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The town is situated on the road from Dublin to Enniskillen, and consists of several streets, of which the principal contains some well-built houses; there are infantry barracks capable of accommodating six officers and 130 non-commissioned officers and privates. A large garden, handsomely laid out in walks and planted, was left by the will of the late Lady Farnham, under certain restrictions, as a promenade for the inhabitants. Though in the midst of a manufacturing district, there is little trade carried on. The market, originally granted in the 1st of Jas. I. to John Binglie, gent., and subsequently by the charter of the 8th of Jas. I. to the corporation, is on Tuesday, but is chiefly for potatoes and meal; a very small quantity of yarn is brought for sale. Fairs, chiefly for young cattle and horses, are held on Feb. 1st, April 4th, May 14th, June 30th, Aug. 14th, Sept. 25th, and Nov. 12th, and a chief constabulary police force has been established here. Farnham, the seat of Lord Farnham, is one of the noblest ornaments of the county, for though the house does not possess much exterior magnificence, it is surrounded by a demesne of nearly 3000 acres, comprising the richest pastures and the greatest variety of scenery, adorned with wood and water, and every where improved by art. Lough Oughter, on one side of it, spreads out from under the woods of Killy, and encircles many beautiful islands crowned with the finest timber. One of these, named Cloughoughter, was the place of confinement of the venerable Bishop Bedell, when in the hands of the insurgents, in the war of 1641: the tower in which he was imprisoned is now a fine ruin. Nearly adjoining the demesne is Castle Saunderson, the seat of A. Saunderson, Esq., surrounded by a luxuriant demesne commanding the most beautiful views of Lough Erne. Clover Hill, an excellent mansion, the seat of J. Sanderson, Esq., has also a very beautiful demesne, richly adorned, and bordered by a spacious lake.
Under the charter of Jas. I., the corporation consists of a sovereign, two portreeves, twelve burgesses, and an indefinite number of freemen, assisted by a recorder, town-clerk, and other officers. But the regular appointment of these officers has been discontinued for several years; the sovereign and deputy are stationary in office, and are now the only representatives of the corporation. The town and the lands enumerated in the charter are held at a fee-farm rent of £1 English currency per annum. The same charter conferred the privilege of returning two members to the Irish parliament, which was exercised till the period of the Union, when £.15,000 awarded as compensation for the abolition of the franchise was paid in moieties to Theophilus Clements and T. Nesbitt, Esqrs. The charter granted to the corporation a borough court of record, to be held before the sovereign and two or more burgesses, every three weeks; but this court has not been held since 1796. The assizes, and the Hilary and Midsummer quarter sessions, are held here; petty sessions are also held every week. The county court-house is a fine spacious building, with a portico in front. The county gaol is a very spacious building, to which additions have been recently made on the radiating principle; it contains in the whole 68 cells, 8 day-rooms, and 10 airing-yards, in one of which is a tread-mill, and is well adapted for the classification of prisoners; a good school has been established in it. The average number of prisoners is 120; and the whole expense of the gaol, for 1835, was £1190. 3. 5 1/2.
The parish church of Urney is situated in the town. The R. C. chapel, erected in 1824, at an expense of £1000, is a neat building; over the altar is a painting of the Descent from the Cross. On the confines of the town is a classical school of royal foundation, under the charter of the 2nd of Chas. I., which vested several townlands in the counties of Armagh, Cavan, Fermanagh, Donegal, and Tyrone, in the primate and his successors in trust for the endowment of schools in each of those counties. By a late act of parliament the management has been transferred to a Board of Commissioners of Education: the nomination of master rests with the lord-lieutenant. The school-house, erected in 1819, at an expense of £800, is a spacious building, calculated for the reception of 100 pupils, and beautifully situated on a lawn bounded by a branch of the Erne, and surrounded with an amphitheatre of hills. The income arising from the endowment is £641. 13. 5. per annum, out of which the master receives a salary of £400, and the remainder is appropriated to the repayment of a loan from Government for the buildings. Several parochial and Sunday schools are supported by subscriptions; and a handsome school-house has been erected in the town, in which a school is supported by Lord Farnham. The county infirmary is a plain building capable of receiving 52 patients. There is an alms-house for a poor widow, supported by private subscription. In Swellan lake, about a quarter of a mile from the town, have been found, at different times, some of the largest horns of the elk that have been discovered in Ireland. The celebrated Dr. Sheridan, the friend and correspondent of Dean Swift, was for many years master of the royal school of this place, and was frequently honoured with visits from the dean; a bower in the garden, called Swift's bower, is still in existence.--See URNEY.
CECILSTOWN, a village, in that part of the parish of CASTLEMAGNER, which is within the barony of DUHALLOW, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 5 1/2 miles (W. N.W.) from Mallow; containing 331 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from Mallow to Kanturk, and consists of 46 houses, of which the greater number are thatched. Here is a national school, and a penny post to Mallow has been established. A constabulary police force is stationed here; and petty sessions are held in the school-house every Monday. Cecilstown has a patent for four fairs annually; but they are not now held.--See CASTLEMAGNER.
CELBRIDGE, or KILDROUGHT, a market and post-town, and a parish, partly in the barony of SOUTH SALT, but chiefly in that of NORTH SALT, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER, 4 1/4 miles (N. N. E.) from Naas, and 11 (W. by S.) from Dublin; containing 2421 inhabitants, of which number, 1647 are in the town. This town, pleasantly situated on the left bank of the river Liffey, over which is a handsome stone bridge, and on the turnpike road from Dublin to Prosperous, is indebted for its origin to the Limerick family, from whom it was purchased by the Rt. Hon. W. Conolly, speaker of the Irish House of Commons, whose representative, Col. E. M. Conolly, is the present proprietor. It consists principally of one street; the houses, about 270 in number, are in general well built; the inhabitants are amply supplied with water. The woollen manufacture was carried on to a considerable extent, and a very large range of building was erected in 1805, comprising all the requisite machinery for that manufacture in its various branches; the works were put in motion by a water wheel of 200-horse power, and when in full operation afforded employment to 600 persons; but they are not at present in work. Adjoining the town, though in the parish of Donocomper, is a cotton-spinning and power-loom weaving factory, employing, when in full work, about 100 persons. The market is on Saturday, chiefly for provisions and hardware; fairs are held on the last Tuesday in April, Sept. 8th, and Nov. 7th; and a constabulary police station has been established here. Petty sessions are held every Monday.
The parish comprises 1758 acres, as applotted under the tithe act. The environs are justly celebrated for their great beauty, and are ornamented with several gentlemen's seats. Castletown, the splendid mansion of Col. Conolly, is a noble structure of hewn stone, consisting of a centre connected with two wings by semicircular colonnades of the Ionic and Corinthian orders; it is situated in an extensive park, intersected with numerous avenues of stately timber and sloping gently to the Liffey, which flows through the demesne, and separates the parishes of Celbridge and Donocomper. Oakly Park, the handsome seat of R. Maunsel, Esq., is in this parish; and contiguous to it is Celbridge Abbey, built by the late Dr. Marley, Bishop of Clonfert, and now the residence of J. Ashworth, Esq., proprietor of the woollen manufactory in the town. The house is associated with the memory of Dean Swift, who is said to have spent much of his time here in the society of the lady whom he has celebrated under the name of Vanessa; and a rustic seat on the bank of the Liffey, which passes through the demesne, and over which is a spacious bridge of stone, is said to have been planned by him. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Dublin, episcopally united, in 1801, to the rectory and vicarage of Killadoon, the vicarage of Straffan, the rectory of Castledillon, the half rectories of Donoghmore and Donocomper, and the chapelry of Simonstown, together forming the union of Celbridge, in the patronage of the Crown: the tithes of the parish amount to £145. The church, situated in the lower extremity of the town, is a neat edifice, erected in 1813, by a loan of £1500 from the late Board of First Fruits; it has a tower and spire, and within it is the mausoleum of the Conolly family. There is a neat glebe-house: the glebe for the whole union comprises 48 acres. In the R. C. divisions this parish is the head of a union or district, comprising the parishes of Celbridge and Straffan, in each of which is a chapel. About half a mile from the town is a handsome school-house, built by the Rt. Hon. William Conolly, in 1740, and endowed by him with 50 acres of land and a rent-charge of £309 per annum out of the estate of Castletown; this endowment has been transferred to the funds of the Incorporated Society, who have the appointment of the master and mistress; the school-house has been greatly enlarged since its connection with the society, and is now capable of receiving 150 children; there are at present about 100 girls on the foundation, 30 of whom are nominated by the Conolly family. A parochial school-house, built by the same family, is entirely supported by the founders; there are also four private schools in the parish. There is a fever hospital and dispensary, a neat building erected in 1813, and containing six wards with four beds in each. In the old churchyard was a sumptuous monument to the memory of the Right Hon. W. Conolly, the founder of the Castletown property, which has lately been closed up; and just without the demesne are the ruins of a chapel belonging formerly to the Earl of Limerick.
CHAPEL-CHARON, a parish, in the barony of SHELMAHEE, county of WEXFORD, and province of LEINSTER, 5 miles (N. W.) from Wexford: the population is returned with the parish of Killurin into which it has merged. It consists of only two small townlands, and is not recognised as a parish in any civil or modern ecclesiastical divisions. It is situated on the river Slaney, and on the road from Wexford to Enniscorthy, and is presumed to have been, prior to the Reformation, an appendage to Carrigmannon, the ancient seat of the family of Devereux, who had a chapel here. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Ferns, and is part of the union of Killurin. In the R. C. divisions it is included in the union or district of Glynn.
CHAPEL-IN-THE-WOODS. -- See WOODS-CHAPEL and ARDTREA.
CHAPEL-ISLAND, an extra-parochial liberty, in the barony of BANTRY, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 2 miles (N. W.) from Bantry; containing 5 inhabitants. This island, which is situated in the bay of Bantry, derived its name from a chapel founded on it, of which there are no vestiges except the burial-ground. It comprises about 24 statute acres of extremely fertile land, which is in a high state of cultivation, and as part of the Bandon estate, in which parish it is locally included, is the property of the Duke of Devonshire. There is only one house on the island, which is occupied by the farmer who manages the land. Though nearly adjoining Hog and Horse islands, which also belong to the duke, it is more than 30 miles from any other portion of the Bandon estate.
CHAPELIZOD, a parish, in the barony of CASTLEKNOCK, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (W.) from Dublin; containing 2181 inhabitants, of which number 1632 are in the village. This place is supposed to have derived its name from La Belle Isode a daughter of one of the ancient Irish kings, who had a chapel here. The lands belonging to it were granted by Hugh de Lacy, in 1173, to Hugh Tyrrell, which grant was afterwards confirmed by Hen. II. In 1176, they were given by the Tyrrells to the hospital of the Knights Templars of Kilmainham, and after the suppression of that order remained in possession of their successors, the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, till the dissolution of the monasteries, in the reign of Hen. VIII. They subsequently passed through various hands till 1665, when the Duke of Ormonde, by command of the king, purchased the entire manor, with the mansion, from Sir Maurice Eustace, for the purpose of enclosing the Phoenix park, and the old mansion-house became the occasional residence of the Lord-Lieutenant. In 1671, Col. Lawrence obtained a grant of several houses and about 15 acres of land adjacent to the village for 41 years, at an annual rent of £42, for the purpose of establishing the linen manufacture, under the auspices of the Duke of Ormonde, who, with a view to promote its success, invited over numerous families from Brabant, Rochelle, the Isle of Rhe, and other places, who were skilled in the art of manufacturing linens, diapers, tickens, sail-cloth, and cordage, and established those manufactures here in the greatest perfection. In 1690, Gen. Douglas, on his march to Athlone, encamped for one night at this place; and soon after, King William himself, subsequently to his expedition to the south, passed several days here in issuing various orders and redressing grievances. In 1696, Lord Capel, Lord-Deputy of Ireland, died at the vice-regal residence here after a long illness, during which several important meetings of the council took place; and though the house was repaired by Primate Boulter, when Lord-Justice of Ireland, in 1726, it has never since been occupied by the lord-lieutenants: a house near the village, called the King's, is said to be that occasionally used as the vice-regal lodge. The village, which is of considerable size, and extends into the parish of Palmerstown, in the barony of Newcastle, is situated on the south-western verge of the Phoenix park, and contains 200 houses, of which 103 are in that part of it which is in the parish of Palmerstown. It is within the delivery of the Dublin twopenny post, and is chiefly remarkable for the beautiful scenery in its vicinity, especially along the banks of the Liffey, towards Lucan, and for the extensive strawberry beds which are spread over the northern side of the vale. The woollen manufacture was formerly carried on very extensively, and continued to flourish till the commencement of the present century, when there was a large factory, two fulling-mills, and an extensive corn and wash mill, which have been succeeded by a flax-mill on a very large scale, erected by Messrs. Crosthwaite, the present proprietors, and affording constant employment to more than 600 persons. There are also a bleach-green and several mills.
