placenamesCloonfinlough
Cluain Fionnlocha
Lewis places Ballynafad’s racecourse beside a gathering for horse and sheep trading in 1837.
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
- Cluain Fionnlocha · Irish · main form · non-validated name
- Cloonfinlough · English · main form
Place & story
Racing and livestock trading
Samuel Lewis placed the Ballynafad racecourse at the foot of Slievebawn, whose ridge occupied the eastern side of Cloonfinlough parish. His 1837 account records a nearby fair for horses and sheep on 27 August. The racing ground and livestock gathering formed part of the parish’s recorded activity before the Famine. [2]
The parish’s hedge schools
Lewis also counted four hedge schools in the parish, together educating about 100 boys and 60 girls. His account gives a combined attendance rather than identifying the teachers or assigning numbers to individual schools. [2]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Cloonfinlough. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Clonfinlogh: A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837) · Samuel Lewis
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2021-10-29. How this page was prepared.