Tullybrack

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Tullybrack is a small rural area (townland) in Templeport parish, County Cavan, Ireland. The Irish name Tulaigh Bhreac means “Speckled Hillock.” It lies in the Roman Catholic parish of Corlough and in the barony of Tullyhaw. The townland covers about 192 acres and is bordered by Tullyloughfin to the north, Owencam to the west, Tullywaum and Tullytrasna to the south, and Eaglehill and Corracholia More to the east. The terrain includes a mountain stream and a gravel pit, and it is crossed by minor roads and rural lanes.

History of settlement: The land is mainly bog and poor clay, so it was probably uninhabited at first. It was not seized during the 17th-century Plantations, so some dispossessed Irish families moved there to farm. An 1816 lease by John Enery of Bawnboy includes Tullybrack. The 1826 Tithe Applotment lists tithepayers such as Darcy, Finlay, Magauran and McGoldrick. The 1836 Ordnance Survey notes 192 acres with 79 cultivated bog pasture and 4 bog, plus a large mountain stream to the north. Valuation field books exist from 1839.

Population over the years: In 1841 there were 10 houses and 51 people. By 1851 there were 12 houses and 68 people. The Great Famine did not severely reduce the population. Griffith’s Valuation in 1857 lists thirteen landholders. In 1861 the population was 72 in 12 houses; in 1871 it was 59 in 13 houses; in 1881 it was 70 in 14 houses; and in 1891 it was 87 in 15 houses. In 1901 there were fifteen families, and in 1911 thirteen families.

Tullybrack National School is the main historical site in the townland. It was built after 1842. A hedge schoolmaster, John O’Hara from Corlough, helped plan the school and later served on the teaching staff. The school ground measured 2 roods 1 perch. In 1846 the boys’ school had about 180 pupils and the girls’ school about 128. Later years showed similar numbers for both sexes, with fluctuations into the late 19th century.