Barony of Tulla or Tullagh Upper
A barony in the north-east
of the county of Clare, Munster. It is bounded, on the north-west, the
north, and the north-east, by the county of Galway; on the east, by
the county of Galway, the bay of Scariff, and the barony of Lower Tulla;
on the south-east and the south, by the barony of Lower Tulla; and on
the south-west and the west, by the barony of Upper Bunratty. Its greatest
length, south-south-westward, is 14 ¼ miles; its greatest breadth, in
the opposite direction, is 11½; and its area is 96,730 acres, 1 rood,
11 perches,¾ of which 2,911 acres, 29 perches are water. A large proportion
of the surface is mountainous and moorish upland, of small value in
its present condition, but capable of being, at a moderate expense,
well reclaimed and made very valuable by means of enclosing, draining,
liming, top-burning, and irrigating. The principal summits in the north
are seven of respectively 990, 1,312, 992, 724, 1,028, 448, and 589
feet of altitude above sea-level; the principal in the east are three
of respectively 1,028, 944, and 765 feet of altitude; the principal
in the south are four of respectively 541, 818, 1,019, and 308 feet
of altitude; and the principal in the west are four of respectively
533, 1,064, 755, and 829 feet of altitude. Part of the water area is
in a portion of Scariff bay; and most of the remainder is in Loughs
O’Grady, Bridget, Anilloon, Kilgory, Culausheeda, Ea, and Graney.
The Act 6 and 7 William IV, cap. 84, transferred the whole of the parish
of Kilmurry, and the whole of the parish of Kilfinaghta, with the exception
of the townland of South Bunnabia, from Upper Tulla to Lower Bunratty,¾
pop., in 1841, 4,433; and the townlands of Cappaghduff and Knockaphart,
in the parish of Inniscultra, from Upper Tulla to the barony of Leitrim
in co. Galway,¾ pop., in 1841, 182.¾ The barony of Upper Tulla, as at
present constituted, contains part of the parish of Inniscaltra, and
the whole of the parishes of Feacle, Kilnoe, Moynoe, Tomgraney, and
Tulla. The principal villages are Scariff, Tulla, Tomgraney, Feacle,
and Baurroe. Pop., in 1841, 30,186. Houses 4,865. Families employed
chiefly in agriculture, 4,320; in manufactures and trade, 619; in other
pursuits, 241. Families dependent chiefly on property and professions,
72; on the directing of labour, 1,015; on their own manual labour, 4,001;
on means not specified, 92. Males at and above 5 years of age who could
read and write, 4,476; who could read but not write, 1,859; who could
neither read nor write, 6,892. Females at and above 5 years of age who
could read and write, 1,660; who could read but not write, 2,437; who
could neither read nor write, 8,710.¾ Upper Tulla is distributed among
the Poor-law unions of Scariff, Limerick, and Ennis. The total number
of valued tenements is 2,824; and of these, 1,482 are valued under £5,
515, under £10, 256, under £16, 188, under £20, 144, under £25, 67,
under £30, 78, under £40, 44, under £50, and 80, at and above £50.
