The following photographs were submitted by Breeda Mitchell. They capture several scenes from Togher taken up Lehenaghmore Hill in the early 1960s. These never before seen images enable the viewer to see a Togher in all its glory before the modern developments of the mid 1960s. Life would soon change forever. But for now it is possible to share a glimpse of a very different Togher.
Unknown youths
Mr. Crowley ( front )
L-R: Richie Crowley , Bernie Healy ,
Kathleen Crowley and Denis O'Leary (R.I.P )
L-R Back: Mary Hayes ,Marie Roche ,Teresa Hayes
Front- Eileen Crowley , Marian O'Brien and Kathleen Roche
The 3 photographs shown above were taken outside the Crowley house not far from the home of Kathleen Roche. This was one of 2 sets of houses on this stretch of road. The houses thankfully are still in existence today.
Top L - R: Timmy Ahern , Mary Brosnan , Tim Joe Walsh Middle L - R: Michael O'Donovan , Angela Crowley Bottom L - R: Gobnait Walsh , Rosie Roche , Kathleen Rea
Eugene Harrington R.I.P 2014
( formally of Ballygarvan )
Lehenaghmore
L - R: Kathleen Crowley , Mary Crowley, Mary Healy & Gobnait Walsh(Crowley )
Front L - R: Irene
Forde , Breeda Mitchell (Healy) Mary Crowley , Eileen Crowley Anne O Brien
, Gobnait Crowley Back L - R: Ted Rea , Richie Crowley?, Mary Healy
Garrane Darragh townland has had human habitation going back well over a thousand years as evidenced by a large
enclosure/burial mound ( still extant though heavily overgrown ) and a ring fort (
long gone ) . But this article will focus on the principal residence which bears its name - Garrane Darragh House.
Garrane Darragh house 2015
Garranne Darragh townland has had a big house associated with it since at least the 1750s ( quite possibly even earlier ) and it is shown on the Taylor & Skinner maps of Ireland published in 1777. These were the road maps of their time and the first recorded attempt at making out in a crude form the various notable locations near the roads. Garrane Darragh house ( like most Big Houses of their time simply named after the Townland they were in ) today is boarded up and in a dilapidated condition. Its name in English is quite literally Grove of Oaks , though it is sometimes referred to simply as Garrane.
Griffiths Valuation 1852 1a/1b - entirety of Townland
Landlord - Wm Howe Hennis
The map above shows Griffiths Valuation of 1852 dividing the land into two parts , 1a and 1b , the division being taken up by the Cork Bandon railway line whch rented the land it passed through. Wm. Howe Hennis ( father of Francis Hennis ) , resident in England when land was first purchased was noted as the Landlord.
Garrane Darragh farmland 1987
( later Eagle Valley estate ) coutesy of Eamonn Pearse
Garrane Darragh house & outbuildings
Garrane Darragh house 2015
It was for many centuries the one and only main residence of the Townland having three entrances off the main roads which bound it. The primary main entrance sported a gate lodge located south of the Glasheen River ( present day Woodhaven ) which was reached by the aptly named Garrane Lane which connected back to Bishopstown Road.
Red line showing Garrane Lane
which lead to old Lodge and onto house
Site of old lodge at bridge in Woodhaven
The second entrance was reached by traveling off Doughcloyne Hill through the lands of the Sarsfields. Photograph below shows modern day remnant of entrance located between Industrial Estate left of Sarsfield Road junction.
Entrance off Doughcloyne Hill
( between Industrial Unit & Houses )
to Garrane Darragh house
The third entrance was located near an old mill race off the turnpike on Bandon Road with a gatehouse which may also have doubled as a lodge of sorts see more here which is still in situ today though much run down and derelict. Evidence of an old bridge over the Glasheen River can still be seen though heavily overgrown. Today the entrance is to the left of the Garage off the Bandon Road.
Entrance off Bandon Road to old gatehouse
Gatehouse off Bandon Road to Garrane Darragh house
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Garrane Darragh house - A virtual tour
Entrance off South Ring Road
Bog to right of Entrance
Billy O'Brien pointing to front of House
Interior showing living room
Interior showing kitchen
Downstairs room
Staircase
Upstairs landing
Landing window
Bedroom with fireplace
Second bedroom with fireplace
Rear of house
Gate leading to Cork Bandon railway line
Original railway sleepers adapted as fences
More railway sleepers adapted as fences
Video around grounds of Garrane Darragh house
Between 1847 and 1864 Griffiths Valuations listed for the first time the actual value of properties in a given townland. It also listed the landowners , many of whom held the land in fee for many decades. It is also interesting to note that the Cork Bandon railway company rented the land their line ran through on an annual basis. In time the land would see another railway line cut though it , the Cork Macroom Direct Railway Company. Perhaps as a consequence of this encumbrance , the land changed hands several times.
Principal Owners
Mr. Carey Esq.
It has been the seat of many different families down through the years. The Taylor & Skinner 1777 map informs us that a Mr. Carey lived there. Little to nothing is known of him or his family.
