Hawkswood

The earliest known spelling is Hawswood, meaning The Wood of the Hawthorns but the name seems to have been later corrupted to Hawkswood) is a townland in the civil parish of Kinawley, Barony of Tullyhaw, County Cavan, Ireland.

[6] According to the 'Life of Saint Naile',[7] the original Christian church of Kinawley parish was in Hawkswood townland and was founded by St. Ternoc.

The Life states that Naile arranged a meeting with Saint Mogue (Máedóc of Ferns) at Cluain Caomh, which was the old name for Hawkswood.

The Life of Naile was composed in c. 1520 from earlier sources and is probably a reflection of what originally happened, i.e. Hawkswood church was on the boundary between Tullyhaw or Magh Slécht (where Mogue was the patron saint) and Fermanagh.

In medieval times, Hawkswood was owned by the McGovern Clan and formed part of a ballybetagh spelled (variously) Aghycloony, Aghcloone, Nacloone, Naclone and Noclone (Irish derived place name Áth Chluain, meaning "The Ford of the Meadow", probably meaning the ford over the Cladagh River where the church of Cluain Caomh stood).

[8][9] In the Plantation of Ulster by grant dated 26 June 1615, King James VI and I granted, inter alia, The precinct or parcel of Nacloone otherwise Aghcloone to Sir George Graeme and Sir Richard Graeme to form part of the Manor of Greame.

[10] An Inquisition held at Cavan Town on 31 October 1627 found that Sir Richard Greames of Corrasmongan died on 7 November 1625 seized of, inter alia, one poll in Clonkye.

[12] The Grahams took part in the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and after the war their lands were confiscated under the Act for the Settlement of Ireland 1652 and Hawkswood was given to Thomas Worsop.

The 1652 Commonwealth Survey spells the townland as Cloonkiow with the proprietor being Mr Thomas Worshipp and the tenants being Tiernan McHugh & others.

[13] In the Cavan Poll Book of 1761, there was one person registered to vote in Hawkswood in the Irish general election, 1761[14] - John Beahy of Swanlinbar.