The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Dublin, united at a period unknown to the rectories of Palmerstown and Ballyfermot, together forming the union of Chapelizod, in the patronage of the Archbishop: the tithes amount to £1. 19. 5 1/2., and the gross amount for the whole benefice is £301. 19. 5 1/2. The church is a small plain edifice, erected in the reign of Anne, and remarkable only for its tower covered with ivy, from the summit of which is an extensive and highly interesting prospect over the surrounding country. There is neither glebe-house nor glebe. In the R. C. divisions this parish forms part of the union or district of Castleknock. There is a chapel in the village; and near it is a schoolroom, erected in 1834 for a school to be placed in connection with the National Board. A school is supported by subscription, in which about 18 boys and 54 girls are instructed; and there are also a pay school, in which are 60 boys and 40 girls, and two Sunday schools. A dispensary in the village is supported in the usual way. Col. Lawrence, the founder of the manufactures of this place, was the author of a well-known pamphlet, published in 1682, and entitled "The Interest of Ireland in its Trade and Wealth." The Hibernian school in the Phoenix park, described in the article on Dublin, is in this parish.
CHAPELMIDWAY, a parish, in the barony of CASTLEKNOCK, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 7 miles (N.) from Dublin; containing 335 inhabitants. The principal seats are Corrstown, the residence of H. Cosgrave, Esq., and Kilcorkin, of J. Litton, Esq. It is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Dublin, forming part of the union of Kilsallaghan, with which the tithes are included. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the union or district of Finglas. The ruins of the church are situated on the old road from Dublin to the Naul.
CHAPEL-RUSSELL, a parish, in the barony of KENRY, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER; containing, with the post-town of Pallas-Kenry, 1204 inhabitants. It was formerly called Kilelura or Cillena-lotar, and was created a parish, under its present name, by the late Dr. Elrington, while Bishop of Limerick. It is situated on the road from Limerick to the quay of Ringmoileau, and within a mile of the river Shannon; and contains 587 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, of which nearly the whole is arable. Prior to 1785, the whole was an open field, on which a great number of cattle depastured, but it has been enclosed. The land is tolerably fertile, and the soil is everywhere based on limestone, which in some places rises above the surface. Near the town of Pallas-Kenry are two small lakes, which appear to have been formed by cutting turf. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Limerick, and in the patronage of the Bishop; it was formerly part of the bishop's mensal, but on its being erected into a rectory by Dr. Elrington, he endowed it with all the tithes, which amount to £55. 7. 8 1/2. The parish appears formerly to have been part of the parish of Ardcanny, or to have been held by the same incumbent; and the church of that parish being in a ruinous state, and situated at the southern extremity of the parish, it is the intention of the bishop to unite the two parishes, when the church of Chapel-Russell, which is a large and handsome edifice, will become the church of the union. It was built in 1822, by aid of a gift of £900 from the late Board of First Fruits, and £100 from the Incorporated Society, for the erection of a gallery for the children of the Shannon Grove charter school; but as this school was suppressed soon afterwards, the gallery is now open to the parishioners. The Ecclesiastical Commissioners have lately granted £116 for repairing the church. There is neither glebe-house nor glebe. In the R. C. divisions this parish forms part of the union or district of Kildimo: the chapel, which is a neat building, is at White Forge. There is also a chapel for Wesleyan Methodists. The parochial schools, in which are about 100 children, are aided by subscriptions from Lord Charleville and the rector: about the same number also receive instruction in two private schools. There were formerly two charter schools, one of which long since fell into decay, but the other existed till within the last few years, under the patronage of the Charleville family. The school, which cost £5000, is large and well built, and is now occupied in separate tenements; and the land is held by a farmer. A loan fund has been established. Within the parish are the ruins of the castle of Pallas-Kenry, originally built by the O'Donovans, but subsequently occupied by the Fitzgeralds, Knights of the Valley, who greatly enlarged and strengthened it at various periods: a great part of the walls fell down in the winter of 1834, but it is still a picturesque and beautiful ruin. Not far distant from it is the curious little church of Killenalotar, only twelve feet long and eight broad; the walls, the west door, and the east window are quite perfect.--See PALLAS-KENRY.
CHAPPLE (or the Chapel of St. Clement), a parish, in the barony of BANTRY, county of WEXFORD, and province of LEINSTER, 6 miles (S. S. W.) from Enniscorthy; containing 827 inhabitants. It is situated on the little river Boro, and on the mail car road from New Ross to Enniscorthy, and contains 3747 statute acres, which are chiefly under tillage. The soil is in general light and poor, and the state of agriculture has undergone but little improvement. At Boro Hill is the seat of Jeremiah Fitzhenry, Esq. The living is an impropriate curacy, in the diocese of Ferns, and is part of the union of Killegney; the rectory is appropriate to the bishoprick. There is a glebe of 16 acres, and the tithes amount to £173. 10. 9. In the R. C. divisions this parish forms part of the union or district of Templeudigan, also called Killegney: the chapel, a neat building, is at Clogbawn or Cloughbawn, in this parish, and was erected soon after 1798, partly by a loan from Government. Near it is the national school, built in 1816 by Lord Carew, who has endowed it with four acres of land, and allows £15 per annum to the master. No less than 84 young men, who have been educated at this school, have subsequently become schoolmasters. About 120 boys and 30 girls are taught in the school, and about 70 more children in three private schools.
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The town is situated near the confluence of the rivers Blackwater and Callen, and on the road from Armagh to Dungannon and Coleraine. In 1833 it contained 111 houses, and is connected with the post-town of Moy by a recently erected stone bridge. Charlemont castle is still a place of great strength, fortified with bastions, a dry ditch, and escarp and counterscarp; and there are two ravelins, one in front, the other in rear of the works, surrounded by a glacis which runs along the side of the Blackwater. It is the ordnance depot for the North of Ireland, and the head-quarters of the artillery for the district of Ulster. Formerly it had a military governor, but on the death of Gen. Sir John Doyle, Bart., in 1835, the office was abolished, as being a sinecure. The barracks, which are occupied by two companies of the Royal Artillery, are constructed to accommodate 5 officers, 151 non-commissioned officers and privates, and 79 horses, with an hospital attached for 22 patients. The town is well situated for trade, the river Blackwater being navigable for vessels of 90 tons' burden to Lough Neagh; it is connected with Belfast by the Lagan canal, and with Newry by the canal of that name, and the great Ulster canal now in progress to Lough Erne will open a communication with the West of Ireland. The linen manufacture is carried on to a considerable extent. There is a good market held on Saturday; and fairs are held on the 12th of May, Aug. 16th, and Nov. 12th, for cattle, linen yarn, and provisions. The charter granted to the corporation a market on Tuesday and a fair on the 1st and 2nd of May, with the tolls; and a subsequent patent to Sir Toby Caulfeild, dated March 1st, 1622, granted to him a market on Wednesday and a fair on the 5th and 6th of August, with the tolls; but these charter and patent fairs and markets have long been discontinued.
The borough, which comprises the townland of Charlemont, containing above 200 acres, and the liber-,ties, containing 20 acres, was incorporated by charter of Jas. I., dated April 29th, 1613. The corporation consists of a portreeve, 12 burgesses, and an unlimited number of freemen. The portreeve was to be elected annually, on St. John's day, by the portreeve and free burgesses, the latter of whom were to be elected for life out of the inhabitants; and the freemen were to consist of all the inhabitants, and as many other persons as the corporation might elect. The charter also conferred on the portreeve and free burgesses the right of returning two members to parliament, which was exercised until the Union, when Francis William, Earl of Charlemont received £15,000, as patron of the borough, for the abolition of its franchise. Since the Union, the regularly elected burgesses have not acted; but Mr. Livingstone, the last portreeve, some time before his death, summoned in his official capacity a "corporation jury," similar to that which existed in Armagh; and in the year 1821 the surviving members of that jury elected a portreeve. From that time meetings have been held annually, at which a portreeve, town-clerk, and other officers have been elected, and burgesses and freemen admitted; and since 1827, the lord-lieutenant has ratified the. portreeve's election. The borough court, granted by the charter to be held weekly, under the presidency of the portreeve, with jurisdiction in personal actions not exceeding five marks, having fallen into disuse, has been renewed by the new corporation. Courts leet and baron for the manor of Charlemont are held by the seneschal in the town of Moy, in May and November, and their jurisdiction extends over a wide district.
The agriculture of the surrounding district is in a progressive state of improvement: there is some good peat bog, and coal also is said to exist. The principal seats in the vicinity are Church Hill, the residence of Col. Verner; the Argory, of W. McGeough Bond, Esq.; and Clonfeacle glebe-house and demesne, occupied by the Rev. H. Griffin, all of which can be seen from the town. The living, which was created in 1830, is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Armagh, and in the patronage of the Rector of Loughgall. The new parish or district comprises the townlands of Charlemont, Corr, and Douavally, with Anagh McManus, Keenahan, Ahinlig, Lishloshly, Kinnego, Mullaghmore, Termacrannon, Anasamery, and Clenmaine. The church is a handsome structure, resembling in front one of the grand altars of York Minster; it was built and consecrated in 1833, by His Grace the Lord-Primate, and contains a handsome monument to the late Mrs. Jackson. Divine service is performed in two school-houses in the district, and on every alternate Sunday in the barrack for the military, by the perpetual curate. There is neither glebe-house nor glebe; the income of the perpetual curate is an annual money payment from the rector of Loughgall. The Wesleyan Methodists have a chapel in the town. The male and female parochial school was built in 1821, near the church, by the Board of Ordnance and the inhabitants; it is supported by subscription. Summer Island male and female school, with a residence for the master, has an endowment of £7. 10. from Col. Verner. Clenmaine school is supported by subscriptions; and Kinnego school, built and supported by W. Parnell, Esq., is situated on the College lands. About 100 boys and 90 girls are educated in these schools, besides which there are a barrack and a hedge school, in which are about 80 boys and 40 girls, and three Sunday schools. There are some remains of the fortifications at Legerhill, from which Duke Schomberg bombarded the town, and of a Danish rath. A curious gold ring, and a gold cross, studded with gems, and said to have belonged to Sir Teague O'Regan, have been discovered here; also, a few years since, a body almost in a complete state of preservation, with the clothes and spurs perfect. In the museum of Messrs. W. & J. Jackson there is a rare collection of minerals, petrifactions, coins, and other relics found in and near the town. Charlemont gives the title of Earl to the family of Caulfeild.
CHARLESTOWN, a village, in the parish of KILBRIDE-LANGAN, barony of KILCOURSEY, KING’S county, and province of LEINSTER, adjoining the town of Clara: the population is returned with the parish. This place is situated on the road from Farbane to Kilbeggan, and was formerly the seat of an extensive linen trade, for the management of which a linen-hall was established. The village consists of about 40 houses, and had a patent for two annual fairs and a linen market weekly on Monday. Adjoining it is the castle of Kilcoursey, once a place of great strength, which gave name to the barony. In the vicinity are also Cloghatana, the old residence of the Fox family; Ballynamintan and Marshbrook, the ancient seats of the Mars family; and Kilfylan, the residence of an ancient branch of the De Berminghams.
