Blúid Thoir

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Blúid Thoir or Bluid East is townland of 42 hectares or 104 acres and in the early part of the 20th century, 51 individual fields were mapped in this townland.

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

Blúid Thoir is bordered by Bán na gColpaí (Bawnnagollopy) and Faiche Úrach (Fahouragh) to the north, Blúid Thiar (Bluid West) to the west, An Dúinín (Doneen) to the south and An Gort Breac (Gortbrack) to the east.

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 Bhluid is split into two divisions - Thiar (West) and Thoir (East) . Bluid is believed to come from pluid which was interpreted by Bruno O'Donoghue as the place of stagnant pools.

History

Eviction: Some of the original families in this townland moved to Bluid after they were evicted from Rea around 1849/1850 (just after the famine). It was alleged by Rev, Charles Davis (RC Administrator in Skibbereen) in a letter to the Cork Examiner on 12th November 1869 that the Catholics were expelled from that townland and the land was given to a Protestant at a lower rent (6s 6d per acre intead of 14s). J.E. Browne of Smithville, Skibbereen replied to the Cork Examiner on 25th November to say that he was the "favoured Protestant" who was now renting the land in Rea and claimed that the tenants had been in arrears in their rent for years and that the land had deteriorated. He claimed that the tenants had been forgiven their rent by the landlord and were still living on the land (with the exception of one tenant who moved to America)

Rev. Davis wrote again to the Cork Examiner on December 3rd 1869 to correct his previous statement and say that the tenants had paid 16s 6d an acre while Mr. Browne rented it at 6s 8d an acre. He also claimed that the neighbouring townland of Farrangilla had also been cleared and was now in the possession of Mr. Browne's uncle-in-law. He said that there were 18 tenants in Rea in 1850 with another 20 in Farrangilla and called on Mr. Browne to name the farms on which they were now residing.. He also claimed that Mr. Browne was now the sole occupier of land upon which 152 people had previously lived and remembered that some had to unroof their own houses and carry the timbers with them when they were expelled. He also remembered the late Father Leader reading the names of the evicted Rea tenants from the altar in the church in Skibbereen.

Mr Browne's reply was printed in the Cork Examiner on 13th December 1869 and he stated that there were only 8 tenants in Rea before he occupied it. He also said that they were placed at lower rents on other farms on the property and stated that this gave them a better chance of prosperity. He also named them as follows:

Thomas Leary, Patrick Courtney and Timothy Courtney now residing on the lands of Bluid. Denis Coughlan and Denis Keating, Kiladerry Jeremiah Cadogan, Currabeg John Crowley, Cooldougha Timothy Keating had moved to America

The next letter from Rev. Davis was in the Skibbereen Eagle on Christmas Eve and includes a declaration by 81-year old Thomas Leary of Bluid (which was witnessed by Jeremiah Cadogan, Patrick Courtney, Timothy Courtney and Denis Coughlan). Thomas Leary stated that he, his father and grandfather had lived in Rea for nearly 200 years, he had paid his annual rent of £14 punctually every year (with a reduction in rent in the famine years) and had not been in arrears at the time of his eviction. He said that there had been 18 tenants on the lands in Rea with detached fields and he believed that the other tenants had not been in arrears either. He also stated that Mr. Browne had been employed by the agent, Thomas Marmion, and served the tenants with notice to quit and, when they refused, he told them that they would be put out by the sheriff without any consideration from the landlord. As a result they decided to surrender their possessions and move. As proof of his solvency, Thomas Leary stated that he was paying the same rent of £14 a year for "his barren mountain farm in Bluid" and believed that the "kind-hearted landlord, Rev. Mr. Townsend" did not order the eviction as he lived in England at the time. He also declared that he could have afforded a rent of £20 per year, had he been asked.

Rev R. Troy of Castlehaven wrote to the Cork Examiner on 18th December to confirm that the expulsions from Rea, Farranagilla and Raheen on Rev Townsend's estate were effected by his agent, Mr. Tom Marmion and stated that those evicted were "honest and industrious and under all circumstances most patient and resigned."

