By Samuel Lewis, 1837
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KILCUMMIN, or KILCOMMIN, a parish, in the barony of TYRAWLEY, county of MAYO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 4 1/2 miles (N.) from Killala, on the western side of the bay of Killala; containing 2563 inhabitants. It comprises 4009 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act: the land is generally good and well cultivated, except on the coast, where the drifted sand injures the soil. Good stone is obtained here. At the northern extremity of the parish is Kilcummin Head, where is a coast-guard station, being one of the six in the district of Killala. The parish is in the diocese of Killala; the rectory is appropriate to the deanery and the precentorship of Killala, and the vicarage forms part of the union of Lacken: the tithes amount to £160, of which £93 is payable to the dean and the precentor, and £67 to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions, also, it forms part of the union or district of Lacken. About 60 children are educated in two public schools, and 25 in a private school. There are some remains of the old church, near which, in a small arm of the sea, the French army under Gen. Humbert landed, in 1798.
KILCUMNEY, or DRUMCREE, a parish, in the barony of DELVIN, county of WESTMEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 4 1/2 miles (S. E.) from Castle-Pollard, on the road from that place to Athboy; containing 870 inhabitants. It comprises 2439 statute acres, principally in tillage, and there is a considerable quantity of bog, also some good limestone. The principal seats are Ralphsdale, the residence of Ralph Smyth, Esq., the demesne of which is entered by a beautiful gate; Drumcree, of Robert Smyth, Esq., in whose demesne is a fine lake; and Derry Cottage, of Mrs. Berry. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Meath, episcopally united, in 1818, to the rectory of Dysertale and the vicarage of Kilweilagh, and in 1821 to the rectory of Killagh, of which this parish and Dysertale are in the patronage of the Bishop; Kilweilagh is in the gift of the Marquess of Drogheda, and Killagh in that of the Crown. The tithes amount to £120, and the gross value of the benefice, including tithe and glebe, is £285. 18. 5 1/2. The church is a neat structure, rebuilt in 1811, for which the late Board of First Fruits granted a loan of £850; the Board also lent £450 for the erection of the glebe-house. The glebe of Kilcumney comprises 36 acres, valued at £54, and there is also a glebe of 18 acres at Killagh, valued at £20 per annum. In the R. C. divisions this parish forms part of the district of St. Mary and St. Feighan, or Collinstown. About 40 children are educated in a public, and about 50 in a private, school. A hermitage existed here in the ninth century. --See DRUMCREE.
KILCUMREAGH, or KILCOMRAGH, a parish, partly in the barony of KILCOURSEY, KING'S county, partly in that of CLONLONAN, hut chiefly in that of MOYCASHEL, county of WESTMEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 3 1/2 miles (E. N. E.) from Moat-a-Grenogue, on the road from Dublin to Athlone; containing 3787 inhabitants. This parish comprises 8065 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, with a small quantity of bog and some limestone. The seats are Ballintobber, the residence of W. Fetherston-H, Esq.; Rosemount, of Lady Nagle; Grouse Lodge, of E. Fetherston-H, Esq.; and Springfield, of J. Henderson, Esq. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Meath, forming part of the union of Ard-norcher; the rectory is impropriate in the Marquess of Downshire. The tithes amount to £249. 15. 8 1/2., of which £148. 0. 7. is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar; there is a glebe of 21 acres. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Kilmanaghan and Kilcumreagh, and has a chapel at Ballagh. About 90 children are educated in three private schools. A monastery of Dominican friars was founded at Ballintubber, in 1488, by Edmund de Lantu Laici, which was granted to Henry Matthews at the dissolution. Here are the ruins of a church, and of an old fort; also several raths.
KILCURFIN-- See CARRIGTOHILL.
KILDALKEY, a parish, in the barony of LUNE, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (S. by E.) from Athboy, on the road from that place to Kinnegad; containing 2931 inhabitants. About half the parish is in tillage, and there are about 500 acres of bog, and a good limestone quarry. The village contains 21 houses, and fairs are held there on Feb. 27th, May 14th, Aug. 9th, and Dec. 13th. The principal seats are Carnisle, the residence of W. Allen, Esq.; Kildalkey House, of the Rev. J. O'Connell: Rathcormuck, of T. Potterton, Esq.; Ballinadrimny, of W. Thorogood, Esq.; Balatalion, of T. Potterton, Esq.; Woodtown West, of Miss Read; Clonbarron, of W. Nangle, Esq.; and Moyrath Castle, of H. Potterton, Esq. This castle was built in 1219, by Lord Geoffry de Montemarisco, and was subsequently a seat of the Nugent family, but is now the property of Henry Grattan, Esq. The parish is in the diocese of Meath: the rectory is impropriate in Joseph Ashe, Esq., and the vicarage forms part of the union of Athboy; the tithes amount to £380, the whole of which is payable to the impropriator. In the R. C. divisions it is the head of a union or district, comprising also the parishes of Killoghconnoghan and Castle-Rickard, and containing two chapels, of which the chapel here is a neat modern building. About 150 children are educated in two public schools, to one of which the Earl of Darnley gave an acre of land and £20 towards the erection of a school-house, and J. Stack Murphy, Esq., subscribed £20: that gentleman has also contributed £30 towards the erection of a school at Carnisle. The late Mr. Hodgens, of Dublin, bequeathed £1000 for the erection of almshouses, and £60 per annum for the inmates, who must be natives of this parish; but they have not yet been erected.
KILDALLOCK.--See KILDOLLOGH.
KILDALLON, a parish, in the barony of TULLOGHONOHO, county of CAVAN, and province of ULSTER, 3 miles (N.) from Killeshandra, on the road from that place to Ballyconnell; containing 4246 inhabitants. It comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 11,989 1/4 statute acres, of which 211 1/2 are water; 3233 acres are applotted under the tithe act, and there is a large tract of waste land, called Ballyheady moor; the land is chiefly cultivated by spade husbandry. The principal seats are Greenville, the residence of Perrott Sheraten, Esq.; Aughabawn, of the Rev. J. Vernon; Carn cottage, of Capt. Clifford; Mackenwood, of M. Galbraith, Esq.; Belberry, of -- Urwin, Esq.; and Carn, of J. Benison, Esq. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Kilmore, and in the gift of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £203. 1. 6 1/2. The church is a handsome building, with a tower, erected in 1814, for which the late Board of First Fruits granted a loan of £1000. The same Board, in 1821, gave £100 and lent £1200 for the erection of the glebe-house: the glebes comprise 339 acres. In the R. C. divisions this parish is the head of a union or district, comprising also the parish of Tomeegan, and containing a chapel in each. The chapel here is a large thatched building, with a neatly planted burial-ground. At Croghan is a Presbyterian meeting-house, of the third class, in connection with the Synod of Ulster. About 560 children are educated in eight public, and 170 in two private, schools. On the summit of the hill of Carn is a heap of stones surrounded by a Danish rath; and at Drumboo is a holy well, at which patrons have been held.
KILDANGAN, a parish, in the barony of OPHALY WEST, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER, 4 miles (S. W. by S.) from Kildare, on the river Barrow; containing 122 inhabitants. It comprises 962 statute acres, almost equally divided between pasturage and tillage. A patent exists for three fairs, but none are held. Kildangan Castle, the residence of Dominick O'Reilly, Esq., is situated in a highly improved and well-planted demesne, formed by the taste and skill of the late proprietor, D. W. O'Reilly, Esq. A large and ancient castle is said by tradition to have stood here, which was destroyed during the civil wars by the rival factions of the Fitzgeralds and the O'Dempseys, Viscounts of Clanmalire; it was rebuilt on a smaller scale, but was soon afterwards accidentally burnt. The castle, with his other possessions, was forfeited in 1641 by Maurice Fitzgerald, of Allen, and became the property of an ancestor of the present owner, in the early part of the last century: it is a ruin in high preservation, beautifully ornamented with ivy, and stands in the centre of the demesne. The parish is in the diocese of Kildare, and the rectory forms part of the union of Narney: the tithes amount to £45. 19. 1 1/2. The church is in ruins, the roof having fallen in about 1812. In the R. C. divisions it is in the union or district of Monastereven, and contains a very handsome chapel, built at the expense of the late D. W. O'Reilly, Esq.
KILDARE (County of), an inland county of the province of Leinster, bounded on the east by the counties of Dublin and Wicklow, on the north by Meath, on the west by the King's and Queen's counties, and on the south by Carlow. It extends from 52° 51' to 53° 26' (N. Lat.), and from 6° 30' to 7° 12' (W. Lon.); and comprises an area, according to the Ordnance survey, of 392,435 acres, of which 325,988 are cultivated ground, and 66,447 are unprofitable mountain and bog. The population, in 1821, amounted to 99,065, and in 1831, to 108,424.
