97 Ballinlough Castle. Ballinvonare or Ballyvonare.

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BALLINVONARE OR BALLYVONARE.
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"Wills Crofts, Esq., of Churchtown, J . P . , born 24th December, 1713;
married, 1743, Eleanor, second daughter of John Freeman, Esq., of
Ballinguile, Co. Cork, second son of Richard Freeman, Esq., of Kilbarry
,,
and Ballinguile (Crofts of Churchtown, Burke's Landed Gentry, 1886).
Index to Prerogative
1744. Freeman,
1718.
,,
l
779'
>>
Wills of Ireland :
John, of Ballinguile.
Richard, of Ballinguile, Co. Cork, gent.
Robert, of Ballinguile, Co. Cork, gent.
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Freeman of Castle Cor, Burke's Landed Gentry, 1846 : "Richard Freeman,
of Ballinguile and Kilbarry, had a second son, John, of Ballinguile. He
was b. in 1678; m. Alicia, dau. of Henry Wrixon, g e n t , of Ballygiblin,
and d. 1741-' His sixth son was Robert, of Ballinguile; he m. twice.
By his first wife, Elizabeth, who d. in 1742, he had a son, John, who d.
unm., and a dau., Elizabeth, m. to the Rev. Richard Farmer (see Brady,
vol. i., p. 87). By his second wife, Mildred, dau. of John Sealy, Esq.,
of Maugh, and widow of Samuel Wrixon, Esq., of Woodpark, he had
(with two daus., Ellen, wife of Col. Marlborough Parsons Stirling, and
Mildred, m. to James Glover, Esq., of Mount Cubet (PCorbitt), Co. Cork),
three sons—Sealy, who d. abroad, unm.; William, of Ballymague, Co.
Cork (near Buttevant), who m. Miss Barry, and left issue; and Richard."
James Glover, Esq., married Mildred, eldest dau. of Robert Freeman,
Esq., of BallniguAle Castle, etc. (Burke's Landed Gentry, 1863, Glover of
Mount Glover).
In 1814, Thomas O'Donnell, Esq., lived here. The post town was
Buttevant (Directory of Noted Places, Ireland, 1814).
Under "Kilbroney," Lewis's Topographical Dictionary, pub. 1837:
a
At Ballinguile are the remains of the castle of that name, and an ancient
mansion of the Fitzjames family."
Mr. James Byrne, J. P., Walls town Castle, adds : " I n the ruined church
of Kilbroney, is the tomb of the Freemans, the only one there.'*
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Ballinlough Castle.
See Ballydeloughy Castle.
Ballinvonare or Ballyvonare.
Sheet 17, six-inch Ordnance Survey, and Sheet 164, one-inch O. S.
Balliinvonare means "the townland of the meadows."
Parish of Doneraile, Barony of Fermoy.
It is situated four miles north-east of Buttevant, which is the post
town. There is a sub-postal office at Ballinvonare.
In 1796 Richard Harold, Esq., great-grandfather of Harold Haroldoarry, Esq. (the present owner), was a member of the Doneraile Yeomanry.
In 1814 Richard Harold, Esq., lived here (Directory of Noted Places,
Ireland, 1814).
Richard Harold, of Pennywell and Singland, Limerick, of the Doneraile Yeomanry Cavalry in 1796, was grandfather to John Harold-Barry,
sq., D.L., J. P. He lived at Ballinvonare up to 1811. He married Miss
Bar
ry, who was only child of John Barry, Esq., of Ballinvonare. Their
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HISTORICAL AND TOPOGRAPHICAL NOTES.
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second son was left the place by his maternal grandfather, who wished
that he should take the name of Barry.
Mr. and Mrs. Harold lived at B a l l i n v o n a r e u n t i l their second son
attained his majority, which was in 1811.
Copied from an old MS. at Ballyvonare:
GENEALOGY OF THE H A R O L D S OF PENNYWELL.
•
Lineage. It has been ascertained from the most authentic records
that the family of Harold has been reputable from very distant records.
