Tonlegee

Tonlegee (from Irish Tóin le Gaoith meaning Bottom of the Hill facing the Wind)[citation needed] is a townland in the civil parish of Templeport, County Cavan, Ireland.

[1] 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.

Tonlegee was located in the ballybetagh of Ballymackgonghan (Irish = Baile Mac Eochagain, meaning 'McEoghan's Town').

[2] Ballaghaneo is now the townland of Ballaghanea in Lurgan Parish, County Cavan, on the shores of Lough Ramor, so the O'Reillys were removed a long way from their home by the Plantation.

Hugh Reyly was the great-grandnephew of the chief of the O'Reilly clan, Eoghan na Fésóige mac Seoain, who ruled East Breifne from 1418 to 1449.

The O’Reilly lands in Tonlegee were confiscated in the Cromwellian Act for the Settlement of Ireland 1652 and were distributed as follows- The 1652 Commonwealth Survey depicts the townland as Clanmoyn with the proprietor being Captain Payne.

A lease dated 31 January 1718 from Morley Saunders to John Enery of Bawnboy includes the lands of Tonlegee.