Rathkeelan

Rathkeelan is a townland of 338 statute acres 1 rood and 18 perches to the immediate north and west of Crossmaglen, extending from several hundred yards north of the Culloville Road and straddling the Castleblaney and Carron Roads. It is bounded on the north by Creenkill, on the east by Carran and Urcher, on the South by Crossmaglen, and on the west by Creevekeeran and Loughross. The townland includes just short of 12 statute acres of the town of Crossmaglen. In the Tithe Applotment Books 1828 the area of the townland is given as 192 acres 1 rood and 13 perches (Plantation Irish measure).

Name of townland

Rath Caolain, "Keelan's fort" ⁽¹⁾.

There are two townlands called 'Rathkeelan' in Ireland. The other one is in County Fermanagh.

Ordnanace Survey Name Books: Creggan Parish ⁽²⁾

RATHKEELAN (OSNB ii11 44): It lies on the west of the town of Crossmaglen, part of which may be said to be In this townland. The road to Castleblaney runs straight thro' It E. and W. There are a good many scattered dwellings In this td., also an old fort. Soil light but well cultivated.
It contains 338..2..27 of which 15..2..24 Is uncultivated and Bog.

Valuation

Although the decimalisation of the currency was introduced only in 1971, all of the valuations in the following table have been converted from £sd for convenience.

Year	1837	1851	1864	1871	1881	1891	1901	1911	1926	1935	1952	1957	1974
Valuation	£195.37	£235.00	£292.50	£293.00	£297.40	£329.50	£331.25	£342.00	£343.50	£450.50	£460.50	£1,663.50	£2,582.30

The 1837 Townland Valuation recorded only houses worth £5 or more a year. There were no such houses in the townland and it is recorded that 29 houses were exempt.

The increase in value 1957-1971 reflects the development of a housing estate, Rathview Park, Crossmaglen, within the townland.

The names of those listed in the 1864 and subsequent Valuations within the town of Crossmaglen have been excluded. They appear as part of the town itself.

Griffiths Valuation records that the land was owned by John Clooney and Peter Murphy.

Census of Ireland 1901

The Census enumerated 99 persons in 19 households; a ratio of 5.2 people per household. The households occupied a total of 43 rooms, a ratio of 2.3 rooms per household and 2.3 people per room. Two people each occupied a single room dwelling, eleven had two rooms, five has 3 rooms and one had four rooms. Ten of the dwellings were thatched.

Native Irish Speakers

Of the 19 households enumerated in the Census, seven contained at least one native Irish speaker - 8 in all. Since theirs was the last generation to have been born into a predominently Irish speaking environment, their names, occupations and ages are recorded here. All were born in Co. Armagh with the exception of Francis Long and Mary Borden, both born in Co. Louth.

• Francis Long, carpenter, 42
• Sarah Hughes, seamstress, 70
• Mary Borden, seamstress, 65
• Thomas Traynor, farmer, 45
• John McCabe, farmer, 62
• Patrick McCabe, farmer, 55
• Patrick Hanratty, farmer, 26
  and his sister Minnie, general servant, 21

Population Decline and Recovery

The following table sets out the number of houses and population enumerated in the townland in each of the 11 Censuses held between 1841 and 1951.

	1841	1851	1861	1871	1881	1891	1901	1911	1926	1937	1951
Houses	56	52	32	49	21	18	19	22	46	69	57
People	302	243	144	179	102	98	102	94	221	244	216
People per house	5.4	4.7	4.5	3.7	4.9	5.4	5.4	4.3	4.8	3.5	3.8

In the 70 years between 1841 and 1911 the number of households reduced by 61% and the population by 69%. Thereafter the population increased. However this increase can be accounted for in that part of the townland on which the town of Crossmaglen stands.

Names of House and Land Holders ⁽³⁾

The following table sets of the names of those who owned or rented houses and land on the townland at the time the valuation records or population censuses were compiled.