In 853, they first came and settled in Ireland. One of the family was,
in the year 961 o r thereabouts, King- of the Isles called Hebrides, as
appears in Sir James W a r e ' s History of Ireland.
In 1151, Edmond Harold was Bishop of Limerick, and from the year
1418 to 1689 there were 35 Sheriffs, Bailiffs,, and Mayors of Limerick of
the family and name, as appears by the Records of the City of Limerick,
and conformable t o a list hereunto annexed.
The principal family estate is in Leinster, beginning at Harold's Cross
and reaching as far as Rathfarnham, Killinastige, and Mount Jerome.
There is a chapel on the estate called W h i t e Church, in which is existing
till this day the family burial ground.
The last of the family who possessed the estate was Captain Thomas
Harold, who died in Merion Castle, which is on the estate.
During the troubles in Ireland in the reign of Charles I., he acted
as Captain in the Foot, by Commission, under His Majesty, and was
dangerously wounded in a battle near Dublin, where the Marquis of
Ormonde commanded, and was defeated by the Parliamentary forces. In
consequence of his taking up arms in force of the Royalist party, the
estate was forfeited; yet, by the means of a powerful interest, he was
indulged with a pension during life.
This Thomas had two brothers, who came and settled in Limerick:
#h
1. Richard, d. unm.
2. John, married Eliza, daughter of
had issue:
• Seymour, Esq., of F a n t , and
1. Thomas, who was Sheriff and Mayor of Limerick. He was one of
representatives of the city in Parliament.
He married the
daughter of Edmond Morony, of the County of Clare, Esq., and
had issue two sons, Martin and Edmund.
2. Joha, married Barbara, daughter of Theobald Barhu, Esq., and
had issue :
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a. John. He became Gentleman of the Bedchamber, first, to
the Grand Duke of Tuscany, and afterwards to the Elector
Palatine of the Rhine, in which employment he died. He
married Gertrude (Burke's Landed Gentry for Ireland says
Anne), daughter of Thomas Hickman, of Barntic, Co. Clare,
Esq., and had issue a son, Stephen, who succeeded his father
as Gentleman of the Bedchamber to the Elector Palatine of
the Rhine.
b. Richard. H e married Mary, daughter of Christopher FitzGerald, of Castle Leake, in the County of Galway, and had
issue Patrick and Stephen. Stephen married Elizabeth,
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BALLINVONARE OR BALLYVONARE
99
daughter of Samuel Brereton, of Somerset, Esq., a near
relative of Robert Hanly, Esq., afterwards Lord Oxford.
At the battle of Aughrim he received several wounds, at
the head of a company of foot, which he had armed at his
own expense. His brother, Patrick, acted as lieutenant in
his company, and was killed by his side. Neither had male
issue.
3. Stephen, married Mary, daughter of Sir Thomas Phillips, of Fenely, in
Devonshire, Baronet, and had issue an only surviving s o n :
H e married
% 1. Richard, who settled at Penny well, near Limerick.
Catherine, daughter of James Galway, of Castletown (PCastletownroche), in the County of Cork, Esq., and had i s s u e :
i. Stephen, d. unm.
,
2. Richard, who married Jane, daughter of Laurence Nihill, of
Limerick, Esq.—(she was niece t o Sir John Higgins, First
Physician t o the K i n g of Spain, and one of the Privy Council.
H e r genealogy is derived from the O'Neills, formerly Kings
of Ireland; it may be seen at large and drawn up and
attested by Hawkins, late King-at-Arms)—and had male issue :
1. Richard, who married Mary, daughter of Daniel Ryan,
of Inch, in the County of Tipperary, esq.
2. Edmond, Captain in the regiment of horse in the service
of His Majesty's Serene Highness the Elector Palatine
of the Rhine, and Gentleman of the Bedchamber.
Notwithstanding the many disturbances t h a t happened in these kingdoms, a considerable p a r t of the family estate in the counties of Clare
and Limerick still remain in the hands of Martin Harold, Esq., grandson
to Thomas Harold, who is the representative.
List of the Bailiffs, Sheriffs, and Mayors of Limerick of the n a m e and
family of Harold.