Thomas Henry Marmion Junior who was the son of the agent, had a letter in the Cork Examiner on New Year's Eve stating that he was writing in defence of the "uncalled for attack" on his father's character (who had been paralysed for 9 years). He said that he had received permission from Rev M.F.S. Townsend to look at his rent books and claimed that Denis Courtney owed £40-0-6d in rent arrears. In the same paper there was a letter from Rev. Charles Davis stating that he "utterly disdains replying to a letter" from R.B. Marmion on 30th December 1869 and says that readers who are well-acquainted with the writer will well understand the reason. The letter in question was published in the Skibbereen Eagle on 1st January (as below)

On New Years Day the Skibbereen Eagle published a letter from Robert Bird Marmion (son of Thomas) claiming that the earlier declaration of Thomas Leary was false and alleged that he owed arrears of not less than £86 5s 4d at the time of his eviction. The final correspondence was from Rev. Davis and was published in the Cork Examiner on 6th January. He states Rev M. Townsend was not responsible for evictions but the land agent, Thomas Marmion, was. He also questions whether the tenants abandoned their lands or if the lands were taken from them?

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 and a guide on how to interpret these can be seen here. These show that three of the four houses in the townland at that time were class 3. This means that they were thatched houses with stone walls with mud or puddle mortar. All three are described as being old (more than 25 years) with two of these being out of repair while the other is in good repair. The remaining house in Bluid East at this time is described as Class 1 which means that it is a slated dwelling house built with stone or brick and lime mortar. Its condition is described as medium (not new), but in sound order and good repair. All houses in the townland at this time are between 5 foot 9 inches (!) and 7 foot 6 inches tall which indicates that they are single storey at this time.

By the 1901 census, there are three occupied houses in Bluid East and all three of these have walls of stone, brick or concrete with roofs of slate, iron or tiles..One house has two, three or four rooms while the other two have five or six rooms. All three houses have two windows in front indicating that they are probably still single-storey at this time..

When we advance to the 1911 census there are still 3 occupied houses in this townland. Not surprisingly, all still have walls of stone, brick or concrete with roofs of slate, iron or tiles. One house still has two, three or four rooms while the other six have either 5 or 6 rooms. Two houses still have two windows in front while the other now has three windows.

Places of Interest

Píceán; This seems to be the highest point in the townland at 131m above sea level and according to Lankford it translates to "The Peak In The Hill"

There are no points in this townland mapped on the Historic Environment Viewer

Interesting Placenames

Besides those mentioned above, there is a field in this townland called Páírc na Trá. This seems to mean the field of the beach but this field is not located anywhere near the sea. There is also a field which is referenced in Lankford as The Head And Two Shoulders - apparently due to its shape)

We have also mapped the following field names in this townland: The Gate Field, Páirceanna Paddy (Paddy's fields), The West Field, The Round Field, The Field North Of The Gate, The Slate House Field (there is a stone quarry in the corner of the field), The Flat Field, Cineard (interpretation unknown), Páirc Dhubh (the black boggy field), Cnocán na nGarraithe (hill of the gardens), The Vein (interpretation unknown - méan is a mouth or opening but not known if linked), The Field Behind The House, The Vein Field (interpretation unknown), The Meadow Field, The Orchard, The Haggard, Páircín a' Leaca (sloping field), Port na Ríthe (the bog of the kings - could also be the landing place of kings - reason not known), Bluid Gap

There is a crossroads called Quarry Cross in this townland and there are roads called the Quarry Road and the Bán Road (named after a local family) that runs through 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]

Folklore

Tough Times: A poem composed in the second half of the 19th century gives a good indication of how tough life was for the tenant farmers of Bluid, some of whom had been evicted from their farms in Rea in the late 1860s (see above). The name Bluid is said to mean a wet, muddy place and this poem certainly corroborates this meaning. The green fields of Bluid today are testament to many generations of hard-working families who have turned this muddy place into the fertile townland of today.

