By Samuel Lewis, 1837
Title Page | Preface |A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | Y | Appendix | Mileage Conversion
HACKETSTOWN, a market-town and parish, partly in the barony of BALLYNACOR, county of WICKLOW, but chiefly in that of RATHVILLY, county of CARLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 6 3/4 miles (S. E.) from Baltinglass, on the road from Wicklow to Carlow; containing 4434 inhabitants. In 1798 it sustained two attacks from the insurgent forces, one on the 25th of May, which was successfully repulsed by the yeomanry and a detachment of the Antrim militia; the other on the 25th of June, when a body of insurgents, amounting to several thousands, advanced against it at five in the morning. The garrison, consisting of 170, mostly yeomen, marched out to meet them, but, after a few volleys, were obliged to retreat, the cavalry by the road to Clonmore, and the infantry, 120 in number, into the barrack, where they maintained their position throughout the day behind a breastwork in the rear of it. The town was fired in several places by the rebels, who, after various ineffectual attempts to force an entrance to the barrack and a garrisoned house by which it was flanked, retreated, and in the night the garrison retired on Tullow. The town, which consists of 131 houses, is situated on a rising ground, below which flows a branch of the Slaney, and commands fine views. It is a constabulary police station, and has a penny post to Baltinglass, and a dispensary. A patent was granted in 1635, by Chas. I., to the Earl of Ormonde for a market on Wednesday and fairs on the Tuesday after Nov. 1st, and the Thursday after Trinity Sunday. The market is now held on Thursday, but only during the summer months from March to August, for the sale of meal and potatoes; and the fairs are on Jan. 13th, the first Thursday in Feb., March 12th, April 13th, May 4th, June 2nd, July 13th, Aug. 21st, Sept. 18th, Oct. 17th, the third Thursday in November, and Dec. 21st.
The parish comprises 31,570 statute acres, of which 11,954 are applotted under the tithe act: about one-sixth of the land is arable, nearly one-half pasture, and the remainder bog and waste; the latter is chiefly situated in the eastern part of the parish, and large blocks of granite are dispersed throughout. The principal seats are Woodside, the residence of S. Jones, Esq.; Ballyhelane, of J. Brownrigg, Esq.; and Ballasallagh House, of J. Hogier, Esq. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Leighlin, episcopally united in 1693 to the vicarage of Haroldstown, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £553. 16. 11., and of the benefice to £619. 15. 11. The glebe-house was erected in 1819, by a gift of £300 and a loan of £500 from the late Board of First Fruits; the glebe comprises 8 1/2 acres. The church is a neat building, with a square embattled tower surmounted with pinnacles, which was erected and the church roofed anew, in 1820, by a gift of £600 and a loan of £500 from the late Board of First Fruits; it has recently been repaired by a grant of £559 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. In the churchyard is a monument to the memory of Capt. Hardy, who was killed in 1798 while defending the town. In the R. C. divisions it is the head of a union or district, comprising the parishes of Hacketstown and Moyne, and parts of Haroldstown, Clonmore, and Kiltegan; and containing chapels at Hacketstown, Killamote, and Knockanana. Near the church is a very neat place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists, recently erected. The parochial school is supported by the rector and a small payment from the scholars; and there is a national school in the R. C. chapel-yard.
HAGGARDSTOWN, a parish, in the barony of UPPER DUNDALK, county of LOUTH, and province of LEINSTER, 2 miles (S.) from Dundalk, on the road from Dublin to Belfast; containing, with the village of Blackrock, 1011 inhabitants. This parish comprises 1400 1/4 statute acres, according to the Ordnance survey, nearly the whole of which is very excellent land and under tillage. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Armagh, entirely impropriate in T. Fortescue, Esq.: the tithes amount to £178. 16. 3 1/2. There is neither church, glebe-house, nor glebe. In the R. C. divisions it is the head of a union or district, also called Kilcurley, which comprises the parishes of Haggardstown, Heynstown, Ballybarrack, Philipstown, Dunbin, and part of Baronstown: a handsome chapel was erected here in 1833, and there is another at Baronstown. Here is a school of about 150 children; and there are some remains of the old church and also of an ancient castle.
HAINSTOWN, a parish, in the barony of SOUTH SALT, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER, 2 1/2 miles (E. by N.) from Naas, with which the population is returned: It is a chapelry, in the diocese of Kildare, united with that of Furnaughts, and in the gift of the bishop: the tithes amount to £6. 17. 6. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Kill.
HAMILTON'S BAWN, a village, in that part of the parish of MULLAGHBRACK which is in the barony of LOWER FEWS, county of ARMAGH, and province of ULSTER, 1 3/4 mile (S.) from Richhill, on the road to Market-Hill; containing 86 houses and 462 inhabitants. This district was granted by Jas. I. to J. Hamilton, Esq., who, in 1619, built a strong bawn of lime and stone, 60 feet square, with flankers; settled 26 British families here, and armed 30 men for the king's service. The bawn was almost entirely destroyed in 1641, when great cruelties are said to have been perpetrated here. This place, which was formerly of considerable note, is the subject of a humorous poem by Dean Swift, entitled "the Grand Question debated whether Hamilton's Bawn shall be a Barrack or a Malt-House." Fairs are held on the 26th of May and November; and a court baron is held for the manor of Johnstown, on the first Monday in every month, for the recovery of debts under 40s. Here is a male and female school, assisted by the Rev. Dr. Blacker. On the hill above the town are the ruins of a castle, which, until recently, was regularly garrisoned.
HARDWOOD, a village, in the parish of CLONARD, barony of UPPER MOYFENRAGH, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER; containing 16 houses and 67 inhabitants.
HARE ISLAND, or INNISDRISCOL, in the parish of AUGHADOWA, Eastern Division of the barony of WEST CARBERY, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 7 miles (S. W.) from Skibbereen; containing 267 inhabitants. It lies off Turk Plead in Roaringwater bay, about 3/4 of a mile from the mainland, and contains 155 statute acres, some of which are cultivated by spade labour.
HAROLD'S CROSS, a village, partly in the parish of ST. CATHERINE, in the barony of DONORE, and partly in the united parishes of ST. PETER and ST. KEVIN, barony of UPPERCROSS, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 1 1/4 mile (S.) from Dublin Castle, on the road to Rathfarnham; containing 1101 inhabitants. This place was in ancient times the scene of repeated conflicts with the Danes; and in a house near it, on the road from Clanbrassil bridge, Robert Emmet, who had lodged there for some time under a fictitious name, after the insurrection of 1803, was apprehended by Major Sirr. The village contains 157 houses, chiefly built round a spacious green and along the roads.leading on the west to Kimmage, and on the south to Rathfarnham. In the neighbourhood are some handsome villas, of which the chief are Mount Argus, that of J. Byrne, Esq.; and Greenmount, of J. Webb, Esq. On a branch of a river which rises above Castle Hill are some extensive mills; and in the neighbourhood is a very extensive cotton factory, called the Green Mount Mills, belonging to Messrs. Pim, and employing 150 persons. The machinery of these mills is driven by a steam-engine of 25 and a water-wheel of 20-horse power, giving motion to 100 power-looms and 6000 spindles; there are also a paper-mill and a flour-mill. In the village is a small monastery of discalced Carmelites, consisting of a prior and nine brethren, who support themselves by the exercise of several trades, and the profits of a school kept in the house. A convent of sisters of the order of St. Clare was removed hither from Dorset-street, Dublin, in 1804; the establishment consists of an abbess, 17 professed nuns, and 3 lay sisters; and attached to the convent is a very neat chapel, which is open to the public. Connected with this institution is a female orphan asylum, founded in 1803, and removed from Hendrick-street, Dublin, in 1806, when an appropriate building adjoining the convent was erected for its use. In this asylum 90 children are maintained, clothed, and instructed under the immediate care and superintendence of the sisters of St. Clare; it is supported by subscriptions, donations, and the produce of the industry of the children, who excel in the finer sorts of needlework. Near the entrance of Mount Jerome is a national school, established in 1834, which was previously a R. C. chapel. Mount Jerome, a beautifully picturesque demesne, adjoining the village, has lately been purchased by the Dublin Cemetery Company, formed under the provisions of an act of the 4th and 5th of Wm. IV., "for establishing a general cemetery in the neighbourhood of the city of Dublin." This cemetery comprises 25 acres of gently elevated ground, embellished with lawns and shrubberies, and wholly surrounded with lofty trees of venerable growth, giving it an air of seclusion and a solemnity of aspect peculiarly appropriate. Under the direction of the Company, who have a capital of £12,000 subscribed in £10 shares, provision will be made for the interment of persons of all religious denominations by recognised ministers of their respective congregations; and in order to facilitate the approaches from the south and south-east of the city, arrangements have been made with the Grand Canal Company for the improvement of the canal road from Portobello, and for exemption from toll of all carriages passing to or from the cemetery. The plan also embraces the erection of monuments and cenotaphs, and the construction of tombs and graves either by the company at a stipulated charge, or by individuals at their own expense; the whole is enclosed by a wall, and near the entrance a church is now being erected for the accommodation of the neighbourhood as a chapel of ease. Building stone of good quality is found in abundance in the vicinity, and the Grand Canal passes almost close to the village.
