Slievebrickan
Slievebrickan is a townland in the Parish of Tomregan, Barony of Loughtee Lower, County Cavan, Ireland. The townland name is an anglicisation of the Gaelic placename "Sliabh Bricín" which means ‘The Mountain of Saint Bricín'. It derives its name from St. Bricín who was the abbot of Tomregan University in 637 AD which was in the nearby townland of Mullynagolman. The oldest surviving mention of the name is in a patent of King James I (7 July 1613 (Pat. 11 James I – LXXI – 38), where it is spelled ‘Slewbricken’.
It is bounded on the north & west by Agharaskilly townland, on the east by Cloncollow townland, on the south by Fartrin townland. Its chief geographical feature is a drumlin hill reaching to 235 feet above sea-level.
Slievebrickan is traversed by the Killeshandra Road and Slievebrickan Lane.
The townland covers 132 statute acres.
In the 1609 Plantation of Ulster, Slievebrickan formed part of lands which were granted to John Sandford of Castle Doe, Co. Donegal by letters patent dated 7 July 1613 (Pat. 11 James I – LXXI – 38, ‘Slewbricken’). It was later sold by Sandford to his wife's uncle Sir Toby Caulfield, Master of the Ordnance and Caulfield had the sale confirmed by letters patent of 12 July 1620 (Pat. 19 James I. XI. 45 ‘‘Slewbreckin’’). Coincidentally the townland was later part owned by John Sandford's daughter, Magdalen Gwyllym the wife of Thomas Gwyllym, the owner of the Ballyconnell estate.
Griffith's Valuation of 1857 lists the landlords of the townland as Jones, Griffith and Donohoe & the tenants as Wynne, Donohoe and Griffith. In the 1911 census of Ireland, there are two families listed in the townland.[1]
The historic sites in the townland are a medieval ringfort on the east side of the Killeshandra Road (Site number 1110, page 137, Slievebrickan townland, in "Archaeological Inventory of County Cavan", Patrick O’Donovan, 1995); a Penal Law Mass Rock and an upright Standing Stone reputed to have been blessed by Saint Patrick on his visit to the parish in 435 AD.
References
- ↑ Census of Ireland 1911.