Kilnacross (Irish derived place name, meaning 'The Wood of the Crosses') is a townland in the civil parish of Kildallan, barony of Tullyhunco, County Cavan, Ireland.
Geography
Kilnacross is bounded on the east by Clontycoo, Kilnaglare and Mullaghboy townlands, on the west by Carn, Tullyhunco townland, on the south by Listiernan townland and on the north by Ballyhugh townland. Its chief geographical features are Carn Lough, small streams, a dug well and spring wells. Kilnacross is traversed by minor public roads and rural lanes. The townland covers 110 acres. It is around 5 km south-east of Ballyconnell.
Etymology
The derivation of the placename is given in the Life of Saint Máedóc of Ferns compiled in 1536 from earlier sources, where it is spelled as . The text states,
(the Black) son of Fergna, son of Fergus, the king of the , heard of the manifold miracles done by Maedoc, and the honour and great reverence which he had received at Rome, and the two noble and illustrious gifts which he had received there, the variegated (crozier) and the staff. He came zealously to him, and fasted humbly to him (asking him) to obtain from God for him a change of form and feature, for up to that time he was hideous. Maedoc then put the head of under his cowl. fell asleep on the spot under Maedoc's cowl; and the form which he put upon him was the form of son of the one most beautiful man of all the men of Erin in his time. He was afterwards baptized at (Weapon Ford) in (Wood of the Crosses); and it is from the marking of the king with the Cross, and his consignation, that the place is called , and from the weapons and dress of the king which were taken from him while he was being baptized and blessed (and were given) in perpetuity to God and to Maedoc. And the name a man ill-favoured and (the Fair) was given him; and he gave to Maedoc a scruple from every house under his authority as his baptism-fee, and he gave himself in perpetuity to God and to Maedoc for ever, and that there should never be any right of distraint on territory or tribe to any of the seed of who should divert his service and dues from Maedoc. For every plague and war and destruction of men, that has come or shall come, upon the or men of , is due to the curse and heavy displeasure of Maedoc at their withholding his service and dues, and to their neglecting his tribute.
One of the earlier sources of the Life is a poem supposedly written by (died in 1347, but the authorship is disputed by Gillespie who opines it was written by the compiler of the Life in 1536), which states in paragraph 270 of above work,
<blockquote><poem>
After Maedoc had crossed the sea-
It was a famous mighty work of his
When he baptized at , Whereby he departed for every one from his first name. Aed the Fair, from that day forth There came, by virtue of his baptism, The two under the saint's authority, Not by way of refusal of either part.</poem></blockquote>
There are a lot of reasons to doubt the above account. Firstly it is a copy of a similar miracle performed on by Saint of Fenagh, County Leitrim. Secondly it is also a copy of a similar miracle performed on by Saint Berach of Termonbarry. Thirdly the had no presence in County Cavan until about two hundred years after the time lived. It is evident the fable was a 14th century fabrication by the Augustinian monks of the nearby Drumlane monastery. They used it to extort tribute from the O'Rourke and O'Reilly clans by pretending the ancestor of those clans, , had promised tribute to Drumlane.
In the Dúchas folklore collection a similar tale is told to explain the name of Kilnagross townland in County Leitrim.
History
From medieval times up to the early 1600s, the land belonged to the McKiernan Clan.
The 1540 Life of Mogue spells it as . The 1609 Plantation of Ulster Map depicts the townland as "Keilnagros". A grant of 1610 spells the name as "Killnagrosse". A lease of 1611 spells the name as "Killingrosse". An inquisition of 1629 spells the name as "Kyllnagrosse". The 1652 Commonwealth Survey spells the name as "Kilnegrosse".