1418.
J
423.
1427.
1432.
1441.
T
4931498.
J
505.
'513J5i6.
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5i7*5i8.
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5i9.
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52i.
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William Harold
William Harold
Edmond Harold
William Harold
Edmond Harold
William Harold
W a l t e r Harold
William Harold
William Harold
Richard Harold
Christopher Harold
Christopher Harold
James Harold
Nicholas Harold
Edmond Harold
Andrew Harold
John Harold
Walter Harold
Bailiff
do.
do.
do.
do.
Mayor
Bailiff
Mayor
do.
do.
Bailiff
Mayor
BailiffMayor
Bailiff
do.
do.
do.
1
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544I
544J549l
2
S$ 1561.
^fr
1564.
15771581.
LS83.
1617.
1622.
1624.
1627.
1687.
1689.
1689.
James Harold
Andrew Harold
John Harold
Robert Harold
Nicholas Harold
Nicholas Harold
Thomas Harold
Thomas Harold
George Harold
Oliver Harold
Pierce Harold
Pierce Harold
Pierce Harold
Patrick Harold
Patrick Harold
Richard Harold
Thomas Harold
Mayor
Bailiff
do.
do.
do.
Mayor
Bailiff
Mayor
Bailiff
do.
Sheriff
Mayor
Sheriff
do.
do.
do.
Mayor
3t
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HISTORICAL AND TOPOGRAPHICAL NOTES
IOO
Index to Marriage Licence Bonds, Diocese of Cloyne, 1630 to 1880:
Harold, Elizabeth, and John Otter. 1797.
Index to Marriage Licence Bonds, Diocese of Cork and Ross, 1623
to 1750
Harold, Alice, and William Verdon. 1710.
Edmund, and Jane Galwey. 1717.
yy
Elizabeth, and Francis Haly. 1747.
yy
Mary, and John Anstermartin. 1746.
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Stephen, and Mary Woolfe.
1722.
Index to Prerogative Wills of Ireland
1725. Harold, Richard, of Pennywell, East Lib., Limerick, gent.
The following memoir I s taken from Burke's Landed Gentry, 1904:
J
HAROLD-BARRY OF BALLYVONARE.
Harold Philip Harold-Barry, of Ballyvonare, Co. Cork, b. 19 Nov., 1865;
mar. 30 April, 1895, Helen Frances Mary, dau. of John Gerald Riddell,
of Hermeston Hall, Rotherham, Yorks, and has i s s u e :
1. John Gerard, b. 28 Jan., 1896.
2. Charles William, b. 21 May, 1897.
3. Edward Basil, b. 1 Sept., 1901.
1. Hilda Mary Philomena, b. 25 May, 1900.
2. Etheldreda Mary, b. 9 August, '1906.
Lineage. The family of Harold was long seated in the Co. Dublin,
where they possessed large estates at Harold's Cross.
The immediate ancestor of this branch was Richard Harold (of Doneraile Yeomanry Cavalry, 1796), of Singland and Pennywell, Co. Limerick;
m. 1782, Mary, only child and heiress of John Barry, of Ballinvonare,
Co. Cork, and had a son :
John Harold-Barry, of Ballinvonare, Co. Cork (who assumed the additional
name of Barry on inheriting the Barry property), m. first, 1822, Eliza,
dau. of Henry Harrison, of Castle Harrison, Co. Cork, and had issue
(with Richard, Henry, Margaret, who all died young) a son :
John, of whom presently.
Mr. Harold-Barry married, secondly, 1843, Margaret, Hon. Chanoinesse
of the Order of St. Anne of Bavaria, sister of the Right Hon. Sir
Thomas Esmonde, Bart., P.C., of Ballynastragh, Co. Wexford, and
widow of Peter Locke, of Athgoe, Co. Dublin (see " E s m o n d e , " Burke's
Peerage and Baronetage).
