Cluain Cathail

Cluain Cathail or Clontaff is a townland of 49 hectares / 121 acres and in the early part of the 20th century, 67 individual fields were mapped in this townland.

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

Cluain Cathail is bordered by Baile an Chalaidh (Ballincolla) to the east, An Chathair Gheal (Cahergal) to the south and Lios Torcáin (Listarkin) to the west

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

Cluain Cathail can be interpreted as Cluain an Chatha which means the meadow of the battle - Bruno O'Donoghue interprets it as the battle plain. In his article in Volume 7 of the Skibbereen and District Historical Society Journal, Eugene Daly also interprets it as the plain of the battle. At the time of the Down Survey (1656 - 1658), the name of this townland was anglicised to Cloncahill. According to O'Donoghue, it was spelt Clonecah at the time of the 1659 census.

Part of Union Hall village is also in this townland. The official name of the village is Bréan Tráigh which can be interpreted as the smelly strand. It is thought that it was named after the number of corpses that were allowed to rot there after a battle in the area circa 400 years ago (possibly the battle which gave the townland its name). It is also said that another name for the village was Tráigh a Bhróin (strand of sadness/laments) which also lends credence to this theory.

History

Village: Clontaff/Cluain a' Catha is one of the three townlands which make up the village of Union Hall, the others being Ballincolla and Listarkin. We have no records or maps prior to 1800 to tell us its age or when people began to settle around this area of the parish in large numbers. What we do know is that many of the large houses on the outskirts of the village were built circa 1810 including Unionhall House, which was built by one of the Limricks and originally known as the "Hall". Both it and the village were renamed Unionhall/Union Hall to celebrate the passing of the Act of Union. Clontaff straddles both sides of the village at different points but the greater portion of it is to be found on the southern side beginning at Strawberry Lane and extending south beyond the "Lodge" where it bounds the townland of Ballincolla. Strawberry Lane (also known as "The Lane") had some interesting buildings in bygone days starting with the auxiliary workhouse which catered for the overflow from the main workhouse in Skibbereen. While the building still exists it is now divided into two dwelling houses. Further up the lane were the McCarthy smithy, the gardener's and the butler's houses. It was in the butlers house that the Colonel Spaight and his wife spent their final night in Union Hall after their house was burnt to the ground during the Troubles. This townland also had seven of the village's public houses ,one of which lost its licence for a number of years due to breaches of the licencing laws. During that period it operated as a síbín. Some of these public houses were 'tied houses' meaning they were required to sell the products of particular breweries.

Dance Hall: On November the 9th, 1948 William Crowley applied to the courts for a public dance licence for his newly constructed hall in the village and, it having been granted, the Grand Opening Dance and the official opening was held on December 27th of the same year. For the next 50 years bands from the four corners of Ireland played here, many of which went on to become household names. The early mode of transport to the dances was the bicycle and stories abound of patrons cycling from places as far away as Barryroe to the east and the Mizen to the west.

The Lodge: The crossroads beyond the church, which will either take you to Skahana or to Myross or as the locals say "south the parish", is known as the Lodge. The main entrance to Clontaff House South was here and both the pillars and the ruins of the gate lodge are still visible.

Famine: The book, The Famine Story" lists the men from this 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 names were as follows: John Cleary, Tim Collins, Michael Collins, John Driscoll, Francis Cotter, Pat Donoghue, John Driscoll, James Collins, Daniel Donovan, Cornelius Driscoll, David Regan. In addition, workers from Union Hall were listed separately. As this was one of the three townlands are in Union Hall, it was possible that some of the following also lived in this townland: Bryan Sweeny, James Sweeny, Michael Hurley, Daniel Murphy, Daniel Burke, John Kelly, Timothy Burke, Michael Donovan, Jer Connor, Michael Hennessy, Timothy Dawly, John Dwire, John Donoghue, Daniel Donovan Tragh, Florence Driscoll, John Dwyer, Pat Minihane

During the famine, the Rev. Mr. Oliver, (Church of Ireland Minister) opened a soup kitchen behind the present school in what we believe was the first national school in the parish. His modus operandi was to come down to the main road and beckon to the people coming out of mass to assuage their hunger with the food that he was providing. Some did and others refused and, of those who did, some converted and earned themselves the moniker "souper". This led to many arguments between himself and the Parish Priest the Rev. James Mulcahy both in person and the local press.

