Glengowla West

 

Townland of Glengowla West highlighted in yellow

Anglicized from Irish: Gleann Gabhla Thiar

Translates to: “Glen of the fork (west)”

Etymology:

Glengowla name is a physical description of the townland as it lies in a wide glen between the hills of Letterfore to the north and those of Deradda to the south. Because of this the townland naturally is the meeting place of various streams and rivers running off the higher ground. Two of these rivers converge at Glengowla going on to form the Owenriff/Fough river which flows past Oughterard and on into the Corrib. Therefore, Glengowla was named the glen of the fork because the river forked into its two seperate original sources at this point.

Size: 597 acres, 0 rods, 25 perchs

Siting:

In the eastern extremity of Kilcummin parish. Bounded on the north by Lettercraff, on the west by Derryglin and Derryeighter, on the east by Glengowla East and on the south by Derradda and Rusheeny.

Description:

Contains 572 and three quarter acres of land, 70 acres of which are under tillage and pasture and 24 and three quarter acres of water, the remainder is mountain pasture. The Clifden and Oughterard road passes through it.

Placenames within townland:

Mine (lead/silver) – Historic 19th century silver and lead mine. It is also noted for its rare and beautiful octahedral crystals of fluorite and quartz. Abandoned in 1865.

Knockbaun (hill) – Translates to ‘white hill’. A hill in the middle of the townland.

Lough Agraffard (lake) – Translates to ‘lake of the grubbed height’.

Glengowla Bridge – An old bridge to the north of the townland on the border to Glengowla East.

Previous proprietor/landlord:

Earl of Clanrickard (1641)

Earl of Clanrickard (1670)

Captain O’Flaherty of Lemonfield (c. 1850)

Land Value (1857): £ 45 s.2 d. 0

Buildings Value (1857): £ 10 s.8 d. 0

Surnames attached to the townland (1857-1911):

Geoghegan, Murphy, Conneely, Joyce, Sullivan, Toole, Malley, Gibbons, Naughton, Connor, Clancy, Thornton, Mullin, Walsh, Connell, Finnerty, McCoy, Burke