Thank you also rathmore.
The reason I decided the the particular John Woods in Cahirnakilla 1825 was highly likely to be my ancestor is because there was also an Enright, Shea, and Keane families as nearby neighbours,- all of which were part of the immediate Woods' families - and that seemed too coincidental to not be the right farm.
I recently learned from a Carrownakilly expert, Patrick O'Brien, that there are two Carrownakillys.
One (the one that Google maps shows) is the one in Killaloe parish, right on the eastern boundary of Clare, on Lough Derg.
I found the link to Patrick O.Brien's, "Looking Over My Shoulder", about this particular Carrownakilly which I can't wait to read, as it also offers a glimpse at the lives of our Clare ancestors in general.
http://clarelibrary.blogspot.ca/2015/01/new-book-on-killaloe-and-ogonnelloe.html?m=1.
The other Carrownakilly, in the Tomfinlough parish, where I think my ancestors' farm was, is near Newmarket on Fergus, which is almost directly south of the Ennis capital and more in the middle of the county. It is possible to assume that Cahirnakilla East and West Townlands were combined into one Carrownakilly Townland during land reforms.
If you search for Newmarket on Fergus, County Clare on Google Maps, to the right you will see the name Carnakilla (with Carrownakily above it). Heading north you'll see that where Carnakilla is written, the road divides into two smaller roads, between which is the location of the ancestral farm. I just took a lovely walk around the area for the first time on Street View now and pretended I was stepping back in time!
It would appear that the Woods farm passed into the Ryan family through marriage. In the 1901 census, Margaret Woods is listed as mother-in-law, and has 6 grandsons aged 8 and under. Margaret's daughter Mary, listed as wife of Michael Ryan.
I hope to continue searching and find some distant Ryan relations!
And I must also say a hearty thank you here to Patrick O'Brien of Carrownakilly Killaloe descent, author of "Looking Over My Shoulder" for some very interesting and generous explanations!