Madara or Maigh Dara, the plain of the oak, comprises approx 60 acres or 0.25 sq km’s. It has retained its name, with some small tweaks, since its earliest recorded mention in 1586 in the Inchiquin Papers. It had been sparsely populated, despite its proximity to the village, until the Maigh Dara housing development was constructed twenty years ago.
This 1842 6” OS map shows the very low density habitation in the townland. Note the absence of the Ballyhannon North road at its NW corner.
Historical ownership and growth
Down Survey Name: Maddara. 1641 Owner(s): Sir Daniell O’Bryan (Catholic). 1670 Owner(s): James Rice (Protestant), Unprofitable land: 18 plantation acres. Profitable land: 182 plantation acres. Forfeited: 182 plantation acres. Note: boundary definitions and unit measurements of land have changed over time.
1659 & 1661 Tenant in actual occupancy in Madara: Thomas Creagh (see historical references at end of post).
1851 census population: 15. Habitable buildings: 3
1855 Griffiths Survey of land owners in Madara: Patrick Moylan, Patrick Walsh, Robert Westropp
1861 census population: 10. Habitable buildings: 2
1871 & 1881 census population: 7. Habitable buildings: 2
1891 census population: 11. Habitable buildings: 3
1901 census population: 17. Habitable buildings: 3. Census family names: Moylan, Curry, O’Loughlin
1911 census population: 20. Area: 66 acres. Habitable buildings: 3
2023 see the ‘Small Area Census of the urban cluster of Maigh Dara, Manor View, parts of Quinville South & Quin Gardens’ below.
Housing developments
Maigh Dara is the development of 45 houses built almost 20 years ago. It takes its name directly from the townlands original name and no wonder it did so. The name is clear, simple and beautiful in any language. It is a good example of what can be extracted from existing place or feature names without having to create new ones.
Móinéar na Darach/Meadow of Oaks is the new development of 16 homes currently under construction at the rear of Maigh Dara. The name is presumably inspired by the townland name and makes reference to the sometime presence of oak trees at this location. Can a site with trees still be considered to be a meadow? This development will be a welcome addition to the overall development of our growing village. Lets hope the correct placement of the ‘fada’ is not overlooked for this name. Sales agents for the development are already committing this sin.
Small area Census information
The following 2023 census information is for the small area cluster of Maigh Dara, Manor View, parts of Quinville South & Quin Gardens as set out in the diagram below:
From the 1930’s Schools Folklore Collection:
P.256 Told by Pat Crowe, then aged 70
Patt Moylan of Madara Quin Co Clare was going to Limerick with a creel of pigs to sell. It is seventeen miles from Quin to Limerick. Patt started at twelve o’clock at night in order to be in time, as he had to walk the horse the whole way to Limerick. Going through Quin, all had retired to rest but he met a man dressed in his army officer’s uniform at Quin Cross. Patt was surprised because there were no soldiers nearer than Limerick but Patt remembered the story that an officer shot himself in a house at the Cross, the time the soldiers were in Quin very many years previously. Patt continued his journey and passing the field adjacent to the abbey he saw a host of people. Amongst them he recognised many people long since dead. Going through Rathlubry he encountered another ghost. This time he saw a white woman going with the wind and disappearing in the direction of Rathlubry Fort. Patt was not done with his adventures. Passing Thomond Bridge early in the morning his grey horse broke his leg.
2 monument sites North & North East of Madara:
CL034-131 Ringfort Cashel. Little is known about this feature but it has left remnants of its location on the ground which can be seen to this day.
CL034-132002 Ringfort Cashel. This would have been marked on early OS maps but nothing appears to remain of it today.
Loughaun
A lake is shown on early Ordnance Survey maps and named ‘Loughaun’(Locháin). This is a turlough (c. 50m E-W; 34m N-S) that fills up with water in wet weather and feeds a stream/Srutháin that flows in a southerly direction to the River Rine alongside the new Housing development in Quin Gardens. In the 1930’s schools folklore collection, there is a contribution called The Bad Spots in Quin and Clooney During the Night. One of the examples of ‘bad’ spots (#16) is described as follows:
“A white woman used appear on the Ballykilty road. She used follow people as far as the little stream called “Sruthán Bhéaga” but used never cross it”. This would appear to refer to this same stream/srutháin. If so, it would appear to be the only named reference to this little water feature available to us.
Concluding comment
This area appears to be the focus for a number of new developments presently. Lets hope that the heritage of the townland or surrounding areas is used to inspire the names put forward by the developers. It is the view of the Quin Heritage group that it is better to use names, irrespective of language, that belong to the location rather than paying token gestures to the native language.
Historical references:
https://archive.org/stream/historyandtopog00frosgoog/historyandtopog00frosgoog_djvu.txt
Other Website references
Census information
National Monument & Heritage map