She d.s.p. 25 Deer., 1878. His s o n :
John Harold-Barry, of Ballivonare, Co. Cork, J . P . , D.L., High Sheriff
1880; b. Aug., 1823; m. Oct., i860, Margaret Josephine, dau. of
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William Gibson, of Roebuck, Co. Publin, and Belvedere Place,
Dublin; and died 5 May, 1898, leaving i s s u e :
1. John, b. 1863, d. 1864.
2. Harold Philip, now of Ballinvonare.
3. William John, b. Sept., 1869; d. at Krugersdorp, South Africa,
2 Feb., 1896, from wounds received in action.
4. Richard, b. 1871, d. 1871.
5. Edward Daniel (Rev.), b. Aug., 1872.
6. Philip, b. March, 1874.
: There is an oil painting of a General Wolfe in the dining-room at Ballyvonare,
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BALLINVONARE OR BALLYVONARE
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7. Henry) Alan, b. April, 1876.
8. Thomas, b. and d. 1879
9. John, b. Aug., 1884.
Marcella, m. Garrett Nagle, Esq., R.M., of Clogher, near Doneraile, Co. Cork (see *'Nagle of Clogher," Burke's Landed Gentry,
1904), and has issue.
2 Eliza.
3 Margaret Josephine.
4 Anne, m. Thomas Leahy, Esq., J . P . , of Woodfort, near Mallow,
Co. Cork, and has issue.
5. Isabella.
Seat—Ballyvonare, Buttevant, Co. Cork. Club—Royal Yacht Club,
Queenstown.
The following is taken from the pedigree of * Glover of Mount Glover,
Burke's Landed Gentry, 1863 :
Edward Glover, b. in 1663, d. 24 April, 1753, m in 1695 Eleanor,
dau. of James Barry, Esq., of Ballinvonare, and had issue four sons, The
eldest, Edward, b. in 1696, and d. 23 April, 1742, aged 45, m. Miss Quin,
and left only one dau., who m. her first cousin, Philip Barry, of Ballinvonare.
On the night of 17th January, 1822, the Whiteboys went to the house
of John Harold-Barry, Esq., of Ballyvonare, asked for arms, got some,
and went off (Dublin Weekly Register, 1822).
Dublin Correspondent,
27th October, 1824. At Castle H a r r i s o n , the
seat of her father, the lady of John Harold Barry, Esq., of twin sons.
Under "Doneraile," Lewis's Topographical Dictionary, pub. 1837,
states: " A school at Ballinvonare of n o children was built and is aided
12
by £
per annum from John Harold Barry, Esq., who also provides the
school-house.''
Kilcolman Castle, where Spenser wrote his Faerie Queene, is on the
Ballyvonare property. See "Kilcolman Castle."
There is a stone at Ballyvonare with the Harold coat of arms carved
on it. It bears the date 1597. It came from Penny well, Limerick.
The pretty and extensive lake was made as a relief work in the famine
time by the present owner's grandfather, about 1847.
*
In 1817 there were 76,000 trees planted in the Ballyvonare mountain
glen, which now form very fine wood's. They were all registered in the
Dublin Gazette.
Family tradition has it that the maternal branch of the Harold-Barry
family built Buttevant, Lisgriffin, and Liscarroll Castles, and that a branch
of this family settled at Ballinvonare in the seventeenth century.
There is an interesting so-called Danish fort at Ballinvonare. About
1890 some iron weapons were dug up in it. An old man-trap was discovered here some years ago, and is still to be seen.
Through Ballinvonare runs the famous "Cly-Duff, or Black D i t c h , "
an old chieftain boundary (see account under Bowen's Court).
The Field Book of 1839 gives the following: "Ballyvonare, 'town of
the meadow.' This is a very large townland, about two-thirds mountain.
A large demesne occupies t h e principal part of the arable portion, which
forms the southern end. This demesne is decorated with considerable
tracts of wood and narrow continuous plantations. Two ponds and a
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HISTORICAL AND TOPOGRAPHICAL NOTES
gentleman's seat, a large piece of planting is visible in the midst of the
mountain." (Ord. Sur. Off., Dublin).
There is a post-office at Ballinvonare, Buttevant being the nearest
money order and telegraph office, four miles distant. There is also a
national school here (Guy, 1905).
