Ballydotia
BALLYDOTIA- Baile Dòithhte
Ballydotia is located in the northeastern part of Moycullen parish and is bordered by the townlands of Cloonabinna to the north, Ballynahallia on the east, Moycullen and Killarainy on the south and and Knockshanbally and Rinneen on the west.
Ballydotia was described in the Ordnance Survey Name Books (also known as O’Donovan’s Field Name Books and conducted between 1824-1846) as follows:
“The North portion of this townland consists of pasturage and fields of lime stone rocks interspersed. The centre and South portions are cultivated fields. Ballydothia village is towards the S. extremity. There is a fort about the centre of this townland. There is nothing else remarkable.”
(Origin of the Name Ballydotia
P.W. Joyce in his The Origin and History of Irish Names of Places (1910) indicates the name of townland, Baile doighte [-dotia], means burnt townland, stemming from having the land-surface burned for tillage purposes. Writing in the early 20th century, he notes that “ploughing by the horsetail, and burning corn in the ear, were practised in Ireland down to a comparatively recent period.”
Moycullen It’s People, published by Moycullen Heritage in 2008, provides an alternative account for the origin of the townland’s name:
The old people referred to the townland of Baile Dóite as “the boiled and burned village”. The true origin of the name may be lost in antiquity but a more recent story concerning a house being prepared for Stations still exists. As fire broke out the panic-stricken ‘bean an tí’ ran out screaming “tá an baile dóite, the village is burnt”. The story has a happy ending as a meitheal of neighbours from near and far repaired the damage in time for the Stations.
Notable Features, Events and People
Moycullen, It’s People goes on to describe notable geographic features, events and people:
Where the old Galway- Clifden railway line crossed the road at Clochán it divided Baile Dóite from Clochán and Cill Ráinne. The townland extends to An Chreig, or the Rocks Road, as it is known locally. A bend on the Knockferry road marks the entrance to a privately owned sandpit. This marks the boreen which led to the communal well, Tobar Cuilinn, used by the people of Baile Dóite and Knockshanbally since time immemorial. The well has for many years been walled off from public access. The entrance to the well boreen is important as that was the old site of festival celebrations such as St John’s Eve, Lughnasa and others. Here large fires were lit and there was music, dancing and celebration.
Further left on the Knockferry Road is the narrow road leading to the older houses and farmlands of Baile Dóite. This road leads on to Knockshanbally. It was the owners of these farms who donated an area of commonage to Muintir na Tíre in the 1960s for the purpose of developing a Sports ground for the people of Moycullen. The names of these families were Burke, Higgins, McDonagh, Conneely, Reynolds and Barrett.
In recent years some important monuments were removed in the interest of road clearance near
Baile Dóite’s Sportsfield. They resembled funerary cairns and were of great importance to the people of Tullykyne who deposited a stone as each funeral passed by and they were also of great importance to the history and heritage of the area. Another well known landmark removed at the same time was a large stone named Cloch a ‘Phúca’. The origins of the name are unknown.
In 1893 Tomás Bairéad, author and journalist was born in the townland of Baile Dóite.
Field names include: Goirtín Treasna, Cúilín Uí Fhearghail, Goirtín an Easóg, Gob Caol, Garraí Mhalací agus an Tuar Ghlas, the green bleaching field where unbleached Calico was laid out in the sun.
Blake’s Census
The Blake Census was the work of Francis Xavier Blake, the parish priest in Moycullen between 1792 and 1825. This is unique to Moycullen and to note it was recorded before the Tithe Applotment Books (1828) and The Griffith Valuation Records (1847 –1864).
The Census commences in 1793 and includes the name of every married man then residing in the parish as well as unmarried men having a separate dwelling whether bachelor or widower. Notations are made for those who are new to the parish, have moved, married, died or becomes a widower.
