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Civil Survey Notes - Ballymackeogh & Rossary

 

From - The Civil Survey A.D. 1654–56 vol. ii, county of Tipperary western and northern baronies - Irish Manuscripts - available to download here



Ballymackeogh & Rosary

I initially didn’t think this townland had any connections. In the Civil Survey the following are recorded as landowners.

William Ryan of Ballymckeogh gt.

John Ryan of Ballymckeogh gt.

Rory Ryan of Ballymckeogh Gent

Teige Ryan of Ballymckeogh Gent &

Owen Ryan of Ballymckeogh gent

 

In the Hearth Money Rolls there are no Ryans recorded which I always found unusual considering later in the 1700s this is where the Ryans of Ballymackeogh are living.

https://alison-stewart.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-ryan-family-of-ballymackeogh.html

However when I reviewed them again I saw that there were a number of Mc surnames.

Amazingly we have

Donnogh McShane (Shane is often used for John) could he be the son of John Ryan of Ballymackeogh?

John McOwen – could he be the son of Owen Ryan of Ballymackeogh?

John McWilliam – could he be the son of William Ryan of Ballymackeogh?

Donnogh McRory – could he be the son of Rory Ryan of Ballymackeogh.?

That would cover 4 out of the 5 owners of Ballymackeogh.

How that then ties in with the Ryans of Ballymackeogh family tree I’m not sure.

There is a William Ryan & John Ryan whose lands are recorded as being confiscated and given to John Ewers & John Wood in the Four Tipperary Septs. (Pg 91) This was in 1666. (According to Alison Stewards blog).

A son of William Ryan – Daniel Ryan married Honor Ewer – the daughter of the above John Ewers.

William Ryan father is recorded as a Dermott Ryan who was pardoned in 1602 (according to the Four Tipperary Septs) and Daniel Ryan is said to have served abroad with Charles II and received the Ballymckeogh lands in 1667 (Again the Four Tipperary Septs).

Daniel is recorded as dying in 1731. If he served abroad with Charles II (which would have between 1651 and 1660) say at the age of 20, he would have been between 91 and 100 at his time of death. So some of these dates seem a bit far-fetched and that needs to be taken into account with the lineages.

Edit - Nov 2025


This page from the Ryans of Ballymackeogh archive in Galway University gives a date of birth for Daniel Ryan as 1649. 


Was Daniel's Father (William Ryan) the same William as recorded in the Civil Survey? The Survey was meant to record land ownership circa 1640.

 

A large number of Ryans continue in the townlands from the Hearth Money Rolls – if the Mcs are actually other descendants of the Ryan landowners in the townland, could they have been living side by side with their relatives who were the major landowners and converted to the Established Church?

We now have a DNA record of a confirmed descendent of the Ryans of Ballymackeogh, it would be very interesting to test other Ryans with Roman Catholic lineages from the townland to compare.

One last interesting thing to consider is that Rosary is linked with this area in the Hearth Money Rolls. In 1640 part of Rosarrybegg was owned by John Ryan of Craige.

from The Four Tipperary Septs by Callinan (pg 82). From the will of William O'Mulryan of Annagh

"He was also seised of one carucate in Moeny, Ferrueraz Garrangrelagh, known by the name of Drombane, Curragh duffe, known as Gortlehyregh, Rossinguile, Kearhowkeile am Rossary and on April 24th, 1632, gave all the above premise: to Dermott O’Mullryan of Bally M’Keogh and David O'Killan their heirs and assigns to the use of John O’Mullryan 2nd son of said William O’Mullryan, Said lands ‘were held by knight's service."

Simply put (Thanks to Daniel Ryan of NZ) this says "William O’Mulryan owned some land. On April 24th, 1632, he gave this land to two people, Dermott O’Mullryan and David O’Killan. They were supposed to take care of the land for John O’Mulryan, who was William’s second son. John would inherit the land."

This John O’Mulryan should be John Ryan of Craige.

However the 1640 Civil Survey records different owners of the land. What does it all mean, I put it to the collective Ryan hive mind!  

https://thetipperaryantiquarian.blogspot.com/2024/10/hearth-money-rolls-ballymackeogh-rossary.html


Edit 

Nov 2025

Daniel Ryan born 1649-1731 grandfather's must be the Dermott O'Mulryan that receives a pardon in 1602. Who also holds land in trust for John O'Mulryan 2nd son of William O'Mulryan of Annagh / probably John Ryan of Cragg in the Civil Survey. Therefore we can be fairly certain that the William O'Mulryan mentioned in the Civil Survey in Ballymackeogh is Daniel Ryan's father. 



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