CHARLESTOWN, a parish, in the barony of ARDES:, county of LOUTH, and province of LEINSTER, 2 miles (N. by W.) from Ardee; containing 1407 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the road from Ardee to Monaghan; and comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 2699 1/2 statute acres, of which 1797 acres are applotted under the tithe act and valued at £2870 per annum. The land is very fertile, and the system of agriculture much improved: there is some bog, which supplies the inhabitants with fuel, but very little waste land in the parish. A few individuals are employed in weaving linen; but the principal part of the population are engaged in agricultural pursuits. There are some quarries of stone fit for building, but none of limestone. Rahanna, the seat of Clarges Ruxton, Esq., is in this parish. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Armagh, united by acts of council, in 1737 and 1754, to the vicarage of Tallanstown, and the rectories of Philipstown, Maplestown, and Clonkeehan, which five parishes constitute the union of Charlestown or Philips-town, in the patronage of the Lord-Primate; the rectory is impropriate in the Hon. Baron Foster. The tithes of the parish amount to £271. 17. 6., of which £234. 17. 6. is payable to the impropriator, and £37 to the vicar: the amount of tithes for the union, including glebe, payable to the incumbent, is £476. 15. 4. The church, a handsome edifice in the later English style, with a tower and spire, together 108 feet high, was erected in 1827, at an expense, exclusively of the spire, of £1385, a loan from the late Board of First Fruits: the spire was added at an expense of £220, defrayed by the Rev. R. Olpherts, the present incumbent, and several of the resident gentry. The churchyard is enclosed with a handsome iron palisade resting on a low wall of hewn stone, towards the expense of which the lord-primate contributed £50. The glebe-house, a handsome residence within a quarter of a mile from the church, was built by a gift of £250 and a loan of £550 from the late Board of First Fruits: the glebe comprises seven acres of land, valued at £3 per acre, but subject to a rent of £11.10. 9. per annum, payable to the representatives of the late Alexander Dawson, Esq. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Tallanstown. Adjoining the church is the parochial school-house, containing two large school-rooms, each for 60 boys and girls respectively, with suitable apartments for the master and his family; it was built in 1827, chiefly at the expense of the Rev. R. Olpherts, aided by a grant from Government and some charitable donations: the master, in addition to other contributions, receives £10 per annum from the incumbent. There are some remains of the ancient parish church.
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By charter granted in the 23rd of Chas. II. to Roger, Earl of Orrery, erecting his lands into a manor, this town was made a free borough, and the inhabitants were incorporated under the designation of the "Sovereign, Bailiffs, and Burgesses of the Borough of Charleville." The corporation consists of a sovereign, two bailiffs, twelve burgesses, and an indefinite number of freemen. The sovereign and bailiffs are elected annually from the burgesses, by the corporation, on the Monday after St. John's day, and sworn into office on the Monday after Michaelmas-day. The burgesses are elected by the corporation as vacancies occur by death or otherwise, and the persons proposed are at the same time made freemen of the borough. The sovereign is a justice of the peace within the borough, and acts occasionally in that capacity; he is also coroner and billet-master. The corporation was some years since nearly extinct, the members being reduced to the sovereign and one bailiff only. In 1826 the sovereign and the remaining bailiff re-elected themselves, and also filled up all the vacancies; and the corporation at present consists of a sovereign, two bailiffs, and twelve burgesses, as originally constituted. The charter conferred upon the corporation the privilege of returning two members to the Irish parliament, which was regularly exercised till the Union, when the borough was disfranchised, and the £15,000 awarded as compensation was paid in moieties to the Earls of Shannon and Cork. The sovereign, or his deputy, is usually appointed seneschal of the manor, the greater portion of which extends into the county of Limerick; and as such he holds a court of record, the jurisdiction of which extends to the determination of pleas not exceeding £200 late currency: the proceedings are according to the usual course of common law, and actions are commenced either by arrest of the person, attachment of the goods, or serviceable writ; and under the act of the 7th and 8th of Geo. IV., cap. 59, he has also a civil bill jurisdiction. Petty sessions are held in the town every alternate Monday, by the county magistrates. The court and market-house is a small plain building on the north side of the main street.
The ancient parish church of Rathgogan has been for a long time in ruins, and the present church, erected by the founder of the town, is situated on the south side of the main street: it is a plain building without either tower or spire; the walls have been lately embattled with hewn limestone. The Roman Catholic chapel, a neat and spacious edifice, erected by subscription in 1812, is ornamented with quoins, cornices, and window mouldings of hewn stone; the altar is large and remarkably elegant, and is embellished with several paintings of superior execution; a handsome cupola was added to the chapel in 1829, and adjoining it is a parochial house for the priest. An edifice has been lately erected for the meetings of Bible and other similar associations, also as a place of preaching for occasional preachers. There are several schools, the minuter details of which will be found in the article on the parish of Rathgogan. Among these is a national school recently established, for which a remarkably neat building of hewn limestone has been erected, at an expense of £800, of which £600 was raised by subscription, and the remainder granted by the new National Board. A classical school was founded by the first Earl of Cork and Orrery, who endowed it with £40 per annum, continued by the present earl, who appoints the master: the celebrated Barry Yelverton, Attorney-General for Ireland, subsequently Chief Baron of the Exchequer, and afterwards created Viscount Avonmore, was educated here. A dispensary is supported, and a fever hospital is about to be erected, towards which the Earl of Cork has subscribed £100. Near the town was formerly a charter school for female foundlings, which has been discontinued for many years: the buildings are at present occupied as a dwelling-house by the incumbent, the Rev. J. R. Cotter, the inventor of a new and very powerful bass wind instrument, called the Basso Hibernico, which obtained the patronage of Geo. IV., and was introduced into his band. The interest of a bequest of £100 by the late Mr. Ryan is to be applied towards the support of the national school; and a further bequest of £50 in clothing to the poor of Charleville. At Belfort, near the town, is a spring of remarkably pure water, with a slight mineral tinge; it is held in great veneration by the peasantry, who resort to it in great numbers. John Macdonald, commonly called Shaun Claraugh, an Irish poet, resided here for several years, and was buried at Ballysally, near the town.
CHEEKPOINT, or BOLTON, a village, in the parish of FAITHLEGG, barony of GAULTIER, county of WATERFORD, and province of MUNSTER, 1 1/2 mile (N.) from Passage: the population returned with the parish. This place, which was formerly part of the estate of the late Mr. Bolton, and is now the property of Nicholas Power, Esq., of Faithlegg House, is situated on Waterford harbour, at the confluence of the rivers Suir and Barrow, the latter of which is navigable for ships to the town of New Ross. It was formerly the Waterford post-office packet station, and the seat of a hosiery and cotton manufacture, but the station has been removed to Dun-more, and the manufacture has failed. Rope-making was also carried on to a limited extent; but since the removal of the packet station, the place has fallen into decay.
CHURCH-HILL, a post-town, in the parish of INNISMACSAINT, barony of MAGHERABOY, county of FERMANAGH, and province of ULSTER, 9 miles (N. W.) from Enniskillen, and 89 1/2 miles (N. W.) from Dublin: the population is returned with the parish. This place is situated near the mail coach road from Dublin to Ballyshannon, and has a sub-post-office to the latter place and Enniskillen. Fairs are held on the 14th of May, 30th of August, and 30th of November. There is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists; and a dispensary.
CHURCH ISLAND, or INNISMORE ISLAND, in the parish of CALRY, Upper half-barony of CARBERY, county of SLIGO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 3 1/2 miles (E.) from Sligo; containing, in 1821, 9 inhabitants. It is situated in Lough Gill, and contains 180 acres, the property of Owen Wynne, Esq. St. Lemon founded a church here in the time of St. Columb, the rains of which still exist at the east end of the island, overgrown with ivy. The abbey was accidentally destroyed by fire in 1416, in which the valuable manuscripts of O'Curnin, together with the short book of that family, and many other rare curiosities, perished. In former ages it was the burial-place of the parishioners.
CHURCH-JERPOINT. -- See JERPOINT-CHURCH.
CHURCHTOWN, or BALLINTEMPLE, a parish, in the barony of IMOKILLY, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 4 miles (S. E.) from Cloyne; containing 1756 inhabitants. This parish, called also Ballygourney, is situated on St. George's channel, and comprises 4730 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act and valued at £2123. 19. 8. per annum. The greater part of the surface is hilly; the soil generally is light and shallow, resting wholly on a substratum of clay-slate, and the lands are principally under tillage. The village consists of 35 dwellings, most of which are small mud cabins roofed with thatch. Between this parish and that of Kilmahon is a detached portion of the parish of Ballyoughtra, called Snugborough, containing 92 acres, and more than two miles distant from the main body of that parish. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Cloyne, and is part of the union of Lisgoold, and the corps of the precentorship in the cathedral church of St. Colman, Cloyne. The tithes amount to £500. 5. The old parish church has long been in ruins; but a district church for this parish and that of Ballycotton was erected in 1835, at an expense of £330. raised by subscription. The glebe comprises seven acres in two portions. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union of Cloyne; the chapel is a small neat edifice. The male and female parochial school for this parish and those of Kilmahon and Ballycotton is situated at Ballybraher, and is supported by subscription; and there are two pay schools. There are two coast-guard stations, situated respectively at Ballyandrein and Ballycotton, within the Youghal district.
CHURCHTOWN, or BRUHENNY, a parish, in the barony of ORRERY, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 3 1/2 miles (N. by W.) from Buttevant; containing 2795 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the road from Buttevant to Liscarrol, and contains 7029 1/2 statute acres rated to the county cess, and valued at £6334. 16. 11. per annum. The land is generally good, and mostly in pasture; and agriculture is improving. Some bog, limestone, and a reddish-coloured marble are found here. The principal seats are Burton House, originally built by Sir Philip Perceval, destroyed in the war of 1641, rebuilt by the late Earl of Egmont, and now the residence of the Rev. Matthew Purcell; and Churchtown House, the residence of the Rev. F. W. Crofts. The village contains several neat slated houses, a good inn, and a constabulary police station. A court for the manor of Burton, which includes several parishes, is held once in three weeks, in which debts not exceeding 40s. late currency are recoverable. The greater part of the parish is the property of the Earl of Egmont, who takes his title from the townland of Egmont, within its limits. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Cloyne, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £550. The church is a plain building with a square tower; and the spire, which was thrown down about three years since, has been rebuilt by a grant of £258 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. There is no glebe-house, but a glebe of 12 acres. In the R. C. divisions this parish forms part of the union or district of Liscarrol: the chapel is a neat cruciform building, and is about to be improved. There are two private schools, in which are about 80 boys and 30 girls; and the Earl of Egmont intends to build one at Churchtown, capable of accommodating 700 children, which will be placed under the National Board.
CHURCHTOWN, county of DUBLIN.--See TANEY.
CHURCHTOWN, or RHEBAN, a parish, in the barony of WEST NARRAGH and RHEBAN, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER; containing, with part of the post-town of Athy, 2009 inhabitants, of which number, 706 are in the town. This parish is situated on the river Barrow, and on the road from Athy to Monastereven, and contains 7245 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. It is the site of the ancient city and castle of Rheban, noticed in Ptolemy's map as one of the principal inland cities, the only remains of which are a deep quadrangular intrenchment, with a high conical mount at its western extremity. A fair was formerly held here on St. Michael's day, but has long since been removed to Athy. It is an impropriate curacy, in the diocese of Dublin, and is one of the nine denominations which constitute the union of Athy or Nicholastown; the rectory is impropriate. The tithes amount to £390, of which £260 is paid to the impropriator, and £130 to the incumbent. In the R. C. divisions also the parish forms part of the union or district of Athy.
CHURCHTOWN, a parish, in the barony of LOWER NAVAN, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (N. N. E.) from Trim; containing 448 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the road from Ardbraccan to Trim, and on that from Athboy to Navan, and is separated from Clonmacduff by a small river: the land is principally under tillage, and has a substratum of limestone. The principal seats are Philpotstown, the residence of John T. Young, Esq.; and Churchtown, of Mrs. Kellett. It is in the diocese of Meath, and is one of the six parishes which constitute the union of Ardbraccan; the rectory is impropriate in the representatives of Miss Reynell, of Killynan. The tithes amount to £53. 1. 6 1/2. per ann., of which £43. 6. 11. is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the incumbent. In the R. C. divisions the parish is united to those of Clonmacduff, Moymet, Tullyhanogue, Rataine, and Kilcooly, called the union of Dunderry, or of Churchtown and Moymet, in each of which latter places are chapels; that of Churchtown is situated at Dunderry bridge. There is a school at Dunderry, aided by annual donations from the Earl of Fingall and Earl Ludlow. Some small remains of the old church exist, with a burial-ground attached.
CHURCHTOWN, a parish, in the barony of RATHCONRATH, county of WESTMEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 4 3/4 miles (W. by S.) from Mullingar; containing 980 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the road from Mullingar to Athlone, and on Lough Ennel, by which it is bounded on the south; it comprises 966 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. The land is chiefly in pasture; that which is under tillage produces good crops, and the system of agriculture is gradually improving: there is a small portion of bog, and abundance of limestone. The Royal Canal nearly touches the northern extremity of the parish. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Meath, united by act of council, in 1809) to the rectory of Dysart and the chapelry of Conragh, and in the alternate patronage of the Crown and the Bishop: the tithes amount to £180. 8. 3., and of the whole union to £373. 8.3. The church is a neat modern building with a square tower, erected in 1811, by aid of a gift of £600 from the late Board of First Fruits; it is nearly in the centre of the union. The glebe-house near it was built in 1814, by aid of a gift of £400 and a loan of £210 from the same Board. There are two glebes, comprising together 24 acres, valued at £2 per acre. In the R. C. divisions the parish is also the head of a union, co-extensive with that of the Established Church; there are chapels at Dysart and Conragh. A school is supported by subscription, aided by the rector, in which are about 30 children. There are some remains of the old church, with a cemetery; and at Teaghboyan are the remains of a monastery, of which St. Baithen was abbot, and probably the founder; no records of it since the year 1229 are extant.
CHURCHTOWN, a district parish, in the barony of FORTH, county of WEXFORD, and province of LEINSTER, 2 1/2 miles (S. W.) from Broadway; containing 1429 inhabitants. It is situated on the Lough of Tacumshane, and was constituted an ecclesiastical district, comprising the parishes of Ballymore and Tacumshane, in 1834. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Ferns, and in the patronage of the Chancellor of the diocese for the first three turns, after which the right of presentation will vest in the Bishop. The tithes of five townlands comprising 693 statute acres, amounting to £70. 10. 1 1/2., and a glebe of more than four statute acres were allotted for the support of the curate. The church, a neat building, was finished in 1835, at an expense of £800, granted by the late Board of First Fruits. In the R. C. divisions it is partly in the district of Maglass, and partly in that of Lady's Island, in which respectively are the chapels of Ballymore and Tacumshane. A parochial school has been established under the superintendence of the perpetual curate. The only remains of antiquity are the ruins of the old parish church of Tacumshane.
CLADDAGH, a village, and suburb of the town of GALWAY, in that part of the parish of RAHOON which is within the county of the town of GALWAY, and in the province of CONNAUGHT: the population is returned with the parish. This place is situated on the coast of the bay of Galway, and from that circumstance its name, which in the Irish language signifies "the sea shore," is said to be derived. It is a large and populous village, consisting almost entirely of thatched cottages and inhabited chiefly by fishermen engaged in the extensive fishery carried on in the bay. Though within the jurisdiction of the town of Galway, and separated from it only by the mouth of the river, it forms a kind of colony, remarkable for the primitive peculiarity of its inhabitants, who differ not only in habits and character, but also in dialect from those of Galway. The whole estate is the property of Mr. Whalley, whose ancestor was a colonel in Cromwell's army. The inhabitants pay no direct taxes, nor do they suffer strangers, whom they call "transplanters," to live among them. They seldom marry out of their own village, and generally at a very early age; the parents contriving to give as a dower either a boat or a share in a boat, which is sufficient to secure a maintenance for the families. They depend entirely on the fishery; on returning from sea, the fish is consigned entirely to the women, who dispose of it to hawkers and to those who have standings in the marketplace of Galway. About 140 sail boats, each from 12 to 14 tons' burden, and about 50 row boats are engaged in the fishery, which affords employment to nearly 2200 persons, but is carried on without much enterprise, and might under better regulations be very much increased. The fishermen elect from among themselves, annually on St. John's day, officers whom they call a mayor and sheriffs, when they march in procession through the town of Galway, preceded by men carrying bundles of reeds fastened to the ends of poles, to which at night they set fire from numerous bonfires kindled in various parts of the town. To these officers they pay implicit obedience, and in all things submit to their authority; the only official distinction used by the mayor is the white sail of his boat and a flag at the mast head. The time of fishing is indicated by the approach of sea fowl and other unfailing signs; the fleet then assemble, and stand out to sea by signal from the mayor, who also regulates the time for setting the nets, which at first is done simultaneously, after which each boat is allowed to fish at pleasure. The fishermen claim and exercise an exclusive right to fish in the bay, according to their own laws, any infringement of which is punished by the destruction of the nets, or even the boats, of the offending party. For the protection of those who attempted to fish against the regulations of the Claddagh fishermen, a gun-brig was stationed in the bay some few years since, during which time the object was obtained; but on its removal, the fishermen again enforced their authority, and now exercise an uncontrolled power of preventing others from fishing in the bay in opposition to their peculiar regulations. The bay abounds with fish of every kind; but the Claddagh boats are principally engaged in the herring fishery; shell fish of every kind is abundant, and few places are better supplied with oysters. The boats, since the increase of their tonnage, navigate to Limerick, Westport, Sligo, and other places. A very convenient pier has been constructed for the boats belonging to this place, and the Commissioners of Public Works have advanced £300 on loan towards continuing the quay wall. With the exception of two Protestant families that settled among them during the last century, the inhabitants are all Roman Catholics; and their chapel is attached to a Dominican friary nearly in the centre of the village. This friary occupies the site of the ancient convent of St. Mary of the Hill, founded by the O'Hallorans for Premonstratensian nuns, on whose retirement it was granted, in 1488, by Pope Innocent VIII. to the Dominican friary of Athenry. It was richly endowed by various inhabitants, but was dispossessed of its revenues at the dissolution; and in 1642, Lord Forbes, on his landing here, took possession of the house, and converted it into a battery for the reduction of the town of Galway; but failing in that object, he defaced the church and committed other outrages. In 1652 the whole of the buildings were levelled with the ground by the corporation, to prevent their conversion by Cromwell's soldiers into a station for assaulting the town. The present friary was built upon the site, and the chapel was completed in 1800: the latter is a neat edifice, 100 feet in length and 28 feet in breadth; the high altar is richly decorated, and a spacious gallery with a good organ has been erected. The residence of the friars, adjacent to the chapel, commands some beautiful and extensive views, including a pleasing prospect over the bay, terminated by the opposite shores of Oranmore, Renville, and Ardfry, and the Clare mountains, with the new lighthouse and part of the town quay and shipping.
CLADY.--See CLAUDY.
CLAHANE -- See CLOHANE.
CLANDUFF -- See CLONDUFF.
CLANE, a post-town and parish (formerly a market-town), in the barony of CLANE, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER, 4 miles (N. N. W.) from Naas, and 14 miles (W. S. W.) from Dublin; containing 2121 inhabitants, of which number, 1031 are in the town. This place, which gives name to the barony, is of very great antiquity, and appears to have derived its present appellation from Cluaine, in the Irish language signifying a "sanctuary," or "sacred retreat." The town most probably owes its origin to the foundation of an abbey in the sixth century, by St. Ailbe, who made St. Senchell the elder its first abbot; and in which a great synod was held in 1162, under Gelasius, Archbishop of Armagh, assisted by 26 bishops and a great number of abbots, when a decree was passed that no person should be admitted Professor of Divinity in any college in Ireland, who had not studied at Armagh. In. 1272, a Franciscan convent was founded here by Sir Gerald Fitzmaurice, the third Lord Ophaley. This establishment flourished till the dissolution, and was, with all its appurtenances, assigned, in the 24th of Hen. VIII., to Robert Eustace, John Trevor, and others in capite. A castle was built here, but at what time or by whom does not appear; it added greatly to the importance of the town, but has long been in ruins. The town, in which a few houses were burned by the king's troops during the disturbances of 1798, is pleasantly situated on the river Liffey, over which is a bridge of six arches, and in 1831 comprised 225 houses neatly built. The woollen manufacture is carried on to a small extent. The market, from its vicinity to that of Naas, has fallen into disuse; but fairs, chiefly for the sale of cattle, sheep, and pigs, are held on March 28th, April 28th, July 25th, and Oct. 15th. A constabulary police station has been established in the town; and petty sessions are held by the county magistrates every alternate Saturday.
The parish comprises 2380 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act; the greater portion is under tillage, the soil is fertile, and the system of agriculture improved. There are quarries of good limestone, which are worked with success; and limestone, lime, and sand are sent to Dublin by the Grand Canal, which passes within two miles of the town. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Kildare, episcopally united to the vicarages of Mainham and Clonshamboe, and to the rectory of Killybegs, together forming the union of Clane, the patronage of which is disputed by Lord Kingsland: the rectory is impropriate in the representatives of Lord Falcon-berg. The tithes of the parish amount to £188. 11. 10 1/2. of which £99. 2. 11 1/2. is payable to the impropriators, and £89. 8. 11. to the vicar. The church, an ancient structure, has been lately modernised; it is a neat edifice with a tower and spire, and is kept in repair by a small estate called Economy Lands, now producing about £60 per annum. The glebe-house is a handsome building: the glebe lands for the union comprise 29 acres
In the R. C. divisions this parish is the head of a union or district, comprising also the parishes of Clane, Balrahan, Ballynefagh, Timahoe, and Mainham, and containing three chapels, situated respectively in the three first-named parishes; that of Clane is a plain cruciform building in good repair. The parochial school is maintained by subscription among the Protestant inhabitants; the school-house is a building of stone, erected at an expense of £300. A Roman Catholic free school, formerly supported by the Dublin Patrician Society, is now under the National Board of Education; the school-house was built in 1819, at an expense of £300; and there are two schools supported by subscription. In these schools are about 200 children; and there is also a pay school, in which are 52 children. At Betaghstown is an endowed school, which was suspended for several years, but, in 1824, the Court of Chancery passed a decree for its revival. A dispensary is supported in the usual way. Of the Franciscan convent, founded by Sir Gerald Fitzmaurice, the skeleton of the conventual church is standing; in the body of the church, and serving as the headstone of a modern grave, is the lower half of the effigy of a crusader, probably part of the monument of the founder previously noticed.