Men recorded in Blakes Census for Ballydotia were as follows:
Mr. Thomas Hinde, Patt Daay, Jno. Mulluoge, Jno. Ke[blotted]acan (R.’06), Francis McDonagh,
John Faherty, (M.’ 10), Francis Willoughby (D.’04), Dominick Willoughby, Myles MacAnne, James Ridge,
Jas. MacDonogh, Bart. Connor (M.’05), Owen Connor (W.’96), Thomas Mulluoge (R.’95), Walt. Joyce (R.’95),
Simon Connor (D.’03), Roger Connor (B.’93, M.’08), John Kelly (C.’10), Morgan Mulvy (M.’04, R.’07),
Jas. Connor, tailor (M.’03, C.08),Jas. Connor, shoemaker (M.’06, R.’07), Patt Willoughby (M.’06), John Daay (M.’11),
Luke Joyce (M.’93, C.’07), John Keely (M.’94, W.’03), Thomas Connor (M.’95, R.’04), Owen Mulluoge (M.’95, W.’01),
Theady Lennane (M.’97), Laurence Faherty (M.’97), Hugh Connor Patt (M.’98), William Faherty (M.’96, R.’01),
Patt Connor (M.’01), Ed. Halloran (M.’01, R.’02), Jas. Carroll (M.’03), Bart. Walsh (M.’05).)
The Griffith’s Valuation for Ballydotia records several tenants leasing land and property from George E. Burke, who held the land in fee, meaning he was the outright owner. Among the tenants listed are Myles M’Donogh, Martin Conroy, Laurence Connelly, and Mathias Malin, as well as George E. Burke himself leasing plots. The holdings in Ballydotia included combinations of houses, offices (outbuildings)with valuation of 3-14-0, and land, with valuations ranging from 80.10s.0d. for the. The total valuation for Ballydotia amounted to £93.4s.0d, reflecting a modest but varied rural settlement. This valuation highlights the social and economic structure of the townland, with multiple smallholders under a local landlord, typical of mid-19th century rural Ireland. And finally total acreage was 311-3-35.
The Barrett family lived in County Galway, where 32-year-old Michael Barrett worked as a farmer. He was married to Mary Barrett, aged 30, and both were literate in Irish and English. They had three young children: Thomas (7) and Francis (6), both scholars who could already read and write, and Margaret (1), who was too young to be literate. Also living with them was Bridget Carter, a 75-year-old domestic servant and housekeeper who could not read or write and spoke only Irish. The family, Roman Catholic and bilingual.
The Conneely family, recorded in the 1901 Census, lived in County Galway. The head of the family was Bridget Conneely, a 41-year-old widow and farmer, who was able to read and write both Irish and English. She lived with her nine children: Catherine (16), Lawrence (14), Patrick (12), Mary (10), Thomas (9), Julia (7), Maggie (5), Edward (4), and John (2). All of the older children were scholars or helped on the farm and were literate in Irish and English, except for the youngest two, Maggie and Edward, who had not yet learned to read. The entire family was Roman Catholic and bilingual.
The Burke family, recorded in the 1901 Census, resided in County Galway. John Burke, a 60-year-old farmer who could read and write both Irish and English, was the head of the household. He lived with his wife Kate, aged 53, who was also literate. Their son Thomas, aged 26, and daughter Julia, aged 22, were both unmarried and worked on the family farm. Also living with them was their young niece, Sarah Darey, aged 4, who was described as a scholar but was not yet able to read. All members of the family were Roman Catholic and bilingual in Irish and English.
The McDonagh family, as recorded in the 1901 Census, lived in County Galway. The head of the family, Walter McDonagh, was a 57-year-old widowed farmer who spoke both Irish and English but could not read. He lived with his six children: Delia (24), Thomas (20), Mary (18), Francis (16), John (14), Michael (12), and Martin (10). All of Walter’s children were literate in both Irish and English. The older children worked on the farm, while the younger sons, John, Michael, and Martin, were listed as scholars. None of the children were married at the time of the census.
