Agharaskilly


Agharaskilly is a townland in the civil parish of Tomregan, County Cavan, Ireland. It lies within the former barony of Loughtee Lower.

Etymology

The derivation of Agharaskilly is uncertain but the likeliest explanation is that it is an Anglicization of the Irish placename Achadh Ros Cille meaning the Field of the Church's Wood, as the land belonged to Tomregan Church and was wooded. It has also been suggested that it may come from an anglicisation of the Irish placename Achadh chroise coille meaning "field of the cross of the wood" or Achadh Ros Choille which means "Field of the Grove of Trees". Alternative meanings which have been suggested are "Cattlefield of the Cross of the Church", "Field of the Boar's Wood", "Field of the Crossroads in the Wood" and "Field of the Fighting-Cocks". The local pronunciation is Awr-sa-cullia.
The earliest surviving mention of the townland is in a grant dated 10 August 1607 from King James I to Sir Garret Moore, 1st Viscount Moore of Mellifont where it is spelled Aghcrossekille. On the 1609 Plantation of Ulster map of the barony of Loughtee, it is spelt Reskellew. A 1627 grant spells it as Aghocrossekeillie. The 1641 Rebellion Depositions spell it variously as Aghroskilly, Agheraskilly and Aighroskillow. The 1652 Commonwealth Survey spells it as Aghowraskillow. A 1728 lease spells it as Aghyroskillew. The will of Terence Donocky dated 1735 spells it as Augharaskillane. A deed dated 1767 spells it as Agharisakella and Agharassakella. The 1790 Cavan Carvaghs list spells the name as Aghuraskillow.

Geography

A sub-division of the townland is Derryliffe which is an anglicisation of the Gaelic placename Doire Life, meaning "The Oak-Wood of Liffey".
Agharaskilly is bounded on the north by Cullyleenan townland, on the east by Cavanagh and Mullaghduff townland, on the south by Cloncollow, Slievebrickan, Fartrin and Killarah townlands and on the west by Cormeen and Lecharrownahone townlands.
Its chief geographical features are the Shannon–Erne Waterway, which flows north along the western boundary of the townland, and several small drumlin hills reaching to above sea-level. Agharaskilly is traversed by the Killeshandra road and some minor lanes. The townland covers, including of water.

History

In the aforementioned grant dated 10 August 1607 from King James I to Sir Garret Moore, 1st Viscount Moore of Mellifont, the townland was described as the farm, termon or hospital of Aghcrossekille containing 2 polls at an annual rent of 6 ½ shillings. The two polls now form the two modern townlands of Agharaskilly and Fartrin.
On the death of Thomas Moigne, the Church of Ireland Bishop of Kilmore, on 1 January 1629, Sir Edward Bagshawe of Finglas—County Dublin owner of the Manor of Castle Bagshawe, Belturbet—took adverse possession of Agharaskilly. William Bedell, who succeeded Moigne as Bishop of Kilmore disputed this act of Bagshaw's. Bedell petitioned Lord Viscount Falkland, the Lord Deputy of Ireland in August 1629 as follows:
On 28 May 1654 Sir Edward Bagshaw gave the townland to his daughter Anne as part of her dowry on her marriage to Thomas Richardson of Dublin, son of John Richardson, bishop of Ardagh. By a deed dated 30 April 1661 Thomas Richardson granted Aghacrossikilley alias Aghacrussacully to Captain Thomas Gwyllym, the landlord of Ballyconnell and descended as part of the Ballyconnell estate since then. George Montgomery died in 1841 and his estate went to his Enery cousins of Bawnboy. In 1856 they sold the estate to take advantage of its increased value owing to the opening of the Woodford Canal through the town in the same year. The estate, including Agharaskilly, was split up among different purchasers and maps & details of previous leases of the sold parts are still available.
The 1641 Rebellion Depositions give the names of Irish rebels living in Agharaskilly as: Conor Realy of Aighroskillow in the parish of kildallen gentleman, Torlough Manahan Rely of same gentleman, Edmond Rely of same gentleman, Owen Rely of same gentleman, Hugh Rely of same gentleman, Cahyre Rely of same gentleman, Phillip Rely of same gentleman, Bryan Rely of same gentleman. On 19 September 1643, James Gardiner of Aghabane gave the following deposition about the Irish Rebellion of 1641 in Cavan:
The Tithe Applotment Books for 1827 list the following tithepayers in the townland- Reilly, Kernan, Donahey, Fitzpatrick, McKernan, Benison, Taylor, Browne, Jones, Hurdey, Cox.
The Ordnance Survey Name Books for 1836 give the following description of the townland- Achadh chroise coille, 'field of the cross of the wood'. It sits in the west of the parish. The property of Montgomery Esq. The land agent is Mr. Whitely of Ballyconnell. The property is in care of the Chancery Court. The land is held by a lease of lives or for 21 years. The rent per arable acre is 16 shillings to 21 shillings. It is then sublet at rents of 30 shillings to 38 shillings per arable acre. The county cess rate is 2s/6d per acre. The tithe is 9d an acre. The soil is light and produces oats, rye and potatoes. The houses are mostly of stone. The inhabitants are farmers and comfortable.
The Agharaskilly Valuation Office Field books are available for December 1838.
Griffith's Valuation of 1857 lists the landlords of the townland as representatives of William Enery: Seaton, McAdam, Donohoe, Cox and Jones and the tenants as Benson: Enery, Kiernan, Reilly, Fitzpatrick, McAdam, Donohoe, Cox, Hunt, Flanagan, Maguire, Kane, Reilly, Gregory, Latimer and Jones.
In the Dúchas Schools' Collection at is a description of Agharaskilly in 1938 by James Reilly and another one by Philip Fitzsimons at. There is also a list of field-names in the collection.

Census

In the 1901 census of Ireland, there are twenty-one families listed in the townland.
In the 1911 census of Ireland, there are nineteen families listed in the townland.

Antiquities

  1. A medieval earthen ringfort situate in the south-east corner near the boundary with Cavanagh. enclosed by an earthen bank. From SSW-NNW bank has been modified and incorporated into the field boundary. Elsewhere it has been levelled but its outline is still identifiable. An earlier report.
  2. A medieval earthen ringfort situate near the western boundary with Cormeen. defined by an overgrown earthen bank which is largely reduced to an overgrown scarp.