HAROLDSTOWN, a parish, in the barony of RATHVILLY, county of CARLOW, and province of LEINSTER, l 1/2 mile (S.) from Hacketstown, on the road to Carlow; containing 838 inhabitants. It comprises 2778 statute acres, of which about 200 are bog, 1000 arable, and the remainder meadow and pasture. Agriculture is improving, and limestone is found here. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Leighlin, forming part of the union of Hacketstown; the rectory is appropriate to the Dean and Chapter of Leighlin. The tithes amount to £188. 9. 4., of which two-thirds are payable to the dean and chapter, and one-third to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Hacketstown. There is a dipensary; also a parochial, a national, and another public school. On the townland of Haroldstown is a fine cromlech, consisting of one large stone supported by five smaller stones; there is also an old churchyard.
HARRISTOWN, a village (formerly a parliamentary borough), in the parish of RATHMORE, barony of NORTH NAAS, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER, 2 1/2 miles (N. E.) from Kilcullen-Bridge; the population is returned with the parish. This place was formerly the property of the ancient and noble family of Eustace, to whom it gave the title of Baron; and during the civil war, in 1650, the castle was besieged and taken by a party of the parliamentarian forces under Cols. Hewson and Reynolds. In 1681, Sir Maurice Eustace, Knt., obtained from Chas. II. a charter, constituting his estates a manor, with power to hold courts leet and baron, and a court of record before his seneschals, for the recovery of debts not exceeding £10. He also obtained leave to appoint bailiffs and other officers, to have a gaol, to take all waifs, estrays, deodands, and felons' goods, and to hold a market and two fairs at. Carnallaway. The town was afterwards made a free borough, with a corporation, consisting of a sovereign and 12 burgesses, which had the privilege of returning two members to parliament, and continued to exercise it till the Union, when the borough was disfranchised, and the £15,000 awarded as compensation was paid to John Latouche, Esq., who was at, that time proprietor of the town. For some time previously to the disfranchisement, its corporation had ceased to exercise any municipal functions; none of its offices have since been filled, and it is now an inconsiderable village. Harristown, the seat of R. Latouche, Esq., is an elegant mansion with a stately Ionic portico, beautifully situated on an eminence on the right bank of the river Liffey, which winds through the demesne and is crossed by two stone bridges, one of which, at Brannockstown, was built by the late J. Latouche, Esq., to supply the place of a very handsome bridge of seven arches, now included within the demesne. The banks of the river are richly ornamented with stately timber, and the undulating surface of the grounds has been made available to the graceful embellishment of this fine demesne. Near Harristown is Kilbarry, the elegant villa of Mrs. Dundas. A constabulary police force is stationed in the village; and there are some slight remains of the ancient castle, formerly belonging to the family of Eustace.
HARRISTOWN, a parish, in the barony of UPPER PHILIPSTOWN, KING'S county, and province of LEINSTER, 4 1/4 miles (S. W.) from Kildare, on the road from Monastereven to Athy; containing 1020 inhabitants. This parish is an isolated part of King's county, situated in the county of Kildare; it comprises 3940 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £2218 per annum; and includes Riverstown, the residence of Capt. Browne. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Kildare; forming the corps of the prebend of Harristown in Kildare cathedral, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £220. There is neither church, glebe-house, nor glebe. The parochial school, at Borbawn, is aided by the incumbent, and there is a private school of about 20 children.
HAWLBOWLING, an island, in the parish of TEMPLEROBIN, barony of BARRYMORE, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 5 a mile (S.) from Cove, in the harbour of Cork; containing, with Rocky Island, 303 inhabitants. This island, called formerly Ennis Shenagh, or Fox Island, was originally fortified by Sir G. Carew, after the defeat of the Spaniards at Kinsale, in 1602; and stores were deposited here, which, on the death of Queen Elizabeth, the Mayor of Cork, with some forces, attempted to seize, refusing any supply to the King's troops. In this attempt many of the citizens were killed, and the remainder returned to Cork and submitted to the authority of Jas. I., whom they had previously refused to proclaim. In the war of 1641, the island was alternately in the possession of the royalists and parliamentarians, but ultimately submitted to Cromwell in 1649. After the Restoration, the fortress was much neglected, but in 1688 it was seized by the adherents of Jas. II., and remained in their possession till the arrival of an English fleet, in 1690, when it was deserted by the Irish troops and garrisoned by the Earl of Marlborough, on his route to Cork. From this time the island (which comprises about 36 acres, and previously afforded pasture to a few sheep) began to be regarded as a place of importance, and the garrison was carefully kept up till the building of the barracks on Spike Island, in 1806, when it was appropriated to the Boards of Admiralty and Ordnance, by which extensive stores and depots were erected, and it is now the great naval arsenal and ordnance depot of Cork. The eastern portion of it belongs to the Admiralty, and the western to the Ordnance department; in the former are ranges of buildings of very great extent, capable of receiving stores and provisions sufficient for supplying the whole navy of Great Britain for 12 months, and a capacious tank, containing 5000 tons of fresh water. In Rocky Island is the magazine, consisting of several spacious vaults hewn out of the solid rock, in which are deposited 25,000 barrels of gunpowder, from which the whole of the south of Ireland is supplied. The stairs and landing-places all round the quays are capacious and well constructed; the warehouses are four stories high, roofed with slate and built in a most substantial manner and in a handsome style, on a level hewn out of the rock, which rises abruptly in their rear; but since the breaking up of the victualling establishment they have been disused, and are now under the care of a storekeeper and two other officers belonging to the Admiralty. The buildings belonging to the Ordnance department are the artillery barracks for one officer and 30 men (a detachment from Spike Island), a martello tower, and some other works; they occupy the sides and summit of the rock, and are also disused and under the care of an Ordnance store-keeper and clerks. The entrance to the island is from the north, opposite to Cove. The Spike sands, which set in close to it, extend more than a mile (E. S. E.), and begin to dry on the north side at half ebb; on this bank are several perches, the chief of which are on the east and north sides; vessels going into Cork must pass on the north side between these sands and the main land. The island, in ecclesiastical arrangements, forms part of the parish of Templerobin, in the diocese of Cloyne; and in the R. C. divisions it belongs to the parish of Monks-town, in the diocese of Cork.
