Coosan

The area known as Coosan

(by the late Billy English)

The countryside north of Athlone and bounded by the river Shannon and Lough Ree is normally referred to as Coosan. This locality comprises the townlands of Hillquarter, Clonbrusk, Coosan, Meehan and Creaghduff, an area of about 1,500 acres. This territory - with other lands - constitutes the Barony of Brawny, the latter corresponding more or less with the present parish of St. Mary's. Anciently called Breaghmaine, but in the Down Survey (circa 1655) it is styled the territory of Brawny.The local Gaelic family name of O'Braoin probably originates from this territorial title. In time it became O'Breen, O'Bryan and in modern usage Bryan. The Breensford river, the townland of Carrickobreen and probably the townlands of Bryanmore and Bryanbeg all originate with this patronymic. In Carrickobreen can still be seen "O'Breen's Rock", possibly the inauguration stone of the chiefs of this ancient Gaelic family. Coosan Castle was a tower-house of the O'Breens.The Coosan locality - due to its location - was undoubtedly occupied in Neolithic times (circa 3000 B.C.) This can be verified by some stone axes found in the immediate area, and also by the possible remains of a megalithic tomb (circa 2000 B.C.), located on top of a sand hill in a field east of Coosan Church. Bronze Age man also inhabited the locality, as shown by some bronze axes found in Clonbrusk on the Shannon bank. Early Christian man followed and must have constructed two raths (ring forts) which survive, and was probably the builder of a souterrain (cave) still to be seen on Sean Macken's land in Creaghduff. From this "cave" we have the origin of the name Coosan - the Irish "cuasan", a cavern or cave. About the year 530 A.D. St.Ciaran founded the monastery of Twyford (Iseal Chiarain), he then moved to Hare Island (Inis Ainghin) and from there in 548 he established Clonmacnoise. St.Ciaran died in 549. As Hare Island and Iseal Chiarain adjoin St. Mary's parish, the saint was certainly acquainted with the lands of Coosan. A legend has it that he departed from Hare Island following the theft of his cow. The O'Breen family held the lands until the land confiscations in 1641 when all their territory was granted to Gilbert Eccles. The Book of Survey and Distribution lists Carbery, Garett, and Kedagh Byrne as the principal owners. The Eccles family appear to have sold their lands to the Rochfords in the eighteenth century, the latter sold to John Ennis circa 1828. For this sale the estate was described as lands of the late Gustavus Rochford, containing 1,131 profitable acres with 28 tenants. From Ennis it passed to the O'Donoghues of Ballinahown and until purchased by the Irish Land Commission the lands were designated the O'Donoghue Estate.One of the Rochfords intended to build a mansion in Coosan. He commenced by erecting a curious set of arches to straddle an avenue on his estate, under which he hoped to drive on his wedding day. When his fiancee died suddenly, the scheme was abandoned when only the third arch had been commenced. one of these arches survived until c.1930 when the County Council demolished it as being unsafe. It crossed the road north of Coosan Church and was placed in front of Charlie Hughes' house. The second arch survives in a field fence west of Coosan School.The land of Coosan are of a good agricultural quality and down the years must have acted as a market garden for Athlone, supplying vegetables and grain to the corn mills of the town. Flax was grown for the Athlone flax market, and especially for the home trade - this is confirmed by the name of a local field "The Bleach", on which Coosan Church was built. The only small industries of the Coosan area were boat-building, the manufacture of bricks at Brick Island, and the cutting of stone at Coosan Point for the building of Athlone Bridge in 1567. Local knowledge has it that considerable home weaving was carried on, which brought to the area the craft of button-making from animal horns and bones. Both were trades necessary to supply an important town such as Athlone.

