Sheskin
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Sheskin (or traditionally Sheskinmore) is a townland in the north of County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland. It is centered at approximately , with an average altitude of 1003 feet. Sheskin is part of the Parish of Tydavnet. Sheskin is about 3 miles from the village of Scotstown and about 8 miles from Monaghan town. Sheskin is straddled in the east by the River Blackwater, Northern Ireland and in the south by one of it's tributaries, which converge at the south eastern corner of the townland.
Other townlands and places in Ireland have the same name, or similar derivatives. The name derives from the Irish Gaelic word for marsh, and probably refers to the significant area of bogland within the townland.
[edit] History
It is understood that Sheskin is the location where Potato Blight was first identified in Monaghan, in the Autumn of 1845, the dread disease that ultimately led to the Irish Famine. This event is now commenorated by the famine stone located at the bottom of the Black Hill, in the south east of the townland. In Monaghan alone anywhere from 20-30% of the population would ultimately die during the famine. Although the mountain districts of the north were not as badly hit as the south of county Monaghan, it should be noted that Corblonog the townland just to the east of Sheskin still has a location known as Porridge Hill, where the Williamson family provided gruel to those who needed it during the famine.
Sheskin is on record as having a blacksmith located there in 1938.
Sheskin was the location of Killycarnan National School, a two classroom building, before it was closed in the 1980s and the students relocated to either Knockatallon National School or Urbleshanny National School in Scotstown. The school has now been renovated into a private residence. The name Killycarnan comes from the name of another townland adjacent to Sheskin and the site of a previous national school which pre-dated the Sheskin school.
[edit] External links
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