Cathaoirín Ó Cearnaigh na Bluide

Tá scol éanlaith ‘s faoileán ‘s pilbín míog ann,

Agus iomad aca luighe insa’ guta;

Ta luachair ‘s grúnlach ag fás ann go flúirseach,

Agus fior-uisce i ngach cúinne di ag briseadh;

Ach arís go rath ni bhfaighidh BO’C puinn dem bharr-sa

‘S beidh meirg a’ fás ar a chiteal

Mar rachad thar sáile, is tuillfeadh mo phádh-sa,

Toisc gur fuath liom anródhti na Bluide.

Tigherna talmhan b’ead an BO’C so go bhfuil tagairt dó ann. Chómnuigh sé ar an Seana Chluain le hais Bhaile.an Chaisleáin (ref Ó hAnnracháin)

Ni fios cé a chum an dán seo (go raibh trí vearsaí ann ó cheart) ach, thóg Peadar Ó hAnnracháin an véarsa seo ó bhéal Sheáin Ó Seasnáin.

As Ceann Tuaithe (nó b’fhéidir as Scoth Bán) don Sheasnánach seo.

Carney of Bluid’s Chair

There's the shrill call of fowl and seagulls and lapwings,

And lots of them lying there in the mire;

There’s rushes and weeds growing there in abundance,

And pure water breaking out in every corner;

But never again will Carney get a penny out of me

And rust will be growing on his kettle

As I will go overseas and I will earn my wages,

For I hate the wretchedness of Bluid.

This BO’C referred to here was a landlord (or more probably a land agent), Carney. He lived in Sean-Chluain (Shanacluen – the field opposite the priest’s house in Castletownshend). It’s not known who composed the poem (it was originally composed of three verses) but this verse was transcribed early in the 20th century by Peadar Ó hAnnracháin from the mouth of Seán Ó Seasnáin (John Sexton of Toehead or possibly John Sexton of Scobaun).

Dead Cat: There is a story told in the Schools' Collection where a Bluid woman lived alone with her son, Mickie, long ago. One day she got angry with him and said that she would not bake bread for him. She put a cake in the bastible and went out to the garden. Mickie put a cat into the bastible instead and ran off with the cake. When the woman came in, she noticed the horrible smell. She lifted the cover from the bastible and found the poor, roasted cat.

Families and Notable Residents

The Tithe Applotment books of 1825 list the following family names: Sullivan, Cahalane (?), Barry, Brickley, Courtney, Hegarty, Hegarty, Collins, Browne

Griffiths Valuation of 1853 lists the following family names: Sullivan, Hegarty, Courtney

The Census of Ireland of 1901 lists the following family names: Hegarty, Sullivan, Courtney

The Census of Ireland of 1911 lists the following family names: Sullivan (with Canty (2 x servants)), Hegarty, Courtenay

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
1825	Tithe Applotment	9	70 (est)		1825
1841	Census of Ireland	4	31
1851	Census of Ireland	4 (Incl. 1 unoccupied)	16
1853	Griffith's Valuation	4 (Incl. 1 unoccupied)	16 (est)		1853
1861	Census of Ireland	3	19
1871	Census of Ireland	5	40
1881	Census of Ireland	3	23
1891	Census of Ireland	3	20
1901	Census of Ireland	3	17		1901
1911	Census of Ireland	3	19		1911

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

Between 1656 and 1658 the Down Survey mapped all areas of the country to track ownership of land after much had been granted to followers of Cromwell after the war of the 1650's. The most prominent proprietors (titulados) of this townland at that time was Owen McTeige. This townland was part of Blood and Ballinogolespy at that time.

At the time of the 1825 Tithe Applotments, this townland was listed as Blud and was not split into West and East.

The proprietor of this townland in 1841 was Morgan O'Donovan of Douglas, Cork and his agent was Murtough Hanrahan of Cloughane, Skibbereen. It was all held under lease by George Beamish of Lake Mount and sublet to tenants without a lease.

In 1841 the soil was described as not good, with a small part arable producing light crops of potatoes and oats.