"The Lopdells of Athenry" by Ronan Killeen

Graveyard of the Lopdell family near the entrance to Athenry Heritage Centre

One of the many landlord classes in the parish of Athenry was the Lopdells. With the help of Griffith's Valuation, I have traced back to John Lopdell that was paying £2 & 5shillings for Office and Land, 10 more shillings for Land and another 10 shillings for two cottier houses & gardens in the year 1856.

   In 1901 John Robert Lopdell lived with his family in Farnablake,West who lived with his wife Lavinia Susan, his children Magurite and Dorothy.
   The people that worked for John Robert were Annie Peters-a nurse, Honor Kelly-the cook, Julia Kavanagh-the maid and John Sutheland-the coach driver.
   In the 1911 Census a woman named Catherine Katie Lopdell lived in Raheen, Athenry and was head of the household. It is possible she lived in what is known as Raheen House which is behind Raheen Woods Hotel.

   Catherine Katie family with her daughter Louie Bradshaw - the rest possibly visited or lodged with her grandchildren Aileen Hall and Ruby Bradshaw, Mary Costelloe, Killala Burditt - a governess (though not all of these may have been leaving with her just visiting), Margaret Murphy, Mary Kay, Beassie Kearnes and Margaret Keaney were Domestic servants to Catherine Katie.
  
Thomas Higgins was Catherine Katies coach driver. Today there are Lopdells buried in St.Mary's Graveyard or what locals of Athenry now know as the Athenry Heritage Centre.There is also a Major Lopdell buried among the family in the Athenry Heritage Centre along with the rest of the Lopdell family.