This county, in the time of Ptolemy, was inhabited by the Coriundi, whose territory lay to the west of the rivers Liffey and Slaney, being bounded on the north and west by the Boyne and the Barrow, and having the tribes of the Cauci and Menapii on the east, the Eblani on the north, and the Brigantes on the south. It formed part of the district of Caellan, or Galen, which included the greater part of the present county, together with a part of those of Wicklow and Carlow; the county of Kildare portion being bounded on the east by the Wicklow mountains, on the south and west by the Barrow, and on the north by the Liffey and the bog of Allen. This latter name also signifies the woody country, by much the greater part having been an extensive forest, many traces of which are still discernible in the bogs. The native chieftains of the district were the heads of the family of Hy Caellan, or McKelly, whose principal residence was at Rath-Ardscull, near Athy. The last aboriginal owner of this fortress, Gicrode Crone McKelly, defended it against the efforts of the English during his life. After his decease the country was possessed by the Fitzgeralds, the Fitz-Henrys, and the Keatings. The territory of the O'Tothils or O'Tooles, who ruled over the southern part of the county of Wicklow, extended into this county, Tristle-dermot, or Castledermot, being one of their places of residence. After the landing of the English and the death of Dermod McMurrough, last king of Leinster, which occurred soon after, this county devolved upon Strongbow, in right of his wife Eva, as part of the kingdom, or, as it was called by the English, the palatinate, of Leinster; and is generally considered to have been one of the twelve counties into which the part of the island that acknowledged the British jurisdiction was divided by King John, although it was not till the end of the reign of Edw. I., in 1296, that an act was passed for separating a large district from the county of Dublin, and more especially for constituting Kildare, which had been a liberty appendant to the county of Dublin, a county of itself, discharged from the jurisdiction of the Dublin sheriff, and having county officers of its own. In the general division of the county among the first English settlers, by Strongbow and his heirs, Carbery was given to Meyler Fitz-Henry; Naas Offallia, to Maurice Fitzgerald, from whom the three great families of Kildare, Kerry, and Desmond, descended; Narragh was given to Robert, and Adam Fitz-Hereford had Salt, with its appendages. On the division of the palatinate of Leinster among the five coheiresses of William Marshal, who inherited in right of his wife Isabel, Strongbow's only daughter, the county of Kildare was given to the fourth daughter, Sibilla, who married William de Ferrars, Earl of Derby. William de Vescy succeeded in right of his wife Agnes, the only daughter of this marriage, but he lost the property shortly after in consequence of his fleeing into France to avoid a single combat with John Fitzgerald, who had charged him with treason, and his possessions were bestowed on his accuser. In 1234, Richard Marshal, Earl of Pembroke, the successor of William, having united with the O'Conors against the English government, was killed in a battle on the Curragh of Kildare by the Lord Justice, aided by the Fitzgeralds, De Laceys, and Burghs. The power of the Fitzgeralds, or Geraldines, from this period became paramount in the county; insomuch that, in 1264, Richard de Rupella, Lord Justice, was made prisoner, together with the Lords Theobald Butler and John Cogan, by Maurice Fitzgerald, who had come with him to a conference at Castledermot, in order to put an end to a dispute between the Geraldines and Burghs.
This county is partly within the diocese of Dublin, but chiefly in that of Kildare. For purposes of civil jurisdiction it is divided into the baronies of Carbery, Clane, Connell, Ikeathy and Oughterany, Kilcullen, Kilkea and Moone, East Narragh and Rheban, West Narragh and Rheban, East Ophaly, West Ophaly, North Naas, South Naas, North Salt, and South Salt. It contains the incorporated assize and market towns of Naas and Athy; the ancient disfranchised borough and market town of Kildare; the market and post-towns of Kilcock, Maynooth, Celbridge, Monastereven, Timoline, Rathangan, Leixlip, Kilcullen-Bridge, and Newbridge; and the post-towns of Castledermot, Clane and Ballytore: the largest villages are Prosperous, Kill, Johnstown-Bridge, and Sallins. Prior to the Union it sent ten members to the Irish parliament,--two knights of the shire, and two representatives for each of the boroughs of Naas, Athy, Kildare, and Harristown; but since that period its representation has been confined to the two members for the county at large. The constituency, as registered in June 1836, consisted of 371 £50, 181 £20, and 830 £10 freeholders, as appears from the books of the clerk of the peace, in which the other classes of electors are not distinguished; the total number was 1382. The election, if held between the spring and summer assizes, takes, place at Naas; if at any other period of the year, at Athy. The county is included in the home circuit: the spring assize is held at Naas, and the summer assize at Athy, at each of which are a county court-house and gaol. The general quarter sessions are held at Athy and Maynooth in January, at Kildare and Naas in April, at Maynooth and Athy in July, and at Naas and Kildare in October. The number of persons charged with criminal offences and committed to the two prisons, in 1835, was 101, and of civil bill committals, 22. The local government is vested in a lieutenant, 12 deputy-lieutenants, and 92 magistrates, with the usual county officers, including two coroners. There are 45 constabulary police stations, having in the whole a force of one stipendiary magistrate, 4 chief and 40 subordinate constables, and 205 men, with 6 horses the expense of whose maintenance is defrayed equally by Grand Jury presentments and by Government. The district lunatic asylum for the county is at Carlow, and the county infirmary at Kildare: there are fever hospitals at Celbridge, Naas, and Kilcullen, and dispensaries at Athy, Ballitore, Castledermot, Celbridge, Clane, Donadea, Johnstown-Bridge, Kilcock, Kilcullen, Maynooth, Monastereven, Naas, Newbridge, Rathangan, and Robertstown; the infirmary and fever hospitals are supported by Grand Jury presentments, and the dispensaries by equal presentments and voluntary subscriptions. The amount of the Grand Jury presentments for 1835 was £19,554. 18. 9., of which £1221. 7. 10. was for the public roads of the county at large; £6051. 12. 5. for the public roads, being the baronial charge; £5206. 7. 8. for public establishments, officers' salaries, buildings, &c.; £4713. 15. 10 1/2. for police, and £2304. 14. 11 1/2. in repayment of loans advanced by Government. In the military arrangements it is included in the eastern district, and contains three barrack stations, two for cavalry at Newbridge and Athy, and one for infantry at Naas.
The general surface is rather level. In the barony of West Ophaly are several gently rising hills, and others occur towards the eastern boundary of the county. The greatest elevation of the plain country is around Naas, both which baronies and their vicinity present an appearance of great fertility, which is also exhibited generally throughout the eastern and southern, and a portion of the western parts of the county; but towards the north and north-west are vast tracts of the Bog of Allen, comprising more than 50,000 acres, having a flat, dreary surface, relieved here and there by verdant elevations, here called "islands." Near the southern extremity of this immense bog are the hills of Grange Allen, Cheelow, Dunmurry, Redhills, and Knocknagylogh, generally fertile, and cultivated to the summit. There are also small hills in the vicinity of Timoline and Moone; others stretching from Killan, by Kilrush, Davidstown, Calverstown, and Thomastown, and terminating in the hills of old Kilcullen and Ballysax; and other small and detached elevations near Arthurstown, Lyons, Longtown, &c. The Bog of Allen and the Curragh of Kildare are two distinguishing features of the county. Most of the bogs which lie eastward of the Shannon, occupying considerable portions of Kildare and the King's county, are comprehended, in common parlance, under the former of these names, which does not, therefore, apply to any single morass. On the contrary, the tracts of bog to which it bears reference are often separated by high ridges of dry land inclining towards different rivers, as their natural vents for drainage. The portion of it within Kildare lies, as before observed, in the northern part of the county, and near its southern margin the island of Allen (a name given to an elevated tract of cultivated soil) surrounded like an oasis in the African desert, by the solitude of the uninhabited morass, presents a gratifying feature of variety; it rises abruptly from the bog, is nearly conical, and is composed of limestone gravel. Towards the west rises the Hill of Allen, a steep elevation of a conical form, about 300 feet in height. The Curragh is a fine undulating down, six miles long and two broad: it lies in a direction from north-east to south-west, having the town of Kildare near its western extremity, and crossed by the great road from Dublin to Limerick; and is, in fact, an extensive sheepwalk of above 6000 acres, forming a more beautiful lawn than the hand of art ever made. Nothing can exceed the extreme softness and elasticity of the turf, which is of a verdure that charms the eye, and is still further set off by the gentle inequality of the surface: the soil is a fine dry loom on a substratum of limestone. It is depastured by numerous large flocks turned on it by the occupiers of the adjacent farms, who alone have the right of pasture, which greatly enhances the value of these farms. This plain has long been celebrated as the principal race-ground in Ireland, and is equal, if not superior, to that of Newmarket, in all the requisites for this sport.
