Does anyone know anything about Rathmullen, County Sligo?
Any ideas on how I can find out more about Rathmullen in County Sligo? I have spent quite a bit of time looking on the web and it seems it is literally just a place, land, house?
Supposedly this is where my CURLEY family is from.
Would appreciate any information.
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Rathmullen,+Co.+Sligo,+Ireland/@54.06
Rathmullen seems to be a small village, what the Official Placenames Database refers to as a Population Centre - see entry for Rathmullen. The village is in the townland of Ardree which is in Emlaghfad civil parish. There's no sign of Rathmullen on the older c1840 OSI map, and on the c1890 OSI map there's Post Office and a nearby Railway see Rathmullen Post Office.
You can see some details of the area in the entry for the (civil) parish - which Lewis 1837 Topographical Dictionary lists as Emlyfadd.
Eeo:
Shane is our expert on finding place names.
Shane: Here is some background from Eeo's prior message. https://www.irelandxo.com/ireland-xo/message-board/ellen-curley-patrick…
Roger
You'll be glad to know there is much more to Rathmullen than just land and a house...
Rathmullen, Ballymote, Co. Sligo had its own school, so you will be able to read through delightful local history tales recorded by Rathmullen schoolchildren in 1939.
From this you can see that Ballymote Castle was an important landmark and a source of pride. Check out the famous late-medieval Irish manuscript known as The Book of Ballymote. See also Caves of Keash. Ballymote, albeit small mid-Sligo town, has a rich heritage as a 'Gaelic Centre'.
Comparing Rathmullen's historic maps (6 inch and 25 inch), you can see that the position of Rathmullen's original school house (townland of Ardree, par. EMLAGHFAD) was cleared to make way for the Dublin-Sligo railway (planned 1853, open 1862). Rathmullen National School was relocated near the Big Bridge (townland of Carrickrathmullin, par. DRUMRAT). These maps also reveal that Owenmore River caused much of Rathmullen to be liable to flooding.
Rathmullen's primary landlords were Sir Robert Gore Booth of Lissadell House, and William Phibbs (1803-1881) of Seafield. Both were known for their cruelty to tenants, and much has been written about them. You may find Rathmullen or your family mentioned in these landlords' estate records or history books.
At the time of Griffith's Valuation, Rathmullen village centred around the crossroads in the townland of Ardree. It had its own bakery ... Mr James Lowther (a baker with 10 children to support) lost his entire Rathmullen premises to a fire there in 1856. That same year, it was also a source of scandal ... Michael Doudney of Rathmullen, after night of drinking at Healy's house, got into a fight with Michael Keane and received a fatal blow of a loy to the head. (Keane was found guilty of manslaughter and convicted for 18 months).
See also Ballymote Emlaghfad Cemetery
To build your story around Rathmullen, you will also find it helpful to link in with The Ballymote Heritage Group. (They are very active and publish The Corran Herald annually, chock full of local area and family history).
Best of luck!
My great-greatGrandfather James O'Gara first taught at - I presume - the early Rathmullen NS, since he taught there at least by 1854. However, I found a note that has a "date of connection to the N'l Board of 1851". Ian Cantwell wrote about James in his "national Schools of Derrylossary Civi Parish, County Wicklow, 1831-c. 1900." He went on to teach at Ross NS, Ballaghaderreen NS, Park NS, Gort NS, Elphin, Ballyhaunis, and Annacarter before being retired in 1883 from Annacarter NS. He subsequently sued several families in Wicklow for non-payment of their chidren's tuition in order to afford his large family's emigration to America.
Karen Rowland