Cultiafadda (Leagan Gaeilge – Coillte Fada): The townland of Cultiafadda is situated 5.5 kilometres north west of Glenamaddy Town in north-east County Galway. The Irish form of the townland name translates as ‘Long Woods’, coillte meaning woods and fada meaning long. Other forms of the townland name listed in O’Donovan’s Field Name Books are Coiltefadda, Kiltafada and Coilltefaddagh.
Distinctive Features:
• Two Ringforts and an Enclosure registered with the National Monuments Service feature in the National Monuments Service Archaeological Survey Database.
• 1840 Historic Ordnance Survey Map shows a cluster of fourteen houses fitting the definition of a clachan village in the centre of the townland.
1656-58 Down Survey: The Down Survey name of the townland is given as Coilteffaddagh. The landowner is given as Sir Oliver St. George who was a Catholic. The area of unprofitable land in the townland amounted to 358 plantation acres. The area of profitable land totalled 167 plantation acres. The 167 profitable plantation acres were forfeited in accordance with the Cromwellian Act of Settlement.
1823 – 1838 Tithe Applotment Books: Surviving documentation of the Tithe Applotment Books is in poor condition making it difficult, and in some cases impossible, to decipher the names of landholders. In so far as it can be ascertained the Catholic landholders in the townland of Killafadda who paid the tithe (tax) levied to support the Established Church (Church of Ireland) were Edmund Burk and John Noonan. Protestant occupiers of agricultural holdings were exempt from this tax.
1838 O’Donovan’s Field Name Books: O’Donovan describes the townland as follows – “2/3 of this townland is bog situated round the boundaries. There is a small Lough in the S.W. portion. There is a small village and a lime stone quarry and sand pit. The remainder of the land is tillage and pasture.”
1856 Griffith’s Valuation: The townland covers an area of 346 acres 0 rood 1 perches and the total rateable valuation of the land and buildings combined amounted to £36 11s 0d.
At the time of Griffith’s Valuation there were twelve occupiers in the townland of Cultiafadda – Fahey (3), Collins, Henihan (3), Burke, Christie, Reilly, Keane and an occupier who was not identified. The landlord’s name was Sir St. George Gore.
Adjoining Townlands: The following townlands share a border with Cultiafadda – Bushtown, Cloonlara North, Loughpark, Meelick, Cloonkeen and Boyounagh More (Middletown).

Census Records: Population and Household data for the townland of Cultiafadda:

Census Years	1841	1851	1861	1871	1881	1891	1901	1911	2011
Population	31	14	12	25	17	15	7	20	9
Households	63	52	43	55	37	50	57	54	9

Glenamaddy and the Irish Folklore Collections:

The article posted on this website under the ‘Heritage > Folklore’ tab provides an overview of the folklore material submitted by Glenamaddy parishioners to the National Folklore Commission, now known as the Irish Folklore Collections. It also explains the background to the 1937 Schools’ Collection (Bailiúchán na Scol) project which has good representation from a parish perspective

The Irish Folklore Collections housed in the Folklore Department of University College Dublin contain a treasure trove of folklore material, some of which is accessible online. Both the Main Manuscript Collection and the Schools’ Collection contain a considerable number of submissions from collectors and informants who resided in the parish of Glenamaddy. The quick reference directories featured in the ‘Parish > Townlands’ section of this website complement the user-friendly search features of the dúcas.ie website and are helpful in tracking Schools’ Collection submissions associated with townlands. Submissions are categorised under – School, Teacher, Language, Volume Number, Page Number, Collector, Collector’s Townland, Informant and Informant’s Townland. Where applicable, Schools’ Collection directories showing online townland-related submissions appear at the end of the following townland posts on this website – Ballinapeaka, Ballinastack, Barna, Boyounagh More (Middletown), Bushtwon, Cashel, Classaghroe, Cloonacross, Clooncon East, Clooncon West, Cloonkeen, Cultiafadda, Eskeromullacaun (Esker), Felimspark, Glenamaddy, Gortaganny, Gortnagier, Kiltullagh, Knockauns, Lisheenaheltia, Loughpark, Meelick, Scotland, Shannagh More, Stonetown and Woodfield.

Schools’ Collection Townland-Related Quick Reference Directory:

Parish folklore submissions contained in the Schools’ Collection are also accessible online via the following links:-

Árd Aoibhinn National School – Part 1 – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613680

Árd Aoibhinn National School – Part 2 – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613681 

Glenamaddy Girls’ National School – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613677

Glenamaddy Boys’ National School – Part 1 – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613678

Glenamaddy Boys’ National School – Part 2 – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613679 

Gort na Léime National School – Part 1 – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4569061   

Gort na Léime National School – Part 2 – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4569062 

Lisheenaheltia Girls’ National School – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613675 

Lisheenaheltia Boys’ National School – https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4613676    

Glenamaddy submissions which form part of the Main Manuscript Collection are not posted online but may be examined in the reading room of the Folklore Department in U.C.D., Belfield, Dublin 4. Typed versions of some of the parish contributions contained in the Main Manuscript Collection are published under the ‘Heritage > Folklore’ tab on this website.   

Quick Reference Directory of Glenamaddy folklore submissions in the Main Manuscript Collection:-

Author: Pat Keaveny

Sources:

Townlands in County Galway

1840 Historic Ordnance Survey Map

Place Name Books of Galway

The Down Survey of Ireland

The Tithe Applotment Books, 1823-1837

Griffith Valuation – Ask About Ireland

Central Statistics Office

National Archives: Census Reports 1901/1911

Essex University: Historic Population Census Reports

Historic Environment Viewfinder