Townland Survey of County Louth. (Continued)

County Louth Archaeological and History Society

Townland Survey of County Louth. (Continued)Author(s): James JordanSource: Journal of the County Louth Archaeological Society, Vol. 8, No. 2 (1934), pp. 210-215Published by: County Louth Archaeological and History SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/27728414 .

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&ohjnlanb ûrbep of Coimtp Hout?j (Continued from Vol. VIII, p. 57.)

TOWNLAND OF HAGGARDSTOWN.

By James Jordan, N.T.

Name of Townland and Parish : The townland derives its name from the place where the haggards were stacked by the colonists. According to local tradition

the Castle was situated in position marked (j) on Golf Links road, and in the grounds

surrounding it were stacked the haggards to protect them from the native Irish.

The entrance gate to the haggards was at (2) where part of the arched gateway still remains. The whole grounds of the haggards were circumscribed by a stream.

This stream still forms a semicircle about part of the grounds. During the reign of

Queen Elizabeth Shane O Neill burned these haggards.?(John Lawless, Church-rd.).

According to O.S. E 25 Place Names Book E. 188, Haggardstown (Sean t)Aite

tiAÂi^c) contains 1,400 acres o rds. 21 sq. perches. It is bounded on the north by Marshes Upper, on the west by Mullaharlin and Heynestown, on the south by the Fane River, and on the east by Dundalk Bay. Part of the T.L. is on Sheet 7, and

part on Sheet 12 of the 6" Ordnance Survey map. The Dundalk-Dublin road runs

through the T.L.

Duns, Forts, Raths, &c. : There is an interesting mound called Cnoc Sitje m

Field 8. James Hoey, Dublin Road, says it was built by the Danes. It is convenient to the Dublin Road, is circular in shape, about 30' high and about 50' in diameter on top. A well-defined ledge about half way up almost completely surrounds it. I dug down about 4' and found gravel similar to the surrounding subsoil.

Souterrains : There was an entrance to an underground passage at F. 3. This

was closed about 30 years ago, as it was a home for foxes. I dug down about 5' on the other side of the fence in F 4. and found the passage almost closed, but going towards the Dublin Road, although local tradition had it going almost in an opposite direction towards Fairymount.

In field F. 5. Mr. Pat Tuite removed the stones from an underground passage,

and then closed it up. He says it was about 6' high, and that there were bones and ashes in it. He says it pointed towards the graveyard in F. 6. and the other end towards the orchard in F. 3. This would mean a turn at right angles. I believe he struck the main chamber of a souterrain.

Mr. Peter Murphy, Haggardstown, remembers an opening in the east corner

of St. Fursey's graveyard F. 6., and local opinion holds that this opening connected with that in F. 5.



TOWNLAND OF HAGGARDSTOWN.

Reproduced from the Ordnance Survey Map with the permission of the Minister for Finance of Saorstat Eireann.



TOWNLAND SURVEY?HAGGARDSTOWN 211

Mr. Wallace of Seafield removed a quantity of stones from an underground passage in F. 7. which he thought connected Fairymount with Mr. Tuite's under

ground passage in F. 5. Mr. Patrick White, Blackrock, heard of a cave in Paddy McKeowns field F. 9,

for the protection of Catholics during the penal times, but he never saw it.

Cromleacs, Standing Stones, &c. : None found in T.L.

Churches, Ruins, Killeens, &c. : In F. 6. already referred to are the remains of a monastery or church. The Patron Saint is St. Fursey. The O.S. Letters say :

"

Ini th??townland are the ruins of an old church called UeA'putt ?eAti-?Aitc

SASAirti:. The E. part is 5? yards long, to where the gable stood inside, and 4 yards broad ; about 12 feet m height of E. gable remain ; there is on it a window place opened at top and reaching to the ground inside, it is 4 feet broad, the sides of a stone window frame i? feet broad and 4 ft. high still remain in it. The side-walls in this part of the edifice are about 12 ft. high except in a small part next the E. gable where the S and N

walls are injured and do not exceed 10 ft. in height. On the S. one next the E gable is a narrow window place reaching to the ground inside, which is 4 ft. high by 2 ft

broad at bottom, and a pointed one W. of this of the same height and breadth The W. part of the building is 11 yds. long to middle gable and 6 yds. broad ; side-walls

12 ft^high.

On the S. sidewall E. of door place is a narrow opening 3 ft. from the ground which is 4 ft. high by 1 foot broad ; the doorway is now a large breach reaching to top' and much shattered on both sides?5 foot broad. The W. gable is about 30 feet high having an arched doorway 5 feet high and 4 broad, now closed with stonework this is said to have been an entrance into the cellar ; about 22 feet from the ground there is on it an arched opening about 1 ? foot high and 10 inches broad. The gable terminates

m a square having two openings, arched above, 5 feet high and 3 feet broad ; the people say it was a belfry. On the N. sidewalk next this gable is an arched opening much shattered on both sides, 10 ft. high and 8 ft. broad?originally a doorplace. The saint is St. Furce ; his festival day, U 'it pup?, falls on the 16th January."

