Landed Estates
University of Galway

Macnamara (Ayle)

The Macnamaras held land in the parish of Feakle, barony of Tulla Upper, county Clare, from the late 17th century. In the 18th century Thady Macnamara was in possession of Ayle and in 1814 Thady Macnamara was occupying the house. Lewis records Ayle as the ancient seat of J. McNamara. By the mid 19th century Lieutenant Colonel James Dillon Macnamara owned the estate. He first advertised it for sale in the Encumbered Estates Court in October 1850. The estate comprised of 1,514 acres included lands at Mount Sorrell or Knockatoo, county Galway, which were leased by the Butler estate from the Dillon McNamara family of Ayle. The property was again advertised for sale in 1851 and 1852.

Associated Families

Houses

Name Townland Civil Parish PLU DED Barony County Map Ref  
Ayle Ayle Lower Feakle Scarriff Ayle 123 Tulla Upper Clare OSI Ref: R538 841
OS Sheet: 27
Discovery map: 58

Archival sources

  • Genealogical notes on Macnamara of Ayle by Charles French Blake Foster, c 1865. MS 13,560; National Library of Ireland
  • Encumbered Estates’ Court Rentals (Dunboyne), Macnamara, 25 Oct 1850, Vol I, 35; James Hardiman Library, University of Galway
  • Encumbered Estates’ Court Rentals (O’Brien), Macnamara, 25 Oct 1850, Vol 3 (11), 13 May 1851, Vol 7 (23), 23 July 1851, Vol 10 (44), 13 Jan 1852, Vol 13 (6), MRGS 39/001, 39/003, 39/004 & 39/005, (microfilm copy in NUIG) ; National Archives of Ireland

Contemporary printed sources

Modern printed sources