Know your Townland – Coogaun/Cúngán

Both the Irish and English versions of this placename have varied over the years until the 1855 Griffith Valuation Survey applied some standardisation to it. It can be found as above or Cungane or even Cahernagoan/Caherurine(?), inspired presumably by the large henge situated here, in the anglicised versions. It was assumed to be part of Creevagh when mapped and recorded in the Down Survey. The Irish as above is now the officially accepted version but it can also be found as Cúmhagán/Cúmhaingeán, meaning the small narrow place.

It was the residence of McNamara’s for most of recent history and the main house in the townland is thought to be the last residence of John ‘Fireball’ McNamara.

Down Survey Name: Creevagh

1641 Owner(s): Arthur, Dr Thomas (Catholic)

1670 Owner(s): Marae, Dr Edmund (Protestant)

Parish: Quinkey

Unprofitable land: 26 plantation acres

Profitable land: 234 plantation acres

Forfeited: 234 plantation acres

Below: Pelhams 1787 Grand Jury (left) and William Pettys 1659 ‘Down Survey’ map (right) both show this townland as Caherurine (?). Might this be Cathair Abha Rinne, inspired by the location of the henge over-looking and protected by The River Rine?

1901 Census Record: 3 Persons, 1 Household

Daniel & Kate Corbett, servant Margaret Lynch.

1911 Census Record: 5 Persons, 1 Household

Daniel & Kate Corbett, sister-in-law Mary Sheehan, servants Agnes Guthrie, Patrick Kelly.

1918 Coogane Subscriber to Major Redmond Memorial Fund: Dan Corbett

National Monument CL034-143—, Henge-Late Bronze age with large inner sunken floor. TJ Westropp noted that this 250 by 300’ fort ‘is much injured by a house and enclosure’.

Coogaun House

Associated families: Macnamara, Corbett, Sheehan, Hassett

Features

An eighteenth-century, one and a half-storey, ‘L’ Shaped, thatched house, with a four bay front, facing south, and a porch protected front door. Now the residence is of one storey, and slated. There is a small circular garden in front, trees planted to the east, and to the rear a yard and farm buildings.

History

It is reputed that Fireball McNamara died in this house in 1814. John “Fireball” MacNamara was the grandson of Colonel John MacNamara who had been prominent in public life. John’s father was Colonel Francis MacNamara, who was M.P. for County Clare (1790-1798) and a member of Clare Grand Jury (1784-1798). This branch of the MacNamaras lived at Moyriesk House.

The son of John and his wife, Margaret Butler of Castlekeale, John (Fireball) Macnamara, was known as an aggressive eccentric. Beloved of his people, he fought over fifty duels and was wounded at Vinegar Hill during the 1798 rebellion.

He was drawn, like other young men of his class, to sport and pleasure and more boisterous activities. It seems that he was commissioned in the French Army at a young age and soon acquired notoriety. Within a short time he had fought some thirty duels, killing two of his fellow officers who had teased him about his Irish ancestry. He was forced to flee France to avoid court-martial. First in Flanders and later in the armies of southern European states, he continued his career as an expert swordsman and lethal pistol shot – with a total of fifty-seven duels recorded, many of them fatal to his opponents. During these years he apparently acquired the nickname “Sean Buidhe” (Yellow John), referring to the dark tan he developed from exposure to the Mediterranean sun.

Common Surnames found in Coogaun – MacNamara , later Corbett, McInerney.

Some Baptismal Records for Coogaun in 1800’s

Extract from Applotment Books – tithe payments for the Rector and Vicar from Crevaghmore & Cungane