Barony of Tiaquin

The barony of Tiaquin covers a vast area of County Galway that spans over the nine civil parishes of Killoscobe, Moylough, Ballymacward, Killosolan, Clonkeen, Monivea, Killimordaly, Abbeyknockmoy and Killererin and embraces 248 townlands across the four poor law unions of Mountbellew, Ballinasloe, Loughrea and Tuam covering a total of c76,000 acres.

The original spelling was ‘Tyaquin’ and translates as Tigh Dachaoine or Saint Dachonna’s House and the townland of Tiaquin Demesne was the location of Tiaquin House while the remains of the O’Kelly stronghold of Tiaquin Castle are also close by.

In addition to Tiaquin the entire County of Galway is served by the following baronies: Ballynahinch, Ross, Moycullen, Clare, Athenry, Galway, Dunkellin, Kiltartan, Loughrea, Leitrim, Longford, Kilconnell, Killian, Ballymoe, Dunmore, Clommacnowen, and Arran

Origins of Tiaquin

Dachonna, originally Conainne, (fl. c. 500) was a female Irish missionary and saint who evangalised in the Soghain area of County Galway and who founded a church at Cell Conainne (‘the church of Conainne’) that is modern-day Kilconnell. It would appear that the name of the more widely known St Connell was by error substituted for Connainne/Dachonna sometime after the 16th-century. The Irish terms of endearment, mo and do, were regularly added to the names of Irish saints and secular people, hence the origin of her pet name, Dachonna.

Conainne may be responsible for the foundation of Tigh Dachoinne (‘the church of Dachonna’), now the townland of Tiaquin Demesne while it is also thought that a children’s burial ground marks the site of the church. Furthermore, the burial ground itself is called Leacht an Óra  translated as ‘the stone monument of adoration’.

The Martyrology of Oengus says she was of the Uí Maine, and lists her under the date 8th March, stating:

Conainne, i.e., of Cell Conainne in Húi Maini of Connaught, i.e. in Sogan, a daughter of the mother of Senán of Inis Cathaigh.

This would make her a stepsister of Saint Senan who himself was born in Corca Bhaisin, County Clare about 488. It seems that Senan’s family had two farms, one at Moylough and the other at a place called Tracht Termainn. His story also originates in the dim past when paganism gradually gave way to Christianity