About a mile from Clane, but in the parish of Main-ham, is Clongowes Wood College, formerly Castle Browne, the seat of Wogan Browne, Esq., by whom it was greatly enlarged and beautified in 1788, and from whose brother and heir, Gen. Browne, it was purchased and opened as a college for the education of the sons of the Catholic nobility and gentry, in 1814. The building, to which large additions have been made for the accommodation of the students, is a spacious quadrangular structure, flanked at the angles by four lofty towers, and is pleasantly situated in the centre of an ample and richly wooded demesne. The principal corridor is more than 300 feet in length; the hall for study is above 80 feet long and 38 feet wide, and is lighted by a double range of windows on each side; the refectory is of the same dimensions, and the apartments of the students are spacious and lofty. The college chapel is SO feet in length, and is divided into a nave and aisles by two ranges of Ionic columns; it has a fine organ, and the tabernacle on the high altar is wholly of marble and agate. The college contains an extensive library and museum, with a theatre for lectures in natural philosophy and experiments in chymistry, for public exercises in declamation, and musical concerts of the pupils. The institution is under the direction of a president, a minister or dean of the college, a procurator or bursar, and a prefect or general director of studies; there are six professors in the classical department, a professor of mathematics, and a professor of natural philosophy and chymistry. There are also three prefects, whose duty is to superintend the conduct of the pupils during the hours of study and recreation.
CLARA, a market and post-town, and ecclesiastical district in the barony of KILCOURSEY, KING'S county,and province of LEINSTER, 6 miles (N. N. W.) from Tullamore, and 48 1/2 miles (W. by S.) from Dublin; containing 7743 inhabitants, of which number, 1149 are in the town. This place is situated on the river Brosna, near the Grand Canal, and on the road from Tullamore to Athlone. The town contains 228 houses, most of which are neatly built, and the inhabitants are amply supplied with timber, fuel, and water. It had formerly a considerable trade, and an extensive market for grain; not less than eleven distilleries were conducted with success; but since the completion of the canal it has been deprived of most of its trade. The weaving of cotton and linen employs about 260 persons; the manufacture of tobacco, soap, and candles, is carried on; there are a brewery, a tanyard, and four corn and flour-mills, the produce of two being exclusively for the English market; also an extensive bleach-green. The market is on Wednesday, and is amply supplied with grain; and fairs are held on Jan. 6th, Feb. 1st, March 25th, May 12th, June 29th, July 25th, Sept. 26th and 27th, and Nov. 1st, for cattle, horses, sheep, and pigs. It is a constabulary police station; and petty sessions are held every Wednesday. The gentlemen's seats are Clara House, the residence of Edw. Cox, Esq., proprietor of the town; Woodfield, of A. Fuller, Esq.; and Kilclare, of John Armstrong, Esq.
The district, which forms part of the union of Ardnorcher, comprises the parishes of Kilmanaghan and Kilbride-Langan, forming the perpetual curacy of Clara, in the diocese of Meath, and in the patronage of the Incumbent of Ardnorcher. The church, a handsome edifice, was built about 60 years since; the Ecclesiastical Commissioners lately granted £212 for its repair. The glebe-house was built in 1812, by aid of a gift of £450 and a loan of £50 from the late Board of First Fruits. The income of the perpetual curate is £92. 6. 11. per annum, arising from 10 acres of glebe, a stipend of £55. 7. 8 1/2. per annum paid by the incumbent of Ardnorcher, and £18 per annum from Primate Boulter's augmentation fund. In the R. C. divisions the district forms part of the unions of Kilmanaghan and Clara; the latter also comprising the parishes of Ardnorcher and Kilbride-Langan, and containing two chapels, one at Horseleap, and the other at Clara, where preparations are in progress for erecting, in a handsome style, St. Bridget's Abbey, as a new R. C. church, on an eminence overhanging the town. There are places of worship for Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists, and one for Baptists; also a dispensary. About two miles north from Clara is the extensive bog of Kilmaleady, which in 1821 burst its bounds and flowed for nearly a mile and a half down an adjoining valley. Its further progress was arrested by judicious measures, but not till after it had covered about 150 acres, of which from 60 to 80 were buried under a superincumbent stratum of bog from six to ten feet in depth.
CLARA, county of MAYO.--See CLARE-ISLAND.
CLARAH, or CLARA, a parish, in the barony of GOWRAN, county of KILKENNY, and province of LEINSTER, 3 1/4 miles (E. by N.) from Kilkenny; containing 657 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the mail coach road from Dublin to Kilkenny, and contains 3165 statute acres. The principal seats are Clifden, the property of Viscount Clifden (to whom it gives title), but occupied by R. Blanchfield, Esq.; Kilmagan, the residence of James Butler, Esq.; and Clara Castle, of A. Byron, Esq. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ossory, and is part of the union of St. John's; the rectory is impropriate in the corporation of Kilkenny. The tithes amount to £270, of which £180 is payable to the impropriators, and £90 to the vicar. The parochial church is in ruins: there is a glebe of 15 acres. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Gowran, and has a neat chapel. There are two private schools, in which are 100 boys and 40 girls.
CLARAN-BRIDGE, a village, in the parish of STRADBALLY, barony of DUNKELLIN, county of GALWAY, and province of CONNAUGHT, 3 1/2 miles (S.) from Oranmore, on the mail coach road from Galway to Gort; containing, in 1836, 450 inhabitants. A patent was granted in 1820 for a market, which is held on Tuesday, principally for oats and wheat. Fairs, chiefly for pigs and horses, are held on the first Thursday after the 11th of Feb. May, Aug., and Nov. The inlet of Ballinacourty runs up to the bridge at this place, and great benefit would result from the erection of a small pier, considerable quantities of sea-weed being landed here for manure, and peat for fuel. The village is the property of T. N. Redington, Esq., whose mansion of Kilcornan, in the vicinity, is about to be partially rebuilt, with additions. In the demesne are the ruins of an ancient castle, stated to have been the residence of Norah Burke, a cruel chieftainess of the Clanricarde family. Near it is Kilcolgan Castle, the seat of M. St. George, Esq. At the eastern entrance to the village are the R. C. chapel and the monastery of St. Patrick, built by the present proprietor's grandfather and father, who endowed the monastery with seven acres of land, on condition that the monks should gratuitously educate the poor children on the Kilcornan estate. The late C. Redington, Esq., also gave the site, and his widow is about to erect a house for the Sisters of Charity, at the northern entrance to the village.--See STRADBALLY.
CLARE, an ancient village, in the parish of BALLYMORE, barony of LOWER ORIOR, county of ARMAGH, and province of ULSTER, 2 miles (W. S. W.) from Tanderagee; the population is returned with the parish. It originally formed part of the extensive possessions of the O'Nials; after the attainder of Hugh, Earl of Tyrone, it was granted by Jas. I. to Michael Harrison, from whom it passed to Henry Boucher, Esq., who, in 1619, erected a bawn of stone and lime, 100 feet long by 80 wide, and subsequently built a large stone edifice, which was the origin of Clare castle, and located many English and Scottish families here. These settlers soon afterwards erected a meeting-house, which was destroyed, together with the whole village, in the war of 1641. A patent for a weekly market on Tuesday, and a fair on the 12th of May and two following days, was obtained in the reign of Jas. I. The market has not been held for many years, but the fair still exists, and is well supplied with horses, cattle, and pigs. The village is situated on the river Cusher, over which is an ancient stone bridge; and on the river are very extensive flour, meal, and flax-mills. Several important privileges were formerly exercised as belonging to the manor, but the estate having been sold by the Earl of Sandwich, in 1807, no manorial court has since been held. In the village is a meeting-house for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, occupying the site of that destroyed in 1641; and near it is one in connection with the Seceding Synod. There are also male and female schools. In the vicinity are the ruins of Clare castle, standing on an eminence which commands extensive prospects over one of the best cultivated districts in the North of Ireland: the castle is the property of Robt. Harden, Esq., of Harrybrook, who intends to rebuild it in the ancient style.--See BALLYMORE.
CLARE (County of), a maritime county of the province of MUNSTER, bounded on the east and south by Lough Derg and the river Shannon, which successively separate it from the counties of Tipperary, Limerick, and Kerry; on the west by the Atlantic Ocean, and on the north-west by Galway bay; while on the north and north-east an imaginary boundary separates it from the county of Galway. It extends from 52° 30' to 53° (N. Lat.), and from 8° 15' to 9° 30' (W. Lon.); and comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 802,352 statute acres, of which 524,113 are cultivated land, 259,584 unimproved mountain and bog, and 18,655 are occupied by rivers and lakes. The population, in 1821, was 208,089; and in 1831, 258,262.
The inhabitants of this tract, in the time of Ptolemy, are designated by him Gangani, and represented as inhabiting also some of the southern parts of the present county of Galway: in the Irish language their appellation was Siol Gangain, and they are stated, both by Camden and Dr. Charles O'Conor, to have been descended from the Concani of Spain. The present county formed from a very early period a native principality, designated Tuath-Mumhan, or Thomond, signifying "North Munster;" and contained the six cantreds of Hy Lochlean, Corcumruadh, Ibh Caisin, Hy Garman, Clan Cuilean, and Dal Gaes. In Hy Lochlean, or Bhurrin, the present barony of Burren, the O'Loghlins or O'Laghlins were chiefs; in Corcumruadh, the modern Corcomroe, the O'Garbhs, although that portion is stated by Ware to have been occupied by the septs of O'Connor and O'Loghlin; in Ibh Caisin, the present Ibrickane, the Cumhead-mor O'Briens, this being the hereditary patrimony of the O'Briens or O'Bricheans.; in Hy Garman, the modern Moyarta, the O'Briens Arta; and in Clan Cuilean, the present Clonderlaw, the Mac Namaras; Dal Gaes comprised the more extensive districts included in the baronies of Inchiquin, Bunratty, and Tulla, forming the entire eastern half of the present county, and was ruled by the O'Briens, who exercised a supreme authority over the whole, and who preserved their ascendancy here from the date of the earliest records to a late period. Few have more honourably distinguished themselves in the annals of their country than these chiefs and their brave Dalcassian followers, especially in the wars against the Danes, who long oppressed this country with their devastations, and formed permanent stations on the Shannon, at Limerick and Inniscattery. From these and from the entire district they were, however, finally expelled, early in the 11th century, by the well-directed efforts of the great Brien Boroihme, the head of this sept, and monarch of all Ireland, whose residence, and that of his immediate successors, was at Kinkora, near Killaloe. About the year 1290, the Anglo-Norman invaders penetrated into the very heart of Thomond, and in their progress inflicted the most barbarous cruelties, especially upon the family of O'Brien; but they were compelled to make a precipitate retreat on the advance of Cathal, prince of Connaught. De Burgo, in the year 1200, also harrassed this province from Limerick; and William de Braos received from King John extensive grants here, from which, however, he derived but little advantage. Donald O'Brien, amid the storms of war and rapine which laid waste the surrounding parts of Ireland, was solicitous for the security of his own territories, and, as the most effectual method, petitioned for, and obtained from Hen. III., a grant of the kingdom of Thomond, as it was called, to be held of the king during his minority, at a yearly rent of £100, and a fine of 1000 marks. Nevertheless, Edw. I., by letters patent dated Jan. 26th, 1275, granted the whole land of Thomond to Thomas de Clare, son of the Earl of Gloucester, who placed himself at the head of a formidable force to support his claim. The O'Briens protested loudly against the encroachments of this new colony of invaders, and in a contest which speedily ensued, the natives were defeated, and the chief of the O'Briens slain; but with such fury was the war maintained by his two sons, that the new settlers were totally overthrown, with the loss of many of their bravest knights: De Clare and his father-in-law were compelled to surrender, after first taking shelter in the fastnesses of an inaccessible mountain; and the O'Briens were acknowledged sovereigns of Thomond, and acquired various other advantages. De Clare afterwards attempted with some success, to profit by the internal dissensions of the native septs. He died in 1287, at Bunratty, seized, according to the English law, of the province of Thomond, which descended to his son and heir, Gilbert de Clare, and, on the death of the latter without issue, to his brother, Richard de Clare. The O'Briens being subdued by Piers Gaveston, the latter greatly extended his power in this province, where, in 1311, he defeated the Earl of Ulster, who had commenced hostilities against him. Shortly after, the English again received a defeat from the O'Briens, and Richard de Clare, who died in 1317, had no English successor in these territories. Of the settlements made by these leaders, the principal were Bunratty and Clare, long the chief towns of the district; and the English colonists still maintained a separate political existence here; for so late as 1445, we find the O'Briens making war upon those not yet expelled. All of them, however, were eventually put to the sword, driven out, or compelled to adopt the manners of the country; the entire authority reverting to the ancient septs, among whom the Mac Mahons rose into some consideration. In the reign of Hen. VIII., Murchard or Murrough O'Brien was created Earl of Thomond for life, with remainder to his nephew Donogh, whose rights he had usurped, and who was at the same time elevated to the dignity of Baron Ibrakin. Murrough was also created Baron Inchiquin, with remainder to the heirs of his body, and from him the present Marquess of Thomond traces his descent. On the division of Connaught into six counties by Sir Henry Sidney, then lord-deputy, in 1565, Thomond, sometimes called O'Brien's country, was also made shire ground, and called Clare, after its chief town and its ancient Anglo-Norman possessors. In 1599 and 1600, Hugh O'Donell plundered and laid waste the whole county: Teg O'Brien entered into rebellion, but was shortly after slain. In accordance with its natural position, the county, on its first erection, was added to Connaught; hut subsequently, in 1602, it was re-annexed to Munster, on petition of the Earl of Thomond.
