Country Ireland Time zone WET (UTC+0) Area 175 ha Province Connacht | County County Roscommon Elevation 297 m Population 8 (2012) | |
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Gubbarudda, formally Gubberudda (Irish: Gob a' Roide) is a townland in Co. Roscommon, Ireland 4.5 kilometres north-west from the village of Arigna. Gubbarudda is a very rural area composed of 432 acres with only two residences. Much of the townland to the north encompasses of Coillte woodlands with southern areas situated on the 'Kilronan Mountain Bog Natural Heritage Area.'
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Map of Gubbarudda, Co. Roscommon, Ireland
Gubbarudda borders Co. Sligo to the west and is about a kilometre's walk from Co. Leitrim; It neighbours Greaghacorra to the north-east, Glenkillamy, Co. Sligo to the north-west and Rover, Co. Sligo to the south-west, Greaghnageeragh to the south and Aughabehy to the east.
The gubba part of the name is a corruption of ghob, the Irish for 'beak', describing the pointed shape of the land area, and rudda derives from the word rua which means 'red' in relation to the large quantities of iron in the vicinity.
The traditional Irish flautist Packie Duignan lived in Gubbarudda for a while in the house where his father grew up. The population of Gubbarudda as of 2012 totals eight individuals. During the Great Famine a huge population decline was observed in every other townland in Arigna apart from Gubbarudda which enjoyed a slight population increase, there were five households in the townland in the year 1858. The population of Gubbarudda in the year 1901 was 26. Nonetheless the townland's population was to decrease dramatically throughout the 20th century when locals either emigrated abroad or moved to larger, more populated areas such as Boyle, Carrick-on-Shannon and Sligo.
Coalmines
The first documented coal mine in Gubbarudda was owned by the McManus family which is mentioned in the Griffith's valuation, it was only open for three months of the year. The last functioning coal mine in Gubbarudda was owned by the Flynn family which closed in 1991. There remains widespread evidence to this day that local families unearthed their own lands for coal, these were known as prochógs or pruchas.