The crown estate of Kilconcouse was situated in the parish of Kinnitty, King's Co., and comprised 871 acres. This estate differed from Ballykilcline, Irvilloughter and Boughill in that in this case, from 1829 onwards, leases had been granted to the tenants for a twenty-one year term. The rents appeared to have been paid fairly regularly until the year 1846 when the famine intervened. In a report from the secretary of Kinnitty District relief committee, it was started with twelve families of 68 person where without any provisions and 'in most precarious state'. Forty individuals were unable to work. Subscriptions amounting to £35 were contributed by the commissioners of Woods.

In April, 1847, the Commissioners authorised the collector of excise, Parsonstown, 'to give such indulgence in payment to each tenant as their circumstance may require', when a number of tenants appealed for lenience.

The leases foe twenty-one years expire in 1850 when an arrear of rent of £1,531 14s. 9d. had accumulated. It was then decided to remove the 'surplus population'; to redivide the land among those selected from the remaining tenants and to abandon the collection of arrears. The friction and unrest which arose from this redivision was the cause of an inquiry by a select committee of the House of Lords into the management of the estate. Fifty-six persons left Kilconcouse at a cost of £363 19s. 8d.

EMIGRANTS FROM KILCONCOUSE

Itinerary Dublin - Liverpool - New York

Notes:

1. Q.R.O., O.W. Land Revenue Series Letter Books, Report of H. Tyrrell on Distress, c. 21 May 1846.

2. Ibid., Commissioners of Woods to Burke, 8 April 1847.

3. Report from the select committee of the House of Lords . . . into the Management. . . of Kilconcouse, etc., 1854, xxi, 3.

4. All the emigrants from Kilconcouse sailed from Liverpool on the 11 June 1852 with one exception, Patrick Lowry. It is therefore unnecessary to repeat dates of departure with each family group.

5. Q.R.O., Files of Forfeiture Office and Miscellaneous Papers, File No. 5, Burke to Commissioners of Woods, 3 September 1852, states that as Patrick Lowry has only one eye he was judged 'unfit for New York' and was sent to Philadelphia instead.