Our story begins in Coad?!?

So we have learned a little about Kilcrohane Parish and a little about Sneem – let’s move on now to Loughane and our relatives. As we saw in the letter from Mr. Stokely, Loughane is not itself a townland. It is part of the Lower Glenlough townland. I believe Upper Glenlough is above the main road, and lower Glenlough is below the main road.

There are no census records for the early 1800s. I know Ma’s grandfather is Michael Moriarty from Loughane and her grandmother is Abigail/Gubby/Deborah Sweeney from Coad in Castlecove – I learned this from Ma and her half brother, Uncle Mike.

Since my grandmother’s parents lived in Loughane, I started by looking for Moriartys in Glenlough. But as we saw, there are no Moriartys listed in either Upper or Lower Glenlough/Glanlough in Griffith’s Valuation, which was conducted in Sneem about 1852. This is the end of the Great Hunger – commonly known as the Irish Famine - which was a time of emigration for many and, for many of those left behind, death by starvation or disease. I remember old Paddy Dennehy of Ardmore crying as he told me of hearing that people in the Sneem area died on the roadside with grass in their mouths – they were so desperate for something to eat. He said others, including whole families, died alone on the mountains.

One problem in the days before the Great Hunger was the practice of  tenants renting land from middlemen – some of whom charged unfair, exorbitant rents without the landlords’ knowledge. Other problems were the large families in those days and little or no employment. For these reasons a father would give a section of his rented plot of land to his sons or to his sons-in-law. More and more people were depending on smaller and smaller plots of land for their livelihood. Potatoes were nutritious and easily grown except for the years when the blight struck and caused famine. This happened periodically but never like during the Great Hunger. Tenants normally would live off their potatoes from harvest to harvest – although food would be scarce when the old crop of potatoes was coming to an end and the new potatoes were not yet ready for harvesting - these were called the 'hungry days". No matter what the conditions, the tenants would sell their grain or animals to pay their rent. They would never think to eat their crops or butcher their pig in times of want - they had to pay their rent or the family faced ruin. 

As the population increased, the tenants moved further up the mountains as land ran out. They would have to clear the rough land of stones and rocks, level it, bring seaweed and sand from the shore for fertilizer – make a field and then build up the lazy beds - hard work especially up on the side of a mountain. And then, of course, the landlord or his agent would raise the rent because the land had been improved and was worth more money! And if the tenant couldn't pay his increased rent, he was out and someone who could pay was in.

I remember seeing old ridges/lazy beds where potatoes were grown along mountainsides as I drove throughout Kerry. Every day I would see the ones in Gortdromagh when I looked west of the old house toward our mountain. I wondered who planted them – how long ago did they plant them – what happened to those people? Did they emigrate, did they remain in Gortdromagh, did they survive? Now the earth is reclaiming those ridges as farmers are paid to let farms return to nature – go wild. Who will remember those lazy beds? Who will ever think of those families?

After the “Famine,” many landlords were deep in debt from years of mortgaging their property to maintain their lifestyles.  Tenants were not able to pay their rent during the years of "famine." So many landlords and big farmers decided to consolidate their holdings for grazing cattle, which was more profitable. As a result they needed fewer farm laborers. Another complication was the result of Griffith's Valuation which became the basis for the local tax system in Ireland. Those occupying the land were responsible to pay a yearly tax except for those holding land valued at less than 5 pounds. In this case the landowner was responsible for the tax. Can't you just see the landlords rushing to clear their lands of these small holdings?! This led to evictions, emigration, and hardship for the Irish who remained on the land. Because of this, families had to move around to find work and a place to live.

So we saw that there are no Moriartys listed in Glenlough in Griffith’s Valuation. Our Glenlough/Loughane Moriartys had Moriarty relatives in Castlecove and Cahirdaniel according to Uncle Mike so I am thinking this is where they may have originated. Plus Mary Sweeney was from Coad in Castlecove. There are still Sweeneys living in Coad today – Johnny Murphy and I bought 2 cars from John Sweeney when we lived in Gortdromagh. Larry and Hannah “John L” said I was related to this John Sweeney and his father, Paddy Sweeney. So let’s look west to Castlecove and Cahirdaniel.

