Loughpark (Leagan Gaeilge – Páirc an Locha): The townland of Loughpark is situated 4.5 kilometres north of the town of Glenamaddy in north-east County Galway. The Irish version of the townland name may be translated as the “Field of the Lough” – páirc is the Irish for field and loch is the Irish for lough. Other forms of the townland name are Lough Park and Páirc a’ Locha.
Distinctive Features:
• The Ringfort situated in Loughpark is registered with the National Monuments Service and features in the National Monuments Service Archaeological Survey Database.
• The 1840 Historic Ordnance Survey Map shows about twenty houses in four distinct clusters. Three clusters are close to the boundary with Felimspark and the fourth is adjacent to the Cultiafadda boundary.
• The Lough which gave rise to the townland’s name and described by O’Donovan in the Field Name Books in the 1830s no longer exists.
1656-58 Down Survey: The Down Survey name of the townland is given as Boynagh and the owner as the Protestant Archbishop of Tuam.
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 Loughpark who paid the tithe (tax) levied to support the Established Church (Church of Ireland) were Hugh Brennan, Pat Reiley, Edmond Burke, John Mannion and Pat Kelly. Protestant occupiers of agricultural holdings were exempt from this tax.
1838 O’Donovan’s Field Name Books: O’Donovan describes the townland as follows – “Nearly 1/2 of this townland is bog, situated in the N. and S.W. corners. There are two Loughs one of which is called Lough Park, it is on the N. boundary of that portion of bog in the S.W. corner, the [Unable to read.] Lough is about 31/4 chains West of the larger it is entirely surrounded by bog. There is a portion of rocks and marsh and a Danish Fort and sand pit. The remainder of the townland is tillage and pasture.”
1856 Griffith’s Valuation: The townland covers an area of 292 acres 2 roods 21 perches and the total rateable valuation of the land and buildings combined amounted to £55 7s 0d. At the time of Griffith’s Valuation there were seventeen occupiers in the townland of Loughpark – Burke (2), Corr, Donnellan, Geraghty (2), Henihan, Keavney (2), Lyons (2), Mee, Mannion (2), Reilly (2) and Toole. The landlord was Sir St. George Gore.
Adjoining Townlands: The following townlands share a border with Loughpark – Cloonlara North, Bushtown, Eskeromullacaun (Esker), Boyounagh More (Middletown), Felimspark and Cultiafadda.
Census Records: Population and Household data for the townland of Loughpark:
| Census Years | 1841 | 1851 | 1861 | 1871 | 1881 | 1891 | 1901 | 1911 | 2011 |
| Population | 99 | 72 | 70 | 73 | 69 | 61 | 65 | 72 | 9 |
| Households | 17 | 14 | 13 | 13 | 15 | 15 | 15 | 14 | 5 |
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