placenamesGurteen
Goirtín
Gurteen's postal service reached Parliament twice in the nineteenth century, while St Osnat's church preserves another strand of the community's institutional history.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Goirtín · Irish · main form · validated name
- Gurteen · English · main form
Place & story
Asking for more frequent deliveries
On 22 March 1887 a parliamentary question raised complaints about Gurteen's rural post service near Manorhamilton. It described deliveries on Mondays, Wednesdays and Saturdays, contrasting them with two daily deliveries at neighbouring Lurganboy. Postmaster General Henry Raikes confirmed Lurganboy's service and promised inquiries into improvement at Gurteen. His reply did not confirm that a new schedule was introduced, but the exchange records the community's demand for a more regular connection with the mail network. [2]
Waiting for a chance to reply
A further question on 2 January 1894 concerned the interval between receiving letters and sending replies. Patrick M'Hugh asked whether Gurteen's postman could leave Manorhamilton after the Enniskillen mail arrived. Postmaster General Arnold Morley replied that allowing a reply interval would cost more than the service justified. A later departure was possible only if residents along the route generally supported it. The dispute shows how a rural delivery timetable could shape everyday correspondence. [3]
St Osnat’s at Gurteen and Glencar
The county's protected-structures register identifies St Osnat's church with Gurteen and Glencar. The architectural archive records work there in 1918 under Anthony Scott, with a ceiling executed by M Creedon. The church's longer history was commemorated by Brendan Rooney's anniversary volume, published locally in 1996 with the dates 1846–1996 in its title. These records distinguish the church's building history from the postal debates that also document Gurteen. [4] [5] [6]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Leitrim
- Barony
- Rosclogher
- Civil parish
- Killasnet
- Coordinates
- 54.32629, -8.29206 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 131536 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Gurteen. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Post Office: Manorhamilton District,22March1887 · UK Parliament, Hansard
- Gurteen Sub-Post Office,2January1894 · UK Parliament, Hansard
- Glencar, Church of St Osnat,1918ceiling · Irish Architectural Archive, Dictionary of Irish Architects
- Catalogue: St Osnat’s church Glencar,150thanniversary1846–1996 · National Library of Ireland; book by Brendan Rooney
- Leitrim County Development Plan2015–2021Appendices, RPS30900702 · Leitrim County Council
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.