Thanks to you both for your helpful responses. I have been using MNB and Nigel's excellent notes there in particular to make some sense of the property records.

The family I'm researching owned almost all of QL Ballachrink (TR Dromrewaigh PR Michael) until c1810 when they sold it. I can confidently trace them back to c1710 when John Cannell (brother of Hugh; husband of Jane Mcylrea; father of William, John, Mary, Kath) was in possession. He died 1723 and would probably have been born sometime between 1640 and 1670 given that both his sons were married in 1714. A Robert Cannell compounded for the same land in 1643 for the lives of himself, his brother Charles aged ~17 years and his daughter Ann aged ~3 years [these estimates from the ages of surviving lives given in the 1691 composition book]. The lands appear to have passed from Robert Cannell to a John Cannell between 1679 and 1691 but I can't find a corresponding Liber Vast entry. My John is plausibly the son of this Robert (Michael parish records record baptisms of a John and Hugh Cannell in 1645 and 1648 respectively) but I'm still looking for more confirmation. I haven't tried tracing the land back pre1643 yet.