The soil varies but little as compared with that of some adjoining counties: the most prevailing is deep and mellow, in some parts inclining to clay, but principally a rich loam, varying from 10 to 16 inches in depth, and resting on a hard and compact substratum, in some places impervious to water: when first, turned up it is cold and arid, but when mellowed by the influence of the atmosphere, it becomes fertile. In some parts the upper, or surface, soil rests on a substratum of limestone gravel; in others, on limestone, or clay-slate. In general the county is fertile and well cultivated, particularly around Athy, and thence along the banks of the Barrow, extending to the borders of the county of Carlow. The districts around the towns of Kildare, Naas, Kill, and Clane are also fertile, well fenced, and tolerably well cultivated; but in wet seasons much water remains on the surface, showing the want of a good system of drainage, which is much neglected. Agriculture is systematically practised in some parts, particularly by the noblemen and resident gentlemen, and their example is beginning to produce its beneficial effects among the small farmers. Wheat is cultivated generally, and the quality is remarkably good; the barley is also bright and sound; the oats are good, clean and heavy, except in a few low, cold, and clayey situations; potatoes are extensively grown, and in great varieties of sorts, large quantities being sent to Dublin; turnips and mangel-wurzel are cultivated by a great number of the wealthy farmers, clover and vetches by nearly all; and rape is grown extensively around Monastereven. The Scotch plough is general, the old heavy wooden plough being rarely seen; indeed agricultural implements of all kinds are greatly improved, except the spade, which is still a long narrow tool. The heavy wooden wheel car has given place to one of much lighter construction, with low spoke-wheels, iron-bound , the kish, so general in the western counties, is scarcely ever seen here; some of the vehicles are made exactly after the plan of the Scotch cart, some of them with, and some without the high sides. Greater attention is manifested in collecting manure, and large composts are raised in the vicinity of bogs by the mixture of bog mould and stable manure or ashes. The burning of subsoil in kilns was introduced by the late Mr. Rawson, who compiled the statistical survey of Kildare for the Royal Dublin Society, and has now become general, producing the finest crops of potatoes and turnips. A kind of indurated sand found in banks, the adhesive property of which is so great that the bank, when cut perpendicularly, will never yield in any kind of weather, is considered by some agriculturists as a kind of golden mine for the farmer who can avail himself of the benefit of it. The cottagers in the neighbourhood of the Curragh collect the sheep dung, which they mix in tubs with water, stirring it until it forms a thick solution, which they call "mulch;" in this they steep the roots of their cabbage plants for some hours; a quantity of the substance consequently sticks to the roots, and ensures a full crop. In the smaller farms a very disadvantageous custom is prevalent of dividing the land into long narrow enclosures, which occasions an unnecessary and therefore injurious extent of fence in proportion to the land included. The fences generally are tolerably good, but they everywhere occupy too much ground; the usual kind is a bank of earth thrown up from a wide ditch, and covering five or six feet of surface, so that the bank and ditch seldom occupy less than nine feet in width: in the breast of this bank, about halfway up, a single row of quicksets is placed, sometimes accompanied by seedlings of forest timber. In those parts which have not been subjected to tillage there are very rich fattening grounds; but where the soil has been much exhausted by the plough, the pasture is poor and light. The grasses in the meadows and feeding pastures are of the most valuable kinds; in low bottoms, especially in those subject to floods, Timothy grass is the principal herbage. Dairies of any extent are not frequent, except in the parts convenient to the Dublin market, where they are kept for the purpose of fattening calves. Great improvement has been made in the breed of cattle, the old long-horned Irish cow being now rarely seen; the most esteemed are the short-horned or Dutch breed, crossed with the Durham; some of the gentry and wealthy farmers have introduced the pure Durham breed, which commands large prices; others have the North Devon, which answers remarkably well. The small farmers mostly prefer the old Irish long-horned cow, crossed with the Durham; and in some districts scarce any other is seen: in the northern baronies, bordering on Meath, the large and heavy long-horned cattle are very common and grow to a size equal to those of Meath or Westmeath. Great numbers of cattle are brought from other counties, and fed here for the Dublin market. Great improvement has been made in the breed of sheep, and vast flocks are every year reared on the Curragh: the most prevailing breed is a cross between the New Leicester and the Ayrshire, but many of the principal agriculturists have the pure New Leicester; sometimes they are crossed with the Kerry sheep. The lower class of farmers have brood mares as part of their tillage stock, but they do not pay sufficient attention to the breed of the sires, and are too desirous of crossing with racers. Planting has been carried on for many years extensively and successfully. Many of the demesnes are ornamented with full-grown timber. The timber sallow thrives particularly well in the wet grounds with which the county abounds; beech and larch are also of very quick growth. In the demesne of Moore Abbey is one of the best-planted hills in Ireland; and the woods of Carton and Palmerstown are extensive, and the timber remarkably fine. In draining the bogs remains of ancient forests have been discovered. The great mountain range of granite of which the county of Wicklow is nearly composed, terminates in this county at Castledermot. Thence by Ballitore, Kilcullen, and to the south-east of Naas, nearly as far as Rathcoole, is clay-slate; the rest of the county belongs to the great field of floetz limestone which covers the greater part of the flat country of Ireland, and which is here interrupted only by the chain of central hills. The low group of hills west of Rathcoole, which includes Windmill Hill, Athgoe, Lyons, and Rusty Hill, is composed of clay-slate, grauwacke, grauwaeke-slate, and granite. The grauwacke consists of small and finely rounded and angular grains of quartz, numerous minute scales of mica, small fragments of clay-slate, and sometimes portions of felspar. The rock at Windmill Hill ranges 10° north of east and south of west, which is the general direction of these hills, exhibiting also at times an undulating curved slaty formation: the dip is towards the south-west, and generally at an angle of about 45°. The grauwacke-slate of Windmill Hill is remarkable for containing subordinate beds of granite, the uppermost at the depth of four fathoms; they are 50 or 60 yards apart, separated by the grauwacke-slate, and all dip from 45° to 50° to the south-east. Some of these granite beds may be traced westward to the turnpike road opposite to Rusty Hill: they consist of a small and finely grained intermixture of yellowish and greyish white felspar, greyish vitreous transparent quartz, and flakes or scales of mica, white and silvery, with some scattered portions of schorl: the grains are sometimes so minute that the stone appears almost compact. Sometimes also small particles and cubical crystals of iron pyrites are disseminated through the rock, which, when decomposing, communicate an iron-shot spotted appearance to the stone. The red sandstone conglomerate occurs in situ at the northern foot of the Hill of Lyons, where it is exposed for about 10 fathoms in length, in strata four feet thick, ranging east and west, dipping 30° to the north, and resting on grauwacke-slate; it re-appears in the central range. Red Hill, Dunmurry Hill, and the western foot of Grange Hill, consist of alternating beds of finely grained grauwacke, grauwacke-slate, and clay-slate, ranging 10° north of east and south of west, and dipping 60° towards the south-east, but in many places being nearly vertical. At the northern foot of Red Hill is a small patch of red sandstone conglomerate, which was quarried for mill-stone some years since. Enough of the firm rock is visible to show that the strata range east and west, and dip 17° west. The Chair of Kildare consists of floetz limestone, extending southwards to the northern foot of Dunmurry Hill, and covering the grauwacke and slaty rocks. To the north it rests on the trap of Grange Hill, which also covers the same kind of rock. Strictly speaking, these two elevations are but parts of the same hill, with a slight hollow between them. The floetz limestone of the latter appears to be disposed in massy strata, from four to five feet thick, dipping 45° towards the south-east: it is generally greyish white, but sometimes mottled reddish brown, being intermixed with shades of blueish white and grey; and it contains bivalves and entrochites. In its outgoing to the north-west the limestone presents a rocky face, or small escarpment, beyond which is a slight hollow forming the southern face of Grange Hill. In the road leading to the hill, above the rock which appears at the surface, is compact greenstone, in some places porphyritic: but near the surface it is easily frangible, and being much decomposed acquires almost the appearance of wacke. From the dip of the limestone and the general form of the Chair of Kildare, it is highly probable that the green-stone is subjacent to the limestone; an opinion confirmed by the fact that the greenstone just described contains marine exuviae, and, where adjacent to the limestone, it appears to be intermingled with calcareous matter. The organic remains are principally bivalves, ammonites, and terebratulites, with entrochites in smaller number. These organic remains seem to be confined to that portion of the rock which is in the vicinity of the limestone; for none can be discerned in the remaining mass of the hill, which exhibits everywhere rocky protuberances from one continuous body of greenstone and porphyry. The only other rock visible is clay-slate, standing in strata nearly vertical: it appears low down on the western side, and at the base of the hill in that quarter. The Hill of Allen is separated from Grange Hill by an intervening vale, their summits being about two miles apart: it is composed of one great body of granular and compact greenstone and greenstone porphyry, which appears all round the base, on the sides, and on the summit, in numerous protuberant rocky masses, without any mark of stratification. Some of the greenstone is remarkably crystalline, consisting of large masses of hornblende, with crystals of felspar. Whether this hill be a distinct mass or connected with Grange Hill is not easily ascertained, from the depth of the alluvial soil. About a quarter of a mile from the northern extremity of the Hill of Allen is a slight eminence called the Leap of Allen, composed of red sandstone conglomerate, arranged in beds which vary from 9 to 18 inches and even to 2 1/2 feet thick, and are separated by thin layers of reddish sandy slate-clay. It contains the same components as the conglomerate already noticed, with the addition of fragments of grauwacke-slate, which are, however, comparatively rare: it is quarried for mill-stones. The beds range north-north-east and south-south-west, dipping south-south-east at an angle of from 150o to 20°, and therefore they probably underlie and support the trap of the Hill of Allen. Indications of copper having been observed in the Dunmurry hills, miners were employed to explore them in 1786, during whose operations detached masses of sulphuret of copper were found of nearly 40 per cent. purity, accompanied with a strong vitriolic water: the principal bed seemed to lie deep in the hill, and even to dip under the adjoining valley. Near the base of the hill was also found an alkaline argillaceous earth of a light grey colour, possessing many of the qualities of fullers' earth. In the veins of the rocks, and in the matrix of the ore, were quantities of fine yellow ochre proper for painting. The surface of the Hill of Allen also presents indications of copper. The loose stones and the projecting points of rock appear as if vitrified by fire, and in many places impregnated with carbonate of copper.
Several attempts were made near the close of the last century to establish the cotton manufacture, and some large mills were built near Clane, Leixlip, and other places, but they all fell to decay. A very large mill for manufacturing cotton was, however, built a few years since at Inchyguire, near Ballytore, which is still in full operation; and a small woollen manufacture is carried on at Celbridge. These are the only manufactures of note which the county possesses, although the numerous falls on the rivers offer most advantageous sites for the erection of works, and there is great facility for the transit of goods. Though all the small rivers abound with trout, and though the Barrow formerly gave a copious supply of salmon, yet there are no fisheries. The weirs thrown across this river for forming mill-dams have presented such impediments to the passage of the fish, that they are nearly banished from it.
