Cland Cuain Territories

[Webmaster]

The description for the territories of the Cland Cuain, AKA the Fir Thire and also Fir Siuire, according to John O’Donovan, is that of the Castlebar area; in particular he says:

The Clann Cuain.—The situation of the territory of this clann is distinctly pointed out in the prose tract prefixed to this poem, both as given by Duald Mac Firbis and in the Book of Lecan, thus: “O’Cuinn, O’Maoilfhiona, and Mag Fhlannagain are the three chiefs of Clann Cuain. They are otherwise called Fir Thire, and also Fir Siuire, from a river of the name Siuir, which flows by the town at this day, called Caislen an Bharraigh.” This is now called the Castlebar river. It issues from a lake lying a short distance to the west of the town of Castlebar, and flowing through the town it takes a north-eastern course until it passes through the demesne of Turlough, and close by the round tower of Turlough. At the townland of Drumdaff it unites with a large stream which rises in the parish of Manulla, and their waters flow in a circuitous northern course until they fall into a small lake at Curraneard, out of the western side of which their united waters issue, and flow westwards to receive the waters of the Clydagh, which carries with it the tributes of many smaller streams from the mountains. These united streams form a considerable river, which flows in a northern direction between the parishes of Turlough and Templemore, and discharges itself into Lough Cullin, at its extreme southern point.—See Ordnance Map of Mayo, sheets 60, 69, 70, 71, 78, and Balds’ Map, sheets 13, 14. From the position of this river it is quite evident that the Fir Siuire, or Clann Cuain, were seated in the parishes of Islandeady, Turlogh, and Breaghwy, or Breaffy, which form the northern portion of the present barony of Carra.

However, he neglects to include the Civil Parish of Aglish, Co. Mayo. Within this parish, there are perhaps 2 residual clues as to the location of the Cland Cuain. The first is Cloonkeen Townland or Clúain Caoin, which appears to derive from the words clúain and caín which loosely means “fair meadow”. This leads one to wonder if this might be a corruption of Clúain Cuain or even Clúain Cuinn. The second is even more tenuous, but nonetheless interesting, and that is Lough Lannagh, to the southwest of Castlebar. It can be readily speculated that Lannagh is a diminution of Lannagáin, which in turn is a diminution of Fhlannagáin due to the lenited leading “F”. That only leaves some kind of reference to the O’Maoilfhiona, which has yet to be found.

[RGwinn57]

I think it is also noteworthy that there is also a Ballyguin (Baile Ó gCuinn) townland in the Civil Parish of Turlough, in the Barony of Carra.

[Webmaster]

Ron,

Yes, I had found that a couple of hours before your post. That is very significant, given its location. I am going to try to stitch together a map of the Barony of Carra, like I did for Tireragh. Ballyguin (Baile Ó gCuinn) will definitely be on it.

[Webmaster]

https://dcg.genealogy.network/media/map ... _Carra.png