HEADFORD, a market and post-town, partly in the parish of KILKILVERY, but chiefly in that of KILLURSA, barony of CLARE, county of GALWAY, and province of CONNAUGHT, 16 miles (N.) from Galway, and 107 3/4 (W.) from Dublin; containing 1441 inhabitants. This is a neat and clean town, having been much improved by its proprietor, R. J. Mansergh St. George, Esq.; it has a considerable trade, and commands fine views of Lough Corrib, and the mountains of Joyces' country and Mayo. It comprises 217 houses, is a chief constabulary police station, and has petty sessions on Mondays; here is also a dispensary. Bobbin lace, coarse linen, and flannel are made. The market is on Tuesday, and fairs are held on May 11th and Oct. 14th. Headford Castle is the residence of R. J. M. St. George, Esq.; it is a handsome modern building, erected on the ruins of the ancient castle; the extensive demesne, which is laid out with great taste, is entered from the town by a good gateway. Here is also Clydagh House, the seat of G. Staunton Lynch, Esq. In the neighbourhood are several raths; and between the town and the shores of Lough Corrib are the ruins of Ross abbey, partially covered with ivy. It was founded for Observantine Franciscans, in 1498, by Lord Granard, and a chapter of the order was held in it in 1509. At the suppression of religious houses it was granted to the Earl of Clanricarde. In 1604 it was repaired by the Catholics, and in 1812 the roof fell in; one of the windows is still perfect. Within this ruin is the burial-place of the Burke, Kirwan, Browne, and Lynch families. In 1828, silver coins of the reigns from Hen. III. to Wm. III., copper coins of Jas. II. and his successor, military weapons and other relics were found near Headford Castle, and are now in the possession of Mr. Harrison.
HENRYVILLE, a village, in the parish of BALLYCLUG, barony of LOWER ANTRIM, county of ANTRIM, and province of ULSTER, adjoining the post-town of Ballymena, with which it is connected by a bridge over the river Braid: it contains 48 houses and 252 inhabitants.
HERBERTSTOWN, a village, partly in the parish of BALLYNARD, and partly in that of CAHIRCORNEY, barony of SMALL COUNTY, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER, 6 miles (N. E. by N.) from Bruff, on the road from Limerick to Hospital. It is a constabulary police station, and has large pig fairs on Jan. 15th, March 17th, June 28th, and Nov. 7th. Here is a large R. C. chapel, which was erected in 1836 at an expense of £800.
HEYNSTOWN, or HAINSTOWN, a parish, in the barony of UPPER DUNDALK, county of LOUTH, and province of LEINSTER, 2 1/2 miles (S.) from Dundalk, on the road to Ardee; containing 442 inhabitants. This parish comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 1980 1/2 statute acres, which are chiefly under tillage. It is well planted, and the scenery is highly picturesque; there is an abundance of good building stone. Prospect, the seat of W. H. Richardson, Esq., commands a very extensive view; and Clermont Park, that of T. Fortescue, Esq., stands in a handsome and well-wooded demesne, comprising about 800 statute acres. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Armagh, and in the patronage of the Lord-Primate: the tithes amount to £350; there is neither glebe-house nor glebe. The church is a plain modern structure, near which are some remains of an ancient round tower. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Haggardstown, at which place is the chapel. Here are the ruins of Dunmahon castle, consisting of a quadrangular pile, with circular towers of dissimilar sizes at the angles.
 Seal |
The parish comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 8484 3/4 statute acres, of which 62 1/2 are water and the remainder good arable and pasture land, the principal part of which is under tillage and in a high state of cultivation. Hillsborough Castle, the seat of the Marquess of Downshire, situated at the west end of the town, is in a demesne richly embellished with wood; in the grounds is a fine lake, and the scenery is pleasingly diversified and highly picturesque. At the east side of the town is the park, enclosing a space of 1500 statute acres, surrounded by a wall: it also is beautifully situated, richly wooded, and has a fine lake. Within it is the fort above-mentioned, erected by Sir Arthur Hill, in the centre of the west side of which is a castellated mansion, supposed to have been built as a residence for the constable. King William slept in it when his army was encamped in the neighbourhood. It is entered by an arched gateway, which is the only passage into the fort except a sally-port in the eastern side. It was from this place that King William issued his declaration to grant the Regium Donum to the Presbyterian ministers of Ulster. The other seats are Culcavy Cottage, the residence of H. Bradshaw, Esq.; Eglantine, of Capt. Moore; Carnbane, of H. Moreland, Esq.; Shamrock Vale, of Lieut. Clarke, R.N.; and Blaris House, of Col. Hawkeshaw. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Down, formerly the head of a union comprising also the parishes of Drumbeg, Drumboe, and Kilclief, together constituting the corps of the archdeaconry of Down, but since the dissolution of the union under the Church Temporalities' act, consequent on the demise of the Rev. R. M. Mant, in 1834, it has solely formed the corps of the archdeaconry: the tithes amount to £550. The glebe-house is a handsome residence, and the glebe comprises 22 acres, subject to a rent of £31. 7. 8.; attached to the archdeaconry are also 235 acres of glebe in the parish of Kilclief. The church, a spacious cruciform structure in the later English style, with square embattled towers at the extremities of the transepts, and a similar tower at the west end surmounted by an octagonal spire, was erected in 1774, at the sole expense of the late Marquess. The interior is finely arranged; the windows are embellished with stained glass, and a powerful and sweet-toned organ was presented by the late Marquess, and has been enlarged and much enriched in tone by the present Marquess, by whom also the church is kept in repair, and the salaries of the organist, choristers and vergers paid. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Lisburn, and has a chapel in the town. There are also places of worship for Presbyterians, the Society of Friends, and Moravians. Nearly 300 children are taught in five public schools, "of which the parochial schools are supported by the Marquess and Marchioness of Downshire; and there are four private schools, in which are about 200 children, and a dispensary. Hillsborough gives the inferior titles of Earl and Viscount, and Kilwarlin the title of Viscount, to the Marquess of Downshire.
HILLTOWN, a village, in the parish of CLONDUFF, barony of UPPER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 2 miles (S.) from Rathfriland, on the road from Newry to Downpatrick; containing 39 houses and 170 inhabitants. It is a handsome village, with a small but remarkably well kept inn, strikingly indicating the care which its noble proprietor, the Marquess of Downshire, has bestowed on the improvement of his estates, and the fidelity with which his lordship's views have been promoted by his agent, W. E. Reilly, Esq. In the grant of it to the Hillsborough family it is called Carquillan. There is a market on Saturday, and a large fair for cattle and linen yarn on the second Tuesday in every month. It is a chief constabulary police station, and has a good inn. The parish church of Clonduff having been destroyed in the war of 1641, a church was built here in 1766. It is a large and handsome edifice with a tower, erected by aid of a gift of £338 from the late Board of First Fruits, and recently repaired by a grant of £230 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. Here is also the glebe-house, with a glebe of 21 acres; a Presbyterian meeting-house, in connection with the Synod of Ulster, of the third class; a R. C. chapel, and the parochial school, for which a house was built in 1824 by the Marquess of Downshire, who has endowed it with £10 per annum.
HOG ISLAND.--See KILRUSH.
HOLLYMOUNT, a post-town, in the parish of KILCOMMON, barony of KILMAINE, county of MAYO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 13 3/4 miles (S.) from Castlebar, (on the road to Tuam), and 111 1/2 (W. by N.) from Dublin: the population is included in the return for the parish. The entrance to the town is very pretty, being adorned with the handsome parish church and the beautiful grounds round Hollymount House, the residence of T. Spencer Lindsey, Esq.; and there are several other gentlemen's seats in its vicinity, which are described in the article on the parish. Fairs are held on May 16th and Dec. 11th; and there is a good hotel, a dispensary, and a school-house built at the expense of Mr. Lindsey, who supports the school. It is a constabulary police station, and petty sessions are held on alternate Saturdays.
