D'Arcy (Kiltullagh & Clifden Castle)
Description
Descended from James 'Riveagh' D'Arcy, the early generations intermarried with D'Arcys, Lynchs and Blakes. Following the Famine they sold their estates and the head of the family returned to Clifden as its rector and was a strong supporter of the Irish Church Mission Society.
Estate(s)
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| D'Arcy (Kiltullagh & Clifden Castle) | The D'Arcy family of Kiltullagh, parish and barony of Athenry, county Galway, was founded by Patrick D'Arcy, a younger son of James Riveagh D'Arcy in the early 17th century. The D'Arcy's Connemara estate was granted to them under the Acts of Settlement. It had been confiscated from the O'Flaherty clan and by the 19th century amounted to over 12,000 acres mainly in the parish of Omey, barony of Ballynahinch. The head of the family at the turn of the 19th century was John D'Arcy (1785-1839) who founded the town of Clifden. Shortly before his death he mortgaged his estates to 2 English brothers Thomas and Charles Eyre of Bath and London. Following the Famine his son Hyacinth D'Arcy was in severe financial difficulty and his estates were one of the first to be sold in the Encumbered Estates' Court. The sales included 697 acres at Kiltullagh and part of the D'Arcy of New Forest estate in the barony of Tiaquin, county Galway, the two D'Arcy families had intermarried. Much of Hyacinth D'Arcy's Connemara property was purchased by the Eyre brothers and Thomas Eyre subsequently bought out his brother's interest. A consortium, which included James Sadlier, appears to have bought the townland of Kylemore which they advertised for sale in the Landed Estates' Court in May 1859 and was purchased by Benjamin Lee Guinness. At the time of Griffith's Valuation Thomas Eyre was the occupier of the part of the New Forest estate that had belonged to the D'Arcys of Clifden. |
| Eyre (Clifden) | Thomas Eyre of Bath, Somerset, bought much of the property of John D'Arcy of Clifden, county Galway, for sale in the Encumbered Estates' Court in 1850, including the Kylemore estate which he purchased in 1852 and part of the New Forest estate in the barony of Tiaquin. From 1837 the D'Arcy estates were mortgaged to him and his brother Charles Eyre. At the time of Griffith's Valuation he owned about 20 townlands in the parish of Omey, 3 townlands in the parishes of Moyrus and Ballynakill, barony of Ballynahinch and 4 townlands in the parish of Kilkerrin, barony of Tiaquin. In 1864 he handed over his Connemara estates to his nephew John Joseph Eyre of London, who is recorded as owning 8,204 acres in the 1870s. The Eyres were absentee landlords and after J.J.Eyre's death in 1894 a trust was set up to administer their property until most of it was purchased by the Land Commission in 1931. The agents for the trust were Joyce, Mackie and Lougheed, solicitors, Galway. |
| Frewen | In 1850 Thomas Frewen of Brickwall House, Sussex, purchased two townlands in the parish of Omey, barony of Ballynahinch, county Galway from the sale of the D'Arcy estate for sporting purposes. The Frewens were also supporters of the Irish Church Missions. They later acquired two townlands in the parish of Moyrus from Samuel Jones and Munga in the parish of Ballindoon from John Geraghty, who had a 999 year lease from the O'Neills. In 1870 Moreton Frewen inherited his father's estate of 2709 acres in Connemara. Moreton Frewen was a colourful personality who married one of the Jerome sisters of New York and at one time had one of the largest cattle ranches in the United States of America. In 1917 he transferred his Connemara estate to his nephew, Layton Frewen, from whom it was eventually purchased by the Land Commission. Another branch of this family had purchased the Adderley estate at Innishannon, county Cork, by the mid 19th century. |
| Lighton | At the time of Griffith's Valuation Reverend Sir Christopher Lighton held four townlands in the parish of Omey, barony of Ballynahinch, county Galway, which he bought from the sale of the D'Arcy estate in 1850. He owned 945 acres in county Galway in the 1870s as well as 88 acres in County Tyrone. A final offer for the purchase of the Galway lands by the Congested Districts' Board had been accepted by March 1916. This family is also associated with Donaghmore House, Castlefinn, County Donegal, where Christopher's father, Sir John Lighton, was Rector in the mid nineteenth century. The family surname sometimes appears as "Leighton" in the records. |
