Kiltullagh (Leagan Gaeilge – Cill Tullach): The townland of Kiltullagh is situated two kilometres south of Glenamaddy Town in north-east County Galway. The Irish form of the townland name translates as the ‘Church on a Hill”. Cill is the Irish word for a church and tulach is the Irish for a hill, or a mound. Other forms of the townland name listed in O’Donovan’s Field Name Books are Kiltulla and Kiltoulagh.
Distinctive Features:
• A Crannóg, a Castle ruins, the ruins of a Church, a Graveyard and two Holy Wells situated in the townland of Kiltullagh are registered with the National Monuments Service and are published in the 1840 Historic Ordnance Survey Map and in the National Monuments Service Archaeological Survey Database.
• Kiltullagh Lough covers part of the western side of the townland.
• There were about forty houses in the townland of Kiltullagh in 1840 with most of them located in Kiltullagh Village on the eastern side of the townland along the Glenamaddy to Mountbellew Road in a formation fitting the definition of a traditional clachan village.
1656-58 Down Survey: There is no Down Survey information published for Kiltullagh online.
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 landholder in the townland of Kiltullagh who paid the tithe (tax) levied to support the Established Church (Church of Ireland) was John Gormully. Protestant occupiers of agricultural holdings were exempt from this tax.
1838 O’Donovan’s Field Name Books: O’Donovan describes the townland as follows – “A portion of Kiltullagh Lough belongs to this townland. There is a portion of bog in the N.E. corner, Kiltullagh Church ruins and grave yard is in the East portion . There are two small portions of bog in the S. portion and 4 others small portions in the N. portion, one of which is tangent to the East end of the Lough and the remainder tangent to the N. boundary. The road from Moylough to Glannamadda passes through this townland, the remainder of the land is tillage and pasture.” When compiling the Field Name Books in the 1830s John O’Donovan communicated the following observation regarding Kiltullagh Church to his superiors.
“There is a graveyard in the East part of Killtullagh townland, which is situated 1¼ mile N West of Wilfort House in the townland of Carrowantober East. The Irish name of the townland is Cill Tulach rectè Cill Tulcha – Church of the hill – Cella Collis, which it obtained from the church that stood in this burying ground.”
1856 Griffith’s Valuation: The townland covers an area of 696 acres 3 roods 9 perches and the total rateable valuation of the land and buildings combined amounted to £235 14s 0d.
At the time of Griffith’s Valuation there were twenty four occupiers in the townland of Kiltullagh – Bourke, Brady, Dawson, Devilly, Diskin (2), Graham (2), Hanly, Kilmartin, Lyons, Morgan (2), Reilly (2), Shaughnessy, Treacy (6), Joyce and one unidentified occupier. The landlords were Michael Reilly and William S. Ball.
Adjoining Townlands: The following townlands share a border with Kiltullagh – Ardoslough, Carrowntober West (Kilkerrin Parish), Castletown (Kilkerrin Parish), Lissacara (Kilkerrin Parish), Lehuric (Kilkerrin Parish), Creggaun, Shannagh Beg, Gortnagier East, and Gortnagier West.
Census Records: Population and Household data for the townland of Kiltullagh:
| Census Years | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 2011 |
| Population | 186 | 135 | 136 | 129 | 126 | 106 | 93 | 103 | 58 |
| Households | 30 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 25 | 28 | 22 | 20 | 23 |
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