Ardvarna

Anglicized from Irish: Ardbhearna

Translates to: “High Gap”

Etymology:

Ardvarna is located on the high ground to the east of Oughterard town. Access to the lower land further west, from this side, is gained through a natural cut down through the ground/stone. This cut and the resulting ‘high gap’ its creates can clearly be seen making up the front boundary wall of Ardvarna House.

Size: 18 acres , 3 rods , 29 perchs

Siting:

Situated in the northern extremity of Kilcummin parish. Bounded on the north and east by Lemonfield, on the west by Cregg and on the south by Billymore.

Description:

Contains 18¼ acres of good land, all arable with the exception of some ornamental ground and a few patches of plantation. Ardvarna House is situated near its western boundary. The centre of the Galway and Oughterard road forms the north-eastern boundary of this townland.

Placenames within townland:

Ardvarna House (house) – A neat house of 2 stories. Occupied by A. Ross in 1837, Vignolles, Esq., R.M. In 1838, John Scully at the time of Griffith’s Valuation when it was valued at £16 and by Edward Jackson Fitzsimons in the 1860s. There is still an extant house at this site.

Standing Stone – A stone which has been deliberately set upright in the ground. They functioned as prehistoric burial markers, commemorative monuments, indicators of routeways or boundaries and date from the Bronze and Iron Age with some associated with early medieval ecclesiastical and burial contexts.

Previous proprietor/landlord:

Richard Martin (1670)

Earl of Clanrickard (1670)

Captain O’Flaherty of Lemonfield (c. 1850)

Land Value (1857): £ 12 s. 7 d. 0

Buildings Value (1857): £ 16 s. 0 d. 0

Surnames attached to the townland (1857-1911):

Ross, Vignolles, Fitzsimons, Scully, Fahy, Ferris, Mangan, McNamara, Allen