Know your Townland – Carrowgar/An Cheathrú Ghearr

This is one of four townlands named Carrowgar in the county and one of four townlands in Quin that begins with Carrow/An Ceathrú. The previous post exploring Carrowroe/Ceathrú Rua offered some explanation relating to this placename prefix. While Ceathrú, meaning ‘quarterland’, is sometimes inter-changeable with ‘townland’, this word can also mean pasture or green in the context of describing place. Gearr, meaning ‘short’ might make more sense when applied to the description of the land or field rather than the larger townland. James Frost, the renowned linguist from Ballymorris, Cratloe, also translates it as meaning ‘short quarterland’ (The origin & history of Irish Placenames, p.393), while elsewhere it has been interpreted as ‘a place near at hand’.

List of Freeholders [including landlords and tenants]: Carrowgare 1813

Census Records

1841 Population 67, Households 10

1851 Population 77, Households 12

1861 Population 58, Households 10

1871 Population 44, Households 8

1881 Population 40, Households 8

1891 Population 27, Households 5

1911 Census: Population: 30, Households: 5

Michael & Susan Hogan, daughter Mary Kate, sons Michael Joseph, Thomas, niece Mary Linnane.

Patrick & Bridget MacNamara, son Thomas, grandson William Dynan.

Michael & Maria Clune, son Patrick, sister Mary Markham, nephew Michael Markham

Thomas & Margaret McNamara, daughter Anne Maria, grandson John.

Timothy & Maria Clune, brother Michael, sons James, Patrick, Michael, Timothy, daughters Maria, Margaret, Bridget, Josephine.

1918 Quin Subscribers to Major Redmond Memorial Fund

Kevin Marlborough Oral History recording by QHG

Kevin, who lives in Carrowgar, describes the incredible work done by his uncle John Thady Clune and others to get a turbine up and running in the 1930’s. His remarkable uncle, endowed with a gifted engineering brain also managed to build his own car, television and wind turbine. He also relates stories of the Black and Tans he heard when growing up. Kevin can recall the story of the nearby ‘wailing bridge’ where families separated from their emigrating loved ones or the ‘Bóthar Buí’ track that was used as the route from Carrowgar and other nearby townlands to get to Quin Village. In Donegal, a similar departure point was known as ‘The Bridge of Tears’. The Wailing Bidge is believed to be Creevagh ‘New’ Bridge on the edge of Carrowgar and Creevagh.

https://quinheritage.ie/kevin-marlborough-carrowgar-quin/

National Monuments

Carrowgar Cillín CL034–246

This cillín is hidden in a large copse of hazel trees on a slight height to the east of the local road running through Carrowgar. The cillín lies behind a grazing field, a short distance in. At first glance the site resembles a ring-fort, but it is shown as an elongated oval space on the 1840 Ordnance Survey map and recorded as a ‘Burial Ground for Children’. Courtesy Michael Houlihan.

https://heritage.clareheritage.org/places/the-clare-cillin-survey/cillin-at-carrowgar-quin

CL042–050 Enclosure

Some baptismal records in 1800’s in Carugar/Carhugar