Ireland is divided into counties. The counties are further divided into parishes. The parishes are a civil unit, although they frequently coincide with the ecclesiastical parishes. The civil parishes are subdivided into townlands.

Many Parishes contain a town with the same name as the parish; the town of Ballinrobe is in the Parish of Ballinrobe. The Parish of Ballinrobe is comprised of several townlands the boarders of which are in the town itself. For instance, people who live on the north side of Glebe Street, Ballinrobe live in the townland of Friarsquarter West and people on the south side of Glebe Street live in the townland of Carnaroya.

Civil records, including the Griffith Tax Valuation, make a distinction between Carnaroya and Carnaroya, Town of Ballinrobe. The problem is determining the town limits. Obviously everyone in Ballinrobe knew the difference, but I am having trouble with the concept in trying to determine exactly where John Walsh and family lived. I keep trying to find a map that makes all the distinctions.

Ballinrobe, 2004

For more images of Cranmore house and for information on and comments about same go to the photos shared by Kevin McDarby at the bottom of the page.

Ballinrobe, 2004

In March 2007 Donal Buckley emailed that he was trying to locate the RIC (Royal Irish constabulary) barracks in Ballinrobe which he believes was adjoining the old post office. Donal says that The Police Barracks have:

"been demolished. Gannon's Hotel was used to billet some of forces during the War of Independence. These MAY have been Black and Tans, Auxilliaries or indeed maybe Old RIC who were withdrawn from more rural police barracks/stations. One of your Old Ballinrobe photos shows these buildings and maybe there is a policeman in the doorway." April 7, 2007

"The District Inspector (Commanding Officer) of the RIC was a Captain Pococke and the Barrack Sergeant was Sgt Goulden. Also, as far as I have made out, the last British infantry unit in Ballinrobe was 'C' Company, The Border Regiment, commanded by Captain Chatfield, MC.

March and May of 1921 were significant as both forces were ambushed in turn. On March 7, a patrol commanded by Capt Chatfield was ambushed by the South Mayo Brigade Old IRA. Capt. Chatfield MC was wounded as was a Private Wardle and a Corporal Bell was killed. Lt. Ibberson took over command of 'C' Company.

The following May 3rd a RIC/Tan patrol from Ballinrobe was ambushed in Tourmakeady in which a Tan and a number of RIC men were killed. After the ambush party withdrew to the hills they later had contact with Lt. Ibberson and some troops from 'C' Company. During this contact the IRA commander, Tom Maguire was injured as was another Volunteer, and his Adjutant Michael O'Brien was killed. Lt. Ibberson was badly injured and was lucky enough to survive. He and a Lt. Smith were decorated with an MBE and the RIC/Tan patrol was awarder the Irish Constabulary medal for their actions on the day. Much controversy surrounds the events of 03 and 04 May '21. I am at present writing a thesis (and maybe a book) on the incident. If you want to plug my website Military History Tours please feel free to."

Donal Buckley, April 16, 2007

The Glebe House was erected in the early 1800s and was the residence of the rector of the Church of Ireland (Anglican Church)

All of the children of John Walsh and Fanny Feeney were baptized in St Mary's.

Three of the children of Mathias Langan and Penelope Byrne were baptized in St Mary's.

Walsh was one of the most common names in the area.

Most of the houses on Glebe Street had thatched roofs. This cottage may have been similar to the cottages that the Walshes and Langans lived in Ballinrobe in the the mid to late 1800s.

Bridge Street runs from the intersection of Main Street, Abbey Street, and Glebe Street to the Robe River Bridge where the name changes to High Street. The white and black truck at the lowest part of the road is just about where the name changes from Bridge Street to High Street.

A view of the River Robe, June 2004, from the Bridge that separates Bridge Street from High Street.

High Street is a continuation of Bridge Street as far as the intersections of Creagh Road, Chapel Road and an unnamed road that goes north to Ballyglass. The north side of High Street is in the townland of Knockanotish.

Pat Langan was listed as a resident of High Street at his death in 1888. Note: This may have been a clerical error, as the Griffith Tax Valuation show Pat Langan on Creagh Road for a number of years.

John Walsh and his family lived in Knockanotish from at least 1869 to 1882. During that time he was listed as: farmer, gardener, and steward.

The boundaries for the townland of Knockanotish are the Robe River, the north side of High Street and the unnamed road that lies east of the graveyard and runs north to Ballyglass. The only buildings shown in the townland of Knockanotish in the 1900 Ordnance Survey are along the north side of High Street and on the corner of the unnamed road to Ballyglass as shown in the following photos.

