RATHKEELAN - TOWN OF CROSSMAGLEN

The townland of Rathkeelan contains just short of 12 statute acres of the town of Crossmaglen. This page is about the part Crossmaglen that is in the townland. The origin of the name 'Crossmaglen' is uncertain. It has been interpreted by John Donaldson as "The cross of the shading plain", and by Hugh Macauley as "McGlynn's crossroads". According to LP Murray, writing in Vol VIII, No. 2 of the 1934 Journal of the County Louth Archeological Society - "The village of Crossmaglen is of modern growth....In the local folklore it was merely famed for a well-known ale-house or shebeen - kept by a man named Lennon. It will be noted that the 1766 Census gives Owen Lennon among the ---- inhabitants - and his house (or shebeen), which was probably at the crossroads, was the origin of the variant Cros Mhig Lionnáin. If the village is really named after a family, we would be inclined...to select the McCleans or MacClanes. There are no Flynns, and but one Lennon, in the Fews in 1602; but the MacClanes were numerous in all the Census lists...." In the Tithe Applotment Books 1828 the area of the townland is given as 192 acres 1 rood and 13 perches (Irish). The Half Yearly Rectorial Tithe was £8-0-0. Annual Rateable Valuation of Townland Year 1828 1837 1851 1864 1935 1957 1971 Valuation £160-0-0 £195-7-5 £235-0-0 £292-10-0 £450-10-0 £1663-10-0 £2582-6-0 The 1837 Townland Valuation recorded only houses worth £5 or more a year. There is a substantial list of property owners recorded in respect of Crossmaglen. Also recorded is a statement that there were 58 houses exempt. That this mainly refers to the Town of Crossmaglen is testified, not only by the numbers involved but also by reference to an unfinished meeting house. It is not possible to distinguish those properties appropriate to the townland of Crossmaglen alone, or that part of the town situated in Rathkeelan. Therefore the 1837 list is contained in the Crossmaglen Town Page. The increase in value 1957-1971 reflects the development of a housing estate, Rathview Park, Crossmaglen, within the townland. The table shows the names listed in the the townland from the following sources - Griffiths Valuation 1864 Census of Ireland 1901 First Northern Ireland Revaluation 1935 Second Revaluation 1956/7 Included here are the names of those listed in the 1864 and subsequent Valuations and the 1901 Census in the part of the town of Crossmaglen - the Castleblaney and Newtownhamilton (or Carran) Roads - situated in Rathkeelan. The Third Revaluation (1975) did not identify property by townlands. Instead, it used the new Post Office system of road names and postcodes. It can therefore not be used to continue this series of household, land and property censuses. To get as close as possible to the present, the position in the townland at the date of the last recorded revision of the Second Revaluation is presented. Griffiths Valuation records that the land was owned by Thomas P. Ball, who also owned most of the town and townland of Crossmaglen. Census of Ireland 1901 The Census enumerated 125 persons in 32 households; a ratio of 3.9 people per household. The households occupied a total of 87 rooms, a ratio of 2.7 rooms per household and 1.5 people per room. Native Irish Speakers Of the 32 households enumerated in the Census, ten contained at least one native Irish speaker - 12 in all. Since theirs was the last generation to have been born into a predominently Irish speaking environment, their names, occupations and ages are recorded here. All were born in Co. Armagh with the exception of Rose Malone, James Garvey and Catherine O'Hare, born in Co. Monaghan. Castleblaney Street Mary McKeone, wife of Felix, 58 Rose Malone, housekeeper, 80 Alice McQuillan, housekeeper, 70 John Nugent, retired Head Constable, RIC, 65 James Garvey, retired from Ordnance Survey, CS Department, 77 Newtown Street James McGuirk, basket maker, 66 James Grant, general labourer, 68 and his wife Alice,66 Catherine O'Hare, farmer, 79 Frank Quinn, joiner, 62 and his wife Nancy, 60 Mary Malone, wife of Michael, 60 * The average age of the group was 68; oldest 80, youngest 58 * Of the group, five could both read and write five could read and two could neither read nor write. Household Changes The following table shows the changes in household density between 1864 and 1971. Households 1864 1901 1935 1957 1971 36 32 36 72 95 All the Valuations since Griffiths identified those with houses and those who while living elsewhere leased or owned land there. The Census of Ireland enumerated only households in the townland. In this small area there was little "leased-only" land and these small plots (of one or two roods), have been identified in the lists. Unlike the scheme adopted in the townlands, the names are not listed alphabetically and the following table reproduces the order in which they appear in the records.