| Coneys (Clifden) | The Coneys family were granted lands in the barony of Ballynahinch, county Galway under the Acts of Settlement. Thomas Cunnys of Cleggan, county Galway, was involved in a number of transactions with Colonel John Browne of Westport in the early 18th century. The Cunnis family of Clifden also sheltered James Joseph McDonnell when escaping to America after the 1798 Rebellion. A document in the Milford Papers records them leasing over 900 acres from the Millers in the parish of Ballynakill in 1804. By the early 19th century they were leasing land from John D'Arcy of Clifden at Streamstown in the parish of Omey. In 1814 members of the family were residing at Ardbear, Aughris and Streamstown. The family still live at Streamstown. At the time of Griffith's Valuation Coneys family members held land in the parishes of Ballindoon and Omey, barony of Ballynahinch while Matthew Lewis Coneys held the townland of Ringarraun, parish of Ballyhean, barony of Carra, county Mayo. It was previously in the possession of James Hardiman. In 1865 Coneys advertised Ringarraun for sale in the Landed Estates' Court. |
| Guinness | Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness of the famous brewing family began to purchase Connacht estates for sale in the Encumbered Estates' Court from 1852. He bought the Ashford estate from Lord Oranmore and Browne, the Doon estate from Sir Richard O'Donel, the Cong estate from Alexander Lambert, part of the Rosshill estate from Lords Charlemont and Leitrim, parts of Connemara from Christopher St George and Kylemore from a banking consortium in 1859. Guinness acquired lands in county Kerry in the 1850s and was a principal lessor in the parish of Kilcrohane, barony of Dunkerron South at the time of Griffith's Valuation. He bought the Elwood estate of Strandhill, just across the river from Ashford, Cong, in 1871 and Lord Kilmaine sold him Inishdoorus, islands on Lough Corrib and lands in the barony of Ross, part of Nymphsfield in 1875. William Burke of Lisloughry was his agent. Arthur Guinness (1840-1915) was granted the title Baron Ardilaun in 1880. In the 1870s Arthur Guinnes owned 19,944 acres in county Galway, 3,747 acres in county Mayo and smaller acreages in counties Wicklow and Dublin. In 1906 Lord Ardilaun's estate held over 1700 acres of untenanted demesne land at Moyode, Loughrea as well as the mansion house at Moyode. By March 1916 final offers had been accepted from the Congested Districts' Board for over 2000 acres of the Guinness estate in county Mayo and for almost 28,000 acres in county Galway. The Board paid £50,000 for the Galway acreage. An offer had also been accepted for the purchase of the Aran Islands by the Board. The Guinness and St Lawrence families had inherited the Aran Islands from the Digbys through the Barfoots. The Guinness family retained Ashford Castle and the surrounding woods until 1939 when the property was sold to the Irish Government. |
| D'Arcy (Castlepark) | Major John Talbot D'Arcy of Castlepark, Ballinasloe, county Roscommon, owned 1961 acres in county Roscommon in the 1870s. Castlepark was formerly a Kelly house. Castlepark and 1,114 acres in the barony of Moycarn with the lands of Turrock in the barony of Athlone were advertised for sale by John D'Arcy in 1878. John Talbot D'Arcy was a son of John D'Arcy of Clifden and Kiltullagh and a younger brother of the Reverend Hyacinth D'Arcy. In 1846 John Talbot D'Arcy married Jane daughter and co heiress of Daniel Kelly of Cargins, county Roscommon. |
| Duncan (Kylemore) | At the time of Griffith's Valuation Reverend Joseph Duncan owned two townlands containing 1913 acres in the parish of Ballynakill, barony of Ballynahinch, county Galway. He also had a lease from the D'Arcys of over 300 acres of the townland of Kylemore for 999 years, dated 11 April 1842 and had built a hotel by the time of Griffith's Valuation. The D'Arcy sale rental for the Kylemore estate dated 13 July 1852 contains two small lithographs, one of which features Kylemore lake and hotel. Kylemore appears to have been bought by a banking consortium of John William Burmester, Farmery John Law and James Sadlier and was offered for sale again in May 1859. The sale rental refers to Reverend Duncan who had built a handsome residence and had converted it into an excellent hotel "in consequence of the great influx of tourists". Kylemore was probably purchased by Benjamin Lee Guinness at this time. |