Sileshaun townland, pronounced "Soil-shaun" (the little light or lamp) is a large townland divided into East and West near Inagh.
This land was owned by Teigue McShane McEnchroe (Catholic) until it was forfeited to the Earl of Inchiquin (Protestant) under Cromwell.
At the time of the Down Survey in 1640 "Soillsane" comprised 686 Plantation Acres (Irish Acres) of "profitable" land and 462 of "unprofitable" land. The 686 profitable acres were forfeited.
In this parish of Inagh, Sileshaun East, was home to the largest cluster of Leydons who had a considerable holding there, in joint partnership. (This family extended east into the adjoining townlands of Garvoghil and Maghera).
Family names associated with this townland in the 19th century were:
Leydon, Galvin, Daffy, Neylon, O'Rourke, O'Reilly
1843 TITHE APPLOTMENT RECORDS (TA) for "Silshane" owned by Lord Thomond
EAST
Patrick Galvin (GV John Galvin & Mary Enright #2a)
Patrick Gilligan
Patrick Bready (Ready? Brady?)
John Roughan (GV Drumanahagh)
John Hogan
Michael Ready
John Leaden (GV John Leydan #6a held 84 acres, new house £1)
John Hagarty
Michael Leaden (GV Michael Leydan #4Aa house value15s., 82 acres held jointly with Connor & Martin | #3 land only 33 acres)
Connor Leaden & Norah Carmody GV #4Ac old house value10s. (see 1852 baptism notes below)
Martin Leaden #4Ab old house value10s. 82 acres held in partnership with Connor & Michael
SILESHAUN WEST
James Enwright (GV #1b West, land at #2a)
John Enwright (GV #1a West, land at #2b)
John Keating (GV James Katy #4a, Martin Katy #6a)
William Louney (GV William Looney #5a)
Michael Donohue
Dennis Cullinan (GV#2c house)
Michael Clune
James Guttery (GV James Guthrie land at #9)
Patrick Guttery (GV Patrick Guthrie #8a, Terence Guthrie land at #7)
Dr. Costello
John Henessy (GV Mary Henessy #2d house)
James Doolin (GV James Doolan #3a)
John Enwright
James Geornan / Guerin
Widow Foally
Charles Cullinan (1846-7 had 3 cows, 12 acres)
1846-47 Public Works (Famine Relief) – Corofin Committee (*some new names appear)
Patrick Gilligan of Silshane had 2 cows, 1 horse, 14 Irish acres
Michael Clune of Silshane had 26 Irish acres (about 42 statute acres) labouring
Michael Leaden of Silshane (GV #4Aa) had 12 Irish Acres, 4 cows, 1 horse, 6 sheep.
Martin Leaden of Silshane (GV #4Ab) had 10 Irish Acres, 3 cows.
* Martin Kealy of Silshane had 10 Irish Acres, 3 cows.
townland not recorded...
- John Leaden (of Inagh) had 4 cows, 1 horse, 15 Irish acres
- Michael Leaden (of Inagh) had 3 cows, 1 horse, 14 Irish acres
(Pat Lynch of Garrovoghill next door had 2 cows and 10 Irish acres).
1855 Griffiths Valuation of SILESHAUN EAST owned by The Marquis of Thomond (recently deceased)
John Barry (land only at #1 - see Maghera or Drumcarna)
John Galvin #2a (42 acres 15s house)
Michael Leydon (land only at #3, 33 acres, lived at 4a)
Michael Leydan & Mary Griffin of #4Aa house value15s., 82 acres held jointly with Connor & Martin | #3 land only 33 acres)
Connor Leaden & Honora "Norah" Carmody GV #4Ac old house value10s.
Martin Leaden #4Ab old house value10s. 82 acres held in partnership with Connor & Michael
John Daffy #5a (7acres and house valued at 5s)
John Leydan #6a held 84 acres, new house £1)
1855 Griffiths Valuation nearby
Brigid Leydan (widow) Maghera
Joseph Leydan Garvogil (adjoining)
Inagh RC Silshane Couples baptizing (address confirmed)
East #1 John Barry & Biddy Enright 1854
East #2a John Galvin & Mary Enright 1855, 1859, 1863, 1865
East #4a Michael Leyden & Mary Griffin baptizing 1852 (sp Joseph & Mary Leaden)
East #4b Connor Leyden & Honora "Norry" Carmody baptizing 1852 (sp John & Mary Leydon), 1857 (sp Martin & Mary Leyden) 1860 (sp Pat Daffy & Ellen Leyden) 1864 (James daffy & Anna Hogan)
East #5a John Daffy & Brigid Beaky 1856
East #6a? John Leyden & Mary Kinnane/ Guinnane of Silshane baptizing 1852 (sp Ml O 'Loughlin & Mgt Fitzgibbon)
East #6a? Matthew Leyden & Mary Kinnane 1859 (sp Martin & Mary Leaden)
Michael Fitzgibbon & Suan O Keffe 1860
West #1 Michael Enright & Biddy McMahon 1857, 1860, 1863
West #3a James Doolin & Johanna Hehir 1853
Patrick Dooli & Brigid Corry 1856
West #4a John Keaty/ Keating & Mary Hogan 1852 (sp Dominic & Mgt Keaty) Martin Keaty & Mary Hogan 1854
James Keaty & Catherine Lynch 1852 (sp Martin Keaty & Margt Griffin) 1853. 1859
West #? James Guerin & Biddy Hehir 1853, 1857,
West #8a Pat Guthrie & Margaret Griffy 1854
West #9 James Guthrie & Brigid McGuane 1854 (sp Michael & Brigid Leyden)
Pat & Loughlin & Brigid Houlihan 1861
Inagh RC Garrivogil Couples baptizing (address confirmed)
Joseph Leyden & Honora Marrinan 1855 (Brigid sp Peter & Anne Marrinan) 1856 (Michael sp Peter ' Susan Marrinan) 1858 (Mary sp Thos Burke Mary Leyden) 1862 (Anne sp Ml & An Greene)
John Leyden & Ann Lynch 1857 (Mary sp Wlm Coman & Mary Lynch) 1862 (Margaret sp Martin & Mary Leyden)
Inagh RC Marriages (no address)
14.05.1859 | John | Leyden | Anne | Lynch | Thomas Barry, Thady Curtin | page 136 |
05.06.1859 | John | Kinnane | Mary | Guthrie | John Leyden, Michael Leyden | page 136 |
07.02.1860 | Michael | Greene | Anne | Marrinan | Joseph Leyden, Thomas Greene | page 136 |
21.02.1860 | John | McMahon | Mary | Leyden | Pat Toohy, Michael Leyden | page 137 |
21.07.1860 | Denis | Sullivan | Mary | Leyden | Simon Madigan, Biddy Halloran | page 137 |
30.01.1861 | Pat | Clune | Anne | Scullane | Thomas Scullane, Martin Leyden | page 138 |
30.01.1861 | Pat | Kelly | Honora | Leyden | Martin Leyden, Michael Leyden | page 138 |
21.09.1861 | John | Scullane | Mary | Casey | Martin Leyden, James Devitt | page 138 bride & groom were [3rd cousins] |
02.02.1863 | James | Sullivan | Honora | Leyden | Michael Hogan, Thomas Burke | page 140 |
23.02.1866 | Patrick | Gilligan | Eleanor | O'Donohue | Martin Leyden, William Leahy | page 100 |
27.01.1869 | Cornelius | Leyden | Mary | Hegarty | Daniel Meehan, Bridget Kelly | page 101 |
09.02.1869 | Michael | Leyden | Catherine | O'Sullivan | John Leyden, Ellen Leyden | page 102 |
01.03.1870 | Pat | Leyden | Ellen | Griffy | Mat Hicky, Mary Griffy | page 102 |
03.02.1872 | Joseph | Hillary | Anne | Leyden | P. Daly, Honor Leahy | page 103 |
12.02.1872 | Michael | Enright | Ellen | Leyden | John Galvan, Brid Purcel | page 104 |
17.02.1873 | Mathew | Hickey | Ellen | Donohue | Thomas Leyden, Ellen Donohue | page 104 |
19.02.1873 | Pat | Leyden | Mary | Donohue | Pat Leyden, Mary Donohue | page 104 | 187 | ||
21.02.1873 | Pat | Leyden | Margaret | Monaghan | Pat and Brid Monaghan | page 104 |
08.01.1875 | Thomas | Meehan | Mary | Murtagh | John Leyden | page 105 | 217 | ||
10.01.1875 | Edmund | Ballinger | Mary | Baky | John McGuan, Margaret Hagarty | page 105 |
10.02.1875 | John | Clare | Brid | O'Brien | Connor Leyden, Margaret Keane | page 105 |
08.02.1876 | Michael | Guerin | Honor | Leyden | Pat McMahon, Bid O'Dea | page 106 |
24.02.1876 | Patrick | McNamara | Brid | Leyden | Michael Gerathy, Mary Kelly | page 106 |
28.02.1876 | James | Guthery | Mary | Leyden | Michael Clune, Mary O'Brien | page 10 |
07.02.1877 | Michael | Leyden | Cath | Hegarty | Thomas Gallery, Mary Howard | page 10 |
13.02.1877 | Pat | Neylon | Anne | Tierney | Thomas Callinan, Mary Leyden | page 107 |
05.02.1878 | Pat | Kelly | Honor | Leyden | Cath Kelly | page 107 |
RC Baptisms giving Silshane as an address:
1859 John Leydon & Mary Kinnane of Silshane invited Martin and Mary Leydon as godparents.
1860 baptism confirms Norah Carmody the wife of Connor Leydon, Ellen Leyden and Patt Daffy godparents). Norah Leydon was still alive in the 1901 Census here.
Ellis Island 1915
Michael Leyden 22 (b1893) & Thomas Leyden 19 (b.1896) sons of John Leyden, Morris Mills, County Clare 24 July 1915 SHIP: Arabic via Liverpool TO: Sister, Nellie Leyden, 140, Lennox Avenue, Providence, Rhode Island
References
ORIENTATION Sileshaun East | Ireland | https://www.townlands.ie/clare/inchiquin/inagh/ballyea/sileshaun-east/ | |
PLACENAME variants Silshane, Soylshane | Ireland | https://www.logainm.ie/en/6585 | |
TITHE Records 1843 for "Silshane" | Ireland | https://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/genealogy/tithe_applot/inagh_tab.htm | |
GRIFFITHS Valuation 1855 | Ireland | https://www.askaboutireland.ie/griffith-valuation/index.xml?action=doNameSearch… | |
Census 1901 Sileshaun BALLYEA | Ireland | http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1901/Clare/Ballyea/Sileshaun_East/ | |
Census 1911 Sileshaun East | Ireland | http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/pages/1911/Clare/Ballyea/Sileshaun__East/ | |
Inagh Schools Collection 1930 | Ireland | https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4922354/4873503/5074772?Route=stories | |
Headstones | Ireland | https://www.igp-web.com/IGPArchives/ire/clare/photos/tombstones/markers.htm |