Landed Estates
University of Galway

Nolan (Ballinderry)

The Nolans were Elizabethan settlers in the Ballinrobe area of county Mayo. They lost most of their estate in county Mayo to the Cuffs during the Commonwealth and were transplanted to Ballinderry in the parish of Cummer, barony of Clare, county Galway. A notebook in the National Library contains a copy of a patent dated 20 Aug 1677 which refers to the Nolan interest in lands in the baronies of Kilmaine, Clanmorris and Gallen, county Mayo and in the baronies of Clare, Dunmore and Ballymoe, county Galway. At the time of Griffith's Valuation their estate at Ballinderry was mainly in the parish of Cummer but also included townlands in the parishes of Annaghdown and Belclare and the Nolans still had 2 townlands in the parish of Kilcommon and 2 townlands in the parish of Kilmainebeg, barony of Kilmaine, county Mayo. A volume in the Kirwan of Dalgin collection traces the early generations as Patrick Nolan who married Anne Browne in 1667, John married Ellis Brabazon in 1709, Patrick married a Martin of Tulira. Through a late 18th century marriage with Margaret the daughter and heiress of James French of Portacarron, parish and barony of Moycullen, county Galway, an estate in that district came into the possession of John Nolan, son of Patrick. In 1809 their son John Nolan married Mary Browne daughter of John Browne of Castlemoyle. Mary Anne Nolan, widow of John Nolan of Ballinderry and herself a Nolan of Lugboy, county Mayo, held townlands and islands in the parishes of Moyrus, Kilcummin and Killannin in the barony of Moycullen at the time of Griffith's Valuation. She and her husband had 6 sons of whom John Philip Nolan was a Member of Parliament for county Galway for much of the later part of the 19th century. Burke's ''Landed Gentry of Ireland'' records that J.P. Nolan's younger brother Walter Raymond Nolan was heir to his maternal grandfather. Sebastian Nolan, a very wealthy bachelor, lived at Castlemoyle and later at Seamount, Salthill. Philip John Nolan was the only one of the brothers to marry. In the 1870s the estate amounted to 6,866 acres with an additional 800 acres in county Mayo. Walter M. Nolan of the Army and Navy Club, London owned 1852 acres in county Galway in the 1870s. The records of the land agents Denis J. Kirwan and Sons contain late 19th century records relating to the estate of Colonel W.R. Nolan in the parishes of Kilquain and Killimorbologue, barony of Longford, Annaghdown and Belclare, barony of Clare, Monieva, barony of Tiaquin and Dunmore, barony of Ballymoe.

Associated Families

Houses

Name Townland Civil Parish PLU DED Barony County Map Ref  
Castlemoyle Castlemoyle Killererin Tuam Levally 213 Dunmore Galway OSI Ref: M496 508
OS Sheet: 44
Discovery map: 39 		Photo of Castlemoyle
Portacarron Portacarron Kilcummin Oughterard Oughterard 170 Moycullen Galway OSI Ref: M148 429
OS Sheet: 54
Discovery map: 45 		Photo of Portacarron
Ballinderry Ballinderry Cummer Tuam Ballinderry 208 Clare Galway OSI Ref: M447 461
OS Sheet: 43
Discovery map: 46 		Photo of Ballinderry
Seamount Lodge Pollnarooma East Rahoon Galway Galway South Urban 46 Galway Galway OSI Ref: M273 237
OS Sheet: 94
Discovery map: 45

Archival sources

  • Notebook of J. Glynn containing 'Copies of ancient documents bearing on the history of families now resident in the district of Tuam'. MS 4183; National Library of Ireland
  • Estate records of Denis J. Kirwan and Sons, land agents, Tuam, mid 19th - mid 20th centuries, includes ledgers of rent receipts for estate of Major J.P.Nolan 1863-1875, 1876-1908 & for the estate of Col W.R. Nolan 1896-1905 with other accounts. Kirwan of Tuam & Dalgin, Collection List 142; National Library of Ireland
  • Sebastian Nolan estate, 1892-1909. B3/03-iii/04; Tuam Diocesan Archives, Tuam
  • Fr. Martin Heaney Collection, Mayo Abbey. P45/09/03: 82; Tuam Diocesan Archives, Tuam

Contemporary printed sources

Modern printed sources