The Fall of Irish Families
With Mike O’Laughlin
at the Irish Roots Cafe
The Rest of the Story
If you want the details on how the Irish culture
was finally crushed, along with the names of the
old and new landowners, this is an excellent
source for you. It was in the 17th century.
This was the time of the Flight of the Earls,
the Battle of Kinsale, Cromwell, and the Treaty of
Limerick. 90 percent of the lands changed hands
in this century.
A Master Resource for Historians and Genealogists:Volume 1 – The Fall of Irish Chiefs and Clans.(268 pages) 0-940134-42-X. This outstanding work gives us
information on individual families and conditions before
and during the settlement of Ireland in the 17th century.
Specific individuals and sources are given, of great
interest to family researchers and historians. These
specifics are lacking in other books and resources. Among
items of interest to family researchers are the lists of
jurors, the rent rolls, and the lists of those applying
to undertake the settlement (undertakers), and the lists
of soldiers. The actions taken on the land then, are still
evident today. If you would understand Ireland, you need
to understand how this all began.
This Book One includes the following sections.
Ulster Before the Fall.
The Orders to Begin the transfer of land
The Project of settling new landholders
Doubts, Delays, and problems
How The Authorities Worked
Specific Names, Results and Arrangements
(New IGF surname index).
Volume 2 – Names in the Land Grants.Itemized land grants to English, Scots, and Irish. Identity
of the specific persons, location of lands, with
historical commentary.
(107 pages) 0-940134-44-6 Footnoted. The Land Grants in
this work are taken from the Patent Rolls of the reign
of James I and from the printed Ulster Inquisitions.
The book is most importantly arranged with the following
sections:
Land Grants for the English (Undertakers), complete with names.
Land Grants for the Scottish (Undertakers), complete with names
Land Grants for the Servitors, complete with names
Land Grants to the Native Irish, complete with names
Volume 3 – Londonders settlements (Lands and Families).(101 pages) 0-940134-45-4. A rare record of events as they
happened. The infamous Londoners’ plantation and settlement
of Ireland. Irish septs misplaced lands and the misdeeds
of some of those who took the land….
This book tells the story of the Londoners coming to settle
in Ireland. The settlement included the lands of,
Loughinsholin, which had previously belonged to Tyrone, the
old county of Coleraine which had belonged to OCahane, a
small portion of the county of Donegal, including the
island on which the city of Derry stood, and a small portion
of County Antrim adjoining Coleraine. These were handed
over to twelve London companies for plantation … and united
to form the the present county of Londonderry (Derry).
Fall of Local Chieftains
The chief early Irish septs of this
area were the OCahanes (Cahan or Kane), the OMullanes
(Mullens or Mullins), the Magilliganes (Gilligan), and the
McCloskies (McClusky).(See book index for full listings).
Volume 4 – A Special Census of Ireland; Pynnars Survey.(164 p) 0940134659 Pynnars Survey was to provide a report
on each owner of land and its status in Counties Armagh,
Tyrone, Donegal, Cavan, Fermanagh……
Pynnars Survey gives us the real names of landholders, and
the location/ condition of their property in Ireland. This
includes Counties Armagh, Tyrone, Donegal, Cavan, and
Fermanagh with notes on Londonderry. It was originally
compiled as a result of the 17th century plantation of
Ireland (1609 onward). A landholders census record, it set about
to give us the results of the ‘planting’ of families from
outside Ireland onto Irish lands. Here, Pynnar gives us
the name and condition of Undertakers, servitors, and
principal natives on these Ulster lands. The footnotes
by Hill are of particular note, at times bringing updates
into the 19th century.
A sample from a small entry.
Sir Alexander Hamilton(55) the first patentee.
Jane Hamilton (56), late wife to Claude Hamilton, deceased,
hath 2,000 acres, called Carrotobber and Clonkine. Upon
this Proportion there is a strong castle, and a Bawne of
Lime and Stone thouroughly finished with her family living
there (….and in the over 1/2 page of footnotes on this
family are given other inhabitants in 1629, namely George
Griffin, Francis Cofyn, Stephen Hunt, and Richard
Lighterfoot, all of whom had been granted deeds.)
Irish Family Name changes
As throughout this whole series, there are many notes on
family names, locations and backgrounds. Of the name of
John Whisher, Hill gives that it is ‘now’ written as
Wishart, and that Carew writes it as Wyhard, and that
he had returned to Scotland and returned and suffered
many misfortunes. We also find lists of tenants who
were not landowners in addition to the ‘census’ type
material.
This volume is very useful, to historians and family
researchers today.
About the Author of this BlogThe most published author in his field. Mike is a one of
a kind resource. He has authored 12 hardbound books,
34 Irish genealogy county books, 40 CD’s/videos,
300 podcasts, 7 broadcast series’, and 1,000+ articles.
O’Laughlin also publishes rare works like ‘The Annals
of Ireland by the Four Masters’ and ‘The Irish Book
of Arms’ (60 works in all, since 1978).
Mike founded the
‘Irish Families’ DNA project,
and sings old style, in the Irish Language, with the
Irish Roots Cafe house band out of Kansas City.
