February 1, 1996      Irish and Scottish Newsletter 
      

NAMES OF THE MONTH

This month the Irish surname taken from EDWARD MacLYSAGHT's book IRISH
FAMILIES Their Names, Arms & Origins, SciPrint Limited, Copyright Irish
Academic Press Limited, ISBN # 0-7165-2364-7 is:

O'BOLAND, Bolan          The older form of this name O'Bolan -- is
almost obsolete, though it is occasionally found without the prefix 0.
The usual modem form - Boland - never has the 0, though entitled to it,
the Gaelic original being Beollain.  The addition of the D at the end of
the name is an anglicized affectation comparable to changing -ahan into
-ham, as in the case of Markham and Markahan.  This final D does not
once appear in the Elizabethan Fiants though the name in four different
forms occurs nine times in those records, principally in Co. Sligo.

      There are at least two distinct septs of the name, one of the Ui
Fiachrach line, seated at Doonaltan, (barony of Tireragh, Co. Sligo);
the other being Dalcassian, of Thomond.  The former may be distinct from
that of Drumcliff, also in Co. Sligo, where O'Bolans were erenaghs of
the church of St. Columban.  The Thomond sept is descended from Mahon,
brother of Brian Boru: for this we have the authority of "An Leabhar
Mhuimhneach", but MacFirbis traces them to another Mahon, less closely
related to the great Brian.  Present day representatives of these septs
are chiefly found in north Connacht and in east Clare where the
picturesque fishing village of Mountshannon on Lough Derg perpetuates
the homeland of the sept in its Gaelic name Baile ui Beolain (or
Ballybolan).  In the seventeenth century it was also numerous in Offaly. 
References to the name O Beollain occur occasionally in the Annals in
early medieval times, but since the Anglo-Norman invasion they have not
been prominent in the political or cultural history of the country. 
Boland's Mill was the scene of a famous encounter in the insurrection of
1916.  Frederick Boland was Ambassador to Great Britain, Ireland's
permanent representative in the United Nations Organisation and
Chancellor of Trinity College, Dublin.


From Roddy Martine's "SCOTTISH CLAN AND FAMILY NAMES Their Arms, Origins
and Tartans", Mainstream Publishing, Edinburgh and London, 1992, ISBN #
1-85158-418-8

BUCHAN - The Buchans are an individual clan, although they are
associated with the Clan Comyn or Cumming.  They are identified as being
the old "Tribe of the Land", as their district once extended from the
River Don to the River Deveron.  This Highland Province was ruled by the
Pictish Mormsers of Buchan. who subsequently emerged as the Earls of
Buchan in the twelfth century.  This was, in fact, the most powerful
ancient earldom in the Highlands, and consequently much fought over.

The most famous Buchan of this century was John 1st. Baron Tweedsmuir,
the celebrated novelist who was a Member of Parliament and subsequently
Governor-General of Canada.

The Buchan Chief holds the barony of Auchmacoy, which is near Ellon in
Aberdeenshire.


HISTORY:

COUNTY CARLOW

     This inland Leinster county contains the towns of Carlow, Muinebeag
(or Bagenalstown), Tullow, Leighlinbridge,and Rathvilly.

     County Carlow was formerly part of the territory of Ui Kinsellaigh. 
The major families of the county were Kavanagh, O'Ryan of Idrone,O'Nolan
of Forth, O'Neill, and O'Hayden.  Following the Norman invasion the
county was taken by their leader, Strongbow, and castles were built at
Carlow town, Leighlin, and Tullow.  The English administration gradually
lost their power elsewhere in the county to the powerful McMurrough
Kavanaghs, who allied themselves with the O'Byrnes and O'Tooles in
Wicklow.  These native chieftains continued to hold varying degrees of
control over the county for several centuries.

     The town of Carlow was an important Norman stronghold during the
Middle Ages.  In 1361 it was walled to protect it from the neighbouring
Gaelic chieftains.  It was repeatedly attacked and was captured in 1405
by the McMurroug Kavanaghs, (see Wexford) and in 1567 by the O'Moores
(see Laois).  Although a plan for a plantation of the county was put
forward during the reign of James I, it was not acted on.

