Greagh () is a

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...

in the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

Templeport Templeport () is a civil parish in the barony of Tullyhaw, County Cavan, Ireland. The chief towns in the parish are Bawnboy and Ballymagauran. The large Roman Catholic parish of Templeport containing 42,172 statute acres was split up in the 18t ...

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; gle, Contae an Chabháin) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Border Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is base ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It lies in the Roman Catholic parish of

and barony of

Tullyhaw Tullyhaw ( ga, Teallach Eathach) (which means 'The Territory of Eochaidh', an ancestor of the McGoverns, who lived ) is a Barony in County Cavan in the Republic of Ireland. The area has been in constant occupation since pre-4000 BC. Locate ...

Geography

Greagh is bounded on the north by

Ballymagirril Ballymagirril () is a townland in the civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of Templeport, County Cavan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It lies in the Roman Catholic parish of Templeport and barony of Tullyhaw. Geography Ballymagirril is bound ...

townland, on the west by Sraloaghan and Leckan townlands in

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; gle, Contae Liatroma) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the ...

, on the south by Lislahy and Knocks townlands in

and on the east by Cornagunleog townland. Its chief geographical features are a wood and spring wells. Greagh is traversed by minor roads and rural lanes. The townland covers 142 statute acres.

History

In medieval times the McGovern barony of Tullyhaw was divided into economic taxation areas called ballibetoes, from the Irish ''Baile Biataigh'' (Anglicized as 'Ballybetagh'), meaning 'A Provisioner's Town or Settlement'. The original purpose was to enable the farmer, who controlled the baile, to provide hospitality for those who needed it, such as poor people and travellers. The ballybetagh was further divided into townlands farmed by individual families who paid a tribute or tax to the head of the ballybetagh, who in turn paid a similar tribute to the clan chief. The steward of the ballybetagh would have been the secular equivalent of the

erenagh The medieval Irish office of erenagh (Old Irish: ''airchinnech'', Modern Irish: ''airchinneach'', Latin: ''princeps'') was responsible for receiving parish revenue from tithes and rents, building and maintaining church property and overseeing the ...

in charge of church lands. There were seven ballibetoes in the parish of Templeport. Greagh was located in the ballybetagh of Ballymagauran. The historical spellings of the ballybetagh are Ballymackgawran & Ballimacgawran (Irish = Baile Mhic Shamhráin = McGovern's Town). Until the 19th century Greagh formed part of the modern townland of

, so its history is the same until then. The Greagh Valuation Office Field books are available for October 1839. In 1841 the population of the townland was 59, being 29 males and 30 females. There were eleven houses in the townland, and all were inhabited. In 1851 the population of the townland was 25, being 9 males and 16 females, the reduction being due to the Great Famine (Ireland). There were six houses in the townland and all were inhabited.

Griffith's Valuation Griffith's Valuation was a boundary and land valuation survey of Ireland completed in 1868. Griffith's background Richard John Griffith started to value land in Scotland, where he spent two years in 1806-1807 valuing terrain through the examinati ...

of 1857 lists six landholders in the townland. In 1861 the population of the townland was 26, being 13 males and 13 females. There were four houses in the townland, of which two were uninhabited. In 1871 the population of the townland was 13, being 7 males and 6 females. There were three houses in the townland, and all were inhabited. In 1881 the population of the townland was 16, being 8 males and 8 females. There were four houses in the townland, of which one was uninhabited. In 1891 the population of the townland was 22, being 8 males and 14 females. There were four houses in the townland, all were inhabited. In the 1901 census of Ireland, there are four families listed in the townland, and in the 1911 census of Ireland, there are only three families listed in the townland.

Antiquities

There don't seem to be any structures of historical interest in the townland.

References

External links

The IreAtlas Townland Data Base
{{Coord, 54.0866, -7.7307, display=title Townlands of County Cavan