most wretched hovel “. No mass paths are mentioned in the townland but children going to school took a shortcut through the fields.

Famine Potatos: Until the 1960s an array of ridges where potatoes were sat in 1846/1847 could be clearly seen in one location in Rea. Since the potatoes caught blight and rotted in the ground , the ridges were never dug and remained rather well preserved up to the 1960s ( from a local source).

Farm for sale 1948

Families and Notable Residents

The Tithe Applotment books of 1825 list the following family names: Bryan, Coughlan, McCarthy, Keating, Sullivan, Bryan

Griffiths Valuation of 1853 lists the following family names: Brown

The Census of Ireland of 1901 lists the following family names: Coughlan, Lambert (with Bryan (cousin) and Sullivan (2x servant)), Casey, Donoghue.

Morgan Lambert is recorded as Protestant Episcopal with the rest of the Lambert family recorded as Methodist (as was their resident cousin, Thomas Bryan who worked as an assistant in the family creamery). All other residents were Catholic.

The Census of Ireland of 1911 lists the following family names: Bryan, Lambert (with Salter (visitor), Connolly. Hegarty and Donohue (all servants)), Casey, Donohoe.

Note: the term 'with' refers to a person or persons of a different family name staying in the house. This may have been an in-law or other relative, a guest, or a farm labourer/housekeeper or domestic servant.

Demographics and Landholding

		*Occupiers	Population	Change	Link to record
1835	Tithe Applotment	6			1835
1841	Census of Ireland	27	152
1851	Census of Ireland	4	22
1853	Griffith's Valuation	1	6 (est)		1853
1861	Census of Ireland	7	56
1871	Census of Ireland	8 (Incl. 4 uninhabited)	30
1881	Census of Ireland	5 (Incl. 1 uninhabited)	35
1891	Census of Ireland	5	21
1901	Census of Ireland	4	20		1901
1911	Census of Ireland	5	24		1911

*Occupiers generally equate to households having a house and land but may also include households having houses but no land.

The landlord proprietor in 1841 was Colonel John Townsend and his agent was Charles Clarke of Skibbereen.. It was all held by tenants without a lease.

In 1841 the soil was described as poor, producing light crops of potatoes and oats.