The river Boyne has its source in the northern part of the county, as also has its tributary branch the Black-water. The Barrow forms the greater part of the western boundary, being joined in its course by the Feagile, the Little Barrow, the Finnery, the Grees, and the Ler (or Lune), all from the east; the Liffey trenches deeply into the eastern part, receiving at Leixlip the Rye-water, which forms part of the northern boundary, and its tributary the Lyreen; it also receives the Morrel between Celbridge and Clane. The Grand Canal enters this county near Lyons, nine miles from Dublin, and quits it for the King's county near the source of the Boyne, in the Bog of Allen. Near Sallins it is carried over the Liffey by an elegant aqueduct, whence a branch leads to the town of Naas, and thence is another branch to Harbourstown, in the direction of Kilcullen, which was intended to have been continued to Wexford. From Robertstown, just where the canal enters the Bog of Allen, a branch diverges, and passing through the Queen's county falls into the Barrow at Athy, opening a communication with Carlow, New Ross, and Waterford. From this line a branch, called the Miltown Canal, leaves it near Robertstown, and proceeds in the direction of the Curragh; and at Monastereven, where the Athy line crosses the Barrow by a noble aqueduct, another branch leaves it for Portarlington and Mountmellick. The summit level is in this county, from which each branch is amply supplied with water in the driest seasons without the expense of a reservoir. The Royal Canal enters near Leixlip, seven miles from Dublin, and passes a little south of Maynooth and Kilcock to Nicholastown, near which it leaves this county and enters Meath: it re-enters it by an aqueduct over the Blackwater, and continues to the Bo5'ne, over which it is conveyed by an aqueduct, and again enters Meath near Clonard.
Among the existing relics of antiquity are five ancient round towers, situated at Kildare, Taghadoe, Kilcullen, Oughterard, and Castledermot; the first is the most remarkable. Raths are numerous. Three miles southeast of Athy, that called the Moat of Ardscull stands prominent. A mile farther is the Hill of Carmon, which was the Naasteighan, or place where the assembly of the states of the southern part of Leinster was held: near it are sixteen smaller conical hills, supposed to be the seats on which the elders sat. Near the rath is a single pillar stone, called Gobhlan, about seven feet high, supposed to have been erected for the worship of Baal. Stones similar to that at Mullimast are to be seen at Kilgowan, Furnace, and Punch's Town, all in the vicinity of Naas. At Harristown, near Kilcullen, is another of those taper upright stones, with a conical top; and about two miles from Jigginstown are two others, known by the name of the Long Stones. The rath of Knock-Caellagh, near Kilcullen, consists of a tumulus surrounded by a circular intrenchment, 20 feet wide and ten deep, with a rampart outside the trench. Cromwell is said to have encamped here on his way to the south. Others less remarkable, yet worthy of notice, are to be seen near Rheban, two miles north of Athy, at Kildare, at Naas, near Kilkea Castle, at Moon, at Clane, at Lyons (across which the boundary line of the counties of Kildare and Dublin passes), and at Rathsallagh, near Duncavan. On the Curragh are numerous earthworks, most of which appear to be sepulchral, forming a chain of fourteen small raths or circular intrenchments without ramparts, in a line of nearly three miles, extending east and west. A tradition has long prevailed of a stupendous heathen monument of huge stones existing here; but no vestige of it can now be discovered.
There were many celebrated and richly endowed monastic institutions in the county. At Athy was one for Crouched friars and another for Dominicans. Castledermot possessed a priory for Regular canons, a house of Crouched friars, and a Franciscan abbey, the ruins of which still serve to attest its former magnificence. The ruins of another Franciscan abbey are to be seen at Clane, where there was also a house of Regular canons. At Graney are the ruins of an Augustinian nunnery. A gateway and some other remains of a monastic building, said to have belonged to the Knights Templars, are still shown there. The ruins of Great Connell abbey are on the banks of the Liffey, near Newbridge. In Kildare was a nunnery and abbey united, founded by St. Brigid, and of which the ruins are still pointed out; also an abbey of Grey friars, situated south of the town, and a house of Carmelites or White friars. At Old Kilcullen is a monastery as old as the time of St. Patrick, which in 1115 was elevated to the dignity of an episcopal see, but it does not appear that it long retained that rank. Near the ruins of the old church are the remains of two crosses, one of which still retains some very curious specimens of ancient sculpture. Maynooth had a convent of Black nuns, and a college of priests founded by the Earl of Kildare; the abbey of Killossy has been converted into the parish church, and is remarkable for the singularity of the architecture of its steeple tower; the monastery of Kilrush was surrounded by a broad ditch faced with masonry ten feet high; the abbey of Monastereven has been converted into the residence of the Moore family, the representative of which is the Marquess of Drogheda. At Moone was a Franciscan friary, the brotherhood of which retained possession of it subsequently to the Reformation. Here is a fragment of a very old cross, one of the most curious in Ireland, covered with numerous grotesque figures. In Naas were three religious establishments, namely, a convent of Augustinians, another of Dominicans, and one for friars eremites of the order of St. Augustine. Some remains of the buildings of New Abbey, on the banks of the Liffey, are still to be seen; and of St. Wolstan's, also on the Liffey, near Celbridge, two towers and two gateways yet exist. Timolin had a monastery of Regular canons, and also a nunnery; at Tully, a mile south of Kildare, was a commandery of the Knights Templars, the possessions of which are held in commendam with the bishoprick of Kildare; the abbeys of Clonagh, Cloncurry, Disert-Fulertagh, Glasnaoidhun, Grangenolvin, Kilbeggs, Knocknacrioth, Leixlip, and Tulachfobhair, are known only by name.
The remains of many castles are scattered through the county: the principal were Kilkea, Athy, Castledermot, Rheban, Kilberry, Woodstock, Timolin, Castle Carbery, Ballyteague, Clane, Rathcoffy, Donadea, Lackagh, Kildare, Leixlip, Corifig, Morrestown-Nenagh, Cloncurry, and Maynooth. The modern mansions of the nobility and gentry are noticed in the parishes in which they are respectively situated. The farm-houses in general consist of a long thatched building of one story, containing in the centre a large kitchen, with lodging-rooms at each end: the front door opens into a yard, here called a bawn, on the sides of which are the out-buildings. The cottiers' cabins exhibit a mode of construction different from that of the more northern districts; the lower half being built of stone and clay mortar, and the upper of clay or sods, topped with a thick covering of straw thatch. Oatmeal, potatoes, herrings, and some milk and butter, constitute the food of the poorer class; their fuel is turf; their clothing principally home-made frieze. Even in the midst of summer a heavy frieze loose coat, called a "trusty," is worn over the rest of the garments. The dress of the women is much better than it formerly was. The circumstances and appearance of the population located on the bogs, or their immediate vicinity, are very unfavourable. On each side of those parts of the canal that pass through the bog, the land is let in small lots to turf-cutters, who take up their residence on the spot, however dreary and uncomfortable. Their first care is to excavate a site for a habitation on the driest bank that can be selected, which is sunk so deep that little more than the roof is visible; this is covered with scanty thatch, or, more frequently, with turf pared from the bog, laid with the herbage upwards, which so perfectly assimilates with the aspect of the surrounding scenery that the eye would pass it over unnoticed, were it not undeceived by the appearance of children and domestic animals sallying from a hole in one side, and by the occasional gush of smoke from the numerous chinks in the roof. The English language is everywhere spoken. The customs of gossipred and fosterage are closely adhered to. Gossips will fight most pertinaciously for each other; in all conversations they call each other by the endearing name; and not to have gossips at baptism would cast a deep reflection on the parents.
KILDARE, an incorporated market and post-town, a parish, and the seat of a diocese, in the barony of EAST OPHALY, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER, 9 1/4 miles (W. S. W.) from Naas, and 25 miles (W. S.W.) from Dublin, on the mail coach road to Limerick; containing 2541 inhabitants, of which number, 1753 are in the town. This place derived its name either from Chille-dara, "the wood of oaks," or from Kill-dara, "the cell or church of the oaks," from the situation of the first Christian church founded here among trees of that kind. The source of its ancient importance appears to have been the foundation of a monastery by St. Bridget, the daughter of a native Irish chieftain, who in the fifth century is said to have received the veil from the hands of St. Patrick. This monastery, which was both for monks and nuns under the same roof, and had only one church, soon caused other habitations to be erected in the neighbourhood, which, on its being subsequently made the seat of an episcopal see, became a town of importance. It is recorded that, in 638, Aed Dubh, or Black Hugh, King of Leinster, resigned his authority, and took the habit of the Augustine order in this monastery, of which he afterwards became abbot and bishop. The town and monastery were consumed by fire in 770, and again about four years after; and in 830 they suffered greatly from the depredation of Ceallach Mac Brann, who slew many of the clergy in their own house. Farannan, abbot of Armagh, attended by a retinue of his clergy, visited the abbey in 835; and during his stay, Fethlemid, at the head of an armed force, seized the church and carried off the clergy prisoners. In the following year, a Danish fleet of thirty ships arrived in the river Liffey, and another also in the Boyne, and, making an irruption into the country, not only plundered every church and abbey within the territories of Magh-Liffe and Magh-Breagh, but also destroyed the town with fire and sword, and carried away the shrines of St. Bridget and St. Conlaeth. From this period till the commencement of the 11th century, the annals of Kildare present only a continued series of Danish rapine and massacre; and scarcely had the ravages of these invaders ceased, when the town was plundered by the people of Hy-faolan. It was either wholly or in part destroyed by fire in 1038, 1040, 1071, 1088, and 1089; and, in 1135, the abbess of the monastery was forcibly taken from her cloister by Dermod Mac Murrough, King of Leinster, who compelled her to marry one of his followers; on which occasion not less than 170 inhabitants of the town and inmates of the abbey were slaughtered. Till the time of the English invasion, the town and monastery were continually exposed to depredation by fire and sword; but shortly after that event, one of the English adventurers who had obtained possession of this territory erected a castle for its defence. In 1220, the sacred fire, which had been maintained here from the time of St. Bridget, was extinguished by Henry de Londres, archbishop of Dublin; it was, however, soon afterwards rekindled, and continued to burn till the Reformation. In 1260, a monastery was founded here by William de Vescy, for Grey friars, which was completed by Gerald Fitzmaurice, Lord Offaly; the same William also founded a convent for Carmelite friars in 1290; and in 1294, Calbhach O'Connor of Offaly took the town and castle by force, and destroyed all the rolls of the Earl of Kildare. A parliament was held here in 1309, or the beginning of the following year; and in 1316, the castle and town were granted to John Fitzgerald, who was at that time created Earl of Kildare; but in the wars during the reign of Elizabeth, the town was reduced to a state of entire ruin and depopulation. In 1641, the castle was garrisoned by the Earl of Castlehaven, but in 1647 it was taken by Col. Jones for the parliament; it fell again into the hands of the Irish, but was finally retaken by the Lord-Lieutenant in 1649. During the disturbances of 1798, 2000 of the insurgents, under a leader named Perkins, having agreed to surrender themselves on the 28th of March, on condition of being allowed to return unmolested to their several homes, and of the liberation of Perkins' brother from the gaol of Naas, Major-Gen. Sir James Duffe advanced at the head of 600 men to the Gibbet-rath on the Curragh, where they had assembled for that purpose; but, some imprudent firing taking place on their part, they were charged by the troops, and more than 200 of them were killed.
