..;.. BALLAGHADERREEN AND THE MAYO-ROSCOMMON BOUNDARY h Map Location of Ballaa:haderreen: In 1824 the British Parliament authorised a survey of the whole island of Ireland, at a scale of six inches to one mile. This undertaking was entrusted to the military Board of Ordnance, and the survey became known as the Ordnance Survey. The beautiful 6" maps, produced as a ,result of the survey, were published over the years 1833 to 1846. The maps for County Roscommon appeared in 1837; those for County Mayo in 1838. If one wishes to find the map of the Ballaghaderreen area in that first Ordnance Survey, one turns to Mayo, sheet 74. After the first survey, the Ordnance Survey - as the surveying body became known - continued the work of mapping the country. It produced maps at different scales, and it published revisions of earlier maps. A major revision of the original 6" maps took place in the early years of this century. If one wishes to find the map of Ballaghaderreen area in this edition, one must now tum to Roscommon, sheet 8. Clearly by that time Ballaghaderreen had moved to County Roscommon. The Ordnance Survey does not, of course, decide the county boundaries. It simply follows the boundaries laid down by the bodies, who organise local government in the country. These bodies, sometime near the end of the last century, decided that the boundary between Counties Mayo and Roscommon should be re-drawn, so as to bring the Ballaghaderreen area from Mayo into Roscommon. Since the boundary was over three hundred years old at that time, it seems of interest to ask who made the change, and why they made it. (The boundaries of Mayo had been fixed at the inquisition, held at the Abbey ofCong on 22 August, 1607.)

2. Historical Backa:round of County Divisions: Beginnings The beginning of county administration in Ireland is attributed to King John, who is said to have set up twelve counties in the year 1210. These were named Dublin, Kildare, Meath, Louth, Carlow, Kilkenny, Wexford, Waterford, Cork, Kerry, Limerick and Tipperary. However, many historians deny the possibility of such an extensive county administration at that time, and maintain that, at John's death in 1216, only three counties existed - Dublin, Waterford and Cork. Over the succeeding centuries, with the growth of royal power, other counties were added. The counties of Galway, Mayo, Roscommon and Sligo probably date from about 1570, though, there is some mention of a Roscommon county in the early part of the fourteenth century. Counties had two important roles to play in administration: (1) As units for parliamentary representation

(2) As units for the administration of justice.

As regards (1), each county, and each borough, sent two members to parliament - knights of the shire from counties and burgesses from boroughs. As regards (2), the King's judges visited each county twice yearly, and held assizes with the assistance of grand juries. These juries were made up of twenty three members chosen by the High Sheriff (the most important King's officer in the county) from among property owners - landholders in the counties and businessmen in the cities and towns. Later Developments Later on, from the seventeenth century, the grand juries began to take on certain administrative powers as well as their judicial duties. An Act of 1634 authorised the justice of the assize, with the consent of the grand jury, to levy the cost of road and bridge works on county or barony. This became known as the county cess. (This grand jury cess remained until the 1898 local government Act. It was them merged with the poor rate and renamed the county rate.) Later Acts gave the grand juries greater administrative powers and additional fiscal functions. Also the membership of the grand jury was broadened. Catholics became eligible to become grand jurors from 1793 onwards. While local government in Ireland may be said to have originated in the grand jury system, other factors played their part in its development. There were corporations and mayors in the cities. Also there were various parliamentary Acts: the Lighting of Towns Act 1828, Towns Improvement (Ireland) Act 1854, several Public Health (Ireland) Acts. All these played their part in the development of local government in Ireland. Also and importantly there was the influence of the Poor Relief (Ireland) Act, 1838. The Poor Law Administration The Poor Relief Act of 1838 was the first attempt to provide a nationwide system in Ireland for the care of the poor. The Elizabethan poor laws, introduced into sixteenth century England, after the dissolution of the monasteries, imposed on each parish the obligation of looking after its poor. No such scheme was introduc~d in Ireland. Here, voluntary bodies and, occasionally some state assistance, provided what little help was available for the poor and destitute. In England the poor law system was radically revised in 1834. The more human parish-based relief was replaced by the harsher, workhouse system. As the parish unit was small and too poor to support a workhouse, parishes were grouped together to

105 form Unions. This revised English system was the basis for the poor law introduced into Ireland by the Poor Relief (Ireland) Act, 1838. The country was divided into 130 Unions (later increased to 163), each with its own supervisory body, the Board of Guardians. Clearly, this nationwide system of poor relief in itself constituted a form of local administration, which would interact with and influence any other local authority. In fact the Boards of Guardians were not long in existence before they were given other functions beyond relief of the poor. They were entrusted with the duty of providing hospitals and dispensaries for the sick poor (1846): they became the burial- ground boards for rural areas (1854): they were assigned the civil registration of births and deaths (1863). Under the public health Acts from 1866 onwards, the Guardians were given further responsibilities. The important Public Health (Ireland) Act (1878) divided the whole country into sanitary districts which were either urban or rural. The rural sanitary districts were in fact the same areas as the Poor Law Unions, and the Board of Guardians administered the Act.

