Jim, You mentioned Aillenacally and, although your genealogical connection to the townland is recent, it's possible that you don't know much about it. And perhaps others might be interested, also. The 339-acre townland of Aillenacally comprises a broad peninsula, about 3 miles NE of Roundstone. The Discovery map 44 (based on aerial photograph from 1973) shows about 18 buildings in the townland, all in the SE part, close to Blackhaven/Cloonile Bay. There are no connecting roads remaining within the townland, and only one short access road (almost a non-access road [gr]). I visited the townland in May 2004. At the head of the access road, there was a large (3x4 feet or so) sign which said "Aillenacally - the oldest village in Ireland - and with an arrow pointing toward the townland with a "2 km" printed next to the arrow. I've driven about 25,000 miles in Ireland since 1991, and those 2 kms. were as tough as any road there that I have attempted......think 1st gear, no foot-on-the-pedal, just letting it idle and crawl ahead for 2 kms. [gr]). The lower part of the sign (a recent addition - papered-on) said: "For sale - deserted village on 100 acres - eight cottages, two harbours, frontage on to sea & lake, ideal for fishing, boating, pony-trecking (stet) or hotel." And then a phone number, etc. After I reached the effective end of the "road", there was only one partially-roofed dwelling in sight, and it appeared to have received casual use - for some reason or other. But, basically, it was an Ozymandias moment, as I gazed across the terrain. Tim Robinson (of Roundstone) says, about Aillenacally in his booklet accompanying his Connemara map: "The village by the Congested Districts Board quay on the E shore was deserted c.1970 when the last families moved nearer the main road". Incidentally, he has a good photo of "the eloquent skyline of the deserted settlement" on p. 339 in the "Atlas of the Irish Rural Landscape", by Aalen, Whelan and Stout, Cork University Press. I took only a picture of the sign [gr]. I may have further information on the site. I have an annotation on my map of "derelict famine village", and that may be a reference from another book or such. The Archaeological Inventory of West Galway shows only a Holy Well in the townland, and that was my original goal for visiting Aileenacally. But it's a long walk from where I finally had to stop the car, and I was no longer in the mood to visit a marginal (at best) Holy Well. Pete - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Pete Schermerhorn, in the glorious Berkshire hills of western Massachusetts </HTML>