The town, though consisting only of 346 houses, and carrying on but little trade, has an appearance of importance, from its commanding situation on boldly rising ground, and from the numerous remains of its ancient religious edifices. It is badly supplied with water, raised from a very deep well near the market-house, by a forcing pump, into a public cistern. The principal streets are portions of the public roads, and are kept in repair by the county. It is a place of great resort during the races, which are held on the Curragh in the last week of April, the second Monday in June, and the second Monday in October, when the king's plates are contested. A gift of two annual plates of £100 each was obtained through Sir W. Temple, and, in 1821, Geo. IV. attended a meeting at this place. The jockey club have a house in the town, for the use of the members during the races, which are well attended and under good regulations. The Curragh is under the care of a ranger appointed by the Crown, and is distinguished as the "Newmarket" of Ireland, not only as the principal race-meeting, but as a central spot for the breeding and training of the best horses in the country. No manufactures are carried on here, nor any trade except what arises from its public situation and for the supply of the neighbourhood. The market is on Thursday, and fairs are held on Feb. 12th, April 5th and 26th, May 12th, June 29th, and Sept. 19th. The market-house is a neat building. There is a constabulary police station in the town. By charter of Jas. II. the town was governed by a corporation consisting of a sovereign (who was a justice of the peace), two portreeves, 20 burgesses, and an indefinite number of freemen, assisted by a recorder, town-clerk, two sergeants-at-mace, and other officers. The corporation returned two members to the Irish parliament till the Union, when the borough was disfranchised, and the £15,000 awarded as compensation was paid to William, Duke of Leinster. The borough court had jurisdiction to the extent of five marks, but no proceedings have issued from it for several years; and since 1828 neither sovereign nor any other officer has been elected, and the corporation is virtually extinct. The quarter sessions for the county are held here in April and October, and petty sessions every alternate Thursday.
The DIOCESE of KILDARE appears to have been founded towards the close of the 5th or about the commencement of the 6th century, by St. Conlaeth or Conlaid who, with the assistance of St. Bridget, then presiding over the monastery, erected the cathedral and became first bishop. The first English bishop was Ralph of Bristol, consecrated in 1223,who was at great expense in repairing and beautifying the cathedral. The first bishop after the Reformation was William Miagh, whom, in opposition to the Pope's appointment, and in vindication of his own supremacy, Hen. VIII. advanced to the see, in 1540. During the prelacy of Alexander Craik, who succeeded in 1560, the see was reduced to great poverty by the alienation of several valuable manors, which that bishop exchanged with Patrick Sarsfield for some tithes of very inconsiderable value; and it was further impoverished by Bishop Pilsworth, in 1604, after a fruitless attempt to recover the alienated property. The estates which had been alienated to Sarsfield became forfeited to the king during the prelacy of Bishop Price, who succeeded in 1660, and might have been recovered by a clause in the act of settlement; but the bishop could not be prevailed upon to take the necessary measures at the time, and all the subsequent efforts of his successors were unavailing. Anthony Dopping, who succeeded in 1678, in consideration of the poverty of the see, procured the annexation of the preceptory of Tully, and several rectories in the diocese of Meath, to be held in commendam with the bishoprick; and William, Dean of Christchurch, Dublin, who was advanced to the prelacy in 1681, was for the same reason allowed to retain his deanery, which has also been held ever since by the bishops of Kildare, who rank next to the bishops of Meath, the other bishops taking precedency according to the dates of their consecration. Under the provisions of the Church Temporalities act of the 3d and 4th of Wm. IV., the see, on its next avoidance, will be annexed to the archiepiscopal see of Dublin, and its temporalities, together with those held in commendam, will be vested in the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. It is one of the five dioceses which constitute the ecclesiastical province of Dublin, and comprehends part of Queen's county, a large portion of King's county, and the greater part of the county of Kildare; it is 36 miles in length and 23 in breadth, and comprises an estimated superficies of 332,200 acres, of which 49,000 are in Queen's county, 121,000 in King's county, and 161,000 in Kildare. The chapter consists of a dean, precentor, chancellor, treasurer, and four canons, and there are an archdeacon and the eight prebendaries of Lulliamore, Rathangan, Nurney, Ballysonan, Castropetre, Geashill, Harristown, and Donadea, who are not of the chapter, but have a vote in the election of the dean. The consistorial court consists of a vicar-general, two surrogates, and two registrars; the last are keepers of the records, which consist of modern documents, those prior to 1641 having been lost during the insurrection. The total number of parishes in the diocese is 85, comprised in 41 benefices, of which 20 are unions of two or more parishes, and 21 single parishes: of these, 12 are in the patronage of the Crown, 10 in lay and corporation patronage, 4 in joint or alternate presentation, and the remainder in the patronage of the Bishop or Incumbents. The total number of churches is 35, and of other places of Protestant worship, 4; and the number of glebe-houses is 19. The quantity of land belonging to the see is 911 acres, and the gross revenue of the bishop, including the preceptory of Tully and the deanery of Christchurch, on an average of three years ending Dec. 31st, 1831, amounted to £6451. 13. 3. The cathedral, dedicated to St. Bridget, was nearly destroyed in the parliamentary war, and the choir is now the only part kept in repair. The walls of the nave are still remaining, and present some plain pointed arches, and those of the south transept are entire; but the north side of the tower, which rose between the nave and choir, is levelled with the ground. The choir, which is also the parochial church, has no interesting details: it contains the sepulchral vault of the Earls of Kildare. In the churchyard is the lofty pedestal of an ancient stone cross, and in the surrounding walls are numerous fragments of sculptured monuments, removed from the interior of the cathedral, of which several are remarkable both for their subjects and their execution. A few yards distant is a remaining portion of the chapel of St. Bridget, called "the fire house," a low and narrow stone cell in which the sacred fire was preserved. There is neither chapter-house nor episcopal palace, nor are there residences for any of the dignitaries. In the R. C. divisions the diocese is united with that of Leighlin, together forming one of the three suffragan dioceses to the archiepiscopal see of Dublin: it comprises 46 parochial benefices or unions, containing 110 chapels served by 108 clergymen, of whom 46, including the bishop, are parish priests, and 62 coadjutors or curates. The parochial benefice of the bishop is Carlow, near which is his residence, Braganza House. The cathedral in Carlow, built during the prelacy of the Right Rev. Dr. Doyle, and chiefly through his exertions, is an edifice of much architectural elegance.
The parish comprises 4759 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. It is a rectory, appropriate to the dean and chapter: the tithes amount to £323. 1. 6. In the R. C. divisions it is the head of a union or district, called Kildare and Rathangan, comprising the parishes of Kildare, Rathangan, Carne, Dunmurry, Pollardstown, Thomastown, Tully, Lackagh, and Knavenstown. There is a chapel in the town, and also one at Rathangan. Near the R. C. chapel is a convent of nuns of the order of the Presentation, the sisters of which devote their time to the gratuitous instruction of poor girls; and near the ruins of the monastery of St. Bridget is a Carmelite friary, a neat modern building recently erected on the site of the ancient house of that order, attached to which is a chapel. There are three public schools, in which about, 800 children are taught, and a private school, in which are about 70 children. The county infirmary is situated in the town. About thirty yards from the church is the ancient round tower, 132 feet high, which within the last century has been crowned with graduated battlements; and part of the ancient castle is still remaining. On the Curragh, according to Giraldus Cambrensis, was formerly a circle of large stones, of which no traces remain; but there are numerous earthworks, most of which appear to have been sepulchral. On this plain, Richard Marshall, Earl of Pembroke and Earl Palatine of Leinster, who had been invited by De Burgo, De Lacy, and other lords to negotiate a truce, was betrayed by Geoffrey de Marisco, his attendant, into the power of his enemies, and put to death, in 1234. David O'Buge, who, in the early part of the 14th century, was eminently distinguished as a philosopher, rhetorician, and divine, was a native of this town; he was provincial of the Carmelites in Ireland, and was interred in the monastery of that order at this place, of which he had been a friar. Kildare gives the inferior titles of Earl and Marquess to the Duke of Leinster.