HOLLYWOOD, a post-town and parish, in the barony of LOWER CASTLEREAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 4 miles (N. E.) from Belfast, and 84 (N.) from Dublin; containing 4693 inhabitants, of which number, 1288 are in the town. In the year 1200, Thomas Whyte founded at this place a Franciscan priory, which was amply endowed, and continued to flourish till the dissolution. Among its possessions were the Copeland Isles, and the Isle of Rathlin or Raghery, to the north of the county, which, with its other endowments, were granted to Sir Jas. Hamilton in the 3rd of Jas. I. On the 8th of April, 1644, a meeting of the Presbyterian clergy and laity was held here, at which several persons entered into "a solemn league and covenant for the defence of the reformed religion, the safety of the king, and the peace, happiness, and security of the three kingdoms, and to secure and hold fast the league and covenant with England;" the original document, signed by 32 gentlemen, is preserved in the museum at Belfast. The village, which is delightfully situated on the eastern shore of Carrickfergus bay, and on the road from Belfast to Bangor, previously to 1800 contained only about 30 dwellings', chiefly poor cabins; but from its proximity to Belfast, and its fine sandy beach, it has since been greatly extended, and is now become a favourite place of resort for sea-bathing. It contains at present 225 houses, mostly well built; bathing-lodges have been erected for the accommodation of visitors, a new road has been made along the shore, and a daily mail has been established. There are several good lodging-houses in the village and its environs; and from the increasing number of visitors, several houses in detached situations, and chiefly in the Elizabethan style of architecture, are now in progress of erection on the Cultra estate, by Thomas Ward, Esq., after designs by Millar. These houses are sheltered with thriving plantations, and beautifully situated on a gentle eminence commanding a richly diversified and extensive prospect of Carrickfergus bay, the Black mountain, Cave hill, the Carnmoney mountains, and the town and castle of Carrickfergus, terminating with the basaltic columns of Black Head. Close to the shore is an extensive muscle bank; and about a mile to the north-west of the town, in the lough, is a sand bank, called the Hollywood bank, the greater part of which is dry at low water, but which vessels may easily avoid by sailing nearer to the northern shore. It is a constabulary police station, and also a coast-guard station, forming part of the district of Donaghadee. Fairs, principally for cattle and horses, are held on the first Monday in each quarter. A court leet and baron is held every three weeks by the seneschal of the manor, for pleas in civil bill cases to the amount of £10, and pleas of record and attachment of goods and chattels to the amount of £20; its jurisdiction extends over 27 townlands in the parish of Hollywood, Knockbreda, Dundonald, and Ballymacarett; but the prison not being now used for that purpose, defaulters are sent to the county gaol.
The parish comprises the two ancient parishes of Ballymechan, or Columbkill, and Craigavad, both rectories, one belonging to Hollywood priory, and the other to the abbey of Bangor, which were united in 1626, under the name of Hollywood. It contains, according to the Ordnance survey, 8064 1/4 statute acres, principally under an improved system of tillage and in a high state of cultivation. Freestone of excellent quality and coal may be obtained, but the mines are not worked to any extent. The surrounding scenery is finely varied, and embellished with numerous gentlemen's seats; among which are the episcopal palace of the Bishop of Down; Cultra, the seat of H. Kennedy, Esq.; Ballymenock, of T. Gregg, Esq.; Rockport, of I. Turnley, Esq.; Craigavad, of A. Forbes, Esq.; Garnerville, of Capt. Garner; Hollywood House, of J. Macartney, Esq.; Turf Lodge, of J. Kane, Esq.; Knocknagoney, of Mrs. Kennedy; Bloomfield, of J. Agnew, Esq.; Clifton, of Dr. Halliday; Richmond Lodge, of F. Turnley, Esq.; Wellington, of W. Crawford, Esq.; Marino, of T. Ward, Esq.; Greenville, of I, Stott, Esq.; Glen Carrig, of Miss Symes; and the Spa, of J. Cordukes, Esq. The living is an impropriate curacy, in the diocese of Down, and in the patronage of Viscount Dungannon, in whom the rectory is impropriate. The tithes belong to the proprietors of the soil, and are included in the rent; the patron pays £40 per ann., to the minister, which is augmented to £100 by the trustees of Primate Boulter's fund; the glebe-house was built in 1812, by a gift of £450 and a loan of £50 from the late Board of First Fruits: the glebe comprises 12a. 4p. The church, which is at the eastern extremity of the village, is an ancient building, with several antique heads in the outer wall, which are supposed to have been the corbels of a former church. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Belfast, and has a chapel, which was built in 1828. There is a Presbyterian meeting-house in connection with the Synod of Ulster, of the second class, and one belonging to the Presbytery of Antrim. About. 230 children are educated in five public schools, one of which is supported by Mr. Turnley; and about 60 in two private schools; there are also two Sunday schools. An establishment for the relief of the poor is supported by subscriptions, in which 15 poor persons constantly reside. The church occupies the site of the ancient priory, of which there are no other remains; and of the churches of Ballymechan and Craigavad not a vestige can be traced; the cemeteries of both were used as places of interment till 1765, and in the former were deposited the remains of Con O'Neil, the last of that powerful sept, whose possessions comprised more than one-third of the county of Down, and an extensive district in the county of Antrim, in which was included the now populous town of Belfast. Some carved stones are preserved at Ballymechan, which are supposed to have belonged to his tomb, but the sculpture is of an earlier date; the site of that church is now a garden and the churchyard an orchard, and at Craigavad only one solitary stone remains to mark the site of the churchyard, which is now under cultivation. A new species of rose was discovered in this parish by John Templeton, Esq., which by the Dublin Society was called "Rosa Hibernica," and afterwards "Rosa Templetonia," in honour of the discoverer.
HOLLYWOOD, a parish, in the barony of BALROTHERY, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 4 miles (S. W.) from Balbriggan, on the road from Dublin by Naul to Drogheda; containing 1022 inhabitants. This parish, with respect to its agriculture, is in an unimproved state, though good limestone for burning exists near the ruins of its ancient church; there is also a quarry of black slate near Malahow. The principal seats are Malahow House, the residence of the Rev. T. Baker; and Malahow, of T. Cosgrave, Esq., from both of which are extensive views, and also from the R. C. parochial house at Damastown, embracing an extensive tract of country towards Dublin, backed by the Dublin and Wicklow mountains. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Dublin, episcopally united to the vicarages of Naul and Grallagh, and in the patronage of the Marquess of Drogheda; the rectory is impropriate in W. D. Pollard, Esq., and Capt. G. Pepper. The tithes amount to £229. 1. 9., of which £151. 14. 4. is payable to the impropriators, and the remainder to the vicar; and the vicarial tithes of the whole union amount to £92. 8. 11. The glebe-house was built by a gift of £369 and a loan of the same amount from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1829; the glebe comprises 6 acres. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Naul or Damastown; the chapel at Damastown is a neat edifice, and near it is the parochial house for the R. C. clergyman, erected in 1833, at an expense of £500; there is a private school, in which are about 20 children. On levelling a hill near the ruins of the old church, in 1833, several urns containing ashes were found, about six feet below the surface. Near the spot is an extensive moat, or rath. There is a holy well, dedicated to St. Kennett.