The following is a plan of the present ruins drawn to the scale of 1" to 10'.

t

ifr-1 ?to1?

I

I

-3'7-H

A

h ss'

- M

Bf<-r

I

?'6" 2. to/n<tou/s

Scot? 0/ "? Feet

*" ~

All dimensions are internal. The walls are 2' 9" thick. An arched doorway in centre of W. wall has been built up. Above the door in a projecting belfry are

two arched windows about 30' above this door. The entrances in N. and S. walls

were ' faced

' by Canon McCrystall. There is the space of a large window in E.

wall, 2' above present floor level, 2'4" wide outside, 4/6// wide inside. The O.S

1 The derivation bAite-?AgAi^c may be set aside. (Ed.;



212 COUNTY LOUTH ARCHAEOLOGICAL JOURNAL

Letters state that parts of the cut stone window framing were then still in place. In

S. wall are three narrow arched windows about 2' 9" high. Along the dotted line AB.

are the remains of a wall as if the eastern portion were separate from the main body of the monastery.

Mr. Peter Murphy says that in planting ivy round the walls he dug up a slate

about 1" thick and about i' square.

The graveyard surrounding the monastery was old 100 years ago, because

the Name Book says :?The people still bury in the yard around it (the monastery).

The headstones date from 1769. Patron Saints, Holy Wells, &c. : The patron saint of the T.L. and parish is

St. Fursey. The Name Book has a note about him :?" Puree?I? a pu-np 16th

January." There are no local traditions referring to him. In the parish records I

find he is first mentioned as patron of the parish by the Rev. Andrew Levins, P.P.

in 1789l. Before that date the Rev. Lawrence Taafe, P.P., refers to the parish as

that of "

Mary Immaculate.''

Columcille's Well. This well can still be seen beside Brodigan's houses at

Blackrock F. 10. The O.S. Letters and Name Book say there was a Station at it.

No Station has been held there within living memory.

St, Patrick's Well. A round hole in the solid rock at the back of Uncle Tom's

Cabin, Blackrock. This "

well" is frequented by people suffering from toothache

The conditions for a ' cure

' are nine visits, and a promise to give something or do

something.

St. Brigid's Well. Within a few yards of St. Patrick's Well is another hole

in the rock called St. Brigid's Well, and marks in the rock are supposed to be her

knee-marks.?(Tom Crosby, Blackrock). There is a peculiar stratum of conglom

erate rock at this place.

Castles and Old Houses : The Castle in Mr. Carroll's field already referred to

(F. 1.). No trace of the walls now remains, but were to be seen about thirty years

ago. Part of the arched gateway entering the castle grounds can still be seen opposite Mr. Lawless' house F.2. The O.S. Letters mention two castles, "one about 20 perches

W. of the old church, the other about 80 perches to the N.W. The former is called

C?,iple?ti tiACCfVAC l3Aite-S?5<Ai-pu, the other CîpteAn ?occ<V[\ac tÂite-S^SAi^r.''

The latter is the one referred to above ; the site of the former is said to be occupied

by a farm-building on the S. side of the road.

Old Paths and Roads : Tradition tells of an old road from Mr. Tommy Byrne's

lane (opposite Mr. J. H. Murphy's public house on the Dublin Road) to the Square,

Blackrock, as shown by dotted lines on map.

The Mass Path from the Dublin Road at C joins the old road at D.

1 We have a note of an older reference : "

Liber Defunctorum Ecclesiae Sancti Fursaei de

Hagerstown et annexis. Pastore Laurentio Taaffe, habitante Kilcurle die 12 da. Januarii A.D.

1752." The parish referred to as "

of Mary Immaculate "

was Dunbin. (Ed.)



TOWNLAND SURVEY?HAGGARDSTOWN 213

There is another disused road along the northern boundary of the T.L. from

Mr. McDowell's houses on the Dublin Road to Mrs. Whitworth's back gate at Black

rock E to F. The Square, Blackrock, was once the centre of the village, as no

houses were then built where the village now is. This may account for these roads

falling into disuse. There were also many houses on these roads, but they are all

gone.

Old Trades : None. A windmill in F. 11. was once a corn mill. Stubbs calls

the Mullaharlin Road the Mill bye-road. Old Customs : None noted.

Personal Associations, &c. : Collier the Robber used to frequent the Dublin

Road running through the T.L. His hiding-place during part of his career was

Heynestown Castle, half-a-mile distant from the Dublin Road.

The metal piers of the gate opening on the Mill bye-road in F. 12. were those

used for the toll-gates at the Green Gate corner on the Dublin Road marked 13. Place names and derivations. Numbers as shown on map.

14. Curraghmore (Cu^j\ac rn?^).

4. Killathrumin (CUT a ufuitnAin).

15. Loughanmore (Loc?n in?j\).

16. Bohermaol (tJ?tAf rriAoL) pronounced ' mool.'

17. Furryhill. 18. Parkafona (p?ifvc a pon a).

8. Crockshee (Cnoc fi*?e).

19. Park na Stackan (p?if\c t?a

ScAC?n).

