Cancelled Book Islandmcgrath 1855-1970

Islandmagrath

Islandmagrath is 218 hectares or 538 acres in size and bordered by Buncraggy in the west, Islandavanna Upper to the south, Lissane West in the north and the Fergus Estuary to the east.[1]

The Primary Valuation 1855 records that all the land in Islandmagrath was held by the Marquis of Conyngham as immediate lessor and Edward Maunsell as occupier. There was also one house held by John Callary in 1855. However John Callary was not mentioned in the 1855/56 first cancelled book with lot 1b listed Edward Maunsell’s  as occupier. This is similar to separately listed occupiers of houses in other rural townlands in the parish such as Manus.

The Maunsell family maintained a link to Islandmagrath well into the twentieth century. Indeed, Power notes that William Maunsell William Maunsell of Island Mc Graith was a tenant of the Earl of Thomand in 1626 while the Landed Estates database notes that Islandmagrath was bought from the Earl by the Burton family who are associated with the Marquis of Conyngham.[2][3] Islandmagrath House still stands in the townland.

The cancelled books document significant changes to the townland 1855-1970, especially from the 1870s when additional lots were created and new occupiers established including Marcus Keane in lot 2 who the cancelled book identified as a land agent, living in Beach Park which is also given as his address in his civil death record.[4]

At the 1901 census of Ireland there were twenty-five people recorded living in four households but this increased to five households with thirty-five people by 1911. An interesting observation, when looking at form B1 the house and buildings return which forms part of each census return in 1901 and 1911, all the houses are listed as being located on Richard Maunsell’s property.[5]

A feature noted in the 1934-70 cancelled book was the loss of land attributed to flooding in lots 1a and 2. Newspapers 1951-60 document flooding in Clarecastle and surrounds including loss of livestock which would have affected Islandmagrath due to its low-lying position close to the river.[6]

[1] (https://www.townlands.ie/clare/islands/clareabbey/clareabbey/islandmagrath/) (accessed 11 Mar 2023).
[2] Joe Power, A history of Clare Castle and its environs, Ennis 2004, p. 166
[3] (https://landedestates.ie/property/1836) (accessed 11 Mar. 2023).
[4] (Irishgenealgoy.ie) (accessed 11 Mar 2023).
[5] (http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/reels/nai000464197/) (accessed 11 Mar 2023),
[6] Dublin Evening Mail, 28 Dec 1951, Irish Times 10 Dec 1954, Irish Times, 28 Dec 1959 & Irish Times, 2 Nov 1960.