Coolkenno History

AGHOWLE IN 1730: With the old medieval monastery completely gone and the bare walls and dominating granite gables of Finian's Church becoming a grey silhouette against the backdrop of Aghowle Hill, this large townland contains some of our saddest history. Tonight, I shall focus on some of our earliest recorded families who resided there over 285 years ago. The townland was within the large holding of Lorenzo Hodson of Coolkenno Hall and described in Hume's Observations as extra good graising [sic] farm both for black cattle and sheep. It is worth 2/9 per acre and that a tenant could readily pay and live well. Hodson's son-in-law, Abraham Nickson, grandfather of Captain Nickson, acted as middleman in this townland's sub-tenant affairs. When Hodson passed away in 1743, it was the Nickson's who would take over the holding completely until it was released by Captain Nickson in 1814. This is worthy of noting that some small footbridges, which once connected Nickson's home townland of Munny with Aghowle, are still slightly evident today, although just barely, along the stream which separates the townlands. Interestingly, the land around the monastic ruins of Aghowle Church is detailed in the 1728 Moland Survey as land belonging to the Glebe, obviously descending from the old medieval parish (See Attached Image). The population of Aghowle in 1730 was 25. This is very interesting as a century later, the 1841 Census figures reveal a massive rise in numbers to 422. Sadly, the population decreased quite substantially after the Famine years and is believed to be no more than around 40 people today. The families of 1730 were: - James O'Neale, wife and two sons; Henry McCann, wife and son; Darby Bryan, son and two daughters; Bryan McConnell, wife, son and daughter; John Free, wife, son and daughter and William Patrickson and his wife. Comparing this list to later estate and state records, it appears the O'Neill's, the McCann's and the O'Brien's (Bryan's) resided in Aghowle well into the mid and late 1800s whilst John Free's headstone is slightly recognisable in the old Aghowle graveyard.