Athenry News & Views Spring 2026

Spring 2026

On 06 December 1905, a letter from the heir of Clooncah (Jos J. Hinde) encouraged the Landlords to sell the land to the tenants who needed it badly. At that time, Baron Ashtown had made a low offer of £3,510 for the Estate, while the tenants had offered £3,600. The letter writer was of the opinion that the highest offer should be accepted. However, there was no opportunity for a response to the letter as on 09 December, the House was destroyed by fire. As a result of the threats and intimidation, police protection was placed at Clooncah House. It was the police who noticed the fire and alerted Patrick Laffy, the caretaker, and his wife. It was reported that they all had a narrow escape. No injuries occurred, but the House was destroyed and many of the family valuables were lost. The aftermath Despite an investigation, nobody was ever charged with or convicted of setting the fire that caused the destruction of Clooncah House. After the fire, it is likely that Baron Ashtown withdrew his offer to purchase the Estate. In 1908, the land surrounding Clooncah House was sold to the tenants as ‘Formerly the Estate of Trustees of W. T. Galway’. The Mitchell and Naughton families lived there until relatively recently. While little of Clooncah House survives today, its history lives on in the area, especially in Clooncah church and Attymon National School, which were built from its stone around 1909. Acknowledgements The author would like to acknowledge the support of Paschal Whyte, for current photographs, and Michelle Mitchell, for research support. Sources: Taylor, George and Skinner, Andrew. Maps of roads of Ireland surveyed 1777, London 1778. Wilson, W. The Post-chaise companion: travellers directory through Ireland, Dublin 1786. Irish Newspaper Archives available at irishnewsarchive.ie Land Commission Advances 1891-1920, available at FindMyPast.ie Local information

Sale of the Clooncah land to the tenants 1908

57