Civil Survey Notes - Derry Demesne & Ryninch (Lower & Upper)

 

Derry Demense / Ryninch

There may be an overlap on these townlands in the Civil Survey so I have included them together in this comparison. Derry / Cahirconner was the location of an important Mac I Brien castle on a small island on Lough Derg, it was later owned and the location of the main estate house of later landlords such as the Heads and Spaights and similarly is likely to have been a prestige location for the the Mac I Briens.

In Cahirconner and Reyninshy we have

Teige Bryen of Tuogh in ye County of Lymicke Esqr

He seems a very long way away from home but there were links between the Mac I Briens of Arra and those in Coonagh in Limerick.

He is recorded in the Limerick Civil Survey (pg8) as Teige O’Bryne owning 1590 and

“Towgh an Pallicebeg two plowlands wth a Castle in repaire a Bawen a stone house an Orchard two Millseates and the Demolished Castle of Pallicebeg aforesd. Meareinge on the East wth the pish of Doone in the Barrony of Cuonagh by the River of Clydagh meareinge twixt the two pishes of Towgh and Doone on the south by the River of Bealloghy Meareinge with the the pish of Grean in the Barronie of Cuonagh af oresaide on the West by the River meareing wth the lands of Droumbane in ye Barronie of Clanwm. and on the North wth the lands of lane in the pish of the Abbie Owghnie and Barronye of Clanwm. wth the lands of Keapaneake in the said pish and wth the Lands of Droumsallagh in the pish of Towgh.”

 

In Derry the following are recorded.

Connor mc. Mortagh of Derry Gent

Teige O Bryen of the same Gent

Teige Bryen of Tough in the County of Lymicke Esqr

Donnogh Bryen of Beallanaha Esqr

 

So the same Teige Bryen of Tough has land here.

There are a number of possible connections between the Civil Survey and the Hearth Money Rolls.

The 1665 return has a Conor McDonnagh. Could he be a son of Donnagh Bryen of Beallanaha?

There is also Kenedy McConnor – possibly a son of Connor mc. Mortagh of Derry and there is also a Bryen McMorrogh, could he be a brother of Connor Mc. Mortagh?

In the 1666-67 return

We have Dermod McDonogh – again could be a son of Donnagh Bryen (and potentially a brother of Conor mentioned above?). A Conor McDonnagh is mentioned a 2^nd time, likely to be the same as the 1665 Conor.

There is a Byren McConnor, possibly a brother of Kenedy McConnor and again maybe another son of Connor mc. Mortagh. Kennedy McConnor is mentioned a 2^nd time. Mary Fitzgerald – author of The McKeogh Family Story has suggested in personal communication that the later name Kendall could be an anglicisation of Kennedy as a first name.

(There is also a smaller possibility that these McConnors could be sons of Connor McDonnagh, son of Donnagh Bryen).

There is an interesting reference to a Kendall O’Brien

"In about 1780 a writer records that a genealogical Irish manuscript copied in the year AD. 1714 finds that John O'Brien was then the representative of this branch, and still enjoyed a part of the family estate, which was called Cluain-i-Brien in Ara, where he resided.

The writer was informed that one Kendal O'Brien was living then and was John O'Brien's grandson and heir."

Pg 38 From the History of the O'Briens by Donough O'Brien.

From the "Ireland, Indexes to Wills, Probate Administration, Marriage Bonds and Licences, 1591-1866" there is a marriage license for the Diocese of Killaloe in 1759 between Kindall O'Brien and Mary Waller. Another record places him in Landsdown (the one near Portroe!) in 1775.

 

So in Derry Demense & Ryninch there are a number of links and if accurate it is almost possible to create some small mini family trees from them.

We could have

Mortagh O'Brien

Conor McMortagh of Derry (Gent)                                                       brother – Bryen McMortagh

Sons - Kennedy McConnor – Bryen McConnor

 

Another possible tree

Turlough O'Brien m Margaret Bourke 

Donnogh O Bryen (Esqr)

Connor McDonnagh – Dermod McDonnagh

(We know Donnogh O Bryen’s father was Turlough and mother Margaret Bourke. See Annals of Arra Vo. 4 pg 108) 

However connecting any possible trees such as these become very problematic as few O’Briens remain in these townlands (at least in the records anyway) down through the 1800 and 1900s as we can see from the work I did on the Hearth Money Rolls.

https://thetipperaryantiquarian.blogspot.com/2025/02/hearth-money-rolls-ryninch-lower-upper.html

https://thetipperaryantiquarian.blogspot.com/2025/02/hearth-money-rolls-derry-demense.html