Housing

As part of Griffiths Valuation in 1852, a survey of house quality was carried out to calculate what rates were due by each household. These were issued in the form of house books (Pg 1, Pg 2, Pg 3, Pg 4, Pg 5) and a guide on how to interpret these can be seen here. These show that 5 of the 57 occupied houses in the townland at this time were class 3. This means that they were thatched houses with stone walls with mud or puddle mortar. All of these were described as old (more than 25 years) with one being in repair and four being out of repair. The remaining 52 houses were Class 1 which means that they were slated dwelling houses built with stone or brick and lime mortar. The condition of 45 of these was described as medium (not new) with fifteen being described as in sound order and good repair while thirteen were slightly decayed, but in good repair and the other seventeen were described as deteriorated by age and not in perfect repair. The remaining seven class 1 houses are old (more than 25 years) but in repair. All of the class 3 houses in the townland are between 5 foot (!) and 6 foot tall which indicates that they were single storey at this time. The class 1 houses vary between 6 feet and 19 feet tall.

By the 1901 census (Pg 1, Pg 2, Pg 3), there is a drop to 35 occupied houses and all have walls of stone, brick or concrete with roofs of slate, iron or tiles. Two of the houses have just one room with no window in front while another seven have two, three or four rooms with one having one window in front and the other six having two windows in front (which indicate that they are probably still single storey at this time). Another twelve houses have two, three or four rooms with seven having three windows in front, three having four and two having five. Five houses have five or six rooms with two having four windows in front and the other three having five windows. Nine houses have seven, eight or nine rooms with one having four windows, four having five, two having six, one having eight and the other having ten windows in front. The remaining house in the townland at this time had thirteen or more rooms and eleven windows in front.

When we advance to the 1911 census there is a bg drop to 8 occupied houses as Union Hall village is treated separately at this time. Not surprisingly, all still have walls of stone, brick or concrete with roofs of slate, iron or tiles. Five of the houses have two, three or four rooms with two having just one window in front, two having two (indicating that these are probably all single storey at this time) while the other has four windows in front. Two of the remaining houses has ten, eleven or twelve rooms with one having six and the other nine windows in front. The last house in the townland at this time had thirteen or more rooms with ten windows in front.

Places of Interest

Union Hall: Part of Union Hall Village is in this townland.

Church: The current Myross RC Church is in this townland. It was built between 1829 and 1832 by Father Jeremiah Crowley to cater for a Mass going population of 800 people. It was reported to measure 80 feet by 30 feet. In 1926, the architectural firm of Ashlin and Coleman of Dublin, whose portfolio included St. Patrick's Cathedral Armagh, St. Mary's Cathedral, Killarney and St. Colman's Cathedral Cobh were instructed to draw up plans which would see the the whole church revamped and enlarged. The contract to carry out the work was awarded to the firm of Jeremiah J. Coffey of Midleton and the Clerk of Works for the project was Paul Daly of Leap.

Architect's plan for church

Clontaff House North also known as Clontaff Cottage was built by John Kingston, probably the John Kingston mentioned in the poem Droichead Geal Mhíruis (attributed to Seán Ó Coileáin) in 1817.

Clontaff House South. This was the residence of Richard Townshend. Later residents included the Jennings family and the Kingston family.

Lios: There was a ringfort (lios) in this townland. Ringforts were circular fortified settlement that were mainly built during the Bronze age up to about the year 1000. It can no longer be seen.

Soup House: There was a Soup House in this townland.

As well as the church mentioned above, Clontaff Cottage and some other shops and houses are mapped on the Historic Environment Viewer for this townland

Interesting Placenames

There is a lane on the border between Clontaff and Ballincolla which is known as Strawberry Lane (or The Lane). According to Lankford, it got its name as the orchard in Colonel Spaight's ground had lots of fruit, including strawberries, which grew just over the wall. It got its name as the children would take a strawberry whenever they passed.

Other old field names in this townland have been captured as follows: Shamrock Field (according to Lankford it was named because shamrock was grown there), Silage Field, Páirc an Clúair (meaning unknown - páirc is a field - as a guess cluar may be linked to cluarán which is a thistle), Páirc Tadhg a 'Mhaide (can be interpreted as the field of Tadhg (Tim) of the stick), Páirc an Aonaigh (can be interpreted as the fair field - the local fairs were held here - there are buildings here now)

What is Cartivourneen / Carraig Tí Eógan **************

Is there a road called Bóithrín an Phúca (boreen of the ghost) *************

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 place names in this townland (or if you need to correct any or give further background information), please contact us at [email protected]

Folklore

Gaelgeoir: Kate Hennessy / Cait Ní Aonghusa of Union Hall was said by Douglas Hyde to be one of the best Irish speakers in Munster when he stayed in Glandore. She was also mentioned in Our Dublin Letter article in the Southern Star in February 1948. She lived in the Square where Casey's Bar was and died on 17th February 1920

Droichead Geal Mhíruis: Include excerpt from Droichead Geal Mhíruis here********

Families and Notable Residents

The Tithe Applotment books of 1829 list the following family names:

Col. Limrick's Clantaff: Limrick, St. Jervais, Driscoll, Roche, Vaughan, Driscoll, Mahoney, Coughlan, Donovan, Bryan, Bryan, Hurley, Driscoll, Carthy

