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famine survivors

GalwayBallynakill Ballynahinch (Galway)

i was fortunate enough to visit Ballynakill last June for several days and to visit the land my ancestors rented near beautiful Ballynakill harbour. i met many people with the Coyne Lydon and Gannon names which are in my family.
i have since read and continue to read many books on the famine era which so affected the region and all of Ireland!
I'm wondering if anyone knows or any source or book or person who had information specific to this parish inn that era.
i got to thinking after my visit that i would love to hear Howe my family survived in that horrid time!
my 2nd great grandparents, Taghd Coyne and Catherine Lydon lived in Townland of Tievegarriff which no longer exists nor did many people remember. the Coyne parents john and Nellie Welsh rented land and house there and another plot on Townland of Ross to farm. a relative (or possible sibling) Peter Coyne left the area in 1848 during the famine and came to Marcellus NY. "Tady 's" brother Patrick was in Marcellus about 1850 and his sister Sarah (Salle) had married Phillip Gannon. Philip arrived in the US and Marcellus in 1852, followed by Sarah and their daughter Catherine on 1854. brother Rodger came over with family between 1850 and 1857 but my "Tady " and family didn't come over into 1862!
most of them had children during the famine era so somehow they seem to have been less affected by starvation.
i know Connemara was gravely affected during this time but can find nothing specific to the area near Ballynakill harbour. i wonder if being on the coast maybe allowed them to use the resources there to help them survive.
during my visit a man From the Gannon line near Ross said that he'd never heard of a Gannon marrying a Coyne and something in the way he said it implied that possibly one family was viewed as lesser than the other but have no idea to what that refers.
I'd appreciate any info on who or where to look or any book that might shed more light on this area during the famine. i felt while there that remains of that awful time still resonate in conversations i had which likely prompted my fascinating with this period. thanks

wiccantank

7 replies

Could the townland be Tievegarriff ? it's in Ballynakill (Ballynahinch) civil parish and right next to the townland of Ross. Place names are often anglicized versions of the old name in Irish and so minor spelling variations are quite common. See Tievegarriff townland of the c1840 OSI Historic map, the townland still exists and is shown on the latest OSI maps.

Griffith's primary valuation, dated 1855 for this area, shows Coyne and Gannon properties in the townland.

Eneclann/Archive CD had some CDs containing a breadown of census statistics showing population numbers in each townland in various census years - e.g. 1841/1851. I'm not certain these are still available or if any cover Co. Galway. I'll check and update here...

The 'Atlas of the Irish Famine' by Cork University Press might be worth a read also, it's quite a large, expensive book but maybe a library might be able to order a copy

shanew147IrelandXO Volunteer

I checked the Archive CD Books website and they only have census statistics for 1851 onward see this link (scroll down about half way..)

I have a copy of the Atlas of the Great Irish Famine and had a quick look through -  I spotted a map relating to Ballynakill (Ballynahinch) civil parish which shows percentage change in populations around Co. Galway before and after the famine. Ballynakill (Ballynahinch) civil parish is one of those shown in a darker colour indicating a 45% or greater loss in population between 1841 and 1851.

Tievegarriff townland doesn't have a coastline of it's own, but is very close with possible access throught Ross or Ardkyle townlands, so would think that could have helped. The Famine Atlas includes the following details on Connaught populations "Communities along Coastal strips were characterized by intricate arrangements in sharing of boats, seaweed, sand, and cnausach trá (shore food)". There's also a chapter in the books on Clifden Union which was founded in 1840 and covered Ballynakill (Ballynahinch) which states '... those living on the coast supplemented their food supply with fish but there were few who derived their income solely from fishery' 

 

 

shanew147IrelandXO Volunteer

wiccantank,

Tievegarriff was in Clifden Poor Law Union. I have not studied their records but from Board of Guardian’s minutes for other parts of Ireland that I have read, you get a pretty good weekly account of living conditions in the area. The Board of Guardians minutes were the management meetings at which they assessed the numbers of inmates in their district, the numbers in difficulties in the countryside, the death rate, efforts to establish soup kitchens and provide other support, efforts to send orphans off to Australia or wherever. Clifden's records appear to start in 1849 which, whilst being towards the end of the big famine, may nevertheless give a pretty good contemporaneous account of life then. This link tells you where the BG minutes are held. See:

http://www.workhouses.org.uk/Clifden/

You could also consider contacting Galway library. It has a local studies section and they often have a wide range of papers and books on life in the county in the 1800s. An e-mail to them might get you a list of suggested reading. They also appear to have the Board of Guardians minute books for Galway city area, and that might be interesting too.

