Population of the Townland of Tirkilly 1841 to 1926

Year	Population		No. of Inhabited Houses		No. of Uninhabited Houses		Total  Houses
1841	54		8		1		9
1851	43		10				10
1861	33		8				8
1871	37		6		1		7
1881	24		6				6
1891	17		4		1		5
1901	12		5				5
1911	13		4		3		7
1926	6		1				1
Knockban clachan was located within the townland of Tirkilly. Most of the population of the townland lived in Knockban. Not surprisingly, the 1841 figure for population was the highest during the period. Interestingly, the greatest number of houses for the period was 1851, around the famine period. The fall in both population and houses was not that dramatic between 1841 and 1871. The real drop takes place after this. By 1901 there were only 12 persons living in 5 houses in the townland - and 3 of these houses were within the clachan.  Note that by 1926 there was only one inhabited house in the townland. Shortly after this the clachan and the enire townland was deserted. Have a look at the pages on the Griffith's Valuation, the 1901 Census Enumerators' Returns and the specific information on families. These sources will give some clues as to what was happening in both the clachan and the townland as a whole from the 1860s to the early 1900s.