Preserved in the family of Harold Barry, Esq., of Ballyvonare, is a
chalice, which bears, immediately above the gadrooiied ornament on its
circular foot, the inscription, divided by a Roman cross—"Cornelius
O'Keeffe, Episcopus Limericensis, me fieri fecit, Anno Domini 1735." In
McGregor's History of Limerick
(Dublin, 1827) we find that " D r .
Cornelius O'Keeffe succeeded Bishop Moloney in 1720. In 1730 he was
delegated by the Pope to proceed to Galway t o examine into certain
differences which existed between the Roman Catholic clergy of that town
and the titular Archbishop of Tuam, which he brought to an amicable
compromise, , H e died in 1738." This chalice descended from the Bishop
through the Harold family of Limerick to its present owner. It is 5*
inches high, 3f inches wide at the base, and 2J inches wide at the lip
of the cup. It unscrews in three parts. The knop is oval, with a reeded
band in the centre, having its upper portion engraved with four leaves
on a powdered ground, and the lower portion with an engraved pattern
to correspond with the gadrooning on the foot, which is hollow, circular,
and otherwise undecorated. The chalice, from long disuse, has become
coated with a lustrous black oxidation, which should not be removed,
r
unless the cup w ere to be again consecrated and used for its holy office.
Otherwise, such a patination is so rarely met with on plate that it imparts
to the chalice an added charm. I have no doubt but it was made for
Bishop O'Keeffe in Limerick. It has not a single mark to afford a clue
to the maker, or where he worked; and the absence of marks on plate oi
this date would, in some measure, prove that it was made in a place
where no goldsmiths' guild existed, and where no recognised town mark
was authoritatively used. But just at this period the Penal Laws were
in full force; and it is very possible that the maker, whoever he was,
would not care to have his name identified with the chalice. With the
chalice is a paten, a circular plate of silver, 3J inches in diameter, goldplated; and, like its companion, unmarked. It has no ornament, symbol,
or emblem of any kind. But accompanying both is the ancient altar
stone, which has all the appearance of great age. A photograph of this
most interesting relic shows its five emblematic crosses, symbolising the
five wounds of our Saviour; but an engraving fails to convey the timeworn and polished surface of the stone, that are such certain evidences
of its long-continued usage.
Upon the centre are circular depressed
marks, caused by the impact of a larger chalice that must have been used
at an earlier period. From its general appearance, it is certain that the
stone is older and of higher antiquity than the chalice with which it is
associated. Stones of this character that are not inserted in the altars
of churches are known as "travelling s t o n e s , " and are of rare occurrence.
They are relics of the Penal Days.
Although McGregor states that
Dr. O'Keeffe succeeded Bishop Moloney in 1720, as a matter of fact
there was no R.C. Bishop in Limerick for nearly twenty years prior to
that date. The late Maurice Lenihan, in his History of Limerick, gives
fuller details of this prelate, who was translated from Killaloe to
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BALLINVONARE OR BALLYVONARE.
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Limerick in 1687 on the nomination of King James I L , by virtue of an
Indult granted by the Holy See to him, by which he was given the
nomination of Bishops in Ireland, and of Vicars Apostolic in England.
Dr. O'Moloney was in. France when James embarked for Ireland; he
remained there, never returned to Ireland, and died in Paris in 1702.
After this the see of Limerick was governed for many years by a VicarGeneral, the Rev. James Stritch, of Rathkeale; and Limerick remained
without an R.C. Bishop owing to the ceaseless persecutions that followed.
At length, in March, 1720, the Court of Rome appointed Dr. O'Keeffe,
of the ancient family of Clouna-Phrecane, Co. Cork.
He studied in
Toulouse, became a D.D., and was Rector of the parish of St. Chroniclen
in the diocese of Nantes. His father, Denis O'Keeffe, was expelled
from his estate of Dim, on the river Bride, by Cromwell. He even
settled at Dromkeen, Co. Limerick, where he left six sons—Daniel,
Dermot, Philip, Donatus, Luke, and Cornelius (the Bishop).