With the exception of three parishes in the diocese of Limerick, it is included in the dioceses of Killaloe and Kilfenora, the whole of the latter being comprised within its limits: it is wholly in the province of Cashel. For purposes of civil jurisdiction it is divided into the nine baronies of Bunratty, Burren, Clonderlaw, Corcomroe, Ibrickane, Inchiquin, Islands, Moyarta, and Tulla. It contains the borough and market-town of Ennis; the sea-port and market-town of Kilrush; the market and post-towns of Curofin and Ennistymon; the post-towns of Newmarket-on-Fergus, Six-mile-Bridge, Scariff, Killaloe, Kildysert, Miltown-Malbay, Burren, Knock, Broadford, and Bunratty: the town and port of Clare; and the smaller towns of Kilkee and Liscanor, the latter of which has a small harbour. The election of the two members returned by this county to the Imperial parliament takes place at Ennis; the constituency registered under the late act consists of 300 £50 freeholders, 271 £20 freeholders, 1888 £10 freeholders, and 12 £20 and 47 £10 leaseholders; making a total of 2518. The number of electors that polled at the last general election was 686. It never had more than one parliamentary borough, that of Ennis, which sent two members to the Irish parliament, and still sends one to that of the United Kingdom. Clare is included in the Munster circuit: the assizes are held at Ennis, and the quarter sessions at Ennis, Six-mile-Bridge, Kilrush, Ennistymon, and Miltown-Malbay. The county gaol is at Ennis, and there are bridewells at Kilrush, Tulla, Six-mile-Bridge, and Ennistymon. The number of persons charged with criminal offences and committed to the county gaol, in 1835, was 733, and of civil bill commitments, 182. The local government is vested in a lieutenant, 12 deputy-lieutenants, and 102 other magistrates, with the usual county officers, including three coroners. The number of constabulary police stations is 54, having in the whole a force of 8 chief and 62 subordinate constables, and 235 men, with 8 horses, maintained equally by Grand Jury presentments and by Government. The peace preservation police consists of 1 magistrate, 3 chief and 18 subordinate constables, and 82 men, the total expense of whose support amounted, in 1835, to £5340. 0. 2. Parties of the revenue police are stationed at Ennis and Killaloe. At Ennis are situated the county house of industry, and the county infirmary and fever hospital, besides which there are eleven dispensaries, situated respectively at Curofin, Doonass, Ballyvaughan, Six-mile-Bridge, Carrigaholt, Kilrush, Ennistymon, Tomgrany, Kildysert, Newmarket, and Killaloe, all maintained by Grand Jury presentments and voluntary contributions in equal portions. The total amount of Grand Jury presentments, for 1835, was £44,290. 8. 11., of which £4568. 14. 7 1/4., was for the public roads of the county at large; £11,452. 9. 10. for the public roads, being the baronial charge; £16,291. 18. 5 1/2. for public buildings and charities, officers' salaries, &c.; £6699. 18. 9 1/4. for police; and £5277. 7. 3. in repayment of loans advanced by Government. In military arrangements this county is included in the south-western district, and contains the three barrack stations of Clare Castle, Killaloe, and Kilrush, affording in the whole accommodation for 19 officers and 325 men; and there are small parties stationed at the respective forts or batteries of Kilkerin, Scattery Island, Dunaha, and Kilcredane, erected during the continental war to protect the trade of Limerick, and each affording barrack accommodation to 16 artillerymen; and also at Aughnish Point and Finvarra Point, on the southern shore of the bay of Galway.
The county possesses every diversity of surface, and great natural advantages, which require only the hand of improvement to heighten into beauty. Of the barony of Tulla, forming its entire eastern part, the northern portion is mountainous and moory, though capable of improvement; and the eastern and southern portions are intersected by a range of lofty hills, and are studded with numerous demesnes in a high state of cultivation; and there is a chain of lakes extending through this and the adjoining barony of Bunratty, which might easily be converted into a direct navigable line of communication between Broadford, Six-mile-Bridge, and the river Shannon. Bunratty barony, which includes the tract between this and the river Fergus, has in the north a large proportion of rocky ground, which is nevertheless tolerably productive, very luxuriant herbage springing up among the rocks, and affording pasturage for large flocks of sheep. The southern portion of this barony, adjoining the rivers Fergus and Shannon, contains some of the richest land in the county, both for tillage and pasturage; the uplands of this district are also of a superior quality. Inchiquin barony, lying to the north-west of Bunratty, has in its eastern part chiefly a level surface, with a calcareous, rocky, and light soil; the western consists for the most part of moory hills, with some valleys of great fertility: the part adjoining the barony of Corcomroe is highly improvable, limestone being every where obtained. The barony of Islands, which joins Inchiquin on the south and Bunratty on the west, is chiefly composed on the western side of low moory mountain, but towards the east, approaching the town of Ennis and the river Fergus, it greatly improves, partaking of the same qualities of soil as Bunratty, and containing a portion of the corcasses. Between this last and the Shannon is the barony of Clonderlaw, very much encumbered with bog and moory mountain, but highly improvable, from the facility of obtaining lime and sea manure. The four remaining baronies stretch along the western coast. That of Moyarta constitutes the long peninsula between the Shannon and the Atlantic, forming the south-western extremity of the county, and terminating at Cape Lean or Loop Head, where there is a lighthouse: this also abounds with bog and moory hills, capable of great improvement. The southern part of Ibrickane, which lies north of Moyarta, is nearly all bog, and the northern is composed of a mixture of improvable moory hills and a clay soil. Corcomroe, the next maritime barony on the north, is of the same character as the last-mentioned lands, having a fertile clay soil on whinstone rock, here called cold stone, to distinguish it from limestone: the land about Kilfenora and Doolan is some of the richest in the county. Burren, forming the most northern extremity of the county, is very rocky, but produces a short sweet herbage excellently adapted for the sheep of middle size and short clothing wool, of which immense numbers are raised upon it, together with some store cattle. Besides the numerous picturesque islands in the Shannon and Fergus rivers, there are various small islets on the coast, in the bay of Galway, and in the great recess extending from Dunbeg to Liscanor, called Malbay, an iron-bound coast rendered exceedingly dangerous by the prevalence of westerly winds: the principal of these is Mutton Island, besides which there are Goat Island and Enniskerry Island, the three forming the group of the latter name. The coast at Moher presents a magnificent range of precipitous cliffs, varying from 600 to nearly 1000 feet in height above the sea at low water, on the summit of which a banqueting-house in the castellated style has been lately erected by Cornelius O'Brien, Esq., for the use of the public. The lakes are very numerous, upwards of 100 having names: the majority are small, though some are of large extent, namely, Lough Graney, Lough O'Grady, Lough Tedane, and Lough Inchiquin; the last is remarkable for its picturesque beauty and for its fine trout. Turloughs, called in other places Loghans, are frequent; they are tracts of water either forced under ground from a higher level, or surface water mostly collected on low grounds, where it has no outlet, and remains until evaporated in summer: there is a very large one at Turloghmore, two near Kilfenora, and more in other places. Although the water usually remains on the surface for several months, yet on its subsiding, a fine grass springs up, that supports great numbers of cattle and sheep.
The climate is cool, humid, and occasionally subject to boisterous winds, but remarkably conducive to health; frost or snow are seldom of long continuance. So powerful are the gales from the Atlantic, that trees upwards of fifty miles from the shore, if not sheltered, incline to the east. On the rocky parts of the coast these gales cause the sea, by its incessant attrition, to gain on the land, but where sand forms the barrier, the land is increasing. The soil of the mountainous district, extending from Doolan southward towards Loop Head, and thence along the Shannon to Kilrush, and even still further in the same direction, together with that of the mountains of Slieveboghta, which separate the county from Galway, is generally composed of moor or bog of different depths, from two inches to many feet, over a ferruginous or aluminous clay or sandstone rock, highly capable of improvement by the application of lime, which may be procured either by land carriage or by the Shannon. A large portion of the level districts is occupied by bogs, particularly in the baronies of Moyarta and Ibrickane, where there is a tract of this character extending from Kilrush towards Dunbeg about five miles in length and of nearly equal breadth. On the boundaries of the calcareous and schistose regions the soils gradually intermingle, and form some of the best land in the county, as at Lemenagh, Shally, Applevale, Riverstown, &c. A piece of ground of remarkable fertility also extends from Kilnoe to Tomgraney, for about a mile in breadth. But the best soil is that of the rich low grounds called corcasses, which extend along the rivers Shannon and Fergus, from a place called Paradise to Limerick, a distance of more than 20 miles, and are computed to contain upwards of 20,000 acres. They are of various breadth, indenting the adjacent country in a great diversity of form. From 18 to 20 crops have been taken successively from them without any application of manure: they are adapted to the fattening of the largest oxen, and furnish vast numbers of cattle to the merchants of Cork and Limerick for exportation. The part called Tradree, or Tradruihe, is proverbially rich. These corcasses are called black or blue, according to the nature of the substratum: the black is most valuable for tillage, as it does not retain the wet so long as the blue, which latter consists of a tenacious clay. The soil in the neighbourhood of Quinn Abbey is a light limestone, and there is a large tract of fine arable country where the parishes of Quinn, Clonlea, and Kilmurry-Negaul unite.
