Gortawee

Gortawee (also called Scotchtown) is a townland in the Parish of Tomregan, Barony of Tullyhaw, County Cavan, Ireland.

The townland name is an anglicisation of the Gaelic placename "Gort Aodh Bhuide" which means 'Hugh Boy's Field'.

Its chief geographical features are the Shannon-Erne Waterway which flows north along its eastern boundary, some tree plantations and a foothill of Slieve Rushen mountain reaching to 203 feet (62 m) above sea-level.

An Inquisition held in Cavan Town on 20 September 1630 stated that Walter Talbot's lands included one poll in Gortewey.

[7] James Talbot married Helen Calvert, the daughter of George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore of Maryland, USA, in 1635 and had a son Colonel George Talbot who owned an estate in Cecil County, Maryland which he named Ballyconnell in honour of his native town in Cavan.

[8] Gwyllym's name first appears in the area as the owner in the 1652 Commonwealth Survey, which lists the townland as belonging to Captain Gwilliams.

After the restoration of King Charles II to the throne in 1660, James Talbot tried to have the Ballyconnell estate restored to him but a final grant was made to Thomas Gwyllym in August 1666,[10] which included 107 acres-2 roods-32 perches in Gortewee alias Gortevill alias Rathkylan, so the townland seems to have been merged with Gortawee at that time.

[11] The Gwyllym estate was sold for £8,000 in 1724 to Colonel Alexander Montgomery (1686–1729) of Convoy House, County Donegal, M.P.

In 1856 they sold the estate to take advantage of its increased value owing to the opening of the Woodford Canal through the town in the same year.

The estate, including Gortawee, was split up among different purchasers and maps & details of previous leases of the sold parts are still available.

[14] In the Cavan Poll Book of 1761, there were two people registered to vote in Gortawee in the Irish general election, 1761: John Clarke and George Irwin.

[15] The Tithe Applotment Books for 1827 list the following tithepayers in the townland- Mitten, Reilly, Fitzsimons, Bedell, Curry.

[16] The Ordnance Survey Name Books for 1836 give the following description of the townland- Gort Aodha Bhuídhe, 'Hugh Boy's field'.

The R205 road at Gortawee, Scotchtown, Tomregan, County Cavan, Ireland, heading SSW towards Ballyconnell town.