HOLLYWOOD, a parish, in the barony of LOWER TALBOTSTOWN, county of WICKLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 5 miles (S. S. W.) from Blessington, on the mail coach road from Dublin to Baltinglass and Tullow; containing 2850 inhabitants, of which number, 161 are in the village. This parish, which is situated on the river Liffey, is for civil purposes divided into two parishes, called respectively Hollywood Boleys and Hollywood Lowlands, the former containing 1550, and the latter 1300 inhabitants. It comprises 18,000 statute acres, of which a very large proportion is waste and the remainder in pasture and under tillage, in nearly equal portions. The surface is mountainous and heathy, and the soil very various; there is a considerable tract of bog, and under a better system of agriculture a great part of the waste land might be brought into profitable cultivation. Tyrone Lodge, the property of Lord William Beresford, was burnt by the insurgents in 1798, and has not been rebuilt; the demesne is finely wooded and contains a picturesque glen. One side of the celebrated waterfall of Poul-a-Phuca, described in the article on Blessington, is within this parish. The village contains 27 houses; and fairs are held on Feb. 1st, May 3rd, Aug. 1st, and Nov. 1st. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Dublin, and in the patronage of the Archbishop: the tithes amount to £172. 6. 6. The glebe-house was built by a gift of £300 and a loan of £300 from the late Board of First Fruits; the glebe comprises 20 acres. The church, a small edifice without tower or spire, has a stone roof neatly groined, and some handsome stained glass presented by the Marquess of Waterford. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Ballymore-Eustace; the chapel is a neat and spacious edifice, erected in 1831. About 100 children are taught in the parochial school, which is supported by subscription, aided by the rector; and there are four private schools, in which are about 140 children. In Hollywood glen, which is about a mile in length and remarkable for its wild and romantic scenery, is a very curious sepulchre.
HOLMPATRICK, a parish, in the barony of BALROTHERY, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 3 1/2 miles (S. E.) from Balbriggan; containing, with the town of Skerries, 3109 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated on the eastern coast, derives its name from the island of Innis Patrick, about a mile from the shore, on which a monastery was founded by Sitric Mac Murchard towards the close of the 9th century. Moel Finian, Prince of the Bregii, became a monk in this establishment, of which he was made abbot; and in 1148 a great synod was held here by Gelasius, Archbishop of Armagh, assisted by Malachy O'Morgair, apostolic legate. Between the years 1213 and 1228 the establishment was removed from the island to the mainland, and a building erected on the coast at a short distance from the town of Skerries, where it continued to flourish till the dissolution, after which the site and possessions were granted by Queen Elizabeth to Sir Thomas Fitzwilliam. The mountain portions of the parish present an interesting variety of transition rocks, chiefly of green-stone (in some parts much mixed with calcareous matter), fine grauwacke, clay-slate, grauwacke slate, calcareous tufa, and limestone. The limestone rocks near Lough Shinny are worn into singular form by the action of the sea, which has broken the surface into bold undulations. Two small rocky islands, Colt and Shenex, form a group with Innis Patrick; and beyond these is the islet of Rockabill, or Cow and Calf. Innis Patrick consists of fine grauwacke alternating with grauwacke-slate and clay-slate, with thin layers of limestone from half an inch to several feet in width, uniformly dipping southward; and on its western side is a horizontal section of the same material. The islands of Colt and Shenex are of similar composition, but Rockabill is of granite. At Milverton is a quarry of very fine building stone, frequently imbedded with fossils, which, when polished, is equal to marble and is often used for mantel-pieces. On Shenex and Red islands are martello towers, and at Skerries is a coast-guard station. There are nearly fifty wherries, of from 30 to 50 tons' burden each, belonging to Skerries: they are engaged in the fishery, and have the benefit of a commodious harbour and pier, where coal brigs from the English side of the channel can unload, with an excellent roadstead and anchorage, where large vessels frequently take shelter in unfavourable weather. The manufacture of worked muslins is carried on in this town extensively, and gives employment to a great number of females. Milverton, the seat of G. Woods, Esq., is beautifully situated in a richly wooded demesne of 180 acres, commanding a fine view of the sea, with the town of Skerries in the foreground; within the demesne are the cemetery and some of the foundation of the church of St. Mavee, with a well dedicated to that saint. The only other seat is Hacketstown, the property of J. H. Hamilton, Esq., proprietor of the parish, and now the residence of his agent. There are two windmills and a water-mill for grinding corn; and fairs are held at Skerries on April 28th, and Aug. 10th, for cattle and pigs. The living is an impropriate curacy, in the diocese of Dublin, and in the patronage of J. H. Hamilton, Esq., in whom the rectory is impropriate, and who has endowed the curacy with £60 per ann., which is augmented with £40 per ann. from Primate Boulter's fund. The church is a neat edifice, adjoining the town. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Skerries; there are chapels in the town and at Milverton. A school-house was built in 1834, at the expense of J. H. Hamilton, Esq.; and in the same year another was erected by a grant from the Commissioners of Education. There are some remains of a church on Innis Patrick, dedicated to St. Patrick.
HOLYCROSS, a parish, partly in the barony of ELIOGARTY, and partly in that of MIDDLETHIRD, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 2 1/2 miles (S. W.) from Thurles, on the road to Cashel; containing 2935 inhabitants. This place was distinguished as the site of a Cistertian monastery founded in honour of the Holy Cross, of which a portion is said to have been preserved here by Donogh Carbragh O'Brien, King of Limerick, who, in 1182, endowed it with lands constituting an earldom, and conferring the title of Earls of Holycross upon its abbots, who were barons of parliament, and usually vicars-general of the Cistertian order in Ireland. The grant was confirmed by John, Earl of Morton, in 1186; by Hen. III., in 1233; and by Rich. II., in 1395: and the monastery, which was originally subordinate to the abbey of Nenay, or Maig, in the county of Limerick, and in 1249 was subjected by a general chapter to that of Furness, in the county of Lancaster, continued to flourish till the dissolution, and was granted by Queen Elizabeth to Gerald, Earl of Ormonde, in capite, at an annual rent of £15. 10. 4. The parish is situated on the river Suir, which is crossed by a bridge at the village, and is partly bounded by the river Carhane, which separates it from the parish of Ballycahill; it comprises 4080 acres, two-thirds of which are under tillage, and the remainder, with the exception of some exhausted bog, in pasture. The principal seats are Graignoe Park, that of C. Clarke, Esq., who has recently erected a spacious and elegant mansion on his estate; Bresfort, of -- Wilson, Esq.; and Beakstown, of Major Ledwell. At Beakstown is a water-mill for grinding corn; and in the village an extensive distillery is now being erected by Mr. Power, of Cashel. Fairs are held on May 11th and Sept. 23rd, for cattle; and there is a patent for manorial and baronial courts, but none are held. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Cashel, united to that of Rathkenan, and in the patronage of the Archbishop; the rectory is impropriate in C. Clarke, Esq.; the tithes amount to £242. 12. 5. The stipend of the curate is £100, of which £18 is paid by the impropriator, and the remainder from Primate Boulter's augmentation fund. The glebe-house was erected by aid of a gift of £450 and a loan of £50 from the late Board of First Fruits in 1812; the glebe comprises 20 acres, subject to an annual rent. The church, a handsome modern edifice with a tower, was built by a loan of £600, in 1821, from the late Board. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, comprising also the parish of Ballycahill, in each of which is a chapel; the chapel of Holycross is a handsome edifice faced with hewn stone. About 60 children are taught in the parochial school, which is aided by the incumbent; and there are three private schools, in which are about 230 children. The extensive and picturesque ruins of the abbey of Holy Cross contain many interesting details; they consist of the remains of the nave, choir, and transepts of the church, with a lofty square tower supported on four gracefully pointed arches opening into the choir and transepts; there are also several chapels, which with the tower are of marble and limestone and of much more elegant design and richer embellishment than the other parts of the structure, and the roofs are delicately groined; the nave is separated from the aisles by a series of four arches, and has a west window of large dimensions, and between it and the choir the space under the tower is beautifully groined. Among the tombs is one with a sculptured cross, but without inscription, ascribed by O'Halloran to the founder, and by local tradition to the "good woman" who brought the portion of the true cross to this place; and between two chapels on the south side of the choir is a double range of pointed arches and twisted columns, where the ceremony of "waking" the monks used to be performed. There are also remains of the cloisters, chapter-house, and conventual buildings, which being mantled with ivy and on the margin of the Suir, have a very romantic appearance.