The arable parts of the county produce abundant crops of potatoes, oats, wheat, barley, flax, &c. A large portion of the tillage is executed with the spade, especially on the sides of the mountains and on rocky ground, partly owing to the unevenness of the surface and partly to the poverty of the cultivators. The system of cropping too often adopted is the impoverishing mode of first burning or manuring for potatoes, set two or three years successively; then taking one crop of wheat, and lastly repeated crops of oats, until the soil is completely exhausted: but it is gradually giving place to a better system. Fallowing is practised to some little extent; and many farms are cultivated on an improved system, one important part of which is an alternation of green crops. An improved system of spade husbandry (trenching or Scotch drilling) has been lately introduced, and if generally adopted would be productive of great advantages. Vast quantities of potatoes, usually boiled and sometimes mixed with bran, are used to feed cows and other cattle in winter. Beans were formerly sown to a great extent in the rich lands near the rivers Shannon and Fergus, but this practice has greatly declined. Red clover and rye-grass are the only artificial grasses generally sown. The corcasses yield six tons of hay per Irish acre, and even eight tons are sometimes obtained. Except near the town of Ennis, there is but a very small number of regular dairies, a few farmers and cottagers supplying the neighbouring villages with milk and butter. A considerable quantity of butter is sent to Limerick from Ennis, being chiefly the produce of the pastures near Clare and Barntick; and it is also now made by the small farmers in most parts, and sent to Limerick for exportation to London. The pastures of Clare are of sufficient variety for rearing and fattening stock of every kind. A totally opposite character is presented by the limestone crags of Burren, and the eastern part of the baronies of Corcomroe and Inchiquin, which are, with few exceptions, devoted to the pasturage of young cattle and sheep, though in some places so rugged that four acres would not support one of the latter. Intermixed with these rocks, however, are found lands of a good fattening quality, producing mutton of the finest flavour, arising from the sweetness of the herbage, though to a stranger it might appear that a sheep could scarcely exist upon them; the parishes of Kilmoon and Killeiny contain some of the best fattening land in the county. Large tracts of these mountains are let by the bulk and not by the acre. The other baronies likewise present every variety, from the rich corcass to mountains producing scarcely any thing but heath and carex of various sorts, barely sufficient for keeping young cattle alive. The enclosed pastures are often of very inferior quality, from the ground having been exhausted with corn crops, and never laid down with grass seeds, but allowed to recover its native herbage; a gradual improvement, however, is taking place, but the great defect consists in not properly clearing the ground. In the eastern and western extremities of the county the pasture land usually consists of reclaimed mountain or bog, having a coarse sour herbage, intermixed with carex, and capable of sustaining only a small number of young cattle. The herbage between Poulanishery and Carrigaholt is remarkable for producing good milk and butter; and that of the sandhills opposite Liscanor bay, and along the shore from Miltown to Dunbeg, is also of a peculiar kind: these elevations consist entirely of sands blown in by the westerly winds, and accumulated into immense hills by the growth of various plants, of which the first, and now one of the most common, was perhaps sea reed or mat weed. Besides the home manures, some farmers apply (though not to a sufficient extent) limestone gravel, which is found in different parts; limestone, now used very extensively; marl, of which the bed of the Shannon produces inexhaustible quantities, and by the use of which astonishing improvements have been effected in the neighbourhood of Killaloe; other species of marl of less fertilising powers, dug at Kilnoe, and between Feacle and Lough Graney, in the barony of Tulla; near the coast, sea-sand and seaweed, with which the potatoe ground is plentifully manured, and which is frequently brought up the Fergus by boats to Ennis, and thence into the country, a distance of four miles. Ashes, procured by burning the surface of the land, until lately formed a very large portion of the manure used here, but the use of them is now much condemned, especially for light soils. Great improvements have been made upon the old rude implements of agriculture; the Scotch plough is generally used. In the rocky regions the only fences are, of necessity, stone walls, generally built without mortar: walls ten feet thick, made by clearing the land of stones, are not uncommon in these districts. The cattle are nearly all long-horned, generally well-shaped about the head, and tolerably fine in the limb, good milkers and thrifty. A few of the old native breed are still found, chiefly in mountainous situations: they are usually black or of a rusty brown, have black turned horns and large bodies, and are also good milkers and very hardy. The improved Leicester breed has been introduced to a great extent and of late years the short-horned Durham and Ayrshire cattle have been in request and are becoming general. Oxen are not often used in the labours of husbandry. The short and fine staple of the wool of the native sheep has been much deteriorated by the introduction of the Leicester breed, but the encouragement of the South Down may in a great measure restore it. The breed of swine has been highly improved, the small short-eared pig being now universal. The breed of horses has also undergone great improvement; the horse fair of Spancel Hill is attended by dealers from all parts of Ireland. The chief markets for fat cattle are Cork and Limerick; great numbers of heifers are sent to the fair of Ballinasloe. Formerly there were extensive orchards in this county, especially near Six-mile-Bridge, and a few still remain. Very fine cider is made from apples of various kinds, mixed in the press, and it is in such repute that it is generally bought for the consumption of private families, principally resident.
Few counties present a greater deficiency of wood, yet few afford more favourable situations for the growth of timber where sheltered from the cold winds of the Atlantic: the practice of planting, however, is gaining ground, but the general surface of the county is still comparatively bare. The most valuable timber is that found in the bogs; it consists of fir, oak, and yew, but chiefly the two former: in red bogs, fir is generally found; in black bogs, oak. The fir is frequently of very large dimensions, and most of the farmers' houses near places where it can be procured are roofed with it. The manner of finding these trees is somewhat curious: very early in the morning, before the dew evaporates, a man takes with him to the bog a long, slender, sharp spear, and as the dew never lies on the part over the trees, he can ascertain their situation and length, and thrusting down his spear, can easily discover whether they are sound or decayed: if sound, he marks with a spade the spot where they lie, and at his leisure proceeds to extricate them from their bed. Along the coast of Malbay, where not even a furze bush will now grow, large bog trees are frequently found. The extensive boggy wastes are susceptible of great improvement: the only part not containing large tracts of this kind is the barony of Burren, the inhabitants of the maritime parts of which bring turf in boats from the opposite coast of Connemara. On the other hand, a considerable quantity of turf is carried from Poulanishery to Limerick bay, a water carriage of upwards of forty miles, for the supply of which trade immense ricks are always ready on the shore; and sometimes the boats return laden with limestone from Askeaton and Aughnish. Although large tracts formerly waste, including all the corcasses, have been gained from the Fergus and the Shannon, yet a large portion of the marshes on their banks still remains subject to the overflow of these rivers. The fuel chiefly used is turf, but a considerable quantity of coal is now consumed by respectable families.
The principal minerals are lead, iron, manganese, coal, slate, limestone, and various kinds of building stone. Very rich lead-ore has been found near Glendree, near Tulla, at Lemenagh, and at Glenvaan in the barony of Burren; a vein of lead was discovered, in 1834, at Ballylicky, near Quinn, the ore of which is of superior quality and very productive; it is shipped at Clare for Wales. There are strong indications of iron in many parts, especially near the western coast; but it cannot be rendered available until a sufficient vein of coal shall have been found in its vicinity. Manganese occurs at Kilcredane Point near Carrigaholt Castle, near Newhall, on the edge of a bog near Ennistymon, and at the spa well of Fierd, on the sea shore near Cross, where it is formed by the water on the rocks. Coal has been found in many places, particularly near the coast of the Atlantic, but few efforts have been made to pursue the search with a view to work it. The best slates are those of Broadford and Killaloe, of which the former have long been celebrated, though the latter are superior, and both are nearly equal to the finest Welsh slates; the Killaloe quarry is worked to a greater depth than those of Broad-ford. Near Ennistymon are raised thin flags, used for many miles around for covering houses, but requiring strong timbers to support them. The Ballagh slates are however preferred for roofing, as being thinner than most of the same kind. There is another quarry of nearly the same sort near Kilrush, one near Glenomera, and others in the western part of the county. At Money Point, on the Shannon, a few miles from Kilrush, are raised very fine flags, which are easily quarried in large masses. Limestone occupies all the central and northern parts of the county, in a vast tract bounded on the south by the Shannon, on the east by a line running parallel with the Ougarnee river to Scariff bay, on the north by the mountains in the north of Tulla and the confines of Galway, and on the west by Galway bay and a line including Kilfenora, Curofin, and Ennis, and meeting the Shannon at the mouth of the Fergus. The limestone rises above the surface in Burren and in the eastern parts of Corcomroe and Inchiquin, and in some places presents a smooth and unbroken plane of several square yards; the calcareous hills extending in a chain from Curofin present a very curious aspect, being generally isolated, flat on the summit, and descending to the intervening valleys by successive ledges. Detached limestone rocks of considerable magnitude frequently occur in the grit soils; and large blocks have been discovered in Liscanor bay, seven or eight miles from the limestone district: in a bank near the harbour of Liscanor, water-worn pebbles of limestone are found and burned. At Craggleith, near Ennis, a fine black marble, susceptible of a very high polish, is procured. The shores of Lough Graney, in the north-eastern extremity of the county, produce a sand chiefly composed of crystals, which is sought for by the country people for upwards of 20 miles around, and is used for scythe boards, which are much superior to those brought from England: sand of similar quality is likewise procured from Lough Coutra, in the same mountains. Copper pyrites occur in several parts of Burren. An unsuccessful attempt to raise copper ore was made at Glenvaan. In the time of James I., as appears from a manuscript in the Harleian collection, there was a silver mine adjacent to O'Loughlin's castle in Burren; and an old interpolator of Nennius mentions that precious metals abounded here. Antimony, valuable ochres, clays for potteries, and beautiful fluor spar, have likewise been discovered in small quantities.
Linen, generally of coarse quality, is manufactured by the inhabitants in their own dwellings, but entirely for home consumption. A small quantity of coarse diaper for towels is also made, and generally sold at the fairs and markets, as is also canvas for sacks and bags; but this trade is now very limited. Frieze is made, chiefly for home use; and at Curofin and Ennistymon, coarse woollen stockings, the manufacture of the adjacent country, are sold every market day, but the trade has considerably declined; they are not so fine as the stockings made in Connemara, but are much stronger. The only mills besides those for corn are a few tuck-mills scattered over the country. The river Ougarnee, from its copiousness and rapidity, is well adapted for supplying manufactories of any extent, and runs through a populous country. Though the numerous bays and creeks on the Shannon, from Loop Head to Kilrush, are excellently adapted for the fitting out and harbourage of fishing boats, yet the business is pursued with little spirit. The boats that are used are not considered safe to be rowed within five miles of the mouth of the Shannon, and from their small size, the fish caught is not more than sufficient for supplying the markets of Limerick, Kilrush, and Miltown, and the southern and western parts of the county; the northern and eastern being chiefly supplied from Galway. In the herring season from 100 to 200 boats are fitted out in this river for the fishery, which, however, is very uncertain. It is thought that a productive turbot fishery might be carried on in the mouth of the river, but there are no vessels or tackling adapted for it: the boats are chiefly such as have been used from the remotest ages, being made of wicker-work, and formerly covered with horse or cow hides, but latterly with canvas; they are generally about 30 feet long, and only three broad, and are well adapted to encounter the surf, above which they rise on every wave. Kilrush has some larger boats. In Liscanor bay a considerable quantity of small turbot is sometimes caught. Fine mullet and bass are sometimes caught at the mouths of the rivers, and many kinds of flat fish, together with mackarel and whiting, are taken in abundance in their respective seasons. Oysters are procured on many parts of the coast; those taken at Pouldoody, on the coast of Burren, have long been in high repute for their fine flavour. The bed is of small extent, and the property of a private gentleman, and they are not publicly sold. Near Pouldoody is the great Burren oyster bed, called the Red Bank, where a large establishment is maintained, and from which a constant supply is furnished for the Dublin and other large markets. Oysters are also taken at Scattery island and on the shores of the Shannon, particularly at Querin and Poulanishery, where the beds are small but the oysters good, and almost the whole of their produce is sent to Limerick. Crabs and lobsters are caught in abundance on the shores of the bay of Galway, in every creek from Black-head to Ardfry; and are procured in smaller quantities on the coast of the Atlantic, from Black-head to Loop-head. The salmon fishery of the Shannon is very considerable, and a few are taken in every river. Eels are abundant, and weirs for taking them are extremely numerous. The commerce of the county consists entirely in the exportation of agricultural produce, and the importation of various foreign articles for home consumption: of this trade Limerick is the centre, although Kilrush likewise participates in it. The only harbours between the mouth of the Shannon and Galway bay, an extent of upwards of 40 miles, are Dunmore, which is rendered dangerous by the rocks at its entrance, and Liscanor, which is capable of properly sheltering only fishing-boats. The fine river Fergus is made but little available for the purposes of commerce, the trade with Limerick being chiefly by an expensive land carriage. The only corn markets are those of Ennis, Clare, and Kilrush, which are very abundantly supplied, and much grain is purchased at them for the Limerick exporters; corn is also shipped for Galway at Ballyvaughan and New Quay, on the north coast.