End of the Old Order As is evident from the brief synopsis given above, local government structures in Ireland grew rather haphazardly over the years. As the nineteenth century progressed, it became evident that there was a great need for a synthesis of the various government Acts, and a rationalisation of the different bodies involved. The long awaited reform came in 1898.

~ County Boundaries and the 1898 Act: Boundary Changes The Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1898, made far-reaching changes in local government in Ireland, and sought to bring order to the jumble of authorities, and the confused mass of legislation that predated the Act. One small section is considered here, i.e. that dealing with the boundaries of the counties for the election of councils. Clause 68.(1) of the Act states: "The first council elected under this Act for a county shall, subject as herein-after mentioned, be elected for the county as bounded at the passing of this Act, for the purposes of the grand jury (in this Act referred to as the existing judicial county), or where such county is for those purposes divided into ridings, for the riding: Provided that the Local Government Board, by order made within six months after the passing of this At;t, may alter for the purpose of the election of such council the boundaries of any existing judicial county, and if that order is made, the first council shall be elected for the county so altered.

Mayo and Roscommon Boundary Changes One sees from the above clause that the Local Government Board was given the power to alter the boundaries of "the existing judicial counties". The Board exercised this power extensively, and slightly altered many county boundaries in the six month interval allowed by the Act. The Dublin Gazette of November 4, 1898, sets out the alternation made by the Board. The orders on the Roscommon and Mayo boundaries are the ones of interest to us. The salient points for these two counties are contained in the following two extracts from the orders:

COUNTY OF MAYO

Now, therefore, We, the Local Government Board for Ireland, do hereby order and declare: That the boundaries of the administrative county of Mayo shall be those mentioned in Schedule A of this Order. SCHEDULE A

Name of Administrative County Contents County of Mayo The existing judicial county of Mayo except the district electoral divisions of Ballaghaderreen and Edmondstown.

So much of the existing judicial county of Galway as comprises the district electoral divisions of Ballinchall and Owenbrin and

So much of the existing judicial county of Sligo as comprises the Qistrict electoral divisions of Ardnaree North, Ardnaree South, and Ardnaree South Urban.

Given under our Hands and Seal of Office the First Day of November in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and ninety-eight. Signed: H.A. Robinson, Wm. L. Micks, T.]. Stafford, R. Bagwell

106 COUNTY OF ROSCOMMON

Now, Therefore, We, the Local Government Board for Ireland, do hereby order and declare: That the boundaries of the administrative county of Roscommon shall be those mentioned in Schedule A of this Order.

SCHEDULE A

Name of Administrative County Contents

County of Roscommon The existing judicial county of Roscommon except the portion of the town of Ballinasloe and of the town of Athlone situated therein. So much of the existing judicial county of Mayo as comprises the district electoral divisions of Ballaghaderreen and Edmondstown.

Given under Our Hands and Seal of Office the First Day of November in the Year of our Lord One Thousand Eight Hundred and ninety-eight. Signed: B.A. Robinson, Wm. L Micks, T.J. Stafford, R. Bagwell

These were the orders that changed the boundaries. The district Electoral Divisions of Ballaghaderreen and Edmonstown were moved from County Mayo into County Roscommon.

4. Why Were the Boundaries Chana=ed?

Rural County Districts One can state right away that the question of boundary changes arose because of new county divisions set up by the Local Government Act of 1898. Counties were divided by the Act into county districts, which could be urban or rural. The councils of these districts took over the work of the grand juries as regards roads and public works, the cost of which was borne by the district. They were also assigned the sanitary work of the Guardians. (Ironically, these rural districts, having had their effect on county ·boundaries, were abolished in 1925, and their functions handed over to the council of the whole county.) It was the definition of these districts that gave rise to problems. The rural districts - which are the ones of interest to us - were, where it was feasible, designated to be the same regions as the rural sanitary districts of the 1878 Act, which in tum were just the old Poor Law Unions. But some o/the Unions crossed county boundaries. That division was acceptable for Unions, but would not do for county districts. These districts, as part of the new county administration, would have to belong to one county, and indeed that requirement is expressly stated in the Act. Thus, unless the separate parts of a divided Union were large enough to form separate suitably sized county districts in the counties in which they lay, boundary changes would have to be made, either in the boundary of the counties or of the Unions.

