Liath Leitir – Lealetter  

Liath Leitir – Lealetter is a small farming, Gaeltacht,  townland in the, Taobh Garbh, side of  the Civil and Roman Catholic parish of Moycullen, in the Electoral Division of Sliabh an Aonaigh. It is bounded by Drimmavohaun and Polleha to the north, Drummaveg, Gortyloughlin, Keagh to the east, Finisklin and Slieveaneena to the west, and Loughwell to the south. The total area is c551 acres/0.86 square miles. Within Co. Galway, it is the 687th largest townland. View Townlands.i.e.  Lealetter is part of the Moycullen bogs Natural Heritage Area.

Topography and Features

There are some cultivated spots in this townland. The greater part is a moorish wet sort of land. Along the West boundary is Sruffaunthava,  stream,  Loughthavabeg and Loughthavamore and towards the North extremity is Loughderreendarra and to the South is Lealetter Village.View- Townlands.i.e.

The Origin of the Townland name

Is cosúil gur tháinig an t-ainm seo as an dath liath ar thaobh an chnoic anseo. Ciallaíonn leitir taobh chnoic. It seems the name Lealetter comes from the grey colour of the hillside in this area.

See Appendices 1-3 View- O’Donovan field Names and Logainm.ie.

Places of Cultural/Historical Interest

The bogs, of Lealetter are home to a range of flora and fauna, including several varieties of moss as well as insect-eating plants, lichen, Furze, and some Rhododendron. There are a number of  Archaeological sites listed in appendix 5.

Still House

There is an old still house about a mile from John Connor’s house – it was once commonage but striped in the year xxxx, the land where still was owned by ‘Jimmy Seamus’ Walsh and now his nephew Sean Connell from Ower.  A form of blade used to be inserted into the ground which would vibrate if a car was coming, the watch would then pass word to the distillers if the vehicle turned in the Lealetter road, giving the distillers time to disperse in case it was the Gardai.  The still house is round with funnels for smoke – now overgrown.

Cloch an Tobar

On Sundays people would gather at the well where there was a large square stone.  The object of the task was to see who could lift the stone over their knee level.   John Walsh could do this from a young age.

Clothes were also washed in the water at this well.

There are several monuments in the townland – see Appendix 5

Field and other local names:

None to hand

 Land ownership, tenants and census records

Down Survey 1656-1658 – Townland of Lealetter (Moycullen By)

Down Survey Name: Laughill & Leatry

The Down Survey was a cadastral survey of Ireland carried out by English scientist William Petty in 1655 and 1656. The survey was apparently called the “Down Survey” by Petty because the results were set down in maps; ‘admeasurement down’ was used; it is referred to by that name in Petty’s will.

The Down Survey 1641 (pre-Cromwell) states that the owner was O’Flaharty’s Heirs, Hugh (Catholic)

The Down Survey Map 1670 (post-Cromwell) states that ownership of the lands had changed and now belonged to Blake, Andrew (Protestant). There is no mention of land size.

Land Valuation Records-

You can research details of landlords and tenants for your townland from 1862 onwards.  by visiting the Valuation Office (now part of Tailte Eireann), in the Irish Life Centre, Lower Abbey St., Dublin 1

Census Information – See Table 1 and Table 2 and attached appendices

Blake Census:  The data for this townland is included in ‘Mountain’ area records.

Tithe Applotment Books 1823-38: The landlord was Patrick Burke, Danesfield.

The Griffith Valuation Records (1847 – 64):  The Landlord was George E Burke

Census 1841 to 1891: The only records available for the period between 1841 and 1891 are the total number of houses and population.

Census 1901 and 1911 – View, The National Archives of Ireland

Table 1 – Houses and Population: Blakes Census to 1911 Census

Table 2 – Tithe Applotment, Griffith’s Valuation, 1901 and 1911 Census

Long-term families in Lealetter

It appears that of the original Tithe Applotment records, that the only descendants still living in Lealetter is the O’Connor (Connor) family. There were three Walsh families in the Griffith Valuation records of 1855. Their descendants still live there.

People of Lealetter

The landholders of this townland leased their small holding from various landlords until 1903, when they got absolute ownership of their holdings. The traditional way of life existed from the famine years well into the 1960’s. Over this time rural life changed extraordinarily little.

Up until the 1980s they sowed potatoes, vegetables and corn and reared beef, pork, and poultry for the local markets. They made butter for sale and raised hens and sold the eggs.

Fair days for Lealetter farmers were held in Spiddal and in the Fair Green Galway for cattle, sheep and horses and a pig fair was held in the Fair Green, Moycullen.

Today, the farm family members combine off-farm work with part-time farming, including saving enough turf for their own needs.

Cloch an Tobar

On Sundays people would gather at the well where there was a large square stone.  The object of the task was to see who could lift the stone over their knee level.   John Walsh could do this from a young age.

Clothes were also washed in the water at this well.

Notable Lealetter People

To be added.

 Pastimes

The locals fished for trout in the lakes in the area. They would visit each other’s houses in the evening and chat and play cards. The young lads played football on Sunday evenings.

Lealetter Photo Album

References

• https://www.townlands.ie
• Google Maps Route Planner
• Place names of Galway Galway Library.ie/place, O’Donovan’s field name books:
• logainm.ie The Placenames Database of Ireland was created in collaboration with The Placenames Branch (Department of Culture, Heritage, and the Gaeltacht)
• Maigh Cuilinn a Muintir – Cumann Staire Ruaidhrí Uí Fhlaitheartaigh
• Maigh Cuilinn a Táisc agus a Tuairisc – Pádraic Breathnach
• Blake Census – moycullen.galwaycommunityheritage.org
• Down Survey 1656-1658, – http://downsurvey.tcd.ie › down-survey-maps
• Tithe Applotment Books – http://titheapplotmentbooks.nationalarchives.ie ›
• http://www.askaboutireland.ie › griffith -valuation
• Land Valuations Records, Valuation Office, Abbey Street Dublin
• Blake Census – moycullen.galwaycommunityheritage.org
• 1841-1891 Census figures www.histpop.org
• Census of Ireland 1901/1911 National Archives nationalarchives.ie/help/history
• Prompt list – https://moycullen.galwaycommunityheritage.org 
• General information and Place Names, Walter McDonagh, John O’Connor and Hazel Morrison

 Appendices 1 , 2, 3 

Appendix 4 – Griffiths Valuation

Appendix 5 Archaelogical Features

Appendix 6 Tithe Applotments

Appendix 7 1901 Census

Appendix 8 -9  1911 Census