A 1980's view of High Street, Knockanotish showing most of the buildings facing High Street. The large building on the right, the Robe Villa, was the home of the Kenny family, and is the same as the one on the left in the above photo.

The large building is the Robe Villa. The dash of bright green on the extreme left of the photo is scaffolding covering on the building on the corner of High Street and the unnamed road to Ballyglass.

There is an opening between the Robe Villa and the vine covered ruin to the left of it that goes into the property behind. See photos below.

The green scaffolding covering on the front of the building on the right continues around the corner to that visible in the previous picture.

The four photos above show all the areas where houses were indicated in the 1900 Ordnance Survey Map.

The Griffith Tax Valuations Ledger that covered the years 1869 to 1882 (the same years that John Walsh and family were listed in Knockanotish) listed:

• 2 heads of household in Knockanotish:
  1. Stanhope Kenny, house, land (2 acres) and offices
  2. Caretakers house and land (280 acres)
• The flour mill, Knockanotish, High Street, Town of Ballinrobe
• House, offices, and yard of Stanhope Kenny, Knockanotish, High Street, Town of Ballinrobe
• 12 houses, each with a head of household in Knockanotish, High Street, Town of Ballinrobe, none of which were John Walsh.
• One dwelling, with one head of household but three numbers, Knockanotish, High Street, Town of Ballinrobe, not John Walsh.

There are just enough buildings on High Street and the unnamed road to Ballyglass to account for the dwellings listed in the Griffith (1869-1882).

The records for John Walsh list him in Knockanotish, not Knockanotish, town of Ballinrobe. His occupations, as listed, would be in keeping with someone who lived in the caretakers house and took care of the 280 acres of land.

Where was the caretakers cottage? Since it is listed in Knocknatosh but not the town of Ballinrobe, it must have been off the roads and perhaps in the yard behind the main house. Irish landlords liked to have their employees close to their work. According to Bridie Mulloy in Itchy Feet and Thirsty Work, most of the workers at the Kenny flour mill lived on High Street.

Why was Stanhope Kenny listed twice?

With the help of Gerry Ryder who did some research in the Castlebar library in 2008, I have determined that John Walsh was a steward/gardner for the Kenny Family. Confirmed dates are 1859 and 1860.

This driveway leads to to the property off High Street and the building, including the mill, which lie behind.

The Kennys were major landholders in the Ballinrobe area. The Robe Villa was build by the Kenny family around 1740.

Griffith with dates from the mid 1880s to the mid 1890s lists Stanhope Kenny on High Street with house, land and offices and as landlord of the flour mill.

I do not know the function of this very unusual looking building which sits opposite the mill behind the villa.

The seven story mill was powered by the Robe River and was used for grinding flour. The Griffith Valuation Ledger from the mid to late 1880s listed William Livingston as the tenant of the mill with Stanhope Kenny as the landlord.

A notation with the dates 1884 and 1887 says:

"Mill had ceased working. Mills very old and not now half worked. An annually (can't read word) expenses for repairs."

Online information shows plans to convert the mill into 21 condos.

The graveyard lies between Chaple Road, which goes to Partry, and the unnamed road to Ballyglass.

We did not find a tombstone for John and/or Fanny Walsh or Mathias, Margaret and/or Pat Langan during either the visit in 2000 or the visit in 2004. However, both times there were a number of stones we could not reach and/or read.

View of the graveyard with the old Chapel on Chapel Road in the background.

Carrownalecka's boarders are not completely clear to me. However, the townland appears to be triangular in shape: bordered on the east side by the unnamed road to Ballyglass and on the west by Chapel Road. The northern boundary is not clear. There are several houses on Creagh Road listed in the Griffith under Carrownalecka.

There are a number of Walsh listings. However I do not have enough information at this point to determine if any of them are related to John Walsh.

• Margaret Langan was listed at #10 Creagh Road between 1867-1868. Margaret Langan died in 1876 on Creagh Road.
• Pat Langan was listed at #10 Creagh Road from 1872-1880. In 1890 Patrick langan was crossed out and Matthew Langan was entered. Pat Langan was listed in the civil records as having died on High Street, Town of Ballinrobe in 1888.
• In 1892 Mathias Langan was crossed out. This was the year they left for America.

I do not know how the numbering system worked for the Griffith Valuation. It is not consistent with the Censuses. Therefore, I do not know which was the house listed as #10. However, it must have been one of the houses show in this photo even if it is one way down at the end.

