Landed Estates
University of Galway

McDonagh (Kilconnell)

Walter McDonagh held an estate at Lowville, parish of Fohanagh, barony of Kilconnell, at the time of Griffith's Valuation. He also owned extensive commercial interests in and around the town of Ballinasloe. The lands of Clonbiggan or Lowville had formed part of the Clarke estate and were offered for sale in the Encumbered Estates Court in June, 1850.O'Gorman states that McDonagh had once been the agent to Rev. Le Poer Trench and it was from him that the Lowville estate was purchased. The original lease from the Earl of Arran's estate on these lands dated from 1718. In the 1870s James W. McDonagh of Lowville was the owner of over 1500 acres in county Galway. In November 1879 the trustees for sale under the will of James William McDonogh advertised for sale premises in the town of Balllinasloe, and small acreages in the baronies of Clare, Athenry and Clonmacnowen, county Galway, Ballintubber, Castlereagh, Athlone and Moycarn, county Roscommon and Lower Ormond, county Tipperary. In June 1888 property in the barony of Castlereagh, county Roscommon, owned by Anna Louisa McDonagh and others, was offered for sale in the Land Judges' Court. The sale was adjourned. In July 1890 the Irish Times carried a notice inviting private proposals for the purchase of this estate. After this time O'Gorman states that the Lowville property was morgaged to Thomas Seymour Blake who was the registered lessor from 1884-1893. The estate was finally divided by the Land Commission in the 1920s and 1930s.

Associated Families

Houses

Name Townland Civil Parish PLU DED Barony County Map Ref  
Lowville Lowville Fohanagh Ballinalsoe Killure 2 Kilconnell Galway OSI Ref: M772373
OS Sheet: 74
Discovery map: 47 		Photo of Lowville
Sonnagh Sonnagh Fohanagh Ballinasloe Ahascragh 1 Clonmacnowen Galway OSI Ref: M791363
OS Sheet: 74
Discovery map: 47

Archival sources

  • Encumbered Estate Court (O'Brien) Rentals. Clarke estate, 9 June 1850, Vol 6, Reel 2. (Microfilm copy at NUIG). ; National Archives of Ireland
  • Land Judges’ Court Rentals (O’Brien), Shaughnessy, Russell, McDonogh, Gray, Talbot, May, 26 Nov 1879, Vol 137 (32), MRGS 39/061, (microfilm copy in NUIG); National Archives of Ireland

Contemporary printed sources

Modern printed sources