Gent O'Donovan's Clantaff: Thompson, Vaughan, Bryan, Dillon, Crowley

Griffiths Valuation of 1853 lists the following family names:

Rural: Hayes, , Daly, Taylor, Long, Townsend. . In addition, the following had land only: Leary, Vaughan, Collins, Crowley, Dillon, Dillon, Driscoll, Limrick, Greany, Burke

Union Hall Village: Vaughan, Dillon, Newman, Hegarty, Donovan, Horgan, Fuller, Brien, McCarthy, Walsh, Sullivan (smithy), Mahony, Dillon, Cullinane, Burke, Bryan, Daly, Walsh, Leary, Regan, Crowley, Bryan, Burke, Collins, Clarke, Dillon, Donovan, Cleary, Collins, McCarthy (smithy), Driscoll and Donovan. In addition, Rev. James Mulcahy was the priest at the Roman Catholic church

The Census of Ireland of 1901 lists the following family names: Green (with Buckley (grand-daughter)), Donovan, Minihane (with Driscoll (boarder)), Driscoll, Minihane (with Hegarty (relative)), Hickey (with Pierce (daughter and 2 x grand-daughter)), Murray (with Murphy and Keohane (both servants)), Sheehan, Minihane, Cronin, Mahony (with Crowley (grandmother)), Murphy (with Mahony (relation) and Inalteagh (boarder)), Sullivan, Donovan (with Mahoney (visitor)), Shanahan, Collins, O'Brien (with Walsh (servant)), Cullinane, Crowley, Donovan, Burchill, Daley, McCarthy, Fuller (with Lynch (baker) and Burns (servant)), Driscoll, Cullinane, Hallahan (with Donovan (daughter and grand-daughter)), Donovan, Donovan, Sweeney (with Brien (mother-in-law)), Collins, Hayes (with Lloyd (niece), Walsh, Collins, Collins, Sweeney, Crispie (with Gloster (grandson)), O'Hea, Hennessy, O'Callaghan, Fitzgerald, Nolan

The Census of Ireland of 1911 lists the following family names: Jennings, Donovan (with Cadogan (general domestic servant)), Murray (with Murphy house-keeper) and Keohane(servant)), Minihane, Driscoll, Hickey (with Ryan (daughter, grand-daughter and 2 x grandsons)), Donovan and Sullivan

Note that Union Hall village is listed separately in the Census of Ireland of 1911 (these were included in the townlands of Ballincolla, Listarkin or Clontaff in the 1901 census). The underneath residents of Clontaff have been extracted from that list.

Coughlan, Minihane, Donovan (with Driscoll daughter and granddaughter), Minihane, McKibben, Mahony, Donovan , Murphy (with Jennings (seamstress), Hayes, Driscoll, Shanahan (with Skinner (boarder), Cronin, Unoccupied, Browne(with Hennessy (child maid domestic servant),, Burke (with Sullivant (servant)),, Cullinane, Crowley, Donovan, Daly, Fuller (with O'Connell and Clarke (both clerks) and McCarthy, Glanton and Mahony (all servants), Driscoll, Donovan, Donovan (with Hallahan (sister-in-law)), Donovan, Donovan, Sweeney, Driscoll, Collins, Hayes (with Lloyd (niece),, Walsh, Kirby, Donovan, Browne, Minihane, Collins, Sullivan, Donovan (with Hallisey (relative)),, O’ Hea, Unoccupied, Hennessy (with Hourihane (niece)) , Donoghue, Nolan. Two public houses unoccupied with one probably closed.

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	19	114 (est)		1829
1841	Census of Ireland	33 (Incl 3 unoccupied)	145
1851	Census of Ireland	11 (Incl 4 unoccupied)	34
1853	Griffith's Valuation	Rural: 9 (Incl. 4 unoccupied) Village: 44 (Incl. 11 unoccupied)	Rural: 30 (est) Village: 198 (est)		1853
1861	Census of Ireland	13 Incl 2 unoccupied)	62
1871	Census of Ireland	10	37
1881	Census of Ireland	13 (Incl 3 unoccupied)	44
1891	Census of Ireland	9 (Incl 2 unoccupied)	24
1901	Census of Ireland	47 (Incl. 5 unoccupied)	170		1901
1911	Census of Ireland	10 (Including RC church and 1 unoccupied)	23		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 proprietor (titulado) of this townland at that time was Teig Neglure. This townland was spelt as Cloncahill at this time.

The proprietor of this townland in 1841 was Rev. Francis Stawell of Doneraile and his agent was Thomas Bailie of Castletownroche. It was let to a John Limrick of Ardmanna Schull. (Bawnlahan)? and sub-let to tenants - some with leases and some at will with lump rents.

In 1841, the soil was described as argillaceous (substantial amounts of clay), producing wheat, oats and potatoes. Fuel was described as scarce and the prevailing names were Vaughan and Townsend.