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.
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.
1a/1b - entirety of Townland
coutesy of Eamonn Pearse
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.
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.
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.
to Garrane Darragh house
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Garrane Darragh house - A virtual tour
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.
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.
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.
Evidence of farm used for breeding heifers
incorrect spelling of Townland circa 1842
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.
* Bishopstown is the District Electoral Division
with Garrane Darragh being part of Togher
The 1901 and 1911 Censuses 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.
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.
**Since the 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.
Cornelius Ryan , farm laborer also resided there with his wife Norah and baby Mary.
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.
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.
** Until the 1926 Irish Census is made available , this article contains some speculation as to actual years of occupation by certain owners after the 1930s. **
Present day Eagle Valley
Part of original entrance from Doughcloyne Hill
P. O'Donovan
W.A. Hill ( Research )
