murrin killybegs

Mulloy Family of Donegal

Inniskeel Civil Parish

There are many meany meanings to this surname. Perhaps this name is derived from the Irish words “Mullagh a Loagh” which is translated as ‘front of the battle’. Perhaps this name means ‘descendent of Maolmhuadh’, and derives from maol ‘chieftain’ and muadh ‘proud’.

The Mulloy or O’Mulloy family is considered part of the ‘Heremonean’ line of the Ui Niall. This family is part of the southern Ui Neill, who claim descent from Niall of the Nine Hostages. Molloy was the preferred spelling in the 19^th century, and Mulloy may have been its earlier spelling.

How does our Smith family connect with the Mulloy family? Mary McGonigle, daughter of Francis and Kate, married Anthony Mulloy, Jr. However, Anthony Mulloy, Sr., married Mary Murrin. Mary Murrin was Kate (Murrin) McGonigle’s cousin.

The Hearth Money Rolls was a tax on hearths and stoves found in homes. This tax was passed by the English Parliament for the purpose of raising revenue. This tax is considered a ‘census substitute’ as no census exists from that time period. The following Mulloy surnames were listed as paying this tax in Donegal:

In 1837 Inniskeel had 8,226 people. This parish derives its name from a monastery founded on an island within the parish. During this time there were two Roman Catholic churches found in the Civil Parish. One was located in Fintown and the other in Glenties. Other places of worship included the Established Church of Ireland (Anglican) and Wesleyan Methodists.

According to his obituary, Anthony Mulloy Sr., was born in Glentiss Parish. Glenties (official name is Na Gleannta meaning ‘The Glens’) is located in central Donegal. This village is the largest center of population in the parish of Inniskeel. The following shows a map of County Donegal. Highlighted in ‘red’ is Inniskeel Civil Parish. Highlighted in ‘light blue’ is Killybegs Upper Civil Parish where our Murrin and McGonigle ancestors lived. You can also see the location of Glenties village. This village is contained within two Irish townlands, Drumnasillagh and Gortnamucklagh.

The Primary Valuation of Ireland started in 1848 and lasted for another 16 years. The survey valuated property to determine how much ‘Poor Law’ taxes landholders would pay. This tax was assessed against most landholders regardless whether they rented or owned land.

This tax hit the poorest landholders the most. Many large landholdings were exempt from taxes, and these exemptions mostly benefited the wealthy landowners. The poor Irish tenement farmers paid the lion’s share of these taxes. In effect the poorest landholders contributed the most to the Poor Law Unions. For Inniskeel Parish the poorhouse was located in Glenties.

The following maps show three sections of Inniskeel Civil Parish subdivided by townlands. A townland in Ireland could be as small as an acre or several thousand acres. The first map shows townlands nearest to Killybegs Upper Civil Parish. Each map also indicates ‘Molloy’ and ‘Mulloy’ surnames who are identified as landholders in the Griffith Valuation Survey for Donegal.

The following map shows another section of Inniskeel Civil Parish. Glenties village is contained within two townlands, Drumnasillagh (53) and Gortnamucklagh (63). The name, Anthony Molloy, only appears once in this survey and is found in Gortnamucklagh in the town of Glenties. This survey was published in 1859 and may not be Anthony Mulloy, Sr., as described earlier. However, it may suggest this area is where his kin all resided in Ireland.

The next map shows another section of Inniskeel Parish, and also displays where other Molloy/Mulloy surnames lived in Donegal during the mid-19^th century.

The Slaters Directory of 1870 for Glenties includes the following Mulloy listings: