Oughtmama

Oughtmama
Ucht Máma
Civil parish

Ruins of two small churches in Oughtmama, now almost concealed by hazel regrowth
Oughtmama

Location in Ireland

Coordinates: 53°09′05″N 9°05′42″W / 53.151429°N 9.09497°WCoordinates: 53°09′05″N 9°05′42″W / 53.151429°N 9.09497°W
Country Ireland
Province Munster
County County Clare
Time zone WET (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference R330871

Oughtmama (Irish: Ucht Máma[1]) is a civil parish in County Clare. It lies in the Burren, a region in the northwest of the county.

Location

The parish is in the extreme north of the barony of Burren, and the county of Clare. The parish is 3.75 by 2.5 miles (6.04 by 4.02 km) and covers 9,843 acres (3,983 ha). The parish holds Lough Murree, a lake of 34 acres (14 ha). It has two headlands that extend into Galway Bay, Aughinish Point and Finavarra Point. The land is mostly low-lying, rising to Abbey Hill in the east at 795 feet (242 m) above sea level. It contains the villages of Aughinish and Finavarra. The population in 1841 was 2,075 in 325 houses.[2]

Antiquities

The name of the parish, Ucht mama, means "the breast of the high pass". The parish takes its name from the townland of Oughtmama in the east, and describes the situation of that townland on one of the hills that surround the Corcomroe valley.[3] There are three churches in this townland, two of them are well preserved, lying together in a straight line. The third is a ruin about 300 yards (270 m) away. Based on old records, the churches may be assumed to have been built to honor three saints, each named Colman. A small distance to the northeast of the churches is a holy well dedicated to St. Colman. There are records of a Franciscan abbey called Beagh, which must have stood in the townland of that name, but there are no traces of it, and no tradition.[3]

There are various cairns and cahers, mostly ruined, including a remarkable but unnamed cairn on the top of Knockycallanan hill.[3] The ruins of Turlough Castle lie on the border of a lough.[4] It is almost level with the ground, as is the castle of Finvarra. Both castles belonged to the O’Loghlen family.[3] The hereditary poets of the O’Loghlens in Finnavarra were the O’Daly family. They moved to Galway towards the end of the 15th century. One of their descendants was James Daly, 1st Baron Dunsandle and Clanconal.[3] In 1837 there were Martello towers on Aughinish Point and Finavarra Point.[4] Finavarra Tower, built around 1810, is still standing.[5]

Townlands

The townlands are Aghawinnaun, Aughinish, Behagh, Boloona, Coolnatullagh, Cragballyconoal, Deelin Beg, Deelin More, Finavarra Demesne, Gortaclare, Gortboyheen, Kilweelran, Knockycallanan, Newquay, Oughtmama, Poulaphuca, Rine, Scanlan's Island, Slievecarran and Turlough.[6]

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