HOLY ISLAND--See INNISCALTHRA.
HOOK, or HOOKE, a parish, in the barony of SHELBURNE, county of WEXFORD, and province of LEINSTER, 4 miles (S. S. W.) from Fethard, on the road to New Ross; containing 489 inhabitants. This parish forms part of a peninsula at the south-western extremity of the county, and is bounded on the west by Waterford harbour, and on the east by Slade bay. At what time, or by whom, the tower of Hook was built, is not precisely known; tradition ascribes its erection to Rose Macruim, the reputed foundress of New Ross; and a letter from the recorder of that place to the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, in 1688, states that "Hook tower, or the tower of Ross," with 7 acres of land around it, formerly belonged to the corporation, from whom it had been claimed by Mr. H. Loftus, as included in his patent. Dr. Ledwich, in his continuation of Grose's Antiquities, attributes its erection to the Danes, and others to Florence de la Hogue, who, in 1172, attended Hen. II. into Ireland, and of whose name the appellation Hook may perhaps be a modification. The parish comprises 1723 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act; the soil is fertile, producing abundant and early crops, and the system of agriculture is greatly improved. Loftus Hall, the ancient seat of the Redmond family, was purchased in the 17th century by H. Loftus, Esq., whose son Nicholas was, in 1751, created Baron Loftus, of Loftus Hall, and in 1756, Viscount Ely; it is now the property of his descendant, the Marquess of Ely. The mansion is spacious, but the demesne is unembellished, the growth of timber being much retarded by its exposure to the ocean; the massive and apparently two-handed sword of Strongbow is preserved here. Limestone quarries are extensively worked; from Fethard bay alone 15 boats, from 12 to 20 tons' burden, are employed in carrying it up the river Scar to different parts of the country. There are several small bays on each side of the peninsula, of which the principal are those near the villages of Slade and Churchtown, both chiefly inhabited by fishermen. Hook tower, now used as a lighthouse, is a circular structure, 100 feet high, with walls of remarkable thickness; it is situated on the east side of the entrance of Waterford harbour, in Lat. 52° 7' 20" (N.), and Lon. 6° 58' (W.); the lantern contains 17 lamps, displaying a fixed light 139 feet above the level of the sea at high water. The living is a vicarage, episcopally united to the impropriate curacy of Templetown, in the diocese of Ferns, and in the patronage of the Marquess of Ely: the tithes amount to £84. 13. 1 1/2., of which £48. 7. 6. is payable to the Marquess of Ely, in whom the rectory is impropriate, and £36. 5. 7 1/2. to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a district, comprising also the parishes of Templetown, St. James, and Fethard; there are chapels at Templetown, Ramsgrange, Duncannon, and Poulfur. The parochial school is near Loftus Hall. Near the village of Slade are the remains of Slade castle, said to have been erected by one of the Hay family, descendants of Richard de la Haie, who accompanied his kinsman, Hervey de Montemarisco, into Ireland.
HORE ABBEY, a parish, in the barony of MIDDLETHIRD, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, adjoining the city of Cashel, and containing 451 inhabitants. This parish is chiefly distinguished as the site of a monastery, founded near the cathedral, and called Hore Abbey and also the Abbey of St. Mary of the Rock of Cashel. It was originally of the Benedictine order, but, in 1269, or 1272, the Archbishop David McCarvill, having dreamed that the monks made an attempt on his life, violently dispossessed them of their house and lands, which he gave to a body of Cistertian monks from the abbey of Mellifont, in the county of Louth, and at the same time took on him the habit of that order. It subsisted till the dissolution, when Patrick Stackboll, the last abbot, surrendered it with all its possessions, which, in 1561, were granted by Queen Elizabeth to Sir Henry Radcliffe, Knt.; it was afterwards granted to James Butler, and in the 42nd of the same reign was granted to Thomas Sinclair, at the annual rent of 2s.; it is now, with the greater part of the parish, the property of the Earl of Mount-Cashel. The parish comprises 1519 statute acres; the land is of good quality, and the system of agriculture improved. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Cashel, and in the patronage of the Archbishop: the tithes amount to £166. 3. 1. There is neither church, glebe-house, nor glebe. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Cashel. There is a private school, in which about 70 children are taught. There are considerable remains of the abbey church, most of which is entire, they consist of the nave, choir, and central tower, the last supported on two lofty arches; the nave is separated from the aisles by a series of three pointed arches, of which that of the north side has been levelled; the choir has an east window of small size and plain design, and in the side walls are some stalls; a small low arched apartment, with niches in the walls, appears to have been a confessional; the vaulting of the tower is richly groined, and many of the details are of elegant character.
HORETOWN, a parish, in the barony of SHELMALIER, county of WEXFORD, and province of LEINSTER, 3 1/2 miles (S. W.) from Taghmon, on the old road from New Ross to Wexford; containing 1149 inhabitants. On the 20th of June, 1798, Gen. Moore, at the head of 1200 of the royal troops, was intercepted at Goff's-bridge, in this parish, by a body of 5000 or 6000 insurgents, which he repulsed with considerable loss. The parish comprises 3977 statute acres, and contains Horetown, the seat and extensive demesne of W. Goff, Esq.; Tottenham Green, of the Rt. Hon. and Rt. Rev. Lord R. Ponsonby Tottenham, Bishop of Clogher; Rockview, of C. Heatley, Esq.; and Rakeenduff, of J. Goff, Esq. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Ferns, episcopally united, in 1759, to the rectory of Kilgarvan, the vicarages of Ballyingley, Donowney, and Inch, and the impropriate curacy of Ballylennon, together constituting the union of Horetown, in the gift of the bishop: the tithes amount to £213. 6. 10., and of the entire benefice to £530. 7. 11 3/4. There is neither glebe-house nor glebe. The church is a very neat building in the demesne of Horetown, and has recently been repaired by a grant of £108 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. In its erection were used the remains of a Carmelite monastery, which was founded here in the 14th century by the Furlong family, and granted at the dissolution to Sir John Davies. In the R. C. divisions the parish is in the unions or districts of Adamstown and Taghmon, and has a small neat chapel. There are three private schools, in which about 230 boys are educated, and a Sunday school.
HORSE ISLAND, county of CLARE.--See KILDYSART.
HORSE ISLAND, in the parish of CASTLEHAVEN, Eastern Division of the barony of WEST CARBERY, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 2 miles (S. W.) from Castle-Townsend; containing 7 inhabitants. It is situated in the harbour of Castlehaven, and comprises 57 acres of excellent arable land in a high state of cultivation. There are thin seams of coal, and a loose, friable, brown freestone, which has been extensively quarried for building. On the point of the island is a tower, erected as a landmark for vessels entering Castlehaven.
HORSE ISLAND, in the parish of SKULL, Western Division of the barony of WEST CARBERY, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 3 miles (S.) from Ballydehob; containing 81 inhabitants. It is situated in Roaring-Water bay, about a mile from the main land, and comprises 92 acres, based on clay-slate, with a very uneven surface, which is principally under cultivation by the spade. Here are copper mines which yield very pure ore; they were partially worked by Lord Audley, the proprietor of the island, and by the Irish Mining Company, and have been extensively worked by the West Cork Mining Company, which commenced operations in 1835, and soon discovered a large body of excellent ore close to the eastern point of the island, which is sold at Swansea at a high price. About 100 miners are employed, for whom several houses have been erected.
