A detailed history of the barony of Carra, Mayo
By Tom Gillespie
FORTY years ago, in September 1982, my school mate Eddie Bourke, a native of Mount Gordon, Castlebar, through his company, De Burca Rare Books, republished The History of Mayo by H.T. Knox, first published in 1908.
In the 452-page hardback, one of the chapters deals with the Barony of Carra.
Carra was a well-defined territory from early times, occupied by old Domnonian clans. After the fourth century, Hy Fiachrach clans settled over them, leaving in view only a few families of the Party in Odhbha if, as is possible, their descent from Fiachra is fictitious. Odhbha included the parishes of Ballintubber and Ballyheane, in yet earlier times when the Partry had their own king.
MacFirbis’s tract on the Hy Fiachrech gives a detailed account of the families settled in Carra, Tirawley and Erris, defining the seat of many great families with great accuracy as they are about the 13th century.
The chieftains of Carra were of the families of O’Tierney, O’Murray, MacNeill, O’Gormghail, and used the title of king.
The Clan Cuain, known also as Fir Thire and Fir Siuire, Men of nSuir, the river which flows by Castlebar, had as chieftain O’Cuinn.
Their territory comprised the parishes of Clancowane, now called Aglish, Islandeady, Turlough, Breaghwy, and Kildacommoge, and seems to have been the same as that of the earlier Corcu Themne. Clann Cuain transferred its allegiance to MacDermot in the 12th century.
By the 13 century the tribal distinction between Odhbha and Carra was lost. The whole was divided between Carra and Clancowane. The Hy Fiachrach clans were so feeble that Torlogh Mor’s descendants were being settled over them, as they had settled over the Domnonians 600 years before.
None survived as freeholders to the close of the 16th century. We know only the names and positions of these tribes.
ROYAL FORTS
Fert Lothair, Aenach and Loch Buadhaigh are named as the three royal forts of Carra. Fert Lothair is mentioned as occupied by Ailill Inbandha when St. Cormac visited him. There is no indication of its position or of that of Loch Buadhaigh.
Aenach was in O’Gormgailla’s lordship to the south of Toberloona. The great fort in the field to the north of Liskillen farmyard is likely to be the place.
It was a fort of the first rank, having a diameter of 104 feet within the wall inside the inner ditch, a wall on the rampart between the inner and outer ditches, and a wall on the outer edge of the outer ditch; and all the faces of these ditches were revetted with stones.
When the O’Connors, who seem to have held all Carra as principal chiefs, were ejected by Richard de Burgo in 1236, Carra was let out in two great fees, called Carra and Clancowane.
Adam Staunton, a great baron of Kildare, or his son Philip, got Carra, wherein he built Castlercarra immediately, one of the earliest Norman castles in Mayo, but the present building in ruins may be of a later date. The wall across the isthmus may well be original. He founded also a small town, whereof only the name survives, in Burriscarra.
Adam was succeeded by his son Philip, and he by his son Adam, who died in 1299. His estates were divided between five daughters. Carra, having been assigned first to Nesta and another, became the share own Nesta.
When her father died she was married to Simon de Flatisbury, but by 1316 was wife of Fromund Le Brun. By 1325 Fromund and Nesta had transferred the manor of Carra to John, Earl of Louth. I find no indication of the further devolution of the estate.
The original grantee gave a large fee to one of his relations, from whom came the Staunton’s of Carra, known as Mac an Mhilidh in Irish, now MacEvilly.
MacEvilly owned the castle of Kinturk, which was most likely the original fee, and the castle of Manulla until 1592, and Kilvonell, now called Castlebourke, and Castlercarra.
Castlercarra was the manor house, and head of the fee. Its devolution is uncertain, but it was in MacEvilly’s hands until it was sold to lord Trimleston in Sir N. Malbie’s time, and by him to Captain W. Bowen in 1586.
We have no genealogy of this family. It was said to derive from a Bernard Staunton. A Bernard was extant in the 13th century, who had a son, Philip. A Sir Bernard of Connnaught was alive in 1333.
A branch of the Staunton’s took the name of MacUlkin or MacHulkin. Some owned Ballybanan and other townlands in that district.
A family of Branaghs or Walshes of Rosslahan, near Welshpool, are the only other early colonists who arrived as freeholders to the closer of the 16th century.
In 1306 a family named Savage held some lands. in 1316 Formund la Brun ands Nesta claimed from William, son of Willian de Burgo, suit and service in their court of Carra in respect of the freehold in Sauvage’s castle, and four vills of land therein. This castle is not identified, but it is likely to be Castle Lucas.
The name of Le Sauvage survived in the denomination of the eight quarters of land called Levally in Tases in the composition, but in the preliminary inquisition, Levally in Tavase, Halftown of le Sauvage. This is some evidence that Sir William had got a foothold in Carra.
For Sir William’s brother Philip, and Philip’s son John, came the MacPhilpins who are found at Bellabourke and near Castlebar.
The Clancowane division called Clancowane and Fertyr was given to a Barry, whose names survives in Castlebarry. This family gave the rectories of Turlougvh, Breaghwy, and Kildacommoge to the family abbey of Kilnamullagh near Buttevant. By 1333 the fee had passed to the heir Peter de Cogan.
The further devolution of these two fees does not appear, but by some means they came into the hands of MacWilliam Bourke. We may accept Mac Firbis’s statement that Castlebar fell to Edmond na Fesoige, with so much of Carra as was not assigned to the families of his brothers, Walter and Richard and John. His descendants increased rapidly.
His sons, Richard and Ulick, succeeding to the MacWilliamship founded the two great families called Slight Richard and Sliocht Ulick. Castlebar remained in the hands of the senior line, but Richard’s son John founded the more numerous and powerful branch in Tirawley.
Ulick was ancestor of Slight Ulick, which spread over Carra and into Burrishoole and Erris, having Ballynacarra as the chief castle.
The MacDonnells of this barony owned the castles of Clooneen and Touaghty. Others lived at Manulla and at Keelogues.
The castle and lands of Donamona belonged to a family of O’Kellys, whose ancestor is said to have settled there in the 15th century.
At the composition of the barony is divided into nine cowries or divisions, exclusive of church lands, of nearly equal value, 21 and 22 qrs., except Kinturk and Slewoney of 25 and 24 qrs., and two half cowrynes, and four still smaller denominations amounting to 22 qrs.
They seem to have been laid out for some purpose of administration or survey, as they cannot, according to present information, be made to fit into a scheme of assignment of inheritance.
The Earl of Ulster’s rent of £16, 13s. 4d. on the two Carra fees, the 24 ballies of MacWilliam’s mensal lands in the Hist. et Gen., and McWilliam’s composition rent charge of £17, 6s. 8d. on 24 towns coincide so closely as to suggest that that latter are based on the original tenures acquired by MacWilliam, that these rents were assigned to the MacWilliamship, and the beneficial occupation to Edmond na Fesoige’s family.
Edmund Bourke of Castlebar had an annual rent of £21, 6s. 8d. out of Clancowan, which would be in part his share of the profits of the MacWilliamship.