The Townlands of Butlersbridge.
The places we live in.
Butlersbridge
Crahard
Deredis
Drumahurk
Drumsilla
Kilnalack
Rahulton
Aughadrumagullion Achadh Droma Gualainn
This townland with the unspellable name is so called because it is located on the
slopes of Knockfad hill. Gualainn means shoulders drom means ridge so here we
are on the plains on the ridge slope. We have a good view!
Only the Bridge is Butlersbridge. After all it was built by
Stephen Butler to bring his army across the river Annalee.
There are five townlands in and around the village. Kilnaglare
upper, Tullybuck, Derrygarra lower and upper and Drummany.
There are 57 houses in the village. There are 3 pubs, two shops
and one post-office. A school a farm store and Saint Aidan’s
church completes the picture.
The Annalee river flows through the village and joins the Erne
at Urney.
There is a spring well at Cusack’s house. Butlersbridge is
surrounded by hills. The biggest is called Mulligan’s hill.
From there Boylan’s wood of horse chestnut trees rowan
and poplar can be seen. Killnaglare or Coill na gclár is
where our school is and it means the ‘wood of the planks’
Aisling, Oisin, Claire
My townland is Crahard. There is only one public building
in my townland that is Dunne’s Garage. There are no bridges, wells or rivers that I
know of.
The trees are mostly ash, black and white thorn, and oak. The big hill is called Clarke’s Hill though there is nobody of that name there now. Creath Árd means a high hurdle or high fence. The total land area is eighty one acres, three roods and four perches.
The wild animals I have seen are rabbits, squirrels, foxes, hares and weasels. The
hares and rabbits eat the vegetables in our garden.
The foxes and weasels attack the hens.
I have seen grey squirrels climb trees and collect nuts.
Weasels are light brown.
Rabbits are grey or brown.
Hares are brown.
Foxes are reddish brown and squirrels are grey or red.
Caitríona
Once I cross the bridge over the Cavan river as it joins the Annalee I am in Deredis . About a hundred years ago there were 19 families in Deredis. None of the family names such as Swan Scarlett and Yeats are there now.
There are seven surnames now in the townland. Six children go to primary and seven to secondary school. The only public building is the Derryheen Hall which belongs to The Parish of Derryheen. Public Meetings and Badminton used to be played there. It is closed now.
I think Deredis means ‘the hill of the two woods.’
Lorraine.
My town land is Drumahurk. Drumahurk means the ridge of the wild bore. In Drumahurk there are two houses. There are no shops in Drumahurk. There is a by-pass getting built
The town land of Drumsilla has no public buildings. There are ten houses, and one of them is a new house. My house is in Drumsilla.
The name Drumsilla or Droim Siollaigh means ‘hill of the sally rods’. There are a lot of hedges of whitethorn, holly, ivy, honeysuckle and briars in Drumsilla. My Daddy has a farm in Drumsilla. There is a pine plantation beside my house.
There is also a drapery shop beside my house, which was recently closed down. My Grandad worked in it for twenty-seven or twenty-nine years. There are two shops. The old shop was built by Patrick Mc Donald in 1963. The new shop was built by Charlie Leddy. The clothes were imported from Glasgow in ships to Dublin and were collected by vans and brought to the shop in Drumsilla. People came from all over Ireland to the shop in Drumsilla.
KILNALACKThere is a field beside our house called the school field and another called the well field.
There fields are all in the area of Kilnalack . And there is another called the fort and a little further up there is the Long Maguire’s garden. The bonfire field is there too.
Kilnalack or Coill Na Leac means ‘the wood of the flagstones’ and is a small townland beside Annagh Lake. It is hilly and there are lots of trees. Some are ash/sycamore/whitethorn and holly. There is Scots pine in Norby’s garden. In Kilnalack there are no public buildings as the school was demolished to make way for the new road in the eighties. All that is left is the wall they built to save the two plaques from the gable wall. One says Honour thy Father and thy Mother and the other is an engraving as we have adopted as our school crest.
The wall of the toilets can be seen in the field beside Annagh Lake.
Grace
Rahulton Rath Ultain
Rath is a fort and the fort can be seen on top of the hill. From there you can see
Deggan Fort, Drumullig Fort Shane’s Fort and on a clear day Cuilcagh Mountains can be
seen.
Who Was Ultan? Probably a Chieftain but we don’t really know.
The wild animals I have seen are rabbits, squirrels, foxes, hares and weasels. The hares and rabbits eat the vegetables in our garden.
The foxes and weasels attack the hens.
I have seen grey squirrels climb trees and collect nuts.
Weasels are light brown.
Rabbits are grey or brown.
Hares are brown.
Foxes are reddish brown and squirrels are grey or red.
Caitríona