The Walshes were living on Abbey Street from at least 1892 to 1894.

Abbey Street, which lies in the townland of Friarsquarters West runs north south from the intersection on Main, Bridge and Glebe Street, then veers to the right towards Hollymount and Claremorris. The red "x" marks the intersection.

Houses on the right hand side of the road going north from the town center. In this photo the town center is on the right side of the picture.

Houses on the left hand side of the road going north. These houses mark the end of the town going northeast in 1901.

The Augustinian Friary, founded c. 1312, gives name to both Abbey Street and the townlands of Friarsquarters East and Friarsquarters West. The ruins are surrounded by a graveyard. We did not find tombstones for any Walshes, Langans or related families.

The glebe was property belonging to the Church of Ireland.

Glebe Street runs east west from the intersection of Bridge, Main, and Abbey Streets.

Matthew Langan was listed on Glebe Street at the birth of his son, James, in 1877. He was also listed at 27c Friarsquarters in the Griffith Tax Valuation that covers that year. The tax listing indicates that they were living on the north side of the street.

Ellen Moughan, the wife of Martin Langan, and her daughters, Martha and Helen, were listed in the 1911 Census on Glebe Street.

Mathias and family lived on the left side of the street as seen in this photo.

Ballinrobe was a garrison town for many years. The armed forces stationed in Ballinrobe gave an important monetary boost to the town until their withdrawal in 1926.

To the left of the townland of Friar's Quarters between the blue and green lines is the townland of Knockanotish (2).

Still further left, between the green and orange lines is the townland of Carrownalecka (1). The townland between the orange and purple is Rathkelly.

The Walshes and Langans lived in Carrownalecka, Knockanotish and Friar's Quarters.

Number 11 was the Infantry barracks. Number 12 was the cavalry barracks now in ruins. Number 7 is Main Street. 5 was the old Church of Ireland Church, now the library. 6 is the Roman Catholic church. 8 was the Glebe house. 9 is the Market Square. 10 is the River Robe.

In January 2009 Brendan Nutley sent the following pictures of the TB hospital which he says was located a few miles out of the town of Ballinrobe. These images show the current condition of the hospital. Brendan is looking for older images of the hospital.

In December 2009 Kevin McDarby sent the following images of Ballinrobe.

Sentry post is on the left in the middle of the field. You are looking at the old British cavalry barricks - originally Ballinrobe castle.

The wall on the right was constructed in 1959 when the property was divided. The red gate seen was the original access to the barricks. Later a bridge was constructed across the river Robe onto the green.........football pitches to day.

Kevin McDarby, December 2009

The castle barracks was once the residence of Lord Tyrawley who sold it to the War office in 1821.

In 1837 the accommodation of the barracks was; 8 officers; 106 non commissioned officers and privates with stabling for 84 horses and a hospital for 20 patients.

Access to the barracks was via the gates at the southern end of Main Street and this accounts for the round stone sentry post in the middle of Cran More. See photo. Later however a bridge (Barracks Bridge) was constructed across the river Robe and this allowed access to the barracks via Bridge street and easier access to the army barracks on the site of the present Garda barracks.

Kevin McDarby, January 2010

This is the stone plaque on an inner wall of the castle/baracks - impossible to photograph without some special equipment.

Kevin McDarby, December 2009

Ballinrobe castle was the home of the "MacWilliams" and the inscribed stone on an inner wall reads in Latin.

"with the blessing of the great and good God on the undertaking this castle was begun completed and dwelt in by the elected chieftain of the deBurgo clan in the County of Mayo, called the title of the Mac William."

Kevin McDarby, January 2010

This is the front of Cranmore house which was surrounded by a dry moate. Access to the basement was via a courtyard at the rear of the house.................. down a flight of stone steps.

Kevin McDarby, December 2009

Relationship of Cranmore house to barracks. Kevin McDarby

Window on the right hand side of this photograph had a set of granite steps leading up to double doors. This allowed access from the house to the tennis court outside. Kevin McDarby

With my back to the barracks - the gate is not the original access. The houses on the right of the photo are all built in the original (kitchen) garden of the house. Kevin McDarby, December 2009

Cranmore house:

Knox for what ever reason expelled the nuns from working in the workhouse. He also donated the land for its site.

Cranmore house and its lands were owned by a family from northern Ireland by the name of McCartans. They came south when roads were to be paved. I remember their daughter, Lillian, who was the same age as my sister (Mrs May, Neale Road) and they played together as did many of the girls of the area of town.

