Sheskin

Sheskin (Irish: An Seisceann), traditionally divided into Sheskinmor and Sheskinbeg, is a townland in the north of County Monaghan in the Republic of Ireland. It is in the foothills of Sliabh Beagh. Sheskin is part of the Parish of Tydavnet, situated about 3 miles from the village of Scotstown and about 8 miles from Monaghan town. Sheskin is straddled in the east by the River Blackwater and in the south by one of its tributaries, which converge at the south eastern corner of the townland.

Other townlands and places in Ireland have the same name, or similar derivatives. The name derives from the Irish Gaelic word for marsh, and refers to the significant area of blanket bog within the townland.

History

There is no evidence of Ring forts or other early historic remains in Sheskin. Like most of the uplands, it is not thought to have been permanently inhabited through the middle ages. In the 17th century, as the Ulster Plantation got underway, Sheskin and the other uplands were common lands for the lower lying districts around Scotstown, and so would have been cleared, but have remained fairly open. In the 18th century, land would have started to be allocated to tenants, and so the process of enclosing parcels into fields would have begun. One of the earliest records being the Griffith Land Valuation of 1860, which lists the landowner for Sheskin as Miss H Westenra, and she had 23 tenants at this time