KILDAVIN, a parish, in the barony of FORTH, county of WEXFORD, and province of LEINSTER, 3 1/2 miles (S. by W.) from Wexford, on the road to Bridgetown; containing 513 inhabitants, and comprising 2245 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. It includes part of the mountain of Forth; the land is chiefly under tillage, and the state of agriculture is gradually improving. Good building stone is found in several places. At Mourntown Cross is a manufactory for coarse woollen cloth, and blankets and flannel are also made here, chiefly for the neighbouring farmers, who supply their own wool. It is in the diocese of Ferns, and is a rectory, forming part of the union of St. Patrick's, Wexford: the tithes amount to £125. 0. 3 1/2. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Piercestown: the chapel at Mourntown, together with the school-house attached to it, is about to be rebuilt by subscription, on an acre of ground presented by N. A. Vigors, Esq. A parochial house for the R. C. clergyman will also be erected near the chapel. The old castle, or tower, of Rathlannan stands in that part of the Johnstown deer-park which is in this parish; but of the castle of Mourntown, burnt during the disturbances in the early part of the 17th century, not a vestige can be traced.
KILDECAMOGUE, a parish, partly in the barony of CARRA, but chiefly in that of GALLEN, county of MAYO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 5 miles (E. by N.) from Castlebar, on the road from Ballinrobe to Foxford; containing 3642 inhabitants. The surface is mountainous; the lands are almost exclusively under tillage, and there is a moderate proportion, of bog. The only residence of importance is Ballyvay House, that of C. Goodwin, Esq. A customary market is held on Wednesday, during the winter only; a fair is held at Keelogues on Sept. 6th, and fairs are held in the village of Ballyvay on May 29th, Aug. 17th, and Nov. 14th. The parish is in the diocese of Tuam, and is a rectory and vicarage, forming part of the union of Castlebar, and also of the perpetual curacy of Turlough: the tithes amount to £129. 4. 7 1/2. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the union or district of Turlough, and has a chapel at Keelogues. There are two private schools in the parish. On the banks of a small river which flows from Lough Lanach into Lough Culleen, at Currawn, are the remains of an ancient fortress, and at Danganmore are the ruins of another.
KILDELLIG, or KILDELLYGLY, a parish, in the barony of UPPER OSSORY, QUEEN'S county, and province of LEINSTER, 3 3/4 miles (S. E. by S.) from Burros-in-Ossory, on the road from Mountrath to Rathdowney; containing 303 inhabitants. It comprises 1103 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and is a rectory, in the diocese of Ossory, forming part of the union of Rathdowney: the tithes amount to £57. 10. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Aghadoe. About 40 children are educated in a private school. A religious establishment existed here at an early period, the last mention of which is in 885, when the abbot was killed by the Danes.
KILDEMOCK, or KILDERNOCK, a parish, in the barony of ARDEE, county of LOUTH, and province of LEINSTER, 1 mile (S. S. E.) from Ardee, on the road from that place to Drogheda; containing 996 inhabitants. According to the Ordnance survey it comprises 3246 statute acres, of which 2754 are applotted under the tithe act. The land is principally under tillage, with no waste or bog; there is a good limestone quarry. Drakestown is the seat of N. Manning, Esq. There is a constabulary police station at that place. The parish is in the diocese of Armagh, and is a rectory, forming part of the union of Ardee: the tithes amount to £200. The glebe-house of the union, built in 1781, at an expense of £1010. 1. 6., is situated here; the glebe comprises 40 acres, valued at £120 per annum. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Ardee, and has a handsome chapel at Drakestown. About 360 children are educated in two public schools, one of which is supported by the rector. The old church is in ruins.
KILDERRY, a parish, in the barony of GOWRAN, county of KILKENNY, and province of LEINSTER, 4 miles (N. E. by N.) from Kilkenny; containing 718 inhabitants. It comprises 2153 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Ossory, forming part of the union of Mothell:
the tithes amount to £160. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the union or district of St. John's.
KILDIMO, or KILDEEMO, a parish, in the barony of KENRY, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER, 4 miles (S. E.) from Pallas-Kenry, on the road from Limerick to Tarbert; containing 3357 inhabitants. It comprises 4568 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, 600 of which are rich corcass land, 200 bog, and the remainder arable, which produces particularly fine wheat: the substratum is limestone. At the foot of the finely wooded hill of Dromore is a deep lake of about 30 acres, separated from another of about 45 by a small bog. The surrounding country is fertile and picturesque, particularly to the south of the village. The principal seats are Court Cottage, the residence of T. Rose, Esq.; Bollane Cottage, of Arundel Hill, Esq.; and Ballynolane House, of H. Potter, Esq. The village is small, and another, called New Kildimo, is rising up on the new road which was made for the mail from Limerick to Tralee, and is very level and good, but has been superseded by that which runs through Newcastle, which is much shorter. The parish is in the diocese of Limerick; the rectory forms part of the union of St. Michael's and corps of the archdeaconry; and there is a perpetual curacy, instituted in 1815 and endowed with the tithes of five townlands, containing 672 acres, and in the patronage of the Bishop. The tithes amount to £406. 4. 7 1/2., of which £276. 18. 5 1/2. is payable to the archdeacon, and £129. 6. 2. to the perpetual curate. The church, which is small and very neat, was rebuilt in 1705. There is a glebe-house, for the erection of which the late Board of First Fruits gave £150 and lent £50, in 1810. The glebe comprises 7 1/2 acres. In the R. C. divisions it is the head of a union or district, comprising the parishes of Kildimo, Ardcanny, and Chapel-Russell, and containing two chapels, one a large plain building in the village of Kildimo, and the other at Whiteforge. About 200 children are educated in six private schools; the parochial school-house is at present occupied by several poor families. Near the western extremity of the parish are the ruins of a church, only 12 feet long and 8 broad, of which the walls and doors are tolerably perfect: it was built about 1290 by the Knights Templars, on lands given by Dermot O'Donovan. Kildimo Court, which is nearly entire, was the seat of the Hartstonge family. In the grounds of Mr. Hill are the ruins of Bollane castle, built by the O'Donovans in the 15th century; near the river Mague are the remains of Cullan castle, built by one of the Fitzgeralds in 1514, and taken by Sir Hardress Waller in 1651; and at Ballyculhane are the ruins of a third, the history of which is unknown.
KILDOLLAGH, or KILDALLOCK, a parish, partly in the barony of UPPER DUNLUCE, county of ANTRIM, but chiefly in the North-west Liberties of COLERAINE, county of LONDONDERRY, and province of ULSTER, 2 miles (S. E.) from Coleraine, on the river Bann; containing 982 inhabitants. According to the Ordnance survey it comprises 2006 statute acres, of which 1984 are in Londonderry: the land is fertile and well drained, fenced, and cultivated. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Connor, forming part of the union of Rasharkin.About 40 children are educated in a private school, and there is a Sunday school. Near the village of Loughans are the ruins of the ancient church; also the foundations of the castle of McQuillan, where a sanguinary battle was fought, in 1534, between the rival septs of O'Kane and McQuillan. Not far distant is a lofty fort, containing a large cave.
KILDORRERY, a post-town and parish, in the barony of CONDONS and CLONGIBBONS, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 27 miles (N.) from Cork, and 137 miles (S. W.) from Dublin, at the intersection of the mail roads from Fermoy to Limerick and from Mallow to Mitchelstown; containing 1986 inhabitants, of which number, 576 are in the town. This parish comprises 5246 3/4 statute acres, as rated for the county cess, and valued at £2482 per annum. The land, with the exception of about 500 acres of mountain pasture, is chiefly under tillage, and is in general good; but, although there is an abundance of limestone, the state of agriculture is rather backward. Springvale, the property of Roger Burke, Esq., is at present unoccupied. In the town, which comprises about 90 houses, are a dispensary and a constabulary police station; and fairs are held on May 1st, June 27th, Sept. 3rd, and Nov. 27th, chiefly for the sale of horses and cattle. The parish is in the diocese of Cloyne; the rectory is impropriate in J. Nason, Esq., and the vicarage is united to the rectory and vicarage of Nathlash or St. Nicholas: the tithes, amounting to £319. 2. 0., are payable in equal portions to the impropriator and the vicar. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Kildorrery, which also comprises the parishes of Farihy, Templemollogga, Carrigdownane, and Nathlash. The chapel near Kildorrery, and that at Coolbohoga in Templemollogga are both about to be rebuilt. The pass of Redchair, on the border of this parish, is memorable for the artifice practised by Lord Mountgarret on the Lord-President St. Leger, who, having collected his forces to oppose the passage of the insurgents from the county of Limerick, was deceived by a fictitious commission which Lord Mountgarret produced as from the king, on which the Lord-President disbanded his forces and retired.
