“The Townlands of Lackagh Parish” is the largest publication endeavour by Lackagh museum and Community Development Association since the publication of ‘In Their Own W ords’ twenty years ago.
The book by Michael J.Hurley, which deals with the thirty-eight townlands that comprise the Civil Parish of Lackagh is due for publication in the next couple of weeks and has been eagerly anticipated locally.
The book deals in great depth with the whole question of land ownership and tenantry down to the foundation of the state while providing much information on the various landlord families that owned land here.
Each townland is dealt with as an entity with details of residents and holdings up to the 1911 Census of ireland. Other topics covered include turloughmore GAA, street furniture of the parish, and The Battle of Knock doe in 1504.
Much use has been made of local newspapers, and news items relating to each townland have been selected to reflect life in the area in thme late nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
A particularly valuable inclusion are the details from the estate book of Joseph Meldon of Coolarne which provided us with detailed maps of five townlands and their residents at the late part of the 1800s.
Generous sponsorship will enable us to sell the book at a retail price of just €13 which is an extremely low price for a full-colour publication of 320 pages. The book contains almost 350 illustrations from the collection of Lackagh Museum, local residents, and more modern pictures by the author, Michael Hurley.
As Covie-19 restrictions will make a ceremony to launch of the book an impossibility sale will probably be confined to shops and by mailing, until lifting of limitations permits us to sell from houses. We will be dependent on social media, newsprint, and radio coverage for exposure of the book. Your word of mouth will be invaluable. ‘If you like it tell everybody, if you don’t like it, say nothing’. Watch the Turloughmore notes for updates on the availabilit of this important book in the annals of the Parish of Lackagh.