Elwyn, IrelandXO Volunteer ☘IrelandXO Volunteer

thanks all for the replies! it IS Tievegarriff Townland. i have 2 different maps of the area and one shows tievegarriff land locked and the other shows it as sort of an upside down hatchet with the head facing left and the handle sticking up showing a small strip of land that went to the harbour.
i have found several references to the Townland in various spots. one mentions survivors of the Armada coming ashore there after their ship sank and held there until marched to Clifden castle. this also mentions a large village there and that the remains still exist but are covered with large foliage.
i didn't mean it didn't exist but only 2 people out of all i spoke with had ever heard off if.
i found a side rut road off the rut road i took to the beach at Ross that per goggle earth went to the area where Tievegarriff is but found only heavily overgrown area until i drove down on other side by the harbour where there were a couple modern houses so turned around.
i have a chart also in a book i bought at the Tullycross hotel where i stayed called "Patient Endurance" written by a parish woman about the famine era which shows comparison of the 1841 and 1851 censuses. according to that, Ross went down a bit but Tievegarriff actually went up (only to 98 people in 1851!)
i have read about disparate land rentals at the time so I've figured that is what the Thomas Gannon and John Coyne rental land was given Griffiths shows them both renting a parcel with house in Tievegarriff and just land on Ross so probably one rental but land chose by but not adjoining!
I'll look into all the great info you've all left and please yell of you run into anything else.
the O'Toole man we met on the Ross shore said there was a large village up the hill that was empty after the famine and i suspect that might have been the one referred to as being on Tievegarriff. also an island just of shore on the harbor that was also emptied by the famine. i believe it was Freaghillaun (don't trust my spelling!).
a book on Ballynakill parish i found a few years ago lists a few Townlands totally depopulated by the famine and slight increases in population in moyard where my Lydons came from but no mention at all of Ross and Tievegarriff.
thanks again
Robert

wiccantank

thanks all for the replies! it IS Tievegarriff Townland. i have 2 different maps of the area and one shows tievegarriff land locked and the other shows it as sort of an upside down hatchet with the head facing left and the handle sticking up showing a small strip of land that went to the harbour.
i have found several references to the Townland in various spots. one mentions survivors of the Armada coming ashore there after their ship sank and held there until marched to Clifden castle. this also mentions a large village there and that the remains still exist but are covered with large foliage.
i didn't mean it didn't exist but only 2 people out of all i spoke with had ever heard off if.
i found a side rut road off the rut road i took to the beach at Ross that per goggle earth went to the area where Tievegarriff is but found only heavily overgrown area until i drove down on other side by the harbour where there were a couple modern houses so turned around.
i have a chart also in a book i bought at the Tullycross hotel where i stayed called "Patient Endurance" written by a parish woman about the famine era which shows comparison of the 1841 and 1851 censuses. according to that, Ross went down a bit but Tievegarriff actually went up (only to 98 people in 1851!)
i have read about disparate land rentals at the time so I've figured that is what the Thomas Gannon and John Coyne rental land was given Griffiths shows them both renting a parcel with house in Tievegarriff and just land on Ross so probably one rental but land chose by but not adjoining!
I'll look into all the great info you've all left and please yell of you run into anything else.
the O'Toole man we met on the Ross shore said there was a large village up the hill that was empty after the famine and i suspect that might have been the one referred to as being on Tievegarriff. also an island just of shore on the harbor that was also emptied by the famine. i believe it was Freaghillaun (don't trust my spelling!).
a book on Ballynakill parish i found a few years ago lists a few Townlands totally depopulated by the famine and slight increases in population in moyard where my Lydons came from but no mention at all of Ross and Tievegarriff.
thanks again
Robert

wiccantank

hi your photo and info isn't showing up. is it related to Ballynakill? did your family come from that parish? i have a great book on the parish and it lists the numbers of families of a certain name on Griffith valuations but Flood is not listed.

wiccantank

Wiccantank.  I see now, you're talking about Ballinakil near the coast. I was talking about Ballynakil nearer to the Shannon River, near the Co Clare and Co Tipperary borders. Both in Galway. Thanks

i.float@yahoo.com.au

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