Hello Judi,
The first of the Aylward family to live in the Ballynakill area, were a landed Catholic family that were transplanted from Co. Waterford, to Co. Galway, as part of the Cromwellian Transplantation to Connacht in the 17th century. They lived at Ballynagar House, near Woodford, Co. Galway.
A lovely little wooded hermitage in the fields opposite the house contains a small grotto, a Lady?s Well, a children?s burial ground, a hermits gravestone and significantly a 17th century inscribed stone plaque dedicated to a member of the Aylward family. The Aylward family were later intermarried with the Lewis family.
This is the list of Aylwards recorded in Griffiths Valuation, 1855
Aylward Jn. Drumminnamuckla North, Ballynakill, Galway
Aylward Jn. Rosturra, Ballynakill, Galway
Aylward Jno. Derrylahan, Ballynakill, Galway
Aylward John M. Ballynagar, Ballynakill, Galway
Aylward John M. Creggpark, Ballynakill, Galway
Aylward Patrick Newtown North, Ballynakill, Galway
Also you should look up landedestates.nuigalway.ie for the Aylward family in Ballynagar House. In this database managed by Marie Boran and Brigid Clesham you will find a short history of the Aylward Estate and also a photograph of the house. I am not certain if your immediate family are from this house but certainly had to have descended from the same original Aylward family that was transplanted here.
I hope that this small snippet of information is of some use to you
Regards,
Christy Cunniffe