Kiltubrid, County Leitrim

Snapshots of a rural parish in the 1890s

Liam Kelly

Kiltubrid, a rural parish in south Leitrim, was designated a ‘congested district’ – a euphemism for an impoverished place – under the terms of the 1891 land act. This book is a study of the parish under three headings: houses, land and people. It traces the changes which took place throughout the 19th century, especially the impact of the Great Famine, and presents a dynamic picture of a rural and conservative society which was slow to embrace change. However, the primary focus for this study is the lives f ordinary people in Kiltubrid in the often neglected decade of the 1890s. Henry Doran’s report to the Congested Districts Board and the photographs of Leland L. Duncan are among the rich and varied sources used in this book.