Ron,
There were definitely at
least 3 different Cuinn families. However, what I keep getting is that the Coolcarney family was Mac Cuinn, not Ó Cuinn. But there is obviously some mix up in the accounts. The topographical poem says:
Ma Cuinn and O’Rothlainn the ready,
O’h-Iarmain of dreadful arms,
Who injures the choicest of the foreigners,
And O’Finain, a great sheltering tree.
[From Bel easa of the clear cataracts.
The extent of the country which was not oppressed.
To the Brosnach of impetuous current,
Which defends the head of Calraighe].
And John O’Donovan annotes:
Ma Cuinn.—now Mac Quin.
From Beal easa.—This quatrain is inserted from Duald Mac Firbis's larger work compiled in 1645. It is probably not correct, for it is stated in the prose account prefixed to this poem, that Cuil Cearnadha extends from Beal atha na n-idheadh to Bealach Breachmhaighe. Beal easa is the present Irish name of the little town of Foxford, on the river Moy, in the barony of Gallen, and county of Mayo; it is not now considered to be in the territory of Coolcarney, and it is more than probable that it never was, and that Coolcarney never extended farther to the south than Beal atha na n-idheadh, on the Yellow River, which lies about a mile north of Foxford. This quatrain is, however, also found in a more modern hand in the Book of Lecan, fol. 85, as if quoted from a poem composed in the year 1302, and it has been, therefore, here inserted in the text; but with this caution to the reader, that it seems to be most probably spurious, not only from the inaccuracies already noticed, but also because it is not to be found in the original text of the Book of Lecan, which was compiled by the author of the poem himself.
The Brosnach of impetuous current.—This river, which is remarkable for its mountain torrents, rises in the townland of Cloonkeelaun, in the parish of Castleconor, on the boundary between the barony of Tireragh, in the county of Sligo, and the barony of Gallen in that of Mayo, and after flowing for a short distance in a northern direction, it turns to the southwest, and takes a circuitous course through the parish of Castleconor and that part of Kilmore-Moy, which lies on the east side of the river Moy, and pays its tribute to
the Moy at Bunree, a short distance to the north of the town of Ballina See Ordnance Map of Sligo, sheet 29, &c. It may be remarked here, that in the prose account prefixed to this poem the northern limit of Cuil Cearnadha is stated to be Bealach Breachmhaighe; but though there would appear to be a discrepancy here between the two accounts, they are not very different in this particular, as the townland of Breachmhagh, anglicè Breaghwy, or Breaffy, extends very close to the river Brosnach.
But the prose account says:
The estate of O’Morain, i. e. Ard na ríagh, and his chieftainship the district thence to Túaim da Odhar. O’Brogain of Breachmhagh.
There were four chiefs over Cuil Chearnadha, which extends from Beul Atha na n-idheadh to the road of Breachmhagh, namely, O’Fionain, O’Rothlain, O'h-Iornain (or O’Tuathalain), and O’Cuinn. O’h-Eana of Imleach loisge; O’Gealagain of Cill lochtair, i. e. Grainseach; O’Breslen of Cill Fhaindle, or Cill Ainnle.
I surmise that the O’Cuinn of Tireragh were conflated with the Mac Cuinn of Coolcarney in the prose account, an easy enough mistake to make. The fact the 4 chieftains of Coolcarney are placed in the middle of the list of the chieftains of Tireragh is suspect to me, at least. Also, O’Breslen kind of appears out of nowhere in the prose list because they are not enumerated in the poem with the other mentioned chieftains of Tireragh. However, their named territory of Killanly Townland (Cill Fhainnle) fits with the other enumerated chieftains of Tireragh, which can be seen on the map posted previously.
Further, the poem says Coolcarney extended from Foxford (Bél Easa) to the Brusna (Brosnach) River, which would then also include the Civil Parish of Toomore as the most southern portion of the territory. BTW, Foxford would appear to be a bad translation because the word
eas can mean either
waterfall or
weasel; and from the poem description
waterfall seems more appropriate.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/easa
BTW, looking at the location of the Civil Parish of Doonfeeny on the west side of the Moy River in the Barony of Tirawley, then that would appear to be a
FOURTH Cuinn family. Mr. Moran's test result will hopefully give us a better idea of which Cuinn family you and Tim descend from.
