Killywillin

Killywillin (from Irish Coill an Mhuillinn, 'Wood of the Mill') is a townland in the civil parish of Templeport, County Cavan, Ireland.

Its chief geographical features are Killywillin Lough, the River Blackwater, County Cavan, spring wells and a quarry.

In medieval times the McGovern barony of Tullyhaw was divided into economic taxation areas called ballibetoes, from the Irish Baile Biataigh (Anglicized as 'Ballybetagh'), meaning 'A Provisioner's Town or Settlement'.

The original purpose was to enable the farmer, who controlled the baile, to provide hospitality for those who needed it, such as poor people and travellers.

The historical spellings of the ballybetagh are Ballymackgawran & Ballimacgawran (Irish = Baile Mhic Shamhráin = McGovern's Town).

The earliest known mention of Killywillin is in the Irish annals for 1495 A.D. concerning the death of the McGovern clan chief, Feidhlimidh Mág Samhradháin, the First, who ruled from 1478 to 15 Feb 1495.

This is confirmed in a visitation by George Carew, 1st Earl of Totnes in autumn 1611 when he states that Magauran had his own land given him on this division.

[7] An Inquisition of King Charles I of England held in Cavan town on 4 October 1626 stated that the aforesaid Phelim Magawrane died on 20 January 1622 and his lands, including one poll of Killemullan, went to his son, the McGovern chief Brian Magauran who was aged 30 (born 1592) and married.

[8] The McGovern lands in Killywillin were confiscated in the Cromwellian Act for the Settlement of Ireland 1652 and were distributed as follows- The 1652 Commonwealth Survey lists the proprietor as Hugh McCahy.

[11] In the Templeport Poll Book of 1761 there were three people registered to vote in Killywilly in the 1761 Irish general election[12] - Robert Johnston, Thomas Jones and Alexander Patterson.

The description is- Map of Killywilly (Killawilla or Killwilly), part of Ballymagauran, 'the coppy, and the commons,' held by Lancelot Slack from the Right Honourable Marquis of Waterford.

[16][17] On 3 November 1844 a threatening notice was posted on the house of Peter Kiernan of Killywillin ordering him, in the name of Captain Smart, to deliver up possession of his holdings from which the former tenants were ejected for non-payment of rent.