KILDRESS, a parish, in the barony of DUNGANNON, comity of TYRONE, and province of ULSTER, 3 miles (W. by N.) from Cookstown, on the road from Omagh to Belfast; containing 7062 inhabitants. This parish anciently formed part of the O'Hagans' country, and subsequently belonged to the Earls of Tyrone, by whose rebellion it was forfeited, and in 1638 was granted by Chas. I. to R. Richardson, Esq., whose descendant, Capt. W. Stewart Richardson, is the present proprietor. According to the Ordnance survey it comprises 26,251 1/2 statute acres, of which 3212 are mountain and bog, the remainder being under an excellent system of cultivation. The mountain tracts consist of sienite, granite, quartz, and basalt, and in the valleys are found clay-slate, limestone, coal, and valuable freestone. The principal seats are Oaklands, the residence of Capt. W. S. Richardson; Drumshambo, of the Rev. R. Stewart; and Wellbrook, of J. Gunning, Esq. A manorial court for Manor-Richardson is held at Legnacash the second Monday in every month, for the recovery of debts under 40s. At Wellbrook is a large bleach-green. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Armagh, and in the patronage of the Lord-Primate: the tithes amount to £354. The church is a large and handsome building with a lofty square tower, erected in 1818, for which the late Board of First Fruits granted a loan of £1600, and recently repaired by aid of a grant of £151 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The glebe-house was built by aid of a gift of £100, in 1791, from the late Board of First Fruits: the glebe consists of the townland of Drumshambo, containing 871 acres, of which 225 are unprofitable land. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church, and has a small plain chapel at Killanan and another at Dunamore. At Oritor is a Presbyterian meeting-house of the third class, in connection with the Synod of Ulster. About 450 children are educated in five public schools, to one of which the Rev. R. Stewart gave £50 and two acres of land, and about 120 in two private schools. The ruins of the old church are about a mile eastward from the present church; it was burnt in the war of 1641, but restored in 1698, and was used for divine service till 1818. Here are also the ruins of Maheraglass priory, which was founded by Terence O'Hagan in 1242, and fortified by the O'Hagans in the rebellion against Queen Elizabeth, from which it is sometimes called Maheraglass Castle.--See ORITOR.
KILDROUGHT.--See CELBRIDGE.
KILDRUM, a parish, in the barony of CORKAGUINEY, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 2 3/4 miles (W.) from Dingle, on the road to Ventry; containing 1090 inhabitants, and comprising 4150 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, of which about one-fourth consists of coarse mountain pasture. The southern part of the parish forms the peninsula which separates the harbours of Dingle and Ventry: a small cove of the latter comes up to the village, the inhabitants of which are chiefly employed in fishing. The seats are Burnham House, the property of Lord Ventry, and now occupied by his agent, D. P. Thompson, Esq.; and Monaree, the residence of the Hon. Capt. Mullins. The former, and the female orphan school attached to it, situated near the border of Dingle parish, are described under that head. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the rectory is impropriate in Lord Ventry. The tithes amount to £110. 15. 4., of which two-thirds are payable to the impropriator and the remainder to the vicar. There is a glebe of seven acres. In the R. C. divisions this parish forms part of the union or district of Dingle. The ruins of the old church still remain in the burial-ground. At Ballycunneen is an ancient oblong enclosure of about half an acre, called Cahircullane or Collins's Castle, in one angle of which is a circular building somewhat similar to Staigue Fort, in the parish of Kilcrohane, but of much smaller dimensions.
KILDRUMFERTON, or CROSSERLOUGH, a parish, partly in the baronies of UPPER LOUGHTEE and CLONMAHON, but chiefly in that of CASTLERAHAN, county of CAVAN, and province of ULSTER, 9 miles (N. W.) from Oldcastle, on the road from Killesandra to Ballinagh; containing 9687 inhabitants. It comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 16,436 3/4 statute acres (including 207 1/2 under water), of which 11,729 3/4 are in Castlerahan, 4445 1/2 in Clonmahon, and the remainder in Upper Loughtee, and of which 15,535 are applotted under the tithe act; about two-thirds are arable, one-third pasture, and the remainder woodland and bog. Fairs for live stock are held here on June 29th and Aug. 26th. The principal seats are Kilnacrot, the residence of Pierce Morton, Esq., and Kilmainham, of A. Bell, Esq. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Kilmore, and in the patronage of the Bishop; the rectory is impropriate in the representatives of Richard Earl of Westmeath, and the tithes amount to £672, of which £272 is payable to the impropriators and £400 to the vicar. In 1831, four townlands were separated from this parish to form part of the perpetual curacy of Ballyjamesduff, to the incumbent of which the vicar of Kildrumferton pays an annual stipend of £20. The church is a very neat structure, rebuilt in 1812, for which the late Board of First Fruits granted a loan of £550, and recently repaired by aid of a grant of £114 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The glebe-house was built by aid of a gift of £100 from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1810: the glebe comprises 420 acres. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church, but is commonly called Crosserlough; there is a large and well-built chapel at Drumkeely, and the chapel at Crosserlough has lately been rebuilt. About 400 children are educated in four public schools, one of which is supported by Lord Farnham, and about 560 in seven private schools.
KILDYSART, or KILLADYSERT, a post-town and parish, in the barony of CLONDERLAW, county of CLARE, and province of MUNSTER, 12 miles (S. S. W.) from Ennis, and 122 miles (S. W.) from Dublin, at the confluence of the rivers Shannon and Fergus, and on the old mail road from Ennis to Kilrush; containing 4501 inhabitants, and comprising 9485 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, which are chiefly in tillage. Sea-weed and sand are in general use for manure, and the state of agriculture is gradually improving: there is a considerable portion of bog. Culm exists in some places and is partially worked; and good building stone, which is also used for flagging, is procured. Off the western shore of the Fergus, and within the limits of the parish, are the islands Canon (which is described under its own head), Corcory, Ennistubret, Innisherk, Low and Horse, all of which are inhabited by one or more families. Corcory contains 103 plantation acres of excellent land, mostly in pasture; Ennistubret, 80 acres of similar land; Innisherk, 18 acres; Low, 85 acres , and Horse, 85 acres; the two last are chiefly in tillage. The town, which contains about 60 houses, is irregularly built, but has latterly been much improved: a steam-boat passes daily either to or from Limerick. It has a market on Wednesday under a patent, and it is in contemplation of Bindon Scott, Esq., to build a market-house. Fairs are held on May 22nd, July 15th, Aug. 27th, and Oct. 11th. Petty sessions are held every alternate Monday; and a court for the manor of Crovreahan is held by Lord Egremont's seneschal, about once in six weeks, in which small debts are recoverable. Here is a chief station of the constabulary police, who have a substantial barrack. Application has been made to the Board of Public Works for aid in the erection of a pier at Carriginriree, and to improve the quay near Kildysart: from the latter, pigs, corn, butter, and other agricultural produce are sent to Limerick in boats; and building materials, grocery, &c., are brought in return: vessels of 105 tons have been freighted at this quay. The gentlemen's seats are Ballyartney, the residence of R. Barclay, Esq.; Ross Hill, of Major Ross Lewin; Shore Park, of D. O'Grady, Esq.; Lanesborough, of T. R. Lewin, Esq.; Crowhan, of J. O'Donnell, Esq.; Ballylane Lodge, of W. Coppinger, Esq.; and Tonlagee, of the Finucane family. Part of the beautifully situated demesne of Cahircon, the seat of Bindon Scott, Esq., also extends into this parish, from the more elevated parts of which extensive views are obtained of the rivers Fergus and Shannon, and of the numerous islands by which the former is studded at its confluence with the latter. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Killaloe, united to the vicarage of Kilchrist and the rectory of Kilfarboy, and constituting the union of Kildysart, in the patronage of the Earl of Egremont: the rectory is impropriate in Bindon Scott, Esq. The tithes amount to £415. 7. 8 1/4., of which £276. 18. 5. is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar. The church, a small plain building, was erected in 1812, for which the late Board of First Fruits gave £500: it is at present in a dilapidated state, and is about to be repaired or rebuilt, the Ecclesiastical Commissioners having recently granted £122 for that purpose. The glebe-house is a substantial building, for the erection of which the late Board of First Fruits gave £400 and lent £240: the glebe comprises about 12 acres. In the R. C. divisions this parish gives name to a union or district, which also comprises the parish of Kilfedane, and contains the chapels of Kildysart, Coulmeen (or Rockmount) and Cranny bridge: the first is a handsome and spacious building of recent erection, and contains a well-executed altar-piece: the other chapels are in the parish of Kilfedane. About 230 children are educated in two private schools; and a public school has been lately erected in the town. The ruins of the old church still remain in the burial-ground near the shore, and there are many Danish forts and tumuli in the parish. A monastery is said to have been founded on Low Island by St. Senan of Inniscattery, before St. Patrick came into Munster; and St. Moronoc is said to have had a cell here at the time of St. Senan's death, called "the Penitentiary of Inisluaidhe."
KILFANE, a parish, in the barony of GOWRAN, county of KILKENNY, and province of LEINSTER, 2 miles (N. E. by N.) from Thomastown, on the road from Dublin to Waterford; containing 898 inhabitants. This parish is supposed to have derived its name from the foundation of a church here at a very early period by St. Phian: it comprises 3830 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £2815 per annum, and is principally under tillage; the agriculture is moderately good, and there is plenty of limestone, which is used for manure. The principal seats are Kilfane House, the handsome residence and demesne of John Power, jun., Esq.; Summer Hill, of J. Snow Davis, Esq.; Castlefield, of -- Willett, Esq.; and the glebe-house, of the Rev. Archdeacon Irwin. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Ossory, united by act of council, in 1676, to the vicarages of Tullowherin and Blanchevillestown, together forming the union of Kilfane and the corps of the archdeaconry of Ossory, in the patronage of the Bishop. The tithes amount to £274, and of the whole benefice to £547. 3. 7. The church is a neat modern edifice with a spire, for the repairs of which the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £114. The glebe-house was erected by aid of a gift of £10Q and a loan of £55.0, in 1807, from the late Board of First Fruits; the glebe comprises 46a. 3r. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union of Thomastown. The parochial school, in which are about 90 children, is aided by subscriptions, of which the archdeacon contributes £10 annually. Here are some remains of the ancient church, and of Kilbline and Ballynaboola castles.
