Hello Wendy,
I'm not related and have not been researching the Broder family. I'm not a resident of County Limerick either (though some of my ancestors did come from County Limerick), but as you can see from the attachments above, there are several maps showing the townlands associated with the Broders in County Limerick, as noted in your message to Ireland Reaching Out.
These are Ordnance Survey maps, which were compiled between 1829 and 1841, before the Great Irish Famine that lasted from 1845 to 1852.
The maps come from the Tailte Eireann website.
The maps of the towns are listed alphabetically.
The first map shows Abbeyfeale, County Limerick. As you can see it is a color map, and shows the locations of the R.C. Chapel (Roman Catholic Chapel), the Post Office, Police Barrack, the Dog Pound, the Court House, and the National School House.
The river just west of the town is the River Feale.
The following link will take you to a description of Abbeyfeale in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland published in 1837. The Topographical Dictionary comes form the Library Ireland website: https://www.libraryireland.com/topog/A/Abbeyfeale-Upper-Connello-Limerick.php
This link will take you to the home page for the Library Ireland website: https://www.libraryireland.com/
The second Ordnance Survey map shows the locations of Ballaghbehy, Ballaghbehey North and Ballaghbehey South. You can enlarge the map, but as you do so, the map becomes more out of focus.
The green arrow points to Ballaghbehy. The blue arrow points to Ballaghbehy North, and the black arrow to Ballaghbehy South.
The third Ordnance Survey map shows the townlands of Knocknasna and Port. Port is located to the left of the red boundary line, and Knocknasna to the right of the red boundary line.
The fourth Ordnance Survey map is a magnified view of Knocknasna, showing the locations of several farm houses and outbuildings in the form of gray oblong boxes.
The fifth Ordnance Survey map shows the location of the R.C. Chapel in Monagea (Monagay, Monegay).
The following link will take you to a description of "Monegay" in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland: https://www.libraryireland.com/topog/M/Monegay-Upper-Connello-Limerick.php
The Diocesan Heritage Project for the Monagea Catholic Church notes the church was constructed in 1839 and is dedicated the Lady of the Visitation.
For more information about Monagea, including topics relating to graveyards, holy wells, the Mass Rock, and famous people, go to the Diocesan Heritage Project link at: http://limerickdioceseheritage.org/Monagea/textMonagea.htm
You cannot see the Monagea Catholic Church from the L1315 Rahanagh Road on a Goggle Map, but the following link will bring you to a Google Satellite View of the church: https://tinyurl.com/496nmthz
You wrote that your ancestor, Joanna Broderick, was from the Newcastle West area.
The sixth Ordnance Survey map is of Newcastle West in color, and shows the locations of the Market House, the Bridewell (a bridewell is a Jail), the Gate Lodge, the Barracks, the Templar's Castle, the Cullenagh House, and the R.C. Chapel at the very bottom-center of the map.
The map also shows Maiden Street, Goat Street, and the New Road. The River Arra flows through the southern portion of Newcastle West.
For more information about Newcastle West, go to the Diocesan Heritage Project link at: http://limerickdioceseheritage.org/Newcastlewest/textNCW.htm
There is an old song called the “Limerick Rake,” about a “young fella” who fancies himself a real ladies' man by singing, "In Newcastle West I spent many a note with Kitty and Judy and Mary." You can hear an acapella version of the song by the Irish band, the Dubliners. In the song you'll also hear the Irish words, "agus fagaimid siud mar ata se," which translates as, "and we leave those as it is." You can download the song from YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e8moLHIW8xw
The seventh map shows the locations of Templeglentan West and Templeglentan East. NOTE: This map and the other maps described just below, and later in this reply, can be viewed in a follow-up reply.
The eighth and ninth maps show the locations of Tulligoline North and Tulligoline South.
TITHE APPLOTMENT BOOKS AND GRIFFITHS VALUATION
In your message to Find My Past you had mentioned the Tithe Applotment Books and Griffiths Valuation.
The Tithe Applotment Books can be searched at the National Archives of Ireland website and Griffiths Valuation at the Ask About Ireland website.
I didn't find the Broder surname in the Tithe Appotment Books for the Civil Parish of Monagea, also known as Monagay/Monegay. But, I did find an alternate spelling of the surname, "Brouder" in several townlands in the Monagea Civil Parish. The year of the tithe record is 1828. See the index for the Brouder surname in Monagea at: https://tinyurl.com/uacunjhw
A James and Darby Brouder are also recorded in the townland of Dually, Civil parish of Newcastle in the Tithe Applotment Books for 1829. See the index: https://tinyurl.com/3t6382y3
Newcastle West was primarily in the Civil Parish of Newcastle, but a portion of the town was also located in the Civil Parish of Monagea/Monagay. Refer back to Monegay in Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland noted earlier.
The Tithe Applotment Books also show that the surname "Brooder" was recorded five times in the Civil Parish of Abbeyfeale, once in the townland of Portenard, and four times in the townland of Knocknasna: https://tinyurl.com/3u7d9dj4
Speaking of which, several Broders were recorded in Knocknasna, Civil Parish of Abbeyfeale, in Griffiths Valuation. The valuation for Knocknasna was completed by the year 1852, which would have been only a few years after your ancestor Joanna and her parents left Ireland for the U.S.
Knocknasna is recorded over two handwritten Griffiths Valuation pages.
Did you know that you can download Griffiths Valuation maps which show the locations where ancestors had lived in a particular townland?
As an example of this I focused on the Griffiths Valuation entries for John, Johanna, and Patrick Broder in Knocknasna. That's because I wondered if your ancestor Joanna was named after Johanna Broder in Griffiths Valuation?