Lenihan
gives the date of the Bishop's death as the 4th May, 1737 (not 1738). H e
was buried at St. John's churchyard, Limerick, but there is no trace of
his tomb.
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The above is slightly abridged from Mr. R. Day's paper on the
''O'Keeffe Chalice and Altar Stone," in this Journal, No. 41, Jan.-Mar.,
1899.
Lieut.-Colonel T h o m a s Esmonde, V . C . (brother to Sir John Esmonde,
Bart.) was a relative of the Harold-Barrys, and the following is an
interesting account of t h i s gallant officer.
+
T H E REWARD OF M E R I T .
" W e are happy to be able to announce that His Excellency the Lord
Lieutenant has appointed Major Esmonde to the office of Assistant-Inspector-General of Constabulary, vacated by the resignation of the Deputy Inspector-General, the Hon. Colonel Maude. Our readers are aware that
Major Esmonde is the gallant Captain Esmonde of the 18th Royal Irish
who was the first British officer to make a lodgment in Sevastopol, and
who, with a handful of Irish soldiers, maintained his position for nearly
twelve hours, and gallantly brought his men back to the British lines when
it became impracticable t o hold the position he had taken. The appointment of this gallant young Irishman to the important office he now holds
is not only the reward of true merit, but it is a compliment to the country,
which reflects equal credit on a young Irishman who gallantly won his
laurels, and on our excellent Viceroy, who thus recognises and rewards
worth and m e r i t / '
"18th Regiment,- Captain Thomas Esmonde (date of act of bravery,
18th and 20th June, 1855). For having, after being engaged in the
attack of the Redan, repeatedly assisted, at great personal risk under a
heavy fire of shell and grape, in rescuing wounded men from exposed
situations, and also while in command of a covering party, two days after,
for having, with the most prompt and daring gallantry, went to a spot
where a fire-ball from the enemy had just been lodged, which he effectually
extinguished before it had betrayed the position of the working party
under his protection, thus saving it from a murderous fire of shell and
r
§' ape, which was immediately opened upon the spot where the fire-ball
had fallen." H e was rewarded by the Victoria Cross.
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HISTORICAL AND TOPOGRAPHICAL NOTES.
Ballyadam.
Sheet 16, six-inch Ordnance Survey; Sheet 164, one-inch O. S.
Barony of Orrery and Kilmore. Parish of Churchtown (Bruhenny).
Ballyadam is the Irish for *'Adam's t o w n " (O'Donovan).
It lies half a mile south of Churchtown, which is the post town.
The following notes are taken from the Egmont MSS. :—
Letter from Philip Percivalle to Conogher Reagh (O'Callaghan), 6 May,
1630. " . . . Mr. King would fain have had Ballintemple, but he
received his answer, and that his money for Ballyadam is ready. . . . "
(p. 64, vol. i.)
William Damper to Sir Philip Percivall, 21 September, 1642.
" . . . By reason of the great troubles in England I cannot sell my
wool, nor get in any of my debts, and I have here lost seventeen hundred
fat wethers, three hundred beasts, and thirty-five horses, and have not
saved a sheaf of all my corn at Balliadam and Ballihay. . . " (vol. i.,
p. 181).
In a letter from Lord Inchiquin to Sergeant Reymond, 28 November,
1642, Cork, he adds a postscript as follows : " I have directed SergeantMajor Jephson to let you have one man out of each company. I would
have you give Bowes half the corn he has saved at Ballyadam'' (vol. i.,
P- 183).
Sir Philip Percivalle, writing to Mr. Sail from Dublin, 13 November,
1643, adds an enclosure, stating his grievances. He refers t o Ballyadam,
t h u s : " . . . Afterwards Nicholas Barry entered Ballincurrig Castle,
which Sir Philip had purchased of his father many years since, and Ellen
Lacy, alias Barry, took possession, after the Cessation, of Ballyadam,
Churchtown, Ballintemple, and Cargeene, alleging them to be her jointure,
' though she had passed a fine of recovery thereof ten years agone, and
never since pretended any possession t h e r e i n ' " (vol. i. p. 193).