I do not know when they vacated the property or why (it had to be early or mid 50's) but a lady who worked for them came and worked for my mother as a house maid, help, whatever. I still visit her to day - A lady if ever there was one.

The lands were leased (land) to a Mr. Martin Flannery Cornmarket . He grazed his animals on the land for years.

On the 25th of December 1957 he dropped dead around 10 am..... by evening the property lands and house had been signed, sealed, and delivered to Pat and Barney Daly of Ballinrobe....that must have been done just waiting for a signature.

They built the wall across in front of the barracks as mentioned in one of the photographs as they divided the lands between themselves.....one either side of the river.....the Bulcan which I think is in fact a canal!

By the Summer of 1958 they (the Dalys new owners) stripped out Cran More house. Everything was removed, roof, slates, timbers, doors, floors, windows, staircase and beautiful balcony. Cut stone which surrounded the (dry) moate was actually sold to the local stone mason ..... a Mr. Burns of New Street. EVERYTHING was removed, the house gutted and laid out on the grass, the lawns and tennis court and auctioned off.

There was nothing left but the walls and they would have been sold if a buyer came along. That ended the beautiful house...... I spent many many days in it

The house was built in 1838 by Albert Lambert and was the home of Cornel Knox and his wife, Louise Catherine, daughter of Howe Peter, 2nd Marquess of Sligo They had a son (Hubert 1845-1921) He wrote an excellent history of Mayo. He joined the Indian Civil Service.

As mentioned in one of the photographs the kitchen garden was actually bulldozed to make way for grazing for sheep or cattle .... again destroyed. Aerial photo of the town shows the lay out of this garden.

Many years later my brother actually bought that area in order to build a house. Alas that did not happen and he sold it after which a small housing estate was built there ..... again this can be seen in one of the photos. The garden was laid out in sections surrounded by hedges and a huge glasshouse I suppose in the times it provided everything needed by a "big house".

This is/was the sanitorium in Creagh outside of Ballinrobe. It was a single story building. Building on the left was kitchens staff accommodation, etc., also a small chapel. Kevin McDarby

The Sanatorium in Creagh was located 2 and three quarters miles outside of town. Single story building.

A CBS Brother Conway started to visit a young girl by the name of Kathleen Kilbane whose family came from Achill island (where she is buried) but she arrived via Scotland as an orphan aged 11 years in 1946 ...... she was dying of TB a beautiful story of this written by Br Conway is called No More Tears in My Eyes the story of Kathleen Kilbane

In our youth we assisted the local priest at the altar i.e. serving at Mass. On our Sunday "on" 2 of us would take off with the priest for the sanatorium where mass was said and communion given our to the patients there. Following this we alter boys (2) would be fed in the kitchen in the large house to the left of the sanatorium (photo), while the priest would be looked after in the dining room. Also at Christmas time we (a choir) visited the sanatorium to sing Christmas carols to the patients there.

I do not know when the sanatorium closed but it had to be mid 1950Ős when it was taken over by the Government as a research station into the breading of sheep, etc. and many of the lads I went to school with ended up working there. The lands, etc. now are in private hands

Kevin McDarby, January 2010

Balcony was to give access to the patients to fresh air and evening sun. Kevin McDarby

Kevin McDarby's parents Maureen and Dr. Mac: "lived in the town since the late 1930's, thus my father was a GP there for almost 60 years."

In the photograph of Glebe street ...... to the right of that photo is a house/shop, Mc Graths. I can remember buying sweets from that woman on my way to or from the convent school ..... late 1940's/early 50's. They were related to my mother who was born and lived in the house on the corner to the left of that photograph. To day that property is Stauntons.

In my mothers time it went on fire in ..... And having attempted to continue with the business my grandmother (my mother's family) moved to Galway as this gave access to schools, etc. (Her dad died in I think 1929 and it was after this that the fire and move to Galway.)

The Convent ..... on heading out the road to Tuam, via Kilmaine the convent will be on your left and not on your right as mentioned. It closed I think last year ....2008/07 when the remaining nuns moved to Castlebar and the property was put on the open market.

Siobhan emailed in February to share these two images of the Christian Brothers School in Ballinrobe:

I am a Conservation Architect working on a Conservation Report for the Old Christian Brothers School in Ballinrobe. I came across your excellent web page with all the old photos of Ballinrobe. If you have any information or old photos of the Christian Brothers School they would be much appreciated. I attach a current photo although I think the end bays were later additions to the original smaller structure.

or the image of Glebe Street