24 hour webcam views of Coosan Point and Lough Ree, and a 360 degree shot of Killinure Point here

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[img]http://www.athlonelive.com/forum/uploaded/centurion/200711565635_hare.jpg[/img][/center]
[center][black][size=2][b]The area known as Coosan[/b][/size=2][size=1][i](by the late Billy English - taken from the booklet published for the opening of Coosan Church in 1973)[/i][/size=1]
The countryside north of Athlone and bounded by the river Shannon and Lough Ree is normally referred to as Coosan. This locality comprises the townlands of Hillquarter, Clonbrusk, Coosan, Meehan and Creaghduff, an area of about 1,500 acres. This territory - with other lands - constitutes the Barony of Brawny, the latter corresponding more or less with the present parish of St. Mary's. Anciently called Breaghmaine, but in the Down Survey (circa 1655) it is styled the territory of Brawny.
The local Gaelic family name of O'Braoin probably originates from this territorial title. In time it became O'Breen, O'Bryan and in modern usage Bryan. The Breensford river, the townland of Carrickobreen and probably the townlands of Bryanmore and Bryanbeg all originate with this patronymic. In Carrickobreen can still be seen "O'Breen's Rock", possibly the inauguration stone of the chiefs of this ancient Gaelic family. Coosan Castle was a tower-house of the O'Breens.
The Coosan locality - due to its location - was undoubtedly occupied in Neolithic times (circa 3000 B.C.) This can be verified by some stone axes found in the immediate area, and also by the possible remains of a megalithic tomb (circa 2000 B.C.), located on top of a sand hill in a field east of Coosan Church. Bronze Age man also inhabited the locality, as shown by some bronze axes found in Clonbrusk on the Shannon bank. Early Christian man followed and must have constructed two raths (ring forts) which survive, and was probably the builder of a souterrain (cave) still to be seen on Sean Macken's land in Creaghduff. From this "cave" we have the origin of the name Coosan - the Irish "cuasan", a cavern or cave. About the year 530 A.D. St.Ciaran founded the monastery of Twyford (Iseal Chiarain), he then moved to Hare Island (Inis Ainghin) and from there in 548 he established Clonmacnoise. St.Ciaran died in 549. As Hare Island and Iseal Chiarain adjoin St. Mary's parish, the saint was certainly acquainted with the lands of Coosan. A legend has it that he departed from Hare Island following the theft of his cow. The O'Breen family held the lands until the land confiscations in 1641 when all their territory was granted to Gilbert Eccles. [i]The Book of Survey and Distribution[/i] lists Carbery, Garett, and Kedagh Byrne as the principal owners. The Eccles family appear to have sold their lands to the Rochfords in the eighteenth century, the latter sold to John Ennis circa 1828. For this sale the estate was described as lands of the late Gustavus Rochford, containing 1,131 profitable acres with 28 tenants. From Ennis it passed to the O'Donoghues of Ballinahown and until purchased by the Irish Land Commission the lands were designated the O'Donoghue Estate.
One of the Rochfords intended to build a mansion in Coosan. He commenced by erecting a curious set of arches to straddle an avenue on his estate, under which he hoped to drive on his wedding day. When his fiancee died suddenly, the scheme was abandoned when only the third arch had been commenced. one of these arches survived until c.1930 when the County Council demolished it as being unsafe. It crossed the road north of Coosan Church and was placed in front of Charlie Hughes' house. The second arch survives in a field fence west of Coosan School.
The land of Coosan are of a good agricultural quality and down the years must have acted as a market garden for Athlone, supplying vegetables and grain to the corn mills of the town. Flax was grown for the Athlone flax market, and especially for the home trade - this is confirmed by the name of a local field "The Bleach", on which Coosan Church was built.
The only small industries of the Coosan area were boat-building, the manufacture of bricks at Brick Island, and the cutting of stone at Coosan Point for the building of Athlone Bridge in 1567. Local knowledge has it that considerable home weaving was carried on, which brought to the area the craft of button-making from animal horns and bones. Both were trades necessary to supply an important town such as Athlone. [/black][/center]
[center][green][b][font=Georgia]24 hour webcam views of Coosan Point and Lough Ree, and a 360 degree shot of Killinure Point [url="http://www.waveline.ie/eng/webcam.htm"]here[/url][/font=Georgia][/b][/green][/center]
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