Action of the Local Government Board As we saw in section 3 above, the Local Government Board was given the power to deal with any boundary anomalies. It was the body that had to make the decisions, and as a first step it decided to get local opinion on how the changes should be made. To that end it wrote to the Clerks of all the Unions crossing county boundaries. It set out the optibns for change and asked the Guardians· for local opinion. Thus the advice of the local Board of. Guardians became a very important factor in determining how the boundaries would be changed. We shall see below what transpired in the case of the Ballaghaderreen and Edmonstown electoral divisions of the Castlerea Union. ~ BallaKhaderreen and Edmondstown Electoral Divisions: The Castlerea Union The Castlerea Union was one of the Poor Law Unions set up by the Poor Relief Act of 1636. Like other Unions it was divided into electoral divisions, each of which elected a member to the workhouse Board of Guardians. There were nineteen electoral divisions in the Castlerea Union: Artagh North, Artagh South, Loughlynn, Ballaghaderreen, Edmondstown, Ballinlough, Castlerea, Castleteheen, Cloonfower, Kiltullagh, Buckhill, Fairymount, Frenchpark, Baslick, Coolaugher, Ballintober, Bellangare, Carranduff, Castleplunket. In 1898 all the Castlerea Union with the exception of the Ballaghaderreen and Edmondstown divisions lay in Co. Roscommon. Ballaghaderreen and Edmondstown divisions lay in Co. Mayo. Since these are the divisions we are particularly interested in, we give their townlands as set out in the 1901 Census. (We retain the spelling given there.)

107 Edmondstown Electoral Division: (All in the parish of Kilcolman) Attaintaggart, BaIlysullagh, Cloonlumney, Cloonmeen, Coolena, Creggan, Cross North, Cross South, Drumacoo, Fallsolus, Frasnadeffa, Islandmore, Laragon, Maherboy, Tobracken, Tallaghanmore, Tallaghanrock,

Ballaghaderreen Electoral Division: Kilcolman Parish: Ballaghaderreen, Ballyoughter, Bockagh, Brogher, Coolaghtane, Crunane, Derrynacross, Derrynagur, Doogera, Hawksford, Kilcolman, Tonragee CastlemoreParish: Ardkill, Castlemore, Barnaboy, Boghtaduff, Bohalis, Cashelard, Cashelcolaun, Cloonavullane, Doogary, Drumalasson, Friarshill, Glebe, Ishlaun, Kiladangan, Kilkerrin, Kilvaloon, Knockacunny, Lung, Pullboy, Tomanagh Kilbeagh Parish: Calveagh Upper, Calveagh Lower, Currinah, Derrynanaff, Gortanure.

The Aftermath of the 1898 Act Since the Castlerea Union lay partly in County Mayo and partly in County Roscommon, its Board of Guardians received the letter from the Local Government Board asking for "the advice and assistance of the local authorities and of the residents" on what boundary changes should be made, to ensure the new rural county district, which was based on the old Union, would lie in one county. Should the old Castlerea Union boundary be maintained and Ballaghaderreen and Edmondstown be moved into Roscommon county, or, should the old county boundary be maintained, and Ballaghaderreen and Edmondstown be moved from Castlerea to Swinford Union? A specimen copy of the letter, sent to the Clerks of all the Unions involved in boundary changes, is given in the 1899 Report of the Board. The letter sets out very clearly the options available to the Board, and we give it here. (We insert in italics the words that would have appeared in the letter to the Castlerea Board of Guardians.) This is the letter.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT BILL

Local Government Board Dublin. 1898

Sir, - I am directed by the Local Government Board for Ireland to inform the Board of Guardians of Castlerea Union that, as they have no doubt observed, the Local Government Bill imposes on the Local Government Board important duties under the boundaries clauses, which will require to be carried into effect immediately the Bill becomes law. In cases where the boundaries of existing Counties and Unions intersect, certain alterations of areas will have to be made, in order that administrative Counties may be formed, in accordance with the terms of clause 44, sub-clause (3) of the Bill. The Guardians will note, however, that when a Union·is divided between two Counties, and the area of each divided part is of sufficient size to form a suitable rural district, no change of boundaries need be made, but in case where a small number of electoral divisions of a Union extend into a County adjoining that in which the greater part of the Union is situated, it will be necessary in order to secure that each county district shall be situated wholly in one county, to adopt one of two alternatives: either to transfer these electoral districts to the nearest Union in the same county, and thus leave the county boundary unchanged, or to alter the county boundary so as to include these divisions within the County, in which the remainder of the Union is situated. This point arises in the case of the Union of Castlerea in the county of Roscommon, as the Divisions of Ballaghaderreen and Edmondstown are in the County of Mayo, and are not of sufficient size of valuation to form a suitable district Council themselves. It will therefore be necessary either: (a) To transfer these County Mayo Divisions to Swinford Union in the same County, or (b) To allow them to remain a part of Castlerea Union as heretofore, and to alter the boundary between the Counties of Mayo and Roscommon so as to include them in the latter County. The Local Government Board in carrying out any changes, are most anxious to have the advantage of the advice and assistance of the local authorities and of the residents in the localities concerned, and the Board would feel obliged if the Guardians will be good enough to consider this question after due notice to each Guardian, and to assist the Board by ascertaining which of the alternative courses above mentioned would be generally regarded as preferable. lam, Your obedient Servant Secretary. To the Clerk of Castlerea Union Recommendation of the Castlerea Board of Guardians The Minutes of the meetings of Board of Guardians of the Castlerea Union are now kept in the County Library, Roscommon. In the volume of Minutes for the period 27 March 1892 to 16 April 1898 we can trace how the Board of Guardians dealt with the letter from the Local Government Board and the advice it proffered. The minutes of the meeting of the Board of Guardians on 2 April 1898 notes the receipt of a letter from the Local Government Board dated 31 March and goes on to minute. Local Government Bill: Boundaries clauses: requiring the Guardians to give an expression of opinion, at a meeting summoned for the purpose, as to whether Ballaghaderreen &Edmondstown Divisions be continued as part of the Union, or not.

109 Special Meeting to be called for this day fortnight to consider this matter.

The minutes of the Board of Guardians meeting two weeks later on 16 April 1898 contain the following minute: Proposed by Mr. Kelly Seconded by Mr. M. Hussey: That in our opinion the Divisions of Ballaghaderreen and Edmondstown should be taken into the administrative County of Roscommon.

These few lines decided the fate of Ballaghaderreen and Edmondstown electoral divisions. Clearly the Local Government Board accepted the advice it had sought, and used the power given it under the Act to redraw the county boundaries. We have seen above the resulting orders of the Board setting out the new boundaries and so moving the Ballaghaderreen and Edmondstown divisions from Mayo into Roscommon.

Background to the Decision of the Board of Guardians It might seem as if the Board of Guardians of the Castlerea Union behaved rather arrogantly, in presuming to give such a definite answer to the request for advice about the Ballaghaderreen and Edmondstown Divisions. However some excerpts from The Roscommon Herald of the period show The Board of Guardians could hardly have given any other answer.

The Roscommon Herald, April 16, 1898, has the following news item.

BALLAGHADERREEN AND THE NEW BILL

MAYO MEN TO BECOME ROSCOMMON MEN

A monster meeting of the ratepayers of Ballaghaderreen and Edmondstown Electoral Division was held on Monday last. Very Rev. J. O'Connor was in the chair, and read the circular from the Local Government Board, in which it was suggested to include these divisions in the Swinford Union under the County Councils Bill. The greatest enthusiasm was manifested by all the· ratepayers, everyone of whom were present and the following resolution unanimously adopted - "Resolved - That we, the ratepayers of Ballaghaderreen and Edmondstown divisions, in public meeting assembled, having before us the circular issued by the Local Government Board, in which our advice has been asked, in connection with the suggestion to add these two districts to the Swinford Union, are unanimously of 'the opinion, that it would be entirely against the interests of the ratepayers of these two districts if any such change were effected, and we beg the Local Government Board to allow these two divisions to remain in the Castlerea Union, and form a portion of the County Roscommon. "That in addition to the elected and ex officio guardians of these divisions we, the ratepayers of both divisions, hereby appoint a deputation to attend the Board meeting on the 16th inst. and make known the views of the ratepayers, and·to impress upon the Board of Guardians the unanimous wish of the people to remain in the Castlerea Union, and form a portion of the County Roscommon."