Thomas Reymond deposed before the English Commissioners in
:
Munster, at Mallow, 11 March, 1643 (4) "• • • The ward of Annagh,
and the lands of Ballyadam, Churchtown, Rath, Cargeene, Caher Cnogher,
Aghabourn, Ballyn Roe, Bailybane, Garregott, and Lisnegreene, all of
which were in Sir Philip's possession on September 16, are since occupied
by several intruders, by reason of the rising of Lombard, Barry, the
Stapletons, and the rest, who, until the said 16th of September, had ever
carried themselves fairly towards all the garrison . . . " (vol. i., p. 206).
John Fisher and William Young depose that Ballyadam, Churchtown,
etc., were all in quiet and actual possession of the wards of Annagh and
Liscarroll on September 15th, examinants "being continually up and
down on the said lands, hunting and otherwise," and that on the 16th, it
being "whispered amongst the Irish that there was a cabin built on the
bog to challenge a kind of possession," they searched diligently, but could
find no trace of one. . . (vol. i., p. 207).
Burke's Landed Gentry, 1857, gives : William Philip Glover, of
Burton P a r k (son of Philip Glover by Frances, dau. of William Thornhill,
of the family of Thornhill of Castlekevin), marr. the eldest dau. of James
Magrath, of Ballyadam, by whom he left a large family.
BALLINGUILE CASTLE.
{Photo by Colonel Grove White,
igoj )
BALLYADAM COTTAGE, CHURCHTOWN, BUTTEVANT.
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1814.
1893.
1897.
IO5
James Magrath, Esq., lived here (D.N.P.).
James Magrath resided here (Guy).
Miss Ellen Thornhill Glover lived at Ballyadam.
About 1898, Mr. Henry Brasier-Creagh, J . P . , lived here. H e was sueceeded by Mr. D. O'Brien.
It is now owned by Mrs. Guinee (Miss Magrath), widow of the late
Mr. W . B. Guinee, a distinguished journalist. She resides at Buttevant
Castle.
Mrs. Guinee (the present owner) writes : * * I often heard my father
say that his people, the Magraths, were the oldest tenants on the Egmont
property, and had lived at Ballyadam for over two centuries, and held
several of the adjoining places. I well remember all that old history,
but have little account of the dates, not having much interest at that
time in family history. Ballyadam has quite a wealth of folk and fairy
lore, every field its own history; and many weird and amusing traditions
of the 'little people,' who on certain festivals and full moonlight nights
are said to hold high revel in the orchard field, with ready challenge for
any intruder. Of the 'Ballyadam Banshee' I can speak from my own
experience, and of yet stranger visitants of the place. Ballyadam is a
towniand in itself of 136 acres. The house was built in the time of the
Perceval family. The landlords were the Lords of Egmont. Ballyadam
was purchased under the Ashbourne Act of 1893, and now held by me,
under the Land Commissioners. I have not all the correct dates of the
tenancies. The following is as near as I can remember having heard :
"My great-grandfather came to live here after his own castle-stronghold in Co. Tipperary was invested and taken; he was succeeded by his
son, James Magrath, who had five sons and three daughters—(1) Michael,
(2) Jeremiah, (3) Thomas, B.L. ; (4) Maurice, B.L. ; m. Miss Dickinson,
of Birch Hall, Lancashire, and had" issue one child, Henrietta Frances,
w h o m . Rev. G. F . St. J o h n . ; (5) James; (1) Ellen, (2) Margaret, (3)
Bridget.''
A member of the Magrath family has sent me the following obituary
notice: " 7 t h January, 1867, at Manston House, Dorset, the Rev. George
Frederick St. John, eldest son of George Richard, fourth Viscount
Bolingbroke, by his second wife, Isabella, Baroness Hompesch."
In 1814 James Magrath lived here.
H e had two sons and four
daughters, v i z . : (1) Maurice, (2) William; (1) Mary, (2) Isabella, (3)
Bessie, (4) Kate. In 1874, Maurice Magrath lived at Ballyadam; in 1877,
Mary M a g r a t h ; in 1895, James Magrath lived here. H e had two sons—
(1) James, (2) Jerome; and two daughters—(1) Kate, (2) Mary (Mrs.