     In 1641 the county joined the rebellion of the Catholic Confederacy
but the Carlow rebels were finally defeated by Ireton, one of Cromwell's
generals, in 1650.  Of the English and Norman families who settled in
Carlow at various times, the most prominent were Bruen, Butler, Bagenal,
Best, Brown, Bunbury, Burton, and Tallon.

     During the Great Famine of 1845-47 the county was relatively badly
affected.  The population in 1841 was 86,000 and by 1851 had fallen by
21 percent to 68,000.  Of these people, over 10,000 died of starvation
or other causes between 1845 and 1850, and further thousands emigrated.

     County Carlow is now an important agricultural center with an
extensive sugarbeet and cereal industry. 


COUNTY CAVAN
              Originally part of the ancient Kingdom of Breifne, this
inland Ulster county contains the towns of Cavan, Bailieborough,
Virginia, Belturbet, and Ballyjamesduff.  This part of Breifne was ruled
by the O'Reillys whose base was the town of Cavan.  Other families
associated with the county are (Mc)Brady, O'Mulleady, McGowan (often
anglicized as Smith), O'Farrelly, McKiernan, O'Curry, O'Clery, and
McIlduff.  The O'Reillys retained control over the county for several
centuries after the arrival of the Normans in Ireland in 1169.  This was
due both to the skill of their cavalry and also to the difficulty of the
Cavan terrain with its forests, bogs, and lakes.

      The boundaries of the county of Cavan were established by the
English in 1584, and the county divided into baronies.  Most of these
were given to different branches of the O'Reillys, with two baronies
controlled by the McKernons and McGowans.  During the late sixteenth
century the O'Reillys and their Cavan allies joined the rebellion of
O'Neill against the English (see Co. Tyrone).

     Following the defeat of the rebels the land in the county was
confiscated and "planted" with English and Scottish settlers in 1609. 
This was done by granting portions of the county to adventurers (such as
Auchmuty) who, in return, undertook to settle an agreed number of
English or Scottish families.  Pynnar's Survey of the progress of the
Ulster plantation during its early stages shows that 286 families were
planted in Cavan.  The native population retained large parts of the
county, however, as there were not enough settlers willing to come to
the county.

      In 1641 the Catholics in the county, again led by an O'Reilly,
joined the Catholic Confederacy (see Co. Kilkenny) in rebellion against
England. This rebellion was finally defeated by Cromwell in 1649 and was
followed by further confiscations and granting of land in Cavan to
English soldiers and others.

      The relative proportions of people of Irish, Scottish, and English
extraction can, in very general terms, be estimated from the relative
proportions of Catholics, Presbyterians, and Episcopalians (Protestants)
in the county.  In 1861 when the census first collected this
information, the respective proportions were 81, 4, and 15 percent
respectively.

     The county was badly affected by the Great Famine of 1845-47.  In
1841 the population was 243,000, and by 1851 it had fallen by almost 30
percent to 174,000.  Around 25,000 people died of starvation or disease
between 1845 and 1850.  Further thousands migrated to the cities or
emigrated.


ABERDEENSHIRE, a maritime county, in the north-east part of Scotland,
and  one of the most extensive counties in the kingdom, bounded on the
north by the Moray Firth; on the east by the German Ocean; on the south
by Perth, Forfar, and Kincardine shires, and on the west by the counties
of Banff and Inverness.  It lies between 56' 52' and 570 412' (N. 
Lat.). and lo 491 and 30 48' (W.  Lon.), and is eighty-six miles in
extreme length and forty-two miles in extreme breadth; comprising an
area of 1985 square miles, or 1,270,400 acres; 32,063 inhabited, and
1091 uninhabited, houses; and containing a population of 192,387, of
which number 89,707 are males, and 102,680 females.  From the time of
David I., the county was included in the diocese of Aberdeen ; at
present, it is almost wholly in the synod of Aberdeen, and includes
several presbyteries, the whole containing eighty-five parishes.  For
civil purposes, it is divided into eight districts, Aberdeen, Alford,
Deer otherwise Buchan Ellon, Garioch, Kincardine-O'Neil, Strathbogie,
and Turriff, in each of which, under the superintendence of a deputy
lieutenant, the county magistrates hold regular courts.  It contains the
three royal burghs of Aberdeen, Kintore, and Inverury, the market-towns
of Peterhead, Fraserburgh, Huntly, Turriff, and Meldrum, and numerous
large fishing-villages on the coast.  Under the act of the 2nd William
IV., the county, returns one member to parliament.

