cregganduff

Cregganduff is a townland of 574 statute acres 3 roods and 38 perches in County Armagh about two miles east of Crossmaglen on the road to Newry. It is bounded on the north by Freeduff and Tullynavall, on the east by Lurgancullenboy, on the south by Cregganbane and on the west by Cloghoge. In the Tithe Applotment Books of 1828 the total area of the townland is recorded as 320 acres 3 roods and 32 perches (Plantation Irish measure).

Name of townland

John Donaldson says that "This townland, from which the parish of Creggan takes its name, is now divided into two - the one half being laid off for the glebe. The Rector's division became better cultivated than the rest of the townland, and received the name of Creggan-ban, or white Creggan; but the remaining part, now set to tenents, is equally as rocky and uncultivable as Cregganduff, or Black Creggan, the name by which the other half of the townland is distinguished." ⁽¹⁾

Ordnanace Survey Name Books: Creggan Parish ⁽²⁾

CREGGAN DUFF (OSNB ii 16): There are several portions of bog in this td.. the remainder is under tillage, but the soil is of inferior quality growing light crops. There are several connecting bye roads in this Td. for the convenience of the inhabitants who are very numerous here but their dwellings are rather wretched. The S.W. corner comes down to the village of Creggan.
It contains 574..3..78 of which 59..1..11 is uncultivated and Bog.

Griffiths Valuation records the owner of most of the townland as John J. Biggar with the exception of seven houses and 16 acres belonging to Patrick Murphy. A National School House and a forge (Patrick Murphy) is recorded. Of the 50 land holdings listed, 24 were of less than ten acres, 18 were between ten and twenty acres and eight were of 20 or more acres.

Also at the time of the Valuation the Dundalk Silver, Lead and Copper Mining Company had a mine in the townland. It did not prosper and was closed without making a profit.

Census of Ireland 1901 - Native Irish Speakers

Of the 27 households enumerated, 17 contained at least one native Irish speaker - a total of 23 in all. Since theirs was the last generation to have been born into a predominently Irish speaking environment, their names, occupations and ages are recorded here. All were born in Co. Armagh.

Population Decline

The following table sets out the number of houses and population enumerated in the townland in each of the 11 Censuses held between 1841 and 1951.

In the period of 110 years, the number of households more than halved halved but the population dropped by 76% - more than threequarters. There was a reduction of 141 people (35%) between 1841 and 1851, clearly as a result of the Great Famine. The decline continued for the next century reflecting the continuing effects of the Famine and emigration. As can be seen from the House and Landholder lists, the number of houses in the townland was recovering in the second half of the twentieth century development due to rural redevelopment.

Family Connections

My family lived in the townland between 1952 and 1971, when my parents went to live with my sister, May Treanor, in Preston, Lancashire. As a boy, Creggan graveyard, just down the road in Cregganbane was a favourite place of mine and I often rested on the O'Neill slab, unaware of the vault beneath. From there I went to the Abbey Grammer School in Newry and while working in Newry until I married in 1961.

House and Land Holders

All the Valuations since Griffiths identified those with houses in the townland and those who while living elsewhere leased or owned land there. The Census of Ireland enumerated only households in the townland. The following table uses this approach.

Although the data is not strictly comparable since the information was gathered for different purposes and used varying criteria, the details provide a comparison of the names of house and land holders who were listed in the Townland at the different periods. While we can not discern the direct lines of descent it is clear that many are from the same families.