The Griffiths Valuation page for Johanna Broder, as well as John Broder Jr., and Patrick Broder, is attached to this reply under the title, "Knocknasna In Griffiths Valuation." The three Broders on the page are indicated by the green arrows.
To the left of their names you'll see number/letter combinations. These are reference markers showing the location of John, Johanna, and Patrick's leaseholds on a Griffiths Valuation map.
As you can see on the Griffith Valuation page, John Jr's lease is located at Map Reference 26, subdivision a. Johanna's lease is located at Map Reference 26, subdivision b. Patrick's lease is located at Map reference 27, subdivision a.
I accessed the Griffiths Valuation Map for Knocknasna, which is attached to this reply.
The green double arrows pointing to the bottom of the map, shows the location of Map Reference 26 and 27. The arrows pointing to the top of the map shows the name of the townland of Knocknasna in block letters.
I magnified the map so that you can get a better view of Map References 26 and 27. See the attachment labeled "Enlarged Map Of Knocknasna In Griffiths Valuation."
The subdivisions of a and b for Map Reference 26 are not delineated on the map. But Johanna and Patrick would have lived in this area of Knocknasna.
Patrick's Map Reference 27a is indicated by the double green arrow pointing to the number 27, and the lower case letter a subdivision above. The gray boxes above the lower-case letter a, would be Patrick's house and outbuildings.
WEST LIMERICK HERITAGE
For more information about townlands in West Limerick, including historical tours, historic graveyard surveys, news and events, see the West Limerick Heritage homepage at: https://westlimerickheritage.wordpress.com/
West Limerick Heritage also has links to Abbeyfeale and Newcastle West.
For Abbeyfeale go to: https://westlimerickheritage.wordpress.com/heritage-by-area/abbeyfeale/
For Newcastle West go to: https://westlimerickheritage.wordpress.com/heritage-by-area/newcastle-west/
Also see: https://westlimerickheritage.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/ncw_abbey_drom-a3-2.pdf
DUCHAS
I found the Broder surname recorded several times at a website called Dúchas. Dúchas is an Irish word that means, "Heritage."
Dúchas includes Irish oral traditions in its Main Manuscript Collection. It also records Irish folklore in the "Schools' Collection," written by school-aged children in the 1930s.
There is also a Photographic Collection and an Audio Collection at Dúchas.
I uncovered several stories referencing the Broder surname in various Irish counties compiled by children, and included in the Schools' Collection. Though not all specific to County Limerick, I thought you may be interested in the stories and folktales written by the school children in the 1930s.
One of the more humorous tales is about a schoolmaster who taught at the Carrigeencor, Co. Leitrim National School. The child writes about a "Mr Broder who taught until he was pensioned. Grown up men attended the school, and often attacked the master. He was bald. He lived in the residence, sometimes alone, at other times a married sister stayed with him for a while."
You can see this handwritten account and transcription, entitled "Old Schools," at: https://tinyurl.com/4z4mmrks
There’s also this: "All the hair fell of Broder’s head but he has a full head of hair now. It grew because he rubbed his scalp with goat’s milk,” the account of which you can view at: https://tinyurl.com/22xfcd2f
For more handwritten stories and transcriptions of the Broder surname in the Schools' Collection at the Dúchas website, go to:
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/transcripts?SearchText=Broder+&SearchLanguage=ga
The "Brouder" surname can also be found in the Schools' Collection. Go to: https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/transcripts?SearchText=Brouder&SearchLanguage=ga&Page=1&PerPage=20
The Dúchas Schools' Collection also has several stories concerning the Brodericks, which you can access here:
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/transcripts?SearchText=Broderick&SearchLanguage=ga&Page=1&PerPage=20
The Main Manuscript Collection at Dúchas for the Broderick surname contains three handwritten manuscripts, but these manuscripts are in the Irish language, and have not been transcribed into English: https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbe/items?SearchText=Broderick&SearchLanguage=ga&Page=1&PerPage=20
In the Dúchas Photographic Collection called, "Strife and combat," I located a black and white nitrate photo of a tree in Newcastle West, County Limerick, that at one time was a gallows tree. The photo was taken by Caoimhín Ó Danachair (Kevin Danaher) in 1939: https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbeg/20689?HighlightText=Newcastle+West&SearchLanguage=ga
CONCLUSION
Wendy, Ireland Reaching Out has a Meet and Greet program. This is a free service which you can take advantage of if you are planning a trip to County Limerick in the future.
A local volunteer, if available during your time you are in the Abbeyfeale and Newcastle West, will be able to show you around these towns associated with your Broder and Broderick ancestors.
For a Meet and Greet Application form, go to: https://irelandxo.com/meet-and-greet
For several pages of Meet and Greet success stories, see: https://irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/meet-and-greet
You can read about one of these Meet and Greet success stories pertaining to Kilbeheny, County Limerick at:
https://irelandxo.com/meet-and-greet/in-search-of-darby-odonnell-anglesborough-county-limerick-1
NOTE: The are 12 attachments with this reply. I can only send a limited amount of attachments at once because of space considerations. You'll see 6 of the attachments with this reply and the remaining 6 attachments in a follow-up reply.
With Best Wishes,
Dave Boylan
SOURCES
Tailte Eireann: Ordnance Survey Maps
Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland
Library Ireland
limerickdioceseheritage.org: Diocesan Heritage Project
Google Maps
Google Satellite View
Dubliners Musical Group: The Limerick Rake
National Archives of Ireland: Tithe Applotment Books
Ask About Ireland: Griffiths Valuation:
Ask About Ireland: Griffiths Valuation Maps
West Limerick Heritage
Dúchas
Ireland Reaching Out: Meet and Greet