  The SURFACE, towards the sea, is tolerably level; but the greater
portion forms part of the central highlands, and consists of high
mountains, interspersed with a few valleys.  The principal mountains
are, Ben-Macdhui, the loftiest in Britain; the Braeriach, which has an
elevation of 4304 feet; Ben-Aburd, Ben-Aven, Loch-nagar, and Morven,
which vary from 2500 to 4300 in height, with numerous others from 800 to
2000 feet in height.  Of the valleys the chief are the Garioch and
Strathbogie, the former inclosed on all sides with hills of moderate
height, and the latter enriched with wood, abounding in beautiful
scenery, and highly cultivated. The rivers are the Dee, the Don, the
Ythan, the Doveron, and the Ugie, but the rapidity of their currents
readers them comparatively useless for the purpose of navigation ; they
have their sources, generally, among the mountains in the south-west,
and flow towards the north and north-east.  All of them abound with fine
salmon, and fish of every kind is taken on the coast.

  About one-third of the land is under cultivation, and the remainder
mountains pasture, and waste.  Towards the sea, and in the valleys, the
soil is rich and fertile, producing excellent crops of wheat and other
grain; and in the more secluded portions of the county is some fine
timber, among which are numerous lofty pine-trees, fit for the masts of
ships; but from the want of inland navigation, few of them are felled
for that purpose.  Between the Dee and the Ythan is a low tract of
waste, on which are some sand-hills that have been lamentably
destructive of the adjacent lands ; several fertile fields, to the north
of the Ythan, have been covered, to a great extent, with sand blown from
these hills, and the walls of a church and a manse that have been buried
by them are still to be seen.  The minerals are quartz and asbestos ,
and various gems and pieces of amber are found in the mountains: the
principal quarries are of granite of very superior quality, of which
vast quantities are sent to London and other places, and freestone and
limestone are also extensively quarried.  Many of the proprietors reside
on their lands, and have materially contributed to their improvement, by
extensive plantations, and the introduction of a better system of
agriculture, and superior breeds of cattle ; and much waste land has
been brought into cultivation under the patronage of the Highland
Society.  The chief seats are Haddo House, Aboyne Castle, Huntly Lodge,
Slains Castle, Keith Hall, Mar Lodge, Delgaty Castle, Skene,    
Castle-Forbes, Philorth House, Monymusk, Ellon Castle, Fintray House,
Fyvie Castle., Gordon Lodge, and Castle-Frazer.  The coast is bold and
rocky, with some alternations of level beach.  On the Moray Firth, the
most prominent headlands are Rosehearty Point and Kinnaird Head ; and on
the German Ocean, Cairnbulg Point, Rattray Head, Scotstown Point,
Invernetty Point, and Buchan Ness.  The chief bays in the former are,
the harbour of Rosehearty, and the bay of Fraserburgh; and in the
latter, Peterhead Bay, Cruden Bay, Sandy Haven, Long Haven, Garrick's
Haven, and the bay of Aberdeen.  Facility of communication is maintained
by good roads, some of which were made under the authority of the
commissioners for Highland roads and bridges, appointed by act of
parliament.  The annual value of real property in the county is
œ605,802, of which œ423,388 are returned for lands, œ145,366 for houses,
œ8864 for fisheries, œ1087 for canal navigation, œ1085 for quarries, and
œ26,012 for other species of real property.


