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book
The Heart of Ireland
by P. A. Sharkey
P. A. [Rev. Patrick] Sharkey, C.C., B.A., The Heart of Ireland (Illustrated) (Boyle, Ireland, M. J. Ward, Princess Hotel, 1928).
A history of Leitrim, Sligo & neighbouring regions of Mayo
page 310:
Mr. John Keogh, the writer of the tract on Roscommon now before me, was a Protestant clergyman and lived at Cloonslanor, within three-quarters of a mile of Strokestown, where his family had some purchased property, but which has since passed out of the hands of the Keoghs. Tradition says that John Keogh was a great Botanist, Zoologist and Astrologer: “that he wrote a book on Irish botany and fishes, and that he is more than 100 years dead.”
Strokestown, August 17th, 1837
Dear Sir,
I visited the old Church of Cloonfinlough, which is situated in cluain, bounded on one side by a bog and on another by a lough call FION LOCH, i.e. white lake v unde nomen. The church itself is a small rude building, evidently of great antiquity, but all its features are destroyed. Tradition makes it a church of St. Patrick, but no reliance can be placed on this tradition. The townland in which this little church stands was originally called Cluain Fionnlocha, and gave name to the parish and church, but now, strange to say, that name is forgotten, and the townland call Baile an teampull, from the church.
I visited Lissonuffy, a very curious church, said to have been built within the ring of an earthen fort by the O’Duffys and Carlos (Mach Carluisc) in the 6th century; all which is, I am convinced, true, except the date, which is unquestionably wrong, as the name O’Duffy was not in existence in the 6th century, and the church, of which a great portion is standing, is the Gothic style, of which the oldest specimen now in existence is dated 1126.
The Duffys and Carlos are interred in great numbers in this churchyard, and it would appear that they were the ancient Erenachs of the place. According to tradition, the O’Duffys came hither from the County of Louth in the sixth century and possessed the townlands of Tullyvarran, Ballyduffy, Carroward, Caggalkeenagh, and Ballintemple, in the parish of Lissoduffy. The ring of the fort was nearly levelled about fifteen years ago, when the present wall enclosing the churchyard was erected. Until then the Lis, which was planted with white thorns, was the only enclosure, and prevented the pigs from disturbing the bones of the O’Duffys, which the present wall does not (because the gate is left open). Besides this church, there were two others in the parish; one called Teampull Riabhach, which stood within 8 perches to the S.E. of the present church, and another in the upper (i.e., south) part of the townland of Ballinafad, on the summit of the hill, and about three-quarter mile south from the present church of Lissonuffy. We learn from the Annals of the Four Masters, at the year 1471, that the true name of this place is Lios Ui n-Dubththaigh, that is the fort of the O’Duffys, and that it was in Mac Branan’s country, “A.D. 1741, Donnell (son of Cormac, son of Manus) Mac Branain, was treacherously slain at Lios Ui n-Dubththaigh (arx Duffiorum), in violation of the guarantee of the lords and chieftains of the Sil-Murray, by Con, the son of Teige Mac Branain, who had submitted to him some time before.” &c.
The marble monument, to which Dr. O’Conor makes the following reference, is still to be seen in this churchyard.
“The O’Conors Roe and O’Conors Sligo who branched from this family in later times are extinct. The last of the O’Conors Roe was Governor of Civita Vecchia, the principal town in the Pope’s dominions, and a place of great confidence. From that he sent to Belanagare the monument of Carrara marble which was erected to the memory of his family in the church yard of Ballinafad (rectius of Lissonuffy, hear Ballinafad), and also his portrait, a striking likeness, which may be seen in the parlour of Belanagare. The last of the O’Conors Don who possessed the castle and extensive estates of Ballintober, was Hugh O’Conor Don, who died in 1662.” Mem. Ch. O’Conor, p. 303.
Let me here correct a tradition which I received at Ballintober. The Bawn of that castle was destroyed by O’Donnell with one brass cannon which he planted on the hill of Ballyfinnigan, and not by Cromwell, as I was told in Ballintober. A short time before the year 1798 a brother of the late Dominic O’Conor Don, of Cloonalis, collected the country people and entrenched himself in the Bawn of Ballintober with a view of keeping forcible possession of it, and the magistrates were obliged to bring some regiments of soldiers thither to dislodge him.
The name Cluain fionnlacha occurs in the Annals of the Four Masters at the year 1141, but it would appear to be a different place from the parish of that name near Strokestown.
“1141. The Coarb of St. Kieran was plundered by the Sil-Anmchadha, and by Conor, the son of Conor Mac Coghlin, at Cluain fionnlacha.”
In this parish of Cloonfinlough, within a mile of Strokestown and to the right of the road as one goes to Tulsk, is still be be seen the enclosures of O’Conor’s palace at Cloonfree, referred to by the Four Masters at the year 1306.
“1306. A great war broke out between Hugh (son of Owen) O’Conor, King of Connaught, assisted by the chiefs of the Sil-Murray, and Hugh (the son of Cathal) O’Conor, who was assisted by the sons of the chieftains of Connaught, and the tribes of Breifny. ‘The armies remained four months encamped at both sides of the Shannon, and some of Hugh’s people made an incursion into the Tuaths and committed great depradations there. Flann, the son of Fiachra O’Flynn, heir apparent of Sil-Maoilruain, and Brian, the son of Donogh Reagh O’Conor, together with many others, were slain on this occasion by Munter-Anly, who pursued them for their spoils. These chiefs, however, marched off the the preys and as many of their people as had survived until they arrived at O’Conor’s fortress, and set fire to the palace of the King of Connaught, overtook them after they had burned the royal town, and despoiled them of their booty.’” &c.
This fort of Cloonfree should be marked on the Ordnance Map, and I trust it is, though there is no notice of it in the name book of Cloonfinlough. I visited it to-day, and it was with great difficulty I could get into it in consequence of the quantity of shrubs which grew upon it. It is surrounded with a ditch of water of considerable depth in some places.
Was it a wooden house the King of Connaught had inside this in 1306? Perhaps not, as Roderic had erected the castellum-mirificum at Tuam a long time before. I could not trace any of the proad pavements mentioned by Keogh, as the place is now a wilderness of shrubs and weeds.
Ballinafad, in the parish of Lios-O’Duffy, is called Beol-atha-fada, or Long-ford-mouth, by the Four Masters at the year 1482.
“Roderic Mac Dermot, Lord of Moylurg, and Teige Mac Rannall, Lord of Conmacne Moyrein, in violation of their treaty, led an army into Kinel-Dofa, burned the house of O’Hanly, and slew Donogh, the son of Siacus, and the son of O’Conor, who was the grandson of Cormac (O’Hanly.) The inhabitants of Kinel-Dofa, routed them as far as Beol-atha-fada, but Felim Finn (O’Conor) marched thither with his troops to oppose the pursuers and support the pursued.”
There is another Ballinafad near the Curlieus [mountains] in the County of Sligo.…