Guinee); three grandsons—(1) James, (2) William, (3) Clarence; and one
granddaughter, Florence Magrath.
In 1897, Mrs. Guinee lived here.
She now (1906) resides at The Castle, Buttevant.
Mr. D . W . O'Brien now lives at Ballyadam.
The Field Book of 1840 gives the following: "Ballyadam House and
towniand, 'Adam's town.' On the western boundary of this towniand
stands the house of Ballyadam, the demesne attached to which is formed
by the towniand. There is scarcely a tree to be seen on the towniand.
I here is a large tract of rocks on the south-east. Mr. Magrath owns the
piace'^Ord. Sur. Off., Dublin).
•
io6
HISTORICAL AND TOPOGRAPHICAL NOTES.
Ballyadeen.
Sheet 26, six-inch Ordnance Survey, and Sheet 176, one-inch O. S.
Barony of Fermoy. | Parish of Castletownroche.
It lies immediately east of the village of Castletownroche, and is a
townland. Ballyadeen is the Irish for " O ' H a i d i n ' s t o w n " (O'Donovan).
Mr. Jame Byrne, J . P . , of Wallstown Castle, writes : ''Ballyadeen
belonged formerly to the O'Brien family of Kilcor, Castlelyons.
Mr.
Maurice O'Connell lived there in 1900. It now (1906) belongs to Mr.
Nunan."
In 1814, Michael Nunan lived here (D.N.P.).
The Field Book of 1839 gives the following: "Ballyadeen, O'Haidin's
town. The property of William Phipps, Esq., by deed for ever. The
land is flat and dry and in a good state of cultivation, and abounds with
limestone. Co. Cess, ^ 2 7 16s. 9d. per annum, including that of Ballyg r e l l a h a n " (Ord. Sur. Off., Dublin).
In 1867, William Patterson resided at Ballyadeen, also D . O'Brien.
In 1906, the following farmers held land at Ballyadeen, viz., Denis
Noonan, Cornelius Hickey, Thomas O'Brien, and Arthur Patterson (Guy's
Directory).
Ballyandrew (or Hermitage).
Sheet 25, six-inch Ordnance Survey, and Sheet 175, one-inch O. S.
T
It lies about one and a half miles south-east of Doneraile, w hich is
the post town. Parish of Doneraile. Barony of Fermoy.
Mr. Walter Jones, of Doneraile, informs me that at Ballyandree, the
modern Ballyandrew, buildings existed and Druids had their sanctuary
near the medicinal well before St. Patrick came to Ireland.
He also writes, in his "Doneraile and Vicinity"—"The Druid's well at
Ballyandree, called 'Tubber-an-dree,'appears to have been held in veneration
since pre-Patrician times. It is a mineral well of unquestionable value
in liver and skin complaints. I have tried it myself, and have the most
indubitable testimony from several others as to its efficacy."
A pamphlet was written about it in 1780 by Dr. John Creagh, M.D.,
of Creagh Castle. H e it was who built the stone cover over it, probably
when he was living at Saffron Hill, a place adjoining.
It is related that on fine summer days, long ago, as many as 500
pilgrims used t o g o t h e r e ; even yet, on fine Sundays and in the evenings
in summer, it is not unusual to see from thirty to fifty people t h e r e . "
Mr. Walter Jones further a d d s : " M r . Jas. B. Norcott lived at Hermitage about 1822. H e married a Miss Best, and had several daughters,
who all went to Australia. One of them died immensely well off in 1S98.
" T h e Glen of Croke, which stretched from Saffron Hill to Pinegrove,
was much celebrated in old times on account of two battles fought there.
The first must have been about the second century, for there is a story
told of Canmore, the Druid, working- miracles and finding Ballyandree
or Crogh-an-tree well.
The Dum-a-cree streamlet ran red with blood
during the first battle.
" A warrior was found buried at Crobeg (adjacent), with his sword beside
WkW