KILFARBOY, a parish, in the barony of IBRICKANE, county of CLARE, and province of MUNSTER, 5 miles (S. S. W.) from Ennistymon, on the western coast; containing, with the post-town of Miltown-Malbay, 6389 inhabitants. It was anciently called Kilfobrick, from the monastery of that name, founded in 741, of which Cormac, who died in 837, is said to have been bishop, but of which no traces now remain. In the reign of Elizabeth, part of the Spanish Armada was wrecked on this coast, at a place which has since been called "Spanish Point." The parish comprises 11,637 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, a considerable portion of which consists of mountain pasture and bog; sea-weed, which abounds, is in general use for manure, but the state of agriculture is rather backward. Mount Callan, which forms a conspicuous landmark, is chiefly in this parish: in one of its hollows is Loughnamina, noted for its fine trout. Indications of coal and ironstone appear in several places; slate is found at Freagh; and at Bellard, near Miltown, stone of superior quality is quarried for building. At Freagh is a station of the coast-guard, having also a detachment at Liscanor. The gentlemen's seats are Miltown House, the residence of T. H. Morony, Esq.; Merville Lodge, of J. Carroll, Esq.; Seaview, of F. G. Morony, Esq.; Westpark, of J. Morony, Esq.; and Spanish Point, of J. Costello, Esq., M. D.: and there are several neat lodges in the vicinity of Miltown-Malbay (which see) for the accommodation of the numerous visiters who frequent that fashionable watering-place during the summer. The parish is in the diocese of Killaloe: the rectory forms part of the union of Kildysart; and the vicarage was episcopally united, in 1801, to that of Kilmihill or Kilmichael, together constituting the union of Kilfarboy, in the gift of the Bishop. The tithes amount to £553. 16. 11., of which £315 is payable to the rector and the remainder to the vicar; those of the vicarial union amount to £312. 13. 10. The church, at Miltown, is a small plain edifice with a square tower, built in 1802, towards which £500 was granted by the late Board of First Fruits: it is about to be repaired, the Ecclesiastical Commissioners having lately granted £104 for that purpose. The glebe-house was erected in 1813, for which a gift of £337 and a loan of £79 were granted by the late Board: the glebe comprises about eight acres. In the R. C. divisions this parish forms part of the union or district of Miltown, which also comprises the parish of Kilmurry-Ibrickane, and contains two chapels, situated respectively at Miltown. and Mullogh: the former is about to be rebuilt on a larger scale. There are two public schools, one of which is partly supported by the parishioners, and the other by the R. C. clergyman, and in which about 140 children are educated; there are also five private schools, in which are about 230 children. On the shores of this parish are several springs of a chalybeate nature, but not much used for medicinal purposes. At Freagh are the ruins of the castle of that name, and there are several ancient raths or forts. At the side of Loughnamina, on Mount Callan, a very large and remarkable sepulchral stone of great antiquity was discovered, about 1784; it bears an inscription, in the ancient Ogham character, having the peculiarity of being read in five different ways, to the memory of the chief Conan, whose death is alluded to in one of the legends of the 8th century (ascribed to Ossian), as having taken place the year before the battle of Gabhra, which was fought in 296. From the hard texture of the stone the inscription, when discovered, was perfectly legible. On the south side of the mountain is a large cromlech, or druidical altar, nearly perfect, supposed to have been dedicated to the sun, and popularly called Darby and Grane's Bed; and near it are two smaller ones, and the remains of a stone rath, in which part of a covered way is still visible.
KILFAUGHNABEG, a parish, in the Western Division of the barony of EAST CARBERY, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 3 miles (S. W. by W.) from Rosscarbery, on the road from Cork to Skibbereen; containing 2461 inhabitants. It is bounded on the south by St. George's Channel, and on the west by the harbour of Glandore, and comprises 2911 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. The surface is gently undulating; the soil is light, and the system of agriculture in a very unimproved state; the old heavy plough is still in use, and the practice of carrying manure to the land and removing the produce on the backs of horses is still retained, except on the lands of Drumbeg, the proprietor of which has introduced the most approved implements and practice of husbandry. There are some quarries of good slate; manganese of superior quality has been raised; and rich indications of copper have been lately discovered on the lands of Glandore. The scenery around the bay and harbour is beautifully picturesque, especially near the pleasing village of Glandore on one side, and of Union Hall on the opposite side of the bay. Considerable improvements have taken place at Glandore (which see). The bay is spacious and secure, affording good anchorage; and on the point of land of Reenogreenagh is a signal tower, which was built after the descent of the French on this part of the coast in 1796. The principal seats are Drombeg, the residence of the Rev. Jonas Travers Jones; Glandore House, of J. R. Barry, Esq.; Stone Hall, of Major J. Allen; Westview House, of Major E. Allen; Chateau Maria, of F. Allen, Esq.; Prospect House, of J. Morris, jun., Esq.; Glandore Cottage, of J. F. Townsend, Esq.; Glandore Castle, of P. Morris, Esq.; Kilfinnan Castle, of J. Ranclaud, Esq.; Glen Villa, of Capt. Hart; and Glandore Lodge, of R. Adams, Esq. The parish is in the diocese of Ross: the rectory forms part of the union and corps of the archdeaconry of Ross; and the vicarage was part of the union of Kilmacabea, but the parishes were separated on the demise of the late incumbent, and it is now a distinct benefice, in the patronage of the Bishop: a temporary church has been fitted up at Glandore. The tithes amount to £297. 12., equally divided between the archdeacon and the vicar. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Kilmacabea, and has a chapel at Glandore. About 500 children of both sexes are educated in a new school built, at Glandore by Mr. Barry, aided by the National Board; and an industrial department for instruction in agriculture and trades, and an infants' school, are about to be added. The girls' school has the advantage of the direction and general superintendence of Miss Adams, who devotes her whole time to that object. There are some interesting remains of the old church; and those of the ancient castles of Glandore and Kilfinnan, which were extensive, have been modernised and enlarged, forming handsome residences previously noticed.--See GLANDORE.
KILFEACLE, a parish, in the barony of CLANWILLIAM, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 3 1/2 miles (S. E. by E.) from Tipperary, on the road from that place to Cashel; containing 2033 inhabitants. It comprises 7152 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £7950 per annum. Some of the land is of excellent quality, and good limestone is abundant. A fair is held on July 10th, chiefly for wool and lambs. Kilfeacle House is the residence of, Mrs. Scully. The parish is in the diocese of Cashel, and is a rectory, forming part of the union of Tipperary: the tithes amount to £369. 4. 7 1/2. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Golden, and has a chapel near the Moat. About 80 children are educated in a public and the same number in a private school. There are the remains of castles at Grantstown and Castle Field, also a large Danish moat.
KILFEARA, a parish, in the barony of SHILLELOGHER, county of KILKENNY, and province of LEINSTER, 2 1/2 miles (S. E. by S.) from Kilkenny, on the river Nore; containing 58 inhabitants. Here is a constabulary police station. Kilfeara is the seat of H. Ryan, Esq., and Sheestown, of J. Shee, Esq.; in the demesne of the latter is a villa, the property and occasional residence of J. Power O'Shee, Esq. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ossory, forming part of the union of Burnchurch; the rectory is impropriate in Lady Tynte Caldwell, to whom the whole of the tithes, amounting to £32. 6. 1., are paid. In the demesne of Sheestown are the ruins of an ancient church, which is the burial-place of the Shee family.
KILFEDANE, a parish, in the barony of CLONDERLAW, county of CLARE, and province of MUNSTER, 4 1/2 miles (W. S. W.) from Kildysart, on the river Shannon, near its junction with the Fergus; containing 4165 inhabitants. It comprises 8981 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, including a large tract of improvable mountain and bog: the portion in tillage is generally manured with sea-weed and sand. Culm is found at Shanahea and partially worked. Within the parish are the mansion and principal part of the demesne of Cahircon, the seat of Bindon Scott, Esq., beautifully situated at the confluence of the Fergus and Shannon, of which an eminence near the house commands an extensive and interesting view, embracing a large portion of the shores of those rivers and the numerous islands by which their estuary is studded. Adjoining the demesne is Clifton House, lately erected by Bindon Scott, and not yet tenanted; it occupies a beautiful situation contiguous to the shores of the Shannon, of which it commands an extensive view. There is a ferry from Clifton to Foyne's Island, on the opposite shore of the Shannon. The parish is in the diocese of Killaloe: the rectory is impropriate in Bindon Scott, Esq., and the vicarage forms part of the union of Kilmurry-Clonderlaw. The tithes amount to £267. 13. 10 1/4., of which £166. 3. 1. is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Kildysart: the chapel at Coulmeen is a large building of recent erection; and at Cranny bridge, on the border of the parish, is another. About 60 boys are educated in a school, partly free, under the superintendence of the R. C. clergyman; and there are four private schools, in which are about 210 children. A school-house is about to be built at Coulmeen by subscription. There are some ruins of the old church. About 1780, when an East India fleet took refuge in the Shannon, an encampment was formed in the deer-park of Cahircