Evlagh More

Content sourced from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.

Evlagh More is a townland in the civil parish of Kildallan, in the barony of Tullyhunco, County Cavan, Ireland. The Irish name Aibhleach Mór means “The Big Place of Fires,” probably from lime-burning. It is bordered by Evlagh Beg to the west, Aghnacreevy and Drumminnion to the east, Drumlarah to the south, and Cornacrum to the north. The Rag River, small streams and forestry plantations are its main features. Minor roads and rural lanes cross the area. The townland covers 139 acres.

Different old maps spell the name differently: Eyulagh (1609), Evelagh (1611), Leuella (1641), Evlaghmore (1652), Euelaghmore (1665), and Erelaghmore (1685). From medieval times until the early 1600s, the land belonged to the McKiernan clan.

In 1611, as part of the Plantation of Ulster, Evelagh was granted first to Thomas Jones-Evelagh and then to Thomas Johnes. During the Irish Rebellion of 1641, rebel leaders from the area were named in depositions, and there were raids and robberies connected to the conflict.

After the rebellion, Evlaghmore is listed as belonging to James Thornton in the 1652 Commonwealth Survey. A 1668 grant from King Charles II confirmed lands including Evallaghmore to James Thornton. A 1750 marriage settlement mentions lands in Evlaghmore held by the Faris family.

In the 18th century, the Cavan Poll Book of 1761 shows one voter in Evelagh More, suggesting most residents were not freeholders. The 1790 Cavan Carvaghs list spells the name as Eulagh-more. Ambrose Leet’s 1814 Directory records the name Evlagh. The Tithe Applotment Books (1823–1837) list seven tithepayers in the townland. In 1832 one resident, Alexander Bothwell, is listed as a keeper of weapons (one sword). The Evlagh More Valuation Office books exist for May 1838.

In 1851, under the Encumbered Estates Court, Lot 2 of Evlaghmore (the townland itself, about 140 acres) was sold for £1,000 to Mr. William Galbraith, while Lot 1 (Macken and neighboring lands) sold for £5,390 to Mrs. Elizabeth Galbraith. Griffith’s Valuation of 1857 lists four landholders in the townland. In the 1901 census there was one family living in Evlagh More, and the same was true in the 1911 census.