ARGYLLSHIRE, a maritime county, in the southwest of Scotland, bounded on
the north by Inverness-shire; on the east by the counties of Inverness,
Perth, and Dumbarton; and on the south and west by the Firth of Clyde
and the Atlantic Ocean.  It lies between 55 degrees, 21' and 57 degrees
(N. lat.), and 4 degrees 15' and 7 degrees 10' (W. long.), and is about
115 miles in extreme length, and about 50 or 60 miles in average
breadth; comprising an area, including the various islands connected
with it, of about 3800 square miles I of  which, what may be  considered
as the continent contains about 2735 square miles, or 1,750,400 acres. 
There are 19,207 houses of whom 47,795 are males, and 49,576 females. 
The county appears to have been occupied at an early period chiefly by
the Scots, who, emigrating from the Irish coasts, settled in the
peninsula of Cantyre, and after the subjugation of the Picts, and the
union of the two kingdoms under Kenneth Mc Alpine, became identified
with the general population of the country.  In the legends of romance,
this part of Scotland is celebrated as the principal scene of the
exploits of the heroes of the race of Fingal, and as the birthplace of
the bard Ossian, whose poems are still the subject of deeply-interesting
research among the learned.  Ossian is said to have been born in the
valley of Glencoe; and the county, which abounds with numerous
localities connected with the achievements of his heroes, still retains,
in a very high degree, that spirit of feudal vassalage for which it was
for ages pre-eminently remarkable.  The family of Campbell, long
distinguished as the principal of that extensive and powerful clan, and
ancestors of the Dukes of Argyll, for many generations possessed an
absolute and sovereign authority over their vassals, who on every
occasion rallied round the standard of their chieftain, with all the
fidelity of kindred attachment, and tendered  the most arduous services
with implicit submission to his control.

     Prior to the Reformation, the county was for centuries the seat of
a diocese, the bishop of which resided on the island of Lismore (between
the main land and the isle of Mull). where the cathedral church was
situated; and the jurisdiction extended over all the adjacent islands,
including those of Bute and Arran.  Since that period, it has
constituted the chief part of the synod of Argyll, comprising the
presbyteries of Inverary, Dunoon, Cantyre, Islay and Jura, Lorn, and
Mull; and about fifty parishes.  For civil purposes, the county is
divided into the districts of Argyll, Cowal, Islay, Cantyre, Lorn, and
Mull; and is under the jurisdiction of a sheriff-depute, by whom three
sheriffs-substitute are appointed, who reside respectively at Inverary,
which is the county town, at Campbelltown, and Tobermory.  The courts of
assize and general quarter-sessions are held at Inverary; and courts for
the recovery of small debts are held four times in the year at Chan,
Lochgilphead, Dunoon, and Bowmore, and twice in the year at Strontian. 
The royal burghs are Inverary and Campbelltown ; and in addition to the
other places above noticed, the county contains the small towns of
Ballichulish and Tobermory, the village of Ardrissaig, &C. Under the act
of the 2nd of William IV., the county returns one member to the imperial
parliament; and the royal burghs of Inverary and Campbelltown, with the
parliamentary burgh of Oban, unite with Ayr and Irvine, in the county of
Ayr, in returning another member.

    The SURFACE is generally wild and mountainous, especially towards
the north, where it borders on the Grampian range; and even along the
coasts, which form a line of more than 600 miles, and where the land is
lowest, there are numerous hills of very considerable elevation.  The
most mountainous parts of the county are, however, interspersed with
pleasing and fertile tracts of valley, watered by streams, on the banks
of which are some productive arable lands ; and in many places the
slopes of the hills afford good pasture.  Of the numerous Islands that
are included within the limits of the county, the principal are Mull,
Jura, Islay, Coll, Tiree, Colonsay, Lismore, and Oronsay, with smaller
islands, all of which are noticed under their respective beads.  Between
these islands and the main land are several extensive sounds, the
principal of which are, the Sound of Mull, between the island of that
name and the main land; and the Sound of Jura, separating that island
from the continent : the Sound of Islay is between the isles of Jura and
Islay and the Firth of Clyde separates part of Argyllshire on the west
from the counties of Ayr and Renfrew on the east.  The most prominent
Mountains are, the Cruachan, rising from the north-eastern extremity of
Loch Awe, to the height of 3390 feet ; the Cruachlussa, in the district
of Knapdale, attaining an elevation of 3000 feet ; Benreisipoll, in
Ardnamurchan, 2661 feet in height; Buchael-Etive., near Loch Etive,
towards the north, rising 2537 feet above the sea; the Paps of Jura., in
the isle of Jura, 2476 feet in height  and Beininturk, in Cantyre, which
has an elevation of  2170 feet.