HORSELEAP, a hamlet, in the parish of ARDNORCHER, barony of MOYCASHEL, county of WESTMEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (W. by N.) from Kilbeggan, on the road from Dublin to Athlone; containing 14 houses and 87 inhabitants. This place derives its name from a tradition that Sir Hugh de Lacy leaped his horse over the drawbridge of Ardnorcher castle, in escaping from a close pursuit. It is a constabulary police station, and contains the parish church, situated on an eminence, and a R. C. chapel.
HORTLAND, or BALLYSCULLOGE, also called SCULLOGESTOWN, a parish, in the barony of IKEATHY and OUGHTERANY, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER, 5 miles (S. W. by W.) from Kilcock, on the road from Naas to Enfield; containing 539 inhabitants. This parish is bounded on the south by the bog of Allen, and contains Hortland, the seat of Sir Josiah W. Hort, Bart.; and Knockanally, of W. Coates, Esq. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Kildare, forming part of the union of Kilcock; the rectory is impropriate in Lord Cloncurry. The tithes amount to £58. 18. 11. In the R. C. divisions also it forms part of the union or district of Kilcock.
HOSPITAL, a town and parish, in the barony of SMALL COUNTY, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER, 4 miles (E.) from Bruff, on the road to Tipperary; containing 3061 inhabitants, of which number, 1121 are in the town. It anciently formed part of the parish of Aney, and derived its name from an hospital for Knights Templars, founded in 1226 by Geoffry de Marisco, then Lord-Justice of Ireland; the site of which, with its possessions, was granted by Queen Elizabeth to Sir Valentine Browne, who erected a castle near it, which was subsequently called Kenmare Castle, his descendants having been created Earls of Kenmare. The town is about half a mile long, and contained, in 1831, 179 houses, of which many have since been taken down, and the site is now a cultivated field. It is a constabulary police station, and has cattle fairs on May 10th, July 9th, Sept. 8th, and Oct. 30th. The parish comprises 1896 statute acres applotted under the tithe act, besides about 300 that are tithe-free: the land is generally very good and chiefly under tillage. On the site of Kenmare castle a very pretty cottage has been erected by J. Gubbins, Esq., and near it is Castle Farm, the residence of Standish of O'Grady, Esq. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Emly, forming part of the union of Aney; the rectory is impropriate in the Earl of Kenmare, who claims the whole of the tithes, amounting to £335, and pays the vicar an annual stipend. In the R. C. divisions it is the head of the union or district of Hospital and Herbertstown, comprising this parish and those of Ballynard and Ballynamona, and containing two chapels, situated at Hospital and Herbertstown; the former, which is about to be rebuilt, is a large plain structure near the site of the old hospital. About 70 children are educated in a private school. Part of the ancient church remains, and there is a rude figure of a knight in a niche of the chancel.
HOWTH, a sea-port, post-town, and a parish, in the barony of COOLOCK, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 9 miles (N. E. by E.) from Dublin; containing 1706 inhabitants, of which number, 797 are in the town. This parish, which is situated on the northern shore of Dublin bay, was anciently called Ben-na-dair, from the number of oak trees by which the promontory was covered; and at one period had the name of Dun-Crimthan, from its being the residence of Crimthan, an Irish monarch, who distinguished himself by his powerful assistance in opposing the progress of the Roman arms in Britain. It was laid waste by the Danes in 819. O'Melaghlin, a native chieftain, in an expedition against those invaders, in 1012, ravaged the surrounding country; and Murtogh O'Brien, with his army from Munster, obtained here, in 1086, a signal victory over the people of Leinster. In 1177, Sir Amorey Tristram and Sir John de Courcy landed here at the head of a large military force, and totally defeated the Danish inhabitants in a sanguinary battle at the bridge of Evora, over a mountain stream which falls into the sea near the Baily lighthouse. This victory secured to Sir Amorey the lordship of Howth, of which his descendants have continued in possession to the present day, under the name of St. Laurence, which Almaric, third baron, assumed in fulfilment of a vow previously to his victory over the Danes near Clontarf, in a battle fought on the festival of that saint. The territory of Howth was confirmed to Almaric de St. Laurence by King John, and is now the property of Thomas, 28th baron and 3rd Earl of Howth. In 1313, during the contested supremacy of the sees of Dublin and Armagh, Jorse, Archbishop of the latter see, came to this place, and privately by night carried his cross erect, as far as the priory of Grace Dieu, within the province of Dublin, in assertion of his precedency; but he was encountered by the family of the Archbishop of Dublin, who beat down his cross and drove him out of Leinster. In 1534, Lord Thomas Fitzgerald planted his cannon on the hill of Howth, to batter the ships entering the bay of Dublin with forces to reduce him to submission. In 1575, the celebrated Grana Uile or Granuwail, better known as Grace O'Malley, on her return from a visit to Queen Elizabeth, landed here and proceeded to the castle; but indignant at finding the gates closed, as was the custom of the family during dinner-time, she seized the young heir of St. Laurence, then at nurse near the shore, and carried him prisoner to her own castle in Mayo, whence he was not released till after much negotiation, and only upon condition that when the family went to dinner the castle gates should be thrown open, and a cover laid for any stranger that might arrive; a custom which was scrupulously observed during the lifetime of the late Earl.
Previously to the formation of Kingstown harbour, this was the station for the Dublin post-office packets, and the most usual place of landing and embarkation between the English coast and Dublin; and on the 12th of August, 1821, his late Majesty Geo. IV. landed at the pier on his visit to Ireland. The town is built on the side of Howth hill, extending along the northern extremity of the hill; and consists of one principal street, and a few neat dwellings, and a spacious hotel of modern erection; the total number of houses, in 1831, was 154, inhabited principally by fishermen, who employ more than 50 boats in the fishery, chiefly for the supply of the Dublin market. The harbour, constructed at an expense of nearly half a million sterling, consists of two piers of stone; one extending 1503 feet in a right line from the shore, and continued in an obtusely angular direction 990 further to the northwest; and the other extending 2020 feet to the northeast, to meet the return of the former, leaving between their extremities an interval of 320 feet as an entrance into the harbour, which comprises an area of 52 statute acres. These piers consist of large masses of rock quarried from the hill above, resting on foundation blocks of red grit-stone from the Runcorn quarries in Cheshire; they are faced on the sides with hewn granite from the opposite side of Dublin bay, and are from 170 to 200 feet broad at the base, 38 feet high, and from 80 to 85 feet wide on the summit. This great work was undertaken by Government under an Act of the 45th of Geo. III.; it was commenced in 1807, and completed in two years under the superintendence of the late John Rennie, Esq., affording employment to nearly 700 men. Nearly one-third of the harbour is dry at half ebb, and two-thirds at low water; in the deepest part, near the entrance, there is not more than 10 feet of water; it is therefore, as a safety harbour, ineffectual in bad weather for vessels drawing more than 9 feet of water, though it was valuable as a station for the Holyhead packets, to which it afforded a facility of sailing at all times. Since the application of steam to navigation, the passage from Howth harbour to Holyhead is effected in 7 hours on an average, whereas the packets often took 18 or 20 hours in crossing from the old station at the Pigeon House, in the mouth of the harbour, and during the winter season they were occasionally detained for several days. The entrance to the harbour, however, has been so much choked up by the drifting of the sand, that the government packets now sail from Kingstown, and the harbour is chiefly used by small vessels, and boats employed in the fishery. It is situated on the north side of the promontory in the sound between the island of Ireland's Eye and the mainland; on the east pier head is a lighthouse, displaying a red light, and on the western pier head are two small lights; at the upper end of the harbour is a martello tower, by keeping which between the two pier heads by day, or at night by keeping the lights between the S. and S. by W., the entrance is safely effected. The entrance into the Sound is through two channels, each about half a mile long, one at the eastern and the other at the western extremity of Ireland's Eye; the eastern channel is bounded on each side by ledges of rock, extending respectively from the south-eastern extremity of the island, and from the pier; and the western channel by a sand bank under Howth on one side, and a ledge of rocks extending from the northwestern extremity of the island on the other.