20. Loakers (ila Luacâ.) 21. Carrabraw (CeACjAArhA t>?|\?Ag). 22. Carrabeg (CeAtfiArnA tDeAg). 23. Balure Meadow (t)Aile ?r*).

24. Lower Lough Purse (toe pupr-). 25. Upper Lough Purse ( ? ? ). 26. Crock o' the Locky, a hill in F. 26. (Côc a tj? Cioca ?).

27. Park Fola Hart (p?i|\c fotA ?Ia^c). 28. Carrick Punsha (Caâic a pmmice).

Antiquities discovered in T.L. in past : Bronze penannular brooch in Mrs. Whit

worth's garden, marked ' 28/ Description by Dr. Adolf Mahr in Vol VII, No. 4,

p. 530 of L.A.J., 1932.

General Notes : In the parish records of 1752 the following names are found

in this T.L. :?McGeough, Murphy, Gogarty, Kelly, Callan, Nugent, Halpenny, McGuinness, Dowdall, Carroll, Crawly, McKeown, Connolly, Courahan, Casey,

Rogers, Hanratty, McGee, McCormack, Farrell, Gernon, Lawless, and Dullahan.

Almost all of these names are still found in the same T.L.



214 COUNTY LOUTH ARCHAEOLOGICAL JOURNAL

In 1847 an outbreak of typhoid occurred and Dr. Laurence Martin, laboured

among the victims till he succumbed to the disease. In St. Fursey's churchyard a column was erected by the people to his memory. Within the last few years this monument has broken, and now lies amongst the weeds. See Daltons Dundalk.

I am indebted to Mr. P. L. Macardle for certain information, and to Mrs. Whit

worth and Mr. P. J. Caraher for the use of their maps.

S? Am u f ?YUcSuijro?in

Townland of Philipstown.

(Townland and Parish). Barony of Up. Dundalk. By Rev. P. Corcoran, P.P.

Name : See L.A.J. Vol. VII, page 60. Ordnance Survey Letters give tJîte

pitib.

Dims, Forts, Raths : In Mr. Peter McEntegart's land there are the remains of

two forts (marked on Ordnance Map). Only small portions of the outer circles

remain.

Souterrains : Tradition says there is a souterrain connecting the two forts,

but no one could point it out.

Cromleacs : None.

Church Ruins : North of the present church there is a small spot which is said

to have been the site of an old church and graveyard.

Patron Saint : No tradition of any.

Old Paths and Roads : None. Two old roads are still used.

Castles and Old Houses : Philipstown Mill House and Philipstown Mills. The

Mill House is still occupied. The Philipstown Mills were erected by James Kieran

in 1815. They were destroyed by fire in 1867. At the Mill House there is the bell

of the Mary Stoddart wrecked in Dundalk bay 9th April, 1858?(see Kelly Monument,

Dundalk, and Tempest's Jubilee Annual, 190J.)

Old Trades : None.

Old Customs : None.

Personal Associations : James Kieran, who built the mill, was the man

who was flogged in Dundalk in 1798. See L.A.J. Vol. VII, page 499. An in

scription on the bridge beside the mill reads : this bridge was erected by james KIERAN OF PHILIPSTOWN AT HIS OWN EXPENSE. ANNO DOMINI 1815. (It is to be

regretted that the County Council do not take charge of this beautiful bridge).

James Kieran died 18th June, 1836, in the 56th year of his age. His remains

were interred in the family vault in Louth.



TOWNLANDS OF PHILIPSTOWN AND RATHMORE.

Reproduced from the Ordnance Survey Map with the permission of the Minister for Finance of Saorstat Eireann.



TOWNLAND SURVEY?RATHMORE 215

Rathmore. Parish of Philipstown.

Name : Probably derived from the large fort towards the western end.

Duns, Forts and Raths : (a) There is a large fort towards the western end of the townland. Its internal diameter is 50 yards. It has a double enclose. The trench between the outer and inner ramparts is about 7 yards in width. A segment of the fort towards the SE. has been levelled. There is a souterrain towards the

south. It was opened about 50 years ago, but was closed up again.

(b) Giant's Grave is the name given to a fort in Mr. Madden's field. It is oval

shaped. It measures 35 yards from east to west, and 29 yards from north to south.

There is an embankment at the south end 12 yards wide at one point. There is a

mound in the inner ring running north to south. It is 12 yards in length and 3 yards in breadth. Tradition says this is the Giant's Grave. His name is not preserved.

There is a souterrain towards the eastern end. Note : The standing stone at Balrobin

is situated 350 yards directly south of this point. Souterrains : Two already mentioned in connection with the forts.

Cromleacs, etc. : None.

Church Ruins : None.

Patron Saints : None.

Castles and Old Houses : None.

Old Paths, Roads : A public road went from Balrobin to meet the Dundalk

Castleblayney road, and portion of it is levelled.

Old Trades : None.

Old Customs : None.



Documents

Townland Survey of County Louth. (Continued)