Keenaght (, ) is a townland lying within the civil parish of Kilcronaghan, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. It lies in the south of the parish on the boundary with the civil parish of Desertmartin, and it is bounded by the townlands of: Coolsaragh, Cullion, Gortahurk, Longfield, and Tintagh. It was apportioned to the Drapers company.

The townland was part of Tobermore electoral ward of the former Magherafelt District Council, however in 1901 and 1926 it was part of Iniscarn district electoral division as part of the Draperstown dispensary (registrar's) district of Magherafelt Rural District. As part of Kilcronaghan civil parish, Keenaght also lies in the historic barony of Loughinsholin.

Etymology The present name of this townland, Keenaght, is very likely a reformed analogy of the neighbouring barony of Keenaght, with scribal errors adding a t to the end of anglicisations of its name such as with Tonaght in the neighbouring parish of Ballynascreen, which actually derives from Tonach. It is more reasonably suggested that Keenaght derives from the synonym Coanna with the adjectival suffix -ach added to it. This derivation is supported by the majority of earlier recorded forms.

History

+ PopulationYearPop. 1841 122 1851 77 1861 82 1871 83 1881 79 1891 73 1901 65 1911 61 1926 45

+ Size (acres, roods, poles) Year a, r, p 1851 311, 0, 10 1881 310, 2, 18 1901 310, 2, 18 1926 310, 3, 2

+ Earlier recorded forms Year Form 1609 + 1613 Cynagh (E.C.) (Charter) 1613 Keenah 1622 Keenat 1654 Keanaught foord 1654 Keanaugh 1657 Cyneigh, the small proportion of 1661 Keanagh 1767 Keenaght 1813 Keenagh (S.M.) (E.C.) - Escheated Counties Map 1609(Charter) - Charter of Londonderry 1613(S.M.) - Sampson's Map

See also Kilcronaghan List of townlands in Tobermore Tobermore

References HistPop; County and County Borough of Londonderry, 1926, page 24 HistPop; County of Londonderry, 1851, page 241 HistPop; Area, population and number of houses, Vol. III, Ireland, 1881, page 698 Place Names NI - Keenaght Notes on the Place Names of the Parishes and Townlands of the County of Londonderry, 1925, Alfred Moore Munn, Clerk of the Crown and Peace of the City and County of Londonderry HistPop; Area, houses, and population, Vol. III [Part 2], Ireland, 1901 Page 34

Toner, Gregory: Place-Names of Northern Ireland, page 126-7. Queen's University of Belfast, 1996,