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Location of Deerpark

ClareKilmacduane (Clare)

Hi,

My interest in particular is in the families Whelan, McMahon & Murrihy of in and around Caherfinick, Civil Parish of Kilmacduane.

To that extent, I have the Excel copies (available from clarelibrary.ie) of the marriages of the time (early to mid 1850s onwards) for Kilmacduane (also known as Cooraclare) Catholic Parish.

The transcriber notes (from Sheila Duddy) explain that the original register is lost, that the Priest updated the register in the 1920s and, if I've read it correctly, they were updated again. The upshot is Sheila's Excel File has a few running commentaries whereas the NLI register copy doesn't.

Generally those notes say "married at bride's residence, married at Cree, comments here and there about co-sanguinity etc.

Quite a number of the early entries (1853-1855), including a few of the marriages involving the McMahons and Whelans, Murrihy's note 'Married at Deerpark'.

Does anyone know the location / significance of Deerpark.

Here is the link to Sheila's work - 

https://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/genealogy/don_tran/bmd/kilmac…

And the link to the NLI - 

https://registers.nli.ie/parishes/0777

Regards,

 

Brian, Melbourne, Australia

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

BriBoy

8 replies

My bad spelling - Caherfeenick.

 

Brian

BriBoy

"Deerpark" is a common placename in Ireland. And there are 9 townlands in County Clare alone. The largest of which is in Ennistymon. There is also one near Leamanagh Castle in the Burren, two near Ennis, and another near Sixmilebridge. 

Deerpark or Deer Park generally refers to a townland held in reserve by the landlord/ proprieter for their own use (originally for hunting deer). However, it may also refer to a named gentlemen's seat (big house) e.g. "Deerpark Lodge" could have been referred to simply as "Deepark" in this notation. 

As for location (today) will generally find them "in town" or adjacent to a historical landed estate house & demesne (possibly no longer extant). This means that you may also want to look at urban locations containg a "Deer Park Road" for clues. 

In the case of Caherfeenick, the nearest town would have been Kilkee, and as it happens it had a Deerpark Lodge (still extant). 

This may suggest that one or both of your ancestors were working as servants at Deerpark Lodge – and their landlord allowed them to wed there. This was once instance where the bride was not required to marry in her home parish. 

At a guess I'd say that's a lead you may wish to follow.

Hope this helps!

 

Rua

Brian,

To add to the Post by Rua, I attach a copy of the townland of Drumelihy which is near Cree Village.

If you access duchas.ie for Kilmacduane parish it will give you details on page 115 of the history of Drumelihy commonly known as Dromelihy.

It makes reference to a Deer park in this area.  It contains a Holy well and a graveyard on the side of the hill.

Regards,

McCoy

Thanks Rua & McCoy,

 

I'll follow up your clues and let you know any outcome.

 

Brian

BriBoy

Brian,

Attached may help in relation to location.

Regards,

McCoy

Thanks again. I love reading those duchas stories.

 

Brian

BriBoy

Hi Brian

Many of the annotations in Fr Ryan's transcriptions of the Kilmacduane marriage register are in red ink and are difficult to discern on the black and white microfilms and on the digital scans of the microfilms.

Deerpark was the Parish Priest's house at the time, in the townland of Leitrim, which is actually in Kilmihil civil parish.  Kilmacduane and Kilmihil were a single Catholic parish until 1848.

Fr William Molony was the parish priest of Kilmacduane from then until his death in 1858, so it is probably safe to assume that Deerpark is the house which he occupied in Griffith's Valuation in 1855.  If so, then it is the house approached by the entrance avenue which can be seen between the two modern houses at
https://goo.gl/maps/JcVj9TbMkCRz8E6VA
If you drive around in Google Maps, you will see the house or outbuildings in the distance across the fields.

 

Moyarta ClareIrelandXO Volunteer

Thanks Paddy, McCoy and Rua. I think I've got a much better understanding of Deerpark.

 

Brian

 

BriBoy

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