The coasts are deeply indented with arms of the sea, constituting
salt-water lochs of considerable extent.  Among these is Loch Fine,
which is of very great depth, sixty miles in length, and varying from
two to three miles in breadth, and on the shore of which is situated the
town of Inverary: its great depth is thought to be one cause of the
superior quality of its herrings.  Loch Linnhe lies between the
districts of Morven and Lorn, and is the source of most of the inland
lakes which form the Caledonian canal, the scenery on both its shores is
strikingly romantic, and the borders are thickly interspersed with the
remains of ancient fortresses, and enlivened with numerous handsome
residences.  Loch Long extends from the Firth of Clyde, for nearly
twenty-two miles, into the land, separating the county from that of
Dumbarton ; and from the west side of this arm of the sea branches off
Loch Goil, crowned on its precipitous banks with the ruins of Castle
Carrick, a royal residence, of which His Grace the Duke of Argyll is
hereditary keeper.  Of the inland lakes of the county, by far the most
extensive is Loch Awe, about twenty-eight miles in length, and from one
to two miles in breadth; it abounds with salmon, eels, and trout, and
from one side of it issues a stream called the Awe, which flows through
the magnificent pass of Brander into the Loch Etive, at Bunawe ferry. 
The pass of Brander, which was the scene of a battle between Robert
Bruce and Mac Dougall of Lorn, seems to have been formed by some violent
convulsion, causing the rare circumstance in nature of a lateral escape
of water from a lake.  Loch Etive, a lake of much smaller extent,
communicates with Loch Awe by the river Awe, and on the west with the
Sound of Mull, from which it forms an inlet, nearly opposite the island
of Lismore: on the north shore are the ruins of the ancient priory of
Ardchattan.  There are several smaller lakes, but none of sufficient
importance to require particular notice; also numerous streams
intersecting the lands in various places, few or none of which, however,
are navigable.

    The quantity of land which is arable and in cultivation is little
more than 100,000 acres; about 30,000 acres, are in woodland and
plantations, and the remainder nearly 1,300,000 acres, with the
exception of about 25,000 in inland lakes and rivers, is principally
heath, and hill and mountain pasture.  The soil of the arable land is
extremely various.  Along the coasts, it is generally a light gravelly
loam, resting upon a clayey bottom, and differing in fertility in
different places.  On the lower grounds, in some parts, is a mixture of
clayey loam; in others, a kind of black mossy earth; and on the slopes
of the hills, a light gravelly soil.  The system of agriculture is
moderately improved, and the rotation plan of husbandry is growing into
use.  The chief crops are oats, bear, and potatoes, with peas and beans,
and various green crops; the cultivation of turnips has been extensively
introduced.  Wheat of excellent quality has been raised, but though the
soil in many parts is favourable to its growth, very little attention is
paid to its culture.  Flax, for domestic use, is raised in considerable
quantities.  The cattle are principally of the black West Highland
breed, and, being in much demand, on account of the superior beef they
afford, are reared to a great extent throughout the county, especially
in the islands : next to sheep, they form the staple trade of the
county.  The sheep-farms are in general very extensive, and the stock is
principally of the Linton or black-faced breed, though the Cheviot
breed, which has been lately introduced in some places, has been found
equally well adapted to the pastures, and more profitable.

      The chief Substrata are, limestone which in very abundant, and
freestone of various kinds and colours, some fine specimens of which are
found in Cantyre, and also in Glenorchy.  Slate is abundant in the neigh
bourhood of Easdale, and is also wrought in the district of Appin.  Near
Inverary is a kind of granite which is susceptible of a high Polish,
resembling spotted marble -, and there are quarries of marble in Lorn,
on the estate of Lochiel, and in the island of Tiree, which last is of
very beautiful quality.  Coal is found near Campbelltown, and is
wrought- for the  supply of that district; there are also indications of
coal in Morven, and in the isle of Mall.  Lead-ore has been wrought at
Strontian, and found in other places ; a copper-mine has been opened in
the parish of Kilmalie, and there are numerous vestiges of ancient
iron-works in the mountains, though no ore of sufficient quality to
remunerate the expense of working it is now found.  The greater portion
of the county was formerly covered with Woods,-of which but very small
remains now exist : the deficiency has been partly supplied by modern
plantations, especially on the lands of the Duke of Argyll.  The soil
and climate are well adapted to the growth of timber of every kind : the
most flourishing descriptions at present are oak, beech, elm, plane,
birch, ash, chesnut, larch, and Scotch, spruce, and silver firs ; and
within the last few years plantations have been gradually increasing. 
The principal manufacture is that of wool, which has been made into
carpets, under the auspices of the Duke of Argyll; but it is limited to
a very small extent.  The spinning of flax is carried on, for domestic
use.  There are several distilleries, tanneries, and some bleach-fields;
and the herring-fishery in Loch Fine is on an extensive scale. Facility
of intercourse has been obtained by the formation of roads in various
directions, and canals; and from the inlets from the sea, every
advantage of steam navigation is obtained.  The annual value of real
property in the county is 262,273, of which 232,441 are returned for
lands, 25,362 for houses, 1430 for fisheries, and the remainder for
other species of teal property.  There are numerous remains of ancient
castles,  forts, Danish encampments, monasteries and other religious
houses, cairns, tumuli, Druidical remains, vitrified forts, many
Fingalian relics, and other monuments of antiquity, all of which are
noticed in the articles on the several localities where they occur.  The
county confers the title of Duke on  the celebrated family of Campbell,
who were created Earls of Argyll in 1457, advanced to the Marquessate in
1641, and made Dukes in 170 1, and who also bear several dignities named
after different divisions of the county.



CONTRIBUTIONS:
A Story from the New York Times

Patrick Egan, an Irish laborer from County Galway, opened an account at
the Emigrant Industrial Savings Bank in lower Manhattan on the night of
Sept. 30, 1850, when the bank first opened for business.  That nugget of
information comes from a newly uncovered trove of data in the bank's
records, shedding new light on the first mass migration to America the
flood of refugees from Ireland's devastating potato famine in the middle
years of the 19th century. It illuminates that dramatic era and the
following decades with fresh human and economic detail.  More broadly,
it illustrates how the interpretation of history is constantly enriched
by the discovery of something In someone's attic or, in this case, a
bank's basement. Emigrant was founded in 1850 at the instigation of the
domineering Archbishop John Hughes - "Dagger John" - to help, the
hundreds of thousands of famine victims pouring into the city's slums,
easy prey for gougers and exploiters of cheap labor.: The bank offered a
safe place to keep the newcomers' money and a way to send money home to
destitute relatives. Thousands had accounts.  The records of those
accounts and other bank business have been given to the New York Public
Library, but they sat unexplored in the bank's basement until an
archivist, Marion Casey, was asked to look at them last year.  She found
personal documentation in, in incredible detail and grist for "some
ground-breaking scholarship."

For example, Patrick Egan.  When he opened his account he told the
teller he was single, a laborer at the Marine Quarantine Hospital on
Staten Island, a native of Cormack in Galway and came to New York
aboard the "Howard" on May 28,1841; His parents, Owen and Mary Quinn,
were dead.  His sister Margaret lived in New York and their sister
Bridget remained in Ireland. All of this appears in meticulous script on
pages of heavy stock in 11 volumes with similar detail about other
depositors.  More than 40 other volumes record decades of mortgages and
minutes of meetings where bank directors worked out problems In the
Irish community.

When the ledgers are available for public inspection, in a few months,
their contents will obviously fascinate genealogists and legions of
Irish-Americans curious about their roots.  But the curator of the
library's huge manuscript collection, Mimi Bolling, points out that
they also offer, extraordinary insight for social and urban historians,
enabling them to know who these people were, their occupations,
employers and home addresses, and where they hailed from. As a
descendant of a young mechanic named Nicholas Mooney, who fled the
famine in 1848, I am curious, too.
                             RICHARD E. MOONEY
New York Times 21 September 1995 Western Edition, page A18