Looking for Polleeny, House #1

James,

At one time Polleeny townland was farmed by a group of 7 farmers. Patrick Flaherty is shown in Griffiths Valuation for 1855 as having house 1e in the townland. All the farm houses appear to have been grouped together at the end of a dead end road. Looking at it on Google Earth today I see a lot of new homes in the general area. The old properties mostly appear to have been abandoned or replaced. I’d suggest you knock on a few doors at the end of the dead end road (where the old houses were situated) to see if there’s anyone who knows their local history. The location of the group of famrhouses should be easy enough to find, but identifying which was Patrick's might be trickier, unless a local knows.

You can see where the townland is using Griffiths maps. There’s a slider bar on the top right hand side of the maps page that allows you to switch between the mid 1800s map and a modern one. You are going to have to navigate a number of minor roads to get there. Stop and ask for directions.

http://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=nameSearch

Elwyn, 

Thank you so much for your help. This is great information. 

James

Elwyn, 

Just wanted to follow up with you on our adventure to find my Grandfathers farm house. We found one still standing, currently being used as a shed at the very end of Polleeny. We met a woman who lived at the very end of the road, also a Flaherty but not of my family (Patrick Flaherty) and she was very helpful. It was quite an adventure in navigating the very narrow road. We also found a stone marker for Polleeny that was written in what I believe was galic at the begining of the road after getting lost for a bit in the area. Unfortunetly it was a weekday and the two other homeowners nearby were not home at the time and we were not able to inquire with them. I cannot thank you enough for your help with the link and tips you supplied. 

Sincerly, 

James LaRocca

James,

So glad to hear you got there. It's normal to get lost when searching for remote townlands. The locals know where everything is, and we assume no-one else will need to know, so don't bother too much with expensive signs. I hope you enjoyed your visit, and got a feel for where your ancestors lived.