Bealach – way, pass
This small and sparsely populated townland was associated with the Corbetts of Ballagh House but also was the homeplace of a family of Clunes in the 1800’s. The name appears to have been abreviated from the original ‘Bealach an Earbaill’, as indicated in the record at the bottom of this post.
Approx. 3km from Quin Village
31.44 hectares / 0.3144 km²/0.12 square miles/77 acres
1855 Griffiths Valuation:
Tenant: Patrick Corbett, Landlord: Nicholas Murphy
Census 1841 Households: 1, Population 6
Census 1851 Households: 1, Population 6
Census 1861 Households: 1, Population 8
Census 1871 Households: 2, Population 5
Census 1881 Households: 1, Population 4
Census 1891 Households: 1, Population 6
1901 Census Households: 1, Population 4
Thomas & Ellen Corbett, nephew Vincent Corbett, servant Anne Hassett.
1911 Census Households: 1, Population 4
Thomas & Ellen Corbett, nephew Vincent Corbett, servant Annie Hassett.
In Pursuit of Kate Corbett is the fascinating true story of a remarkable Irishwoman and her family, as told in a semi-fictionalised but mostly fact-based account of her life, written by her great-granddaughter, Anne Loughnane.
Kate Corbett and her husband John Jo gave up their comfortable life in 1860’s Dublin and migrated with their six children to the United States, eventually homesteading outside Casper, Wyoming, when the area was still very much the Wild West.
Their two young daughters died of diphtheria on the voyage across the Atlantic, and Kate’s beloved son, Vincent, at the tender age of eight, was sent from Wyoming back to Quin, to be brought up by his aunt and uncle, Thomas and Ellen Corbett. He then went on to inherit their farm in Ballagh.
After her husband’s death, at the age of 57, Kate Corbett returned to Ireland, then travelled on to Dorset, England, to take the extraordinary step of becoming a Cistercian nun.
Ballagh House (Courtesy of Dr. Hugh W.L. Weir, from his book ‘Houses of Clare’)
Associated families: Creagh, Corbett, Murphy, Blood, Cleeve, Craig.
Features
Ballagh is a one-and-a-half storey, four bay, gabled house, with dormer windows facing south. There is a twentieth- century return and a front porch, containing a large Venetian window which came from Ballyline House, Crusheen (q.v.) after its demolition. It protects the front door. Stone farm buildings adjoin the north side.
History
Ballagh House was in the hands of the Corbett family for many years. In 1855 it was leased to Pat Corbett but in the ownership of Nicholas Murphy. On the death of Vincent Corbett adopted nephew), it was inherited by his son, who was a Jesuit priest. In 1948 Father Corbett’s solicitor sold it to Commander and Mrs Terence Cleeve (of the Limerick family). It was then sold to Bindon Blood, who shortly transferred it to Mr. R. Craig. One of the reasons why the Cleeves purchased the property was that Quin, due to the efforts of Father Vaughan, was the second parish in rural Ireland (after Bansha, County Tipperary) to have mains electricity, a facility which they had previously experienced, and which they would have been reluctant to forego. *
* Quin Village had previous experience arising from the construction of a turbine on the River Rine, close to the village bridge, that provided enough power for one electric bulb for six nearby premises. The fact that the P.P., Fr Vaughan was from Ardnacrusha, is conjectured to have influenced the decision to provide early electrification to Quin.
Clune Household
The OS 6” map published in 1842 shows a second dwelling within Ballagh. This is verified by the Baptismal records below. These suggest that the occupiers of this household in the early part of the 1800’s were James & Bridget Clune (nee Halloran), followed by their son Pat and his wife Bridget (nee Duggan). To complicate matters, there is a record for Pat Hynes, born to Charlie & Nellie (nee Clune).
| Date | Child’s name | Father’s name | Mother’s name | Sponsors | ||
| 15.03.1845 | Patt | Clune | James | Halloran | Bridget | Patt Clune, Bridget Hogan |
| 17.12.1851 | Michael | Clune | James | Halloran | Bridget | Michael Clune, Mary Clune |
| 20.05.1854 | Bridget | Clune | James | Halloran | Bridget | John Clune, Johanna Lenihan |
| 05.02.1845 | Patt | Hynes | Charley | Clune | Nelly | Catherine Blackwell |
| 11.02.1857 | Catherine | Clune | James | Halloran | Bridget | Matt Clune, Mary Brassil |
| 15.05.1859 | Ellen | Clune | James | Halloran | Bridget | John Corbett, Winny Scanlan |
| 29.03.1874 | Mary Kate | Clune | Michael | McDonnell | Margaret | Matt Scanlan, Winifred Scanlan |
| 19.10.1870 | James | Clune | Pat | Duggan | Bridget | James Duggan, Mary Kate Brughan |
| 07.04.1873 | Margaret | Clune | Pat | Duggan | Bridget | Dan Bingham, Mary Kate Clune |
| 04.11.1875 | Martin William | Clune | Pat | Duggan | Bridget | John O’Connell, Mary O’Connell |
| 15.02.1863 | Michael | Clune | Patt | Duggan | Bridget | James Duggan, Catherine Duggan |
| 10.05.1866 | Bridget | Clune | Patt | Duggan | Bridget | Michael Clune, Mary Clune |
Historical references to placename (Courtesy Logainm.ie):
Bealach-way/pass, Earbaill-tail, Béal-mouth/mouth of, Baile-town
| 1545 | Bela an Earbuill |
HID Leathanach: 56 Hardiman’s Irish Deeds |
| 1729 | Bellaghaneribule |
CGn. Leathanach: 62.220.42610 Clárlann na nGníomhas/Registry of Deeds Nóta: Tagraítear d’imleabhar, leathanach, gníomhas./Reference to volume, page, deed. |
| 1733 | Ballaghaneribull |
CGn. Leathanach: 75.223.52667 Clárlann na nGníomhas/Registry of Deeds Nóta: Tagraítear d’imleabhar, leathanach, gníomhas./Reference to volume, page, deed. |
| 1739 | Bielaneribull |
CGn. Leathanach: 96.132.66795 Clárlann na nGníomhas/Registry of Deeds Nóta: Tagraítear d’imleabhar, leathanach, gníomhas./Reference to volume, page, deed. |
| 1792 | Belough Ineribal |
CGn. Leathanach: 454.350.292550 Clárlann na nGníomhas/Registry of Deeds Nóta: Tagraítear d’imleabhar, leathanach, gníomhas./Reference to volume, page, deed. |
| 1839 | Ballagh |
Boundary Surveyor c. 1830 as AL / Ordnance Survey Parish Namebooks. Bliain: 1830 |
| 1839 | Bealach an Earbaill |
O’Donovan (leagan Gaeilge de logainm nó nóta agus é scríofa le dúch; John O’Donovan / Seán Ó Donnabháin a scríobh de ghnáth), ex AL. A note or an Irish form of a placename in the Ordnance Survey Parish Namebooks, usually written by John O’Donovan. Bliain: 1830-40, Bliain: 1835, Bliain: 1838 |
| 1839 | Bealach an Earbaill |
Nóta nó leagan Gaeilge scríofa i bpeann luaidhe in AL/ Note or Irish form written in pencil in AL Bliain: 1838 |