Peadar Ó hAnnracháin, Gaelic League Organiser, Cois Life, ‘OUR DUBLIN LETTER’ in the Southern Star. He often uses the phrase ‘long tailed family’  I think it roughly equated to a common phrase in obituaries in the Skibbereen Eagle adn Southern Star as the deceased bring of ‘an old and respected family’ applying to both Catholics and  Protestants.

Looking at their obits in detail one category rarely appears and these are what Tod Andrew called ‘the people of no property’, labourers, those living in lanes in the villages and towns.  The detailed obits show the immediate family then cousins, in laws, the the general public headed by the most important locals.  Those who get obituaries are the middling to large farmers and business people.  When you look at the over time you can discern the networks.  Well known locally at the time but now forgotten.

The Gaels were defeated at the Battle of Kinsale in 1601 the Chiefs went into exile.  But a few increments below elements of the old families prospered as large tenant farmers and business people.  The tend to be under the radar live modestly but they have the cash.Taking the triangle of Bantry/Drimoleague/Skibbereen quite a number are sufficiently well off the advance monies to local landlord families from the 1780s.  See enclosed listing of deeds. 

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Au-UGjP43dORmzGc0v37jNZGXVHRBsSfDQl_2aLuD5c/edit

The would include the Blairs, Hutchinsons, Evanson, beggars on horseback with hardly a pot to piss in.   There is an equivalent Protestant network of the same broad social and economic class like the Swantons of Ballydehob and the Shannons of Brahalish, Durrus, often they  both work together as Grand Jury contractors or  building work.

The class of people I am talking   about tend to marry within the extended group and over a wider  geographic area.  Here  the obits show the relationships.

Funeral listing:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1A8vkAzsRVEhpiP2EOryWiYcEryJw0ic4DmnKe6vZEqI/edit