These old postcards give an idea of the rough rocky mountainous countryside from Sneem back to Waterville. 

Postcard of Cahirdaniel

The copy of Griffith’s Valuation of Coad below is from the 

www.askaboutireland.com website. Originally, back in the 1980s before computers were so popular and when there was nothing online, the Boston Public Library in Copley Square had Griffith’s Valuation on microfilm, and I was able to print it. That printed copy was so much more difficult to read than this one. I used to have to pour over it with a magnifying glass and still sometimes couldn't read it!!

On http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=nameSearch, when you look up a family or even a townland, you can also see the original Valuation map.

I was totally surprised to see a Moriarty in Coad as well as several Sweeneys.

Edward Bourchier Hartopp, Esquire is the local landlord. He was mentioned in Samuel Lewis’ 1837 description of Kilcrohane Parish as contributing to the upkeep of the Catholic school built by Count O’Connell in Derrynane. He was a Minister of Parliament for North Leicestershire in England. He was one of the principal landowners in Kerry – owning over 24,000 acres in the 1870s. He also owned land in Limerick and Cork. 

Again, the valuation is difficult to read so I just want to point out a few things.

In the 1850s Hartopp was leasing 207 acres of land to a group of tenants in Coad as shown below. This was a commonage – a common pasture where these tenants all may have grazed sheep or cattle – it was the upper portion of Coad mountain. John and Patrick Sweeney are each paying 9 shillings for their share. And Daniel Moriarty is paying 2 shillings for his share.

In plot 2 is John Sweeney renting another 19+ acres of land plus a house and farm buildings. The land is worth 5 pounds 10 shillings while the buildings are worth 15 shillings – grand total of 6 pounds 5 shillings.

In plot 3 Patrick Sweeney is also renting more land - about 15 acres for 4 pounds 10 shillings – along with a house and farm buildings for 12 shillings – total is 5 pounds 2 shillings.

Plot 13 has 5 people renting 56 acres of land. Daniel Moriarty is 13a – this could be a rundale where several people hold the land in common but pay rent only on how much of that land they farm. Or it could mean that a is the farmer and the others - b, c, d, e - are cottiers or laborers working on the farmer’s land. Either way Daniel is paying 4 pounds 4 shillings for his share of the land and 10 shillings for his house.

I guess Eugene O'Sullivan in lot 14 is the big farmer - he is renting 152 acres of land for just over 26 pounds yearly! And his house and farm buildings are worth another 14 pounds and 15 shillings! Wow! Must be a big house or impressive buildings! And I guess James Sullivan, who is renting just a house for 7 shillings from Eugene, is a laborer or farm worker. There are 2 vacant houses on his property. Then he is renting out land and buildings in the next few lots – including the Watch House for the Board of Customs for 7 shillings! Are these the excise men looking for smugglers and moonshiners?

Plot 17 has another Patrick Sweeney listed as 17b renting a house from Eugene O'Sullivan for 1 pound 4 shillings and land for 4 shillings. Again there are 7 tenants on 1 and a quarter acres – a is listed as a watch tower. The map shows a coast guard station. But who is this second Patrick Sweeney? 

I recently (April 2013) came across the Ordnance Survey Name and Letters Book which was published between 1824 and 1842. It is on the Ask Ireland website. It was part of the initial mapping of Ireland.   It describes Coad as:

 “Situated on the S. side of Kilcrohane Ph (Parish.) Bounded on the N. by Ballycarnahan; on the E. by Behihaan; on the S. by Kenmare Bay; on W. by Ballycarnahan and Raan. In the barony of Dunkerron, Co. of Kerry.

“Proprietor Edward Boucher Hartropp, Esqr., Meltownmobray, Leicestershire. Agent Eugene O’Sullivan, Esqr., West Cove house, Tld (Townland) of Coad. All held by tenants. A small part by lease. Rent 363 pounds 7 s. (shillings) 11d. (pence) per annum. Farms from 10 to 60 acres. Co. Cess 30 pounds half yearly. Soil rocky and wet. Crops of oats and potatoes poor. There is a dispensary in Coad.”

So this gives us a little more information. That big farmer that we saw in Coad is actually the agent for the landlord. I wonder if Edward Hartopp, who was born in England and inherited this property, was ever in Coad? Or Ireland?

According to the Landed Estates Database, Mr. O’Sullivan was leasing West Cove House from Mr. Hartopp at the time of Griffith's Valuation.

West Cove House today rents for 3600 euro/week in the high season. That’s a whole lot more than the 14 pounds 15 shillings that Eugene O’Sullivan was paying in the 1850s!!

(To see an idea of what the house might have looked like in the 1850s, go to:

http://www.daft.ie/searchsale.daft?id=434899  and then to see it after recent renovations, go to:

http://www.westcovelettings.com/westcove_house.php?pg=2&img=90#gallery.)

We learn that only a small part of the land in Coad was rented by lease – that was to Eugene O’Sullivan - Samuel Lewis actually mentioned him being in West Cove in 1837. This means that the other tenants were at will – they could be evicted at any time, for any reason – if someone offered more rent for the piece of ground, the tenant could be put out on the road. And the land was rocky as we could see in the old postcards. But it was also wet – boggy. Both are poor growing conditions – even the potato crop was poor. So imagine how desperate it must have been during the “famine.”

One more point re Coad. The Ordnance Survey Name book dates before the famine. It lists the annual county cess or tax as 30 pounds per half year. I'm sure that is different after Griffith's Valuation. And the total rent for Coad is just over 363 pounds in the OS Name book. In the above valuation for Coad done about 1852 at the end of the "famine," the total rent is 153 pounds. That is quite a dramatic drop for Mr. Hartopp!!!

So we found the Sweeneys in Coad. From the old map, I can see that the present day John Sweeney has his garage on the old lot 3 (Patrick Sweeney) which borders lot 2 (John Sweeney.) So I would surmise, but cannot prove yet, that Gubby Sweeney came from one or the other of these two Sweeneys. But we still don’t know who the other Patrick Sweeney is in lot 17.

We also now know that there is a Moriarty in Coad – but there are Moriartys in other Kilcrohane townlands. Does this mean anything?

I was stuck here until I found www.irishgenealogy.com which is a new website hosted by the Irish Department of Arts, Sports, and Tourism – it recently (the end of 2009) put old baptismal and marriage records online and made them available for free. And what did I find?

I found an entry for the townland of Coad in Cahirdaniel for Michael Moriarty of Coad marrying Gobnet Sweeney – no location was given for her. They married 27 November 1850 in Cahirdaniel. The marriage is recorded in Cahirdaniel Roman Catholic Book 1 Entry 8. Reverend Patrick O’Connell was the priest and James Murphy was the only witness listed. Below is a screen shot from the website.

I had known that Mary/Gubby Sweeney was from Coad. And I thought the Moriartys might have come from Castlecove or Cahirdaniel, but I never thought that they might have come from the same townland as the Sweeneys! Could this be our Michael and Gubby? The names are the same, and the date is right. Unfortunately, only a transcription of the record is available online – we can’t see the original record ... yet.

Cahirdaniel Church February 2010 where Michael Moriarty and Gobnet Sweeney were married in 1850 – almost 160 years before!

 Cahirdaniel Church interior in February 2010 – I wonder how much it has changed since 1850?

Reverend O’Connell married Michael Moriarty and Gobnet Sweeney – he was parish priest of Cahirdaniel during the  Great Famine. Imagine the terrible sights he saw. He was 104 years old when he died. Michael and Gubby married just as the famine was ending.

There is also another Cahirdaniel entry on this website which I find quite interesting – Mary Moriarty of Reen is baptized on 15 February 1852 by Reverend Dominic Walsh. 

Listen to this - the parents are listed as Michael Moriarty and Gobnet Sweeney! The witnesses are Michael Moriarty and Mary Moriarty. This is listed in Cahirdaniel Book 2 Entry 7 Record Identifier KY-RC-BA-111796. Coad is near the Blackshop while Reen is a couple of miles west just before you get into Cahirdaniel.

Who were these sponsors? Mary could certainly be Michael’s sister or even his mother. But the other sponsor, Miles Moriarty? Could he have been the father or cousin of our Michael?

And my cousin Hannah told me that Myles Moriarty, my grandmother’s father, had a sister Mary. Could this baby be Myles Moriarty’s sister?

What a lot of questions, and we are just starting out!