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Blake (Ballinafad)
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In the early 17th century a younger son of the Blake family of Ballyglunin, county Galway, acquired lands in county Mayo, including some from O'Kelly of Dunamona. A later generation received letters patent, dated 30 June 1681, of 1,189 acres of the Ballinafad estate, which they retained for a further two centuries. Although Ballinafad was in the parish of Drum, most of the estate was in the parish of Rosslee, barony of Carra. In 1876 two family members held almost 3,500 acres in county Mayo. The estate at Cloghballymore, parish of Killeenavarra, barony of Dunkellin, county Galway, came into the possession of the Blakes of Ballinafad in the early 19th century through the marriage of Anne Lynch and Maurice Blake. Llewellyn Blake is recorded as holding a mansion house and over 1000 acres of untenanted land there in 1906. Parts of the Ballinafad estate were sold to the Congested Districts' Board in June 1913 and June 1914. The Irish Tourist Association file refers to an 18th century map of the estate then in the college.
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