The most important river is the Shannon, which first touches the county on its eastern confines as part of Lough Derg, and thence sweeps round by Killaloe (where it forms the celebrated falls) to Limerick, from which city to the sea, a distance of 60 miles, it forms a magnificent estuary, nine miles wide at its mouth, where it opens into the Atlantic, and is diversified by many picturesque islands, bays, and promontories. This noble river, which washes no less than 97 British miles of its coast, is the great channel of the trade of the county, and besides its maritime advantages, affords a navigable access to all the central parts of the kingdom and to Dublin: the navigation, however, was incomplete until, through the exertions of the Board of Inland Navigation, the obstacles at Killaloe were avoided by the construction of an artificial line for some distance. The numerous bays and creeks on both its sides render it, in every wind, perfectly safe to the vessels navigating to Limerick, the quays of which place are accessible to ships of 400 tons' burden. Very important projected improvements of the navigation of this noble river, involving an enormous expenditure, are detailed in the account of the city of Limerick. The Fergus, a river of this county exclusively, has its source in the barony of Corcomroe, and running through the lakes of Inchiquin, Tedane, Dromore, Ballyally, and several others, and receiving the waters of various smaller streams, pursues a southern course to the town of Ennis, where it is augmented by the waters of the Clareen; whence, flowing by Clare, it spreads below the latter place into a wide and beautiful estuary, studded with picturesque islands, and opening into that of the Shannon: from this river it is navigable up to Clare, a distance of eight miles, for vessels of nearly 500 tons' burden, and up to Ennis for small craft. Its banks in many places present a rich muddy strand, capable of being enclosed so as to form an important addition to the corcass lands: it receives many mountain streams, and after heavy rains rises s6 rapidly, that large tracts of low meadow are occasionally overflowed and the hay destroyed. From Lough Ferroig, situated on the top of the mountain of Slieveboghta, in the barony of Tulla, and on the confines of Galway, issues a stream which runs southward into the beautiful Lough Graney, and winding hence eastward collects the superfluous waters of Annalow Lough and Lough O'Grady, and, about two miles below the latter, falls into Scariff bay, a picturesque part of Lough Derg. The fine stream of Ougarnee rises near and flows through Lough Breedy, communicates with Lough Doon, receives the waters of Lough Clonlea, and, after forming of itself a small lake near Mountcashel, pursues its southerly course by Six-mile-Bridge, and falls into the Shannon near Bunratty castle, about nine miles below Limerick; the tide flows nearly to Six-mile-Bridge. The other considerable streams are the Ardsallas, Blackwater, and Clareen, and the Ennistymon river: the smaller streams are almost innumerable, except in the barony of Burren, which is scantily supplied. Except the canal between Limerick and Killaloe, there is no artificial line of navigation, although it has been proposed to construct a canal from Poulanishery harbour, about twelve miles from Loop-head, across the peninsula to Dunbeg, and another from the Shannon, at Scariff bay, through Lough Graney, to Galway bay. The roads are numerous and generally in good repair: the principal have been much improved within the last few years, and many hills have been lowered. Soon after the famine and distress of 1822, a new road was made near the coast between Liscanor, Miltown-Malbay, and Kilrush, and another between the last-named place and Ennis. The roads recently completed or now in progress, in aid of which grants have been made by the Board of Public Works, are, a direct road leading from the newly erected Wellesley bridge at Limerick to Cratloe, partly at the expense of the Marquess of Lansdowne; a road from Knockbreda to the boundary of the county towards Loughrea, extending along the eastern side of Lough Graney, and proposed to be continued to Kiltannan, towards Tulla and Ennis; and a road along the shore of Lough Derg, between Killaloe and Scariff. A road has also been lately made, at the expense of the county, from Scariff bay along the northern side of Lough O'Grady and the western side of Lough Graney, to the boundary of the county towards Gort, with a branch to the south towards O'Callaghan's mills. The bridges are generally good: a handsome new bridge has been lately built, under the superintendence of the Board of Public Works, over the Fergus at Ennis, and another of large dimensions and elegant structure is now in progress over the Inagh near Liscanor.
The remains of antiquity are numerous and diversified. There are cromlechs at Ballygannor, Lemenagh, Kilnaboy, Tullynaglashin, Mount Callan and Ballykishen: near the last-named are two smaller, and the remains of a cairn. Raths abound in every part, and many have been planted with fir trees. One occupies the spot near Killaloe, where formerly stood King Brien Boroihme's palace, or castle, called Kinkora. Pillar stones occur only in a few places: some may be seen on the road between Spancel Hill and Tulla. Of the ancient round towers, this county contains five, viz., those of Scattery Island, Drumcleeve, Dysert, Kilnaboy, and Inniscalthra, in Lough Derg. Near the cathedral of Killaloe is the oratory of St. Moluah, supposed to be one of the most ancient buildings in Ireland. Thirty religious houses were founded in this county, but at present there are remains only of those of Corcomroe, Ennis, Quinn, Inniscalthra, and Inniscattery. At Kilfenora several ancient crosses of great curiosity are to be seen; a very remarkable one is fixed in a rock near the church of Kilnaboy; and near the church and round tower of Dysert a very curious one lies on the ground. The castles still existing entire or in ruins amount in number to 120, of which the family of Mac Namara, it is traditionally said, built 57. There are 25 in the barony of Bunratty, of which those of Bunratty and Knopoge are inhabited; 13 in Burren, of which those of Castletown and Glaninagh are inhabited, and Newtown castle is a round fortress on a square base; 8 in Clonderlaw, of which that of Donogrogue is inhabited; 14 in Corcomroe, of which that of Smithstown is inhabited; 6 in Ibrickane; 22 in Inchiquin, of which those of Mahre and Dysert are inhabited: 3 in Islands; 4 in Moyarta, of which that of Carrigaholt is inhabited; and 25 in Tulla. Many of them are insignificant places, built by the proprietors in times of lawless turbulence; others, small castellated houses erected by English settlers. Bunratty castle, however, is of considerable extent, and was once considered a place of great strength. The modern seats are described under the heads of the parishes in which they are respectively situated. The better class of farmers and graziers have generally comfortable dwelling-houses and convenient offices, with roofs of slate or flags. The poorer classes are usually badly lodged in houses built of stone without mortar, the walls of which are consequently pervious to the wind and rain. The cottages are always thatched, either with straw, sedges, rushes, heath, or potatoe stalks: a want of cleanliness is universally prevalent. Few cottages are without sallow trees, for kishes or baskets, which many of the labourers know how to make; and almost all have small potatoe gardens. The Irish yet spoken in the remote parts of the county is chiefly a jargon of Irish with English intermixed, and is rapidly falling into disuse. Hurling matches are a favourite sport of the peasantry, and chairs, or meetings of both sexes at night in some public-house, constitute another source of amusement. Mineral waters are found in many places, and are chiefly chalybeate: that at Lisdounvarna has long been celebrated for its efficacy in visceral complaints; at Scool and Kilkishen are others well known; and two more are situated near Cloneen, about a mile north-west of Lemenagh Castle, and at Cassino, near Miltown-Malbay. Many holy wells, remarkable naturally only for the purity of their waters, exist in different parts, but are little regarded, except by the peasantry. The great falls in the Shannon, near Killaloe, are worthy of especial notice. The title of Earl of Thomond, derived from this county, was raised to a Marquesate in 1800, in favour of the family of O'Brien, which also derives from the extensive territory of Inchiquin the titles of Earl and Baron, and from the district of Burren also that of Baron. The title of Earl of Clare is borne by the family of Fitzgibbon.
CLARE, a town, in the parish of CLARE-ABBEY, barony of ISLANDS, county of CLARE, and province of MUNSTER, 2 miles (S.) from Ennis; containing 1021 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Fergus, about 12 miles from its confluence with the Shannon, is of great antiquity, and was formerly the capital of the county. In 1278 a great battle was fought here between Donell O'Brien and Mahon O'Brien, in which the latter was defeated. According to the annals of the Mac Brodies, the castle was built by Donogh O'Brien, surnamed Cairbreach, King of Thomond, and in 1641 was surprised and burnt by Murrough O'Brien, who took possession of the lands. Although the town contains some good slated houses, the greater number are thatched, and on the commons to the west, poor cottiers from various parts have located themselves and erected wretched cabins, which gives to this suburb an air of extreme poverty. On the site of the castle are cavalry barracks, affording accommodation for 17 officers and 234 men; and, from its central situation, the town is well adapted for a military depot. Fairs are held on May21st, Aug. 17th, and Nov. 11th. A great quantity of salmon is taken in the Fergus, and occasionally sold at the low price of 3d. per lb. The parochial church, a Roman Catholic chapel, the parochial school, and a dispensary, are in the town. This is one of the principal ports of the county for the export of grain, by means of the Fergus. The entrance to the river lies between Rinana Point, on the east, and Innismurry on the west, and is about 5 miles wide, but the ship channel does not exceed three-fourths of a mile in width, and is not adapted for vessels drawing more than 16 feet of water. The quay, although only 80 feet long, and therefore accommodating but one vessel at a time, is yet of considerable service, as before its erection in 1815 there were no means of shipping or discharging a cargo, and vessels of any kind very rarely visited the town. At present, one or two come every month, bringing coal and taking back grain to Liverpool, where, in 1831, it was sold at a higher rate than any other grain in the market. About 600 feet above the quay there is a bridge, the abutments of which rest on a solid bed of rock, forming an obstruction that separates the Upper from the Lower Fergus; this bridge leads to an island, on which stand the remains of the castle. A second and smaller bridge, leading to the mail coach road to Limerick, crosses the arm of the river that runs round Castle Island. The main branch of the river, from the bridge to the quay, is about 250 feet wide. From Clare to Ennis by the Upper Fergus is three miles: this is a fine piece of water, about 150 feet wide, wearing much the appearance of a large canal. It sometimes overflows its banks, and greatly fertilises the adjacent country. To form a communication between the Upper and Lower Fergus, it is proposed to place a dam and lock at the falls, about a furlong above the bridge, and to deepen the bed of the river between those places from three to six feet, and between the quay and the bridge about four feet.
CLARE, or CLARA, an island, in the parish of KILGAVOWER, barony of MURRISK, county of MAYO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 15 miles (W.) from Westport; containing 1616 inhabitants. It is situated in the middle of the entrance of Clew bay, off the western coast, and is the property of Sir Samuel O'Malley, Bart., a descendant of that ancient sept, of which name there were 67 families resident in 1821. A cell of Carmelite friars was founded here in 1224, under the Invocation of the Blessed Virgin, which was afterwards annexed to the abbey of Knockmoy, in the county of Galway. Grace O'Malley, better known by the name of Graa Vile, and whose exploits in the 16th century are traditionally preserved in the island, made this place her strong hold, built a castle here, and had all her large vessels moored in the bay. This extraordinary woman was the daughter of Owen O'Malley, and widow of O'Flahertie, two chiefs in this part of Connaught. After the death of O'Flahertie, she married Sir Richard Bourke, called Mac William Oughter, who died in 1585. She was high spirited, bold, and adventurous, and at an early age became fond of a maritime life; she was ever foremost in danger, and her fame for intrepidity was such that Lord-Deputy Sydney, writing to the English council in 1576, observes, "O'Malley is powerful in galleys and seamen." The island is about four miles in length, and comprises about 3000 acres of cultivable and mountain land, which is undivided and held by the inhabitants in common; the agriculture is improving, and large quantities of grain are shipped here for Westport; the soil is fertile, but the crops are sometimes seriously injured by storms. In the R. C. divisions the islands of Clare and Innisturk form a parish, in which are places of worship, but no regular chapel; the inhabitants are all Roman Catholics. There are some remains of the old castle and of a telegraph; the highest point of land is 1520 feet above the level of the sea. About 340 persons, who are also farmers, are occasionally employed in the fishery; and a pier has been constructed, which is also used for the landing of sea manure. On the north-east point of the island a lighthouse was erected in 1818, by the corporation for improving the port of Dublin; it is situated in lat. 53° 49' 30" (N.), and lon. 9° 55' 30" (W.), and shews a steady bright light from 21 lamps, at an elevation of 487 feet above the level of the sea, which may be seen at a distanc