The parish comprises about 1772 statute acres, consisting principally of eminences about 578 feet above the level of the sea, and forming a rocky peninsula which constitutes the northern boundary of Dublin bay. Its general aspect is that of rugged sterility; but from its elevation it affords many extensive and interesting views from the road to Dublin, which is one of the best roads in the country, extending from the city to the pier head. On the left are seen the mountains of Mourne stretching far into the sea, at a distance of about 40 miles; off a fine sweep of coast is the green island of Lambay; and immediately beneath, the picturesque island of Ireland's Eye, with the castle, park, town and harbour of Howth in the foreground. At a short distance is Puck rock, rising abruptly from the sea, and apparently wrested from the mainland by some convulsion, and cleft into two parts, near the summit of one of which is a representation of a human figure of colossal stature. From a bridle road leading to the summit of the hill is a fine panoramic view of the bay of Dublin, with the numerous seats and villas on its shores, backed with the Dublin and Wicklow mountains.
In proceeding towards Sutton are seen the rocks called the Needles, the conical summit of Shell Martin, and, just below, the hill called Carroc-Mor, on which is a signal post communicating with the Pigeon-House in the bay. At the eastern extremity of the hill to which the road leads is the old lighthouse, now disused, its great elevation rendering it liable to be obscured by hanging mists; and on a small peninsulated rock at the southern extremity, called from its verdure the Green Bailey, a new lighthouse has been erected, displaying a bright fixed light with reflectors, 110 feet above the level of the sea, and visible at a distance of 17 nautical miles in clear weather. The promontory consists chiefly of clay-slate and quartz rock frequently alternating, and sometimes blending into an appearance of grauwacke; the strata display singular gradations of colour, from pale yellow to red and purple of a brownish hue, and from a greenish white to lavender. Porphyry is found on the south side, and limestone on the western side near the base; iron, copper, and lead ores have been found, with manganese and arsenic pyrites. Potters' clay of good quality abounds on the townland of Sutton. The blue limestone, which bears a fine polish, and the porphyry, which is white and red, are sent coastwise to Wicklow and Arklow, and in working the quarries, blue marl and Irish diamonds are frequently found. The Castle, the seat of the Earl of Howth, is an embattled structure, with a square tower at each end; opposite the left wing is a detached castellated edifice, forming a large archway. The hall, extending the whole length of the building, is decorated with ancient armour and weapons, among which is the two handed sword used by Sir Amorey Tristram in the battle of Howth; there are also many portraits, among which is one of Dean Swift, in his robes, in which is introduced, in a suppliant posture, that of Mr. Wood, whom he had by his satirical writings deprived of a patent for circulating a copper coinage in Ireland. All the state apartments are similarly spacious; and in one is a painting of the abduction of the young heir of St. Laurence by Grace O'Malley; the bed in which Wm. III. slept is still preserved. The demesne is richly wooded, and includes a spacious and well-stocked deer park; many parts present very beautiful views; and in the gardens are hedges of beech, 20 feet high and 6 feet thick. The other seats are Seafield, that of Col. Crogan; Sutton Abbey, of S. Kildahl, Esq., commanding a fine view of the city of Dublin, with the Wicklow and Dublin mountains; Sutton, of J. Sweetman, Esq.; Carrickbrack, of Mrs. G. Hannington, from which is a view of Dublin bay; Cliffs, of W. S. Bellingham, Esq.; and Rock Cottage, of W. Wilde, Esq. There is a coast-guard station, a branch from that of Baldoyle. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Dublin, united to the vicarages of Baldoyle, and Kilbarrack, together forming the union and the corps of the prebend of Howth in the cathedral of St. Patrick, in the patronage of the Archbishop; the tithes amount to £231. The church, a neat edifice on an eminence at the entrance of the town, was erected by a gift of £800 and a loan of £600 from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1816. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union of Baldoyle and Howth; the chapel, near the centre of the town, is a neat edifice, erected within the last 20 years; and adjoining it is a school-room connected with the National Board, in which are about 150 children. A very neat school-house midway between Howth and Baldoyle has been erected for the accommodation of the children of both places, in which there are two good school-rooms, for males and females; it contains about 60 children, and is under the superintendence of the prebendary.
Nearly in the centre of the town are the venerable ruins of Howth abbey, originally founded on the island of Ireland's Eye, by St. Nessan, about the year 570, and in which was preserved the book of the four gospels, called the Garland of Howth, which was held in great veneration. The establishment was subsequently removed to this place, and the remains, within an area 189 feet long and 168 feet wide, enclosed by a wall surmounted with graduated battlements, are extensive and interesting. The enclosure, now a burial-ground, contains the ruins of two piles of building, called the Abbey and the College. The former, which appears to have been the church, has a lofty circular doorway at the west end, surmounted by a belfry, to which is an ascent by a staircase on the outside, and consisting of a single massive wall with battlements pierced for the suspension of three bells; the nave, which is 93 feet long and 52 feet wide, is divided into two aisles of unequal length by a range of six pointed arches, of which three are smaller than the rest, and apparently of later erection than the walls; each of the aisles has an eastern window, and had a separate roof, the gables of which are standing; and at the west end of the south aisle, which is the shorter of the two, is the tower; there is a doorway on the south side, where was formerly a porch. Among the monuments is one of marble to Christopher, 13th baron of Howth, and his lady, whose effigies are still entire, erected in 1430, and decorated with sculptured emblems of the crucifixion, and coats of arms; there is also in this aisle an ancient monument without inscription, apparently to one of the abbots, ornamented with a crosier and cross fleury. This church was erected during the prelacy of Archbishop Luke, who succeeded to the see of Dublin in 1228, at the time the establishment was removed hither from Ireland's Eye; the bells of the ancient abbey were recently discovered in the vaults of the castle, where they had lain for more than 200 years, and are now carefully preserved in the hall. The College is on the south side of the enclosure, and consists of the hall, kitchen, and seven cells, of which some have been thatched and are inhabited by poor families. To the west of the castle are the ruins of a small oratory, with a bell turret over the entrance, dedicated to St. Fenton; they are situated at the base of an elevation, on the summit of which is a large cairn. In a hollow on the east side of the Hill of Howth are the remains of a cromlech, the table stone of which, 14 feet long, 12 feet wide, and about 6 feet thick, has fallen on one side, but is still supported on the other by upright stones, 7 feet high; it is by the peasantry called "Fin's Quoit," from a tradition that it was thrown into its present position by Fin M Coul. There are some petrifying springs; and ancient coins, spurs, bridles, and implements of war have been found in the parish.
HUGGINSTOWN, a village, in the parish of AUGHAVILLER, barony of KNOCKTOPHER, county of KILKENNY, and province of LEINSTER, 4 miles (S.) from Knocktopher, on the road from Newmarket to Mullinavat; containing 56 houses and 283 inhabitants. Cattle fairs, called "the fairs of Harvey," are held here on the 12th of May, Aug., and Nov. There is a R. C. chapel belonging to the union or district of Ballyhale.