Taylor & Skinner Road Map 1777
Peter Lee
In 1823 , the Tithe Applotment Books show a Peter Lee as owner/occupier of Garrane Darragh. So it would seem in the absence of any other documentation that he purchased the land from Mr. Carey Esq. or his descendants thereof.
Tithe Applotment book 1823 Page 01
Tithe Applotment book 1823 Page 02
Francis Hennis
It is quite likely that the Hennis' bought the land from the previous Lee owners shortly after 1823. This is proven by his inclusion in a newspaper of a prize awarded for breeding heifers ( see below ) in the 1830s. Francis Hennis married Jane Lloyd from Waterfall circa 1842. Sadly in 1843 the birth of their first child , a daughter , ended in tragedy , with the girl dying at birth. The following year , 1844 , saw the birth of a boy , who survived. Francis' father , William Howe Hennis had been killed in the Battle of Waterloo in 1815. Francis himself would go on to be appointed High Constable of the Barony of Cork in 1849. The couple would sell up in 1857 , possibly due to the Cork Bandon railway line running through their property since 1849 and the impending Cork Macroom railway line which was due to commence construction a few short years later circa 1863. Both lines would have bisected his lands and was most probably seen as a hindrance to the effective running of a farm.
Francis Hennis 1830s Evidence of farm used for breeding heifers
Hennis marriage cert showing incorrect spelling of Townland circa 1842
Francis Hennis - Griffiths Valuation 1847
Sale of farm & livestock 1857
Joseph McMullen
It again goes up for sale in 1895 by the McMullen family ( Church of Ireland ) who it can be deduced were the buyers back in 1857. So their tenure would have been 28 years. It would appear that Joseph McMullen's marriage to Maria Emma Pratt of Ballincollig was childless. They kept a servant , Annie Herlihy to run the house. Records show that the McMullens , in tandem with the Sarsfields , were instrumental in draining the lands they owned ( in 1890) with the help of the Glasheen River. This event marked the erection of the famous Ramparts at Deanrock. However by 1895 , they were set to quit Garrane Darragh and retired to Ovens , outside of Ballincollig.
J.W. McMullen
Marriage Cert 1887
Glasheen River drainage scheme 1890
Selling up of business premises in Cork City
Sale of house 1895 * Bishopstown is the District Electoral Division with Garrane Darragh being part of Togher
Michael Barratt
The 1901 and 1911Censuses show Michael Barratt , Victualler as owner/occupier with live in Butchers and Apprentices. It would appear that the Barratts bought the land from the McMullens in 1895. Livestock kept on the land would have provided the raw materials for their trade. However , despite a level crossing on the lower Macroom line , it would seem like previous owners that the imposition of two railway lines through the farm made the prospect of once more selling on the land the only viable option.
Michael Barratt & Family
1901 Census
Michael Barratt & Family 1911 Census
T.O'Leary
It looks likely that by the 1950s , the Barratts had sold their interest to T.O'Leary of Munster Meats. T.O'Leary would possibly have farmed it up to the early 1980/90s. A poison notice appears in the local paper by O'Leary alongside one from the S.M.A. in 1960 to protect livestock from dogs etc. It is possible that they sold up circa 1990s/2000s and the grounds were leased out as a garden centre. The house is apparently in the hands of NAMA since circa 2010. It should be noted that all land south of the old Bandon railway line was uninhabited and had for a long time been the farming grounds of the Barrett's. Today , the land south of the old track is in the hands of the Sweetnam's.
Poison notice 1960s
* note: B'stown is old D.E.D.
**Sincethe 1990s the majority of the land has been taken over by Eagle Valley estate and the building now referred to locally as the Haunted House.**
Past Residents
** It must be remembered that all residents shown in the following Censuses would have worked for the Barratts and rented either the gatehouse off Bandon Road or the Lodge off Garrane Lane or perhaps lived in one of the outbuildings on site. **
1901
The 1901 Census shows a James Collins , Butcher with his wife Mary and baby Katherine as resident in the townland.
James Collins & Family
1901 Census
Cornelius Ryan , farm laborer also resided there with his wife Norah and baby Mary.
Cornelius Ryan & Family
1901 Census
1911
The 1911 Census differs in that it shows new families on site ; A young couple , John ( listed as a farm servant ) and Hannah O'Driscoll with baby John J. So it is highly likely they lived in one of the cottages shown on the map.
John O'Driscoll & Family
1911 Census
Thomas Brien and his family are also listed with he being shown as a farm servant. His 3 children in common with others from the area would have attended Togher National School.
Thomas Brien & Family
1911 Census
** Until the1926 Irish Censusis made available , this article contains some speculation as to actual years of occupation by certain owners after the 1930s. **
Remnants of old dry stone wall Present day Eagle Valley Part of original entrance from Doughcloyne Hill
The above photo shows the remnants of an old dry stone wall which once sported a benchmark and lined the entire route from Doughcloyne right up to the Big House. Sadly the benchmark is long gone with the almost entire destruction of the wall. However traces of it can be found hidden in ditches and undergrowth along the road. As mentioned previously the Grove of Oaks still holds much of its past hidden in plain sight including a possible burial mound. Sadly an old Ring Fort was erased in the late 19th Century.
