Athleague Area

The area around Athleague was the home to the Delmores, Somers and Curleys. The pictures here were taken along the road going through Rahara, Lackan and on to Athleague.

In 1749 Luke Delmore was a cotter(1) in Lackan. He has two children under age 14 and one child over age 14 all Papists.

There are various definitions for cotter/cottier.  The time period and place in Ireland can be relevant.  In this case I believe that cotter meant a peasant renting a small piece of land under a system of renting land to the highest bidder as opposed to one having the use of a cottage and small garden in exchange for labor for the farmer.  However, that is only a guess based on the fact that there are two cotters and four laborers as well as a weaver listed in the townland.  The size of the holding is not listed in this Elphin Census, again there is a disparity in definitions giving the size of cottiers holdings, some saying that they are generally 1 to 1 1/2 acres in size and others saying they might be as much as ten acres.  Nearby townlands also use the term tenant as an occupation, so how that differs is unknown at this point.

In 1830 Luke Dilmar had a 3 acre holding with a partner in Keenagh.  No family information was included in the Tithe Applotments, we do know that Luke had two sons Luke and Francis born 1816 and 1819, but their christening records do not give a townland. This is the right parish. No other Luke D? was found elsewhere so it seems likely he was either living on this land or living in a town big enough that it was not enumerated. The tithe applotments were limited to rural areas.

Somers and Curley's could be found in Tremain. 

Pictures in Dropbox


(1) There are different definitions of Cottier / Cotter Tenure.  One definition states that a cottier is a peasant renting a small piece of land under a system of renting land to the highest bidder. A second definition states that a cottier was one having the use of a cottage and small garden in exchange for labor for the farmer. Different definitions state the size of a holding could be one to one and a half acres, others state the holdings might be as big as ten acres. It is assumed that the definition for Luke in 1749 fits more with the first definition as he is one of two cotters listed in Lacken and there are four men listed as laborers as well as one with no occupation and a weaver.