Michael HYLAND and Catherine DOOLEY

Farm at Morette

Michael HYLAND and family farmed on the Hand Road, Morette.

In the Griffith’s Valuation records of 1851 there is a Michael HYLAND, tenant of the Earl of Portarlington, recorded in the townland of Morett, in the civil parish of Coolbanagher. 

This is the only Michael in the area and therefore likely this is our Michael.

Michael’s land was next to Edward, Eliza and John FLYNN’s – believed to have been close relatives, although I have not been able to document how.

1852 – encumbered estate record

St. Patrick was said to have founded a church at the top of our family’s farm where it goes up to a point.

The cow house to the right was built in 1876, the year before Michael’s death, evidenced by the placement of a marked stone in the wall.

The house, originally thatched along with the outbuildings, was roofed in the 1940s.

Marriage and family

Given Irish naming traditions it seems probable that Michael was the son of John Hyland (who was probably the son of the William Hyland mentioned in the previous blog.)

Michael HYLAND and Catherine DOOLEY married in Maryborough (Portlaoise) on November 30th 1848, witnessed by William HYLAND of Morette and Bridget Donahan of ‘Ballidavis’. This marriage took place during the years of the Great Famine.

Their children were baptised in Portarlington Parish.

They had the following children:

John’s baptism:

Michael’s baptism:

William’s baptism:

Bridget’s baptism:

Patrick’s baptism:

William (the second) baptism:

Our Hyland family was known as the “Longs”.  Sons John and William – “Billy”- were both very big men, known as “Long Jack” and “Big Bill”.

It is possible Michael (the elder) had an unmarried sister, Catherine, who lived with the family and acted as housekeeper. Local historian JH (living) believes the death certificate below relates to this branch of the Hylands.

Deaths of Michael and Catherine

Michael HYLAND (the elder) died on 20^th August 1877, aged 72 years.  He died of “rheumatic pains 20 years.”  His wife predeceased him.

It seems likely that Catherine (Dooley) HYLAND had died between 1860 and the year 1864 when records started.

Hyland children

Following the Famine subdivision of land and early marriage ceased. Green (2001) states: For many, the price of holding together the family farm was to remain unmarried.  For others, it was emigration. The second and third (surviving) sons were the only Hylands from this branch to marry. Michael initially farmed nearby and Patrick, my great grandfather, entered the Royal Irish Constabulary. The rest of the siblings – John, Bridget and William – lived together on the farm until their deaths. They were joined by their first cousin, Patrick DOOLEY, the son of their maternal uncle Patrick, who worked on the farm.

In 1889 the sitting Earl of Portarlington died with a £60,000 mortgage still outstanding on the estate. Foreclosure triggered the estate sale under the Lands Acts and tenants were able to buy the land with money advanced from the Irish Lands Commission.

The HYLAND cousins bought their farms at last.

Census records

1901 Census

The house and building return shows us that the farm had 8 outbuildings.   The family occupied four rooms, and there were three windows to the front of the house as can be seen in the photo.

1911 Census

Bridget, who sounds as if she died following a stroke, is likely to have been the family housekeeper.

John’s personal estate was left to his brother Michael’s son Michael for administration after his death in 1936.

Bill HYLAND was the last of this Hyland family to die in 1945.  He was aged 85 years old. Bill died in the County Home from myocarditis – inflammation of the heart muscle. It seems likely that this is the man my aunt Breda recalled visiting in hospital as a child.

Bill’s personal estate was left to his brother Michael’s son Michael for administration after his death in 1945.

The farm was sold to the FLYNNs. It was reportedly divided into 18 portions, and each recipient got about 90 pounds apiece out of it (Source: JH, living).

The buildings have become derelict.

Family memories

My mother’s generation were a little vague on the earlier Hyland generations but there were some accuracies in amongst the inaccuracies. My aunt Maura recalled Patrick’s family were from Morette, Emo.  Also, that there were cousins in Carlow, including a Michael HYLAND, who was “maybe dada’s cousin.”  She knew that John had not married and that his cousin lived with him – she thought he was a DOOLEY. Bridget she knew hadn’t married either, and was quite old when she died (74). Maura had been to the house. My mother remembered attending her great uncle Johnny’s funeral “at Emo.” My aunt Breda recalled visiting a John HYLAND in Mountmellick hospital, and thought she attended his funeral, She thought there had been a 102 year old cousin on the DOOLEY side. [2] Dinny “the pole-vaulter” was also known to be a relative of their father.

[1] JH’s grandfather John HYLAND also bought their land in 1897.  Prior to that he’d paid 7 pounds a years rental (record 27/02/1895).

[2] While a number of Dooleys made it well into their 90s the only Dooley to reach such an age between 1864 and 1969 was Betty Dooley, 102, from Clonduff, north west of Mountmellick. We can see in the death certificate that her death was notified by a Pat Dooley.