The present day parish of Rochfortbridge was formerly known as the parish of the Pass of Kilbride, written as Pace of Kilbryde in some texts. The area was more or less the entire present day barony of Fartullagh.
Looking at the town land names in the parish it is clear to see that the area was once impenetrable due to swamp or bog and only narrow margins were traversable.
The town land of Pass of Kilbride just east of Milltown Pass forms the main route through to Tyrrellspass. All these town lands are notable due to the prefix or suffix “PASS”. Further evidence within the parish of impenetrable areas are shown in the 14th century map (available by e-mail only in .doc format to preserve its originality) . Note the town lands of Enniscoffey and Black Islands on the top right of the map. Ennis (Inis) being the Irish for Island.
This map also gives proof to the actual location of the original settlements that we now call Rochfortbridge. See can you pin point the exact crossing point. I have excluded some place names and other evidence just to make it a bit more of a challenge.
By the way, you won’t see it all on a map or computer, but if you have an idea as to where you think it is then get on your bike and check it out on the ground.
If you think you have it figured out, give me a call or e-mail and I’ll put you out of your misery and fill in the blanks for you. One clue to get you started: the town land of Meedin derives its name from the Latin for Middle. GOOD LUCK.