The Roscommon Herald of 23 April carries a full report of what transpired at the next meeting of the Board of Guardians, which, as ~~ .s.aw.~bove, took place on April 16. The report shows that in making its recommendation for change the Board simply saw jt§e1f as resp~il(H_~gto the expressed wishes of the ratepayers of the Ballaghaderreen and Edmonstown divisions. ------f···1pe§~S9_n~~~~oi~ newspaper reports J?ut the recommendation of the Board of Guardians into context. Whatever one thinks of :'. the .recommendatid.n of the Board of Guardians, it appears that the Board behaved honourably in the matter, and indeed as \ democratically as;~as possible for that time. The local ratepayers did not want to join the Swinford Union. This meant that it was the county boutIDIDy that had to be redrawn. ,.... • ~, "-"'r' ~.•.•~;;"."'" 6. Chan(:e of Map Location: In the Local Government (Ireland) Act, 1~98, which gave rise to the whole question of boundary changes, clause 68 (7) reads: Such changes in the Ordnance map as appear to the Lord Lieutenant in Council to be rendered necessary by this Act, or any Order in Council made thereunder, shall be made through the Commissioner of Valuation in manner directed by the Lord Lieutenant in Council. . Here the parliamentary draughtsman was tying up the loose ends. This clause ensured that the changes in county boundaries, decided on by the Local Government Board, would appear on official maps. Later maps would show the boundary changes .. Ballaghaderreen would be found on Ordnance Survey maps produced after 1898, not on a Mayo sheet, but on a Roscommon one. Footnote: In 1898 the district electoral divisions of Ballaghaderreen and Edmondstown were transferred from County Mayo into County Roscommon, for the purposes of local government administration.This article investigates why that change in local government administrative boundaries came to be made. The foregoing article has nothing to say about the position of Ballaghaderreen for purposes other. than local government. It is concerned only with why the administrative change took place - not with the question of where Ballaghaderreen "really" belongs. When I was growing up to Ballaghaderreen, I remember being puzzled by the ambiguity surrounding its county location. Everyone knew that around the year 1900 some boundary changes had been made, but no one seemed able to tell me exactly what had happel)ed and why. Later in life I was surprised to discover how many people, in different parts of Ireland, knew that there was

110 some anomaly about the county location of Ballaghaderreen. Often asked to explain the issues involved, I was unable to provide an answer. I resolved that I.would one day try to satisfy my curiosity on the matter. These few pages are the result of my investigations. I can now see why people were unable to give me a simple answer in my youth. In order to understand what occurred, one needs background information, that I did not possess at the time. I have written up what I have learned, in the hope that it might be of some interest to other people, .who may have wondered, as I did, about what happened to the county

", boundary around one hundred years IfUlf1l ••••• ,:';,.I'CLrlJlll ago. Rev. Joseph Spelman. 1lJmlTOGHU •••• '~;~~,~~~;~"":':'::I'"f"'" ".:,:·;·'::W·tf t I A:J! S:' 0 W.N

The Castlerea Poor Law Union with its nineteen electoral divisions. Ballaghaderren and Edmondstown divisions are in the top left hand corner. (Based on an Ordnance Survey map 1935.)

NOTES: 1. The historical background in section 2 above is taken mainly from Local Government in Ireland. Desmond Roche, Institute of Public Administration 1982. 2. I wish to thank the following: Mr. P.J. Kelly of the Ordnance Survey, Dublin for providing the O.S. maps on which the two maps in this article are based. and the Ordnance Survey for permission to use its maps. Mr. Eamon Bolger of the Roscommon County Ubrary, for providing me with the names of townlands in Ballaghaderreen and Edmondstown divisions.

The County Ubrarian and the staff of the Roscommon County Ubrary, for affording me the opportunity of consulting the Minute Books of the Castlerea Union.

,,,,,,,,4 10•• ,.,•• It .~.--' . 09 S T, (·f, n

14 , •• " ••• 4 •• ,... ••

,.•...,.•..6 "" , 8

15 r •• ",At4 •• rl •• II C" M.A'YO

3 r••",AtI •• " •• 1

.1 _. '.•. The dislrict elecloral divisions of Ballaghadcrreen and Edmondstown showing lhe luwn 1ands. (Based on an Ordnance Survey map 1932.)

111 MO&vd g~ .fu. ROSCOMMON TILE CENTRE

Tile Merchants (Retail & Wholesale) Specialist in all types of Mosaic

Offices & Showrooms at:

Galway Road, Roscommon. Phone: (0903) 26248 I (0903) 26788. Fax: (0903) 25360

Mon. - Sat.: 9.00 - 1.00 & 2.00 - 6.00 p.m.

The document here is almost 107 years old and relates to the business at . ~j{(- Corner House, Strokestown, Co. I Roscommon. Margaret, eldest of seven daughters of John & M. McGrath, Elphin, married George, son of John and Brigid Gearty, 28/2/1870. George died in 1882, leaving his widow with six young children. The business was managed later by her son, John, until his death in 1946, and then by her grandson, George, who sold the premises in 1995, marking the end of a long and distinguished association with Strokestown since 1856.

112