The Faherty family, recorded in the 1901 Census, lived in County Galway. The head of the family, Patt Faherty, was a 36-year-old Roman Catholic farmer who was able to read and write in both Irish and English. His wife, Margaret, aged 35, shared the same literacy skills and background. They had two young sons, Edward, aged 3, and Francis, aged 1, neither of whom could yet read. Also residing in the household was Catherine McGann, a 64-year-old widowed aunt who worked as a domestic servant; she could speak both Irish and English but was unable to read. Additionally, James Kelly, an 80-year-old unmarried agricultural labourer who spoke Irish but could not read, was employed as a servant within the household.
he Mullen family was recorded living in County Galway. The head of the household, Mark Mullen, was a 68-year-old Roman Catholic farmer who could read and write and spoke both Irish and English. His wife, Honora Mullen, aged 53, also possessed literacy skills and was likewise bilingual. They had two sons living with them: Michael, aged 15, and John, aged 13. Both boys were described as farmer’s sons, could read and write, and were fluent in both Irish and English. At the time of the census, both Michael and John were unmarried.
The Burke family, residing in County Galway, was headed by 40-year-old Thomas Burke, a farmer who was literate in both Irish and English. He lived with his wife, Mary, who was also literate in both languages. The couple had six children, four of whom were still living: John (4), Malachy (2), Matthias (2), and another Thomas (no age specified). All the children were unable to read or write at the time, which was typical for younger children in rural Ireland. Additionally, Thomas’s 63-year-old mother, Kate, a widow, lived with them. Kate was literate in both Irish and English. The family was also supported by 73-year-old Celia Connor, an aunt who was single and also literate in both languages. The Burkes maintained a traditional rural lifestyle, with a strong foundation in farming and a bilingual heritage.
The Barrett family, based in County Galway, was headed by 42-year-old Michael Barrett, a farmer who was literate in both Irish and English. He lived with his wife, 49-year-old Mary, who was also literate and proficient in both languages. Together, they had five children, though only four were still living at the time: Thomas (17), Francis (16), Margaret (11), and Catherine (8). These children were either working on the farm or attending school, with all being literate and bilingual in Irish and English. Additionally, 81-year-old Bridget Carter, a relative of the family, lived with them. While Bridget could not read, she spoke both Irish and English. The family was deeply embedded in both their farming community and the bilingual cultural heritage of County Galway.
The Conneely household was led by 55-year-old Bridget Conneely, a widow and farmer, who was literate in both Irish and English. She lived with her seven children: Lawrence (23), a railway labourer; Patrick (21), Thomas (17), and Edward (13), who were all farmers’ sons; Mary (19) and Julia (16), who worked as farmers’ daughters; and Maggie (15) and John (11), who were scholars. All members of the family, despite their varying occupations, were literate and bilingual. Bridget’s household reflected a typical rural family structure, where the children were either involved in farming or attending school.
The McDonagh household was headed by 68-year-old Walter McDonagh, a widowed farmer who was able to read and write and spoke both Irish and English. He lived with his adult children: Thomas (30), John (24), and Michael (22), all working as farmer’s sons, and Mary (28), who had no listed occupation. All members of the family were literate, bilingual, single, and Roman Catholic. The household reflects a typical rural family structure of the time, with multiple adult children remaining at home to assist with farming responsibilities.
The household was headed by 76-year-old Catherine McGann, a widowed farmer who could not read or write but spoke both Irish and English. Living with her were her daughter Margaret Faherty, aged 50, and Margaret’s husband Patrick Faherty, aged 48, both literate and bilingual. Patrick worked as a farmer, while Margaret’s occupation was not listed. The family included three grandchildren — Edward (13), Francis (10), and Julia (6) — all of whom were scholars and able to read and write. The family was Roman Catholic and demonstrated strong intergenerational ties, with three generations living under one roof and actively participating in farming and education.
The Mullins family headed by 75-year-old Mark Mullins, a widowed farmer who could not read or write but spoke both Irish and English. Living with him were his two sons: Michael, aged 25, who worked as a farmer’s son, and John, aged 23, who was employed as a general labourer. Both sons were literate and bilingual, suggesting a generational shift toward education and literacy. The family was Roman Catholic and reflected a typical rural household structure, with younger members contributing to the farm work while remaining unmarried and living at home.
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