RATHKEELAN

Location Rathkeelan is a townland of 338 statute acres 1 rood and 18 perches in County Armagh to the immediate north and west of Crossmaglen, extending from several hundred yards north of the Culloville Road and straddling the Castleblaney and Carron Roads. It is bounded on the north by Creenkill, on the east by Carran and Urcher, on the South by Crossmaglen, and on the west by Creevekeeran and Loughross. The townland includes just short of 12 statute acres of the town of Crossmaglen. Name of townland The name of the townland means "Keelan's fort". There are two townlands called 'Rathkeelan' in Ireland. The other one is in County Fermanagh. Sources of Information Information about the townland was extracted from the following sources - Census of Creggan - 1664 Tithe Applotment Books-Creggan Parish-1828 Townland Valuation 1837 Griffiths Valuation 1864 Census of Ireland 1841, 1851, 1861, 1871, 1881, 1891, 1901, 1911, 1926, 1937, 1951 First Northern Ireland Revaluation 1935 Second Revaluation 1956/7 Valuation 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 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. The 1837 Townland Valuation recorded only houses worth £5 or more a year. There were no such houses in the townland and it is recorded that 29 houses were exempt. The increase in value 1957-1971 reflects the development of a housing estate, Rathview Park, Crossmaglen, within the townland. I have excluded the names of those listed in the 1864 and subsequent Valuations within the town of Crossmaglen. These appear as part of the town itself. 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 John Clooney and Peter Murphy. The following table provides an analysis of the land holdings in 1864 and 1935.   Holdings - number by acreage   Less than 10 10 to 19 20 and over Total 1864 17 11 2 30 1935 10 14 5 24 The 1957 land holdings were not counted. Census of Ireland 1901 1 The Census enumerated 87 persons in 17 households; a ratio of 5.3 people per household. The households occupied a total of 39 rooms, a ratio of 2.3 rooms per household and 2.2 people per room. Two people each occupied a single room dwelling, nine had two rooms and six had three rooms or more. Ten of the dwellings were thatched. Native Irish Speakers Of the 17 households enumerated in the Census, seven contained at least one native Irish speaker - 8 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 Francis Long and Mary Borden, both born in Co. Louth. Francis Long, carpenter, 42 Sarah Hughes, seamstress, 70 Mary Borden, seamstress, 65 Thomas Traynor, farmer, 45 John McCabe, farmer, 62 Patrick McCabe, farmer, 55 Patrick Hanratty, farmer, 26 and his sister Minnie, general servant, 21 * The average age of the group was 48; oldest 70, youngest 21 * Of the group, six could both read and write and two could neither read nor write. Population Decline and Recovery The following table sets out the number of houses and population enumerated in the townland in each of the 11 Censuses held between 1841 and 1951.   1841 1851 1861 1871 1881 1891 1901 1911 1926 1937 1951 Houses 56 52 32 49 21 18 19 22 46 69 57 People 302 243 144 179 102 98 102 94 221 244 216 People per house 5.4 4.7 4.5 3.7 4.9 5.4 5.4 4.3 4.8 3.5 3.8 In the 70 years between 1841 and 1911 the number of households reduced by 61% and the population by 69% - reflecting the continuing effects of the Great Famine and lack of rural employment opportunities. Thereafter the population increased. However this increase can be accounted for in that part of the townland on which the town of Crossmaglen stands. Names of House and land Holders All the Valuations since Griffiths identified those with houses in the townland and those who while living elsewhere leased or owned land there. The Census of Ireland enumerated only households in the townland. The following table uses this approach. Although the data is not strictly comparable since the information was gathered for different purposes and used varying criteria, the details provide a comparison of the names of house and land holders who were listed in the Townland at the different periods. While we can not discern the direct lines of descent it is clear that many are from the same families.