10
Census Records
2
Households
1
Census Year
- People
- 10
- Households
- 2
About
Ellistrin Big is a townland located in County Donegal in the northwest of Ireland, situated within the broader landscape of the county's characteristic terrain. Like many townlands in this region, it occupies a portion of the rural countryside that defines much of Donegal's geography. The area is characterized by the rolling hills, bogland, and pastoral landscape typical of northwest Ulster, where farming and traditional land use have shaped the environment over centuries. The townland's name, following the Irish toponymic tradition, likely derives from the Irish language, with "Big" potentially indicating a larger division of the original settlement area.
The history of Ellistrin Big, like most Irish townlands, reflects the broader patterns of settlement and land organization that developed in Ireland over many centuries. Townlands themselves are among the smallest administrative divisions in Ireland, with roots in medieval and earlier settlement patterns. The system was formalized during the Tudor period and later during the plantation era, when English administrative systems were imposed on Irish lands. Donegal's history during this period was marked by significant change, including the Flight of the Earls in 1607, which profoundly affected landholding and settlement patterns throughout the county.
As a rural townland in Donegal, Ellistrin Big remains part of a living community landscape, though like many such areas it has experienced the demographic changes common to rural Ireland over recent decades. The townland would have historically served as a unit of land organization for farming families and their holdings. Today, it represents part of the intricate patchwork of named places that give Irish rural areas their distinctive character and sense of local identity. The preservation of townland names and boundaries continues to be important to genealogical research and local historical understanding, connecting present residents to the deeper history of their region.
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- Parish
- County
-
Irish Name
Eileastran Mór
-
Barony
Kilmacrenan
- Logainm
Valuation Office Records
From the National Archives of Ireland (c. 1830s–1850s)
1 occupiers recorded in the Valuation Office Books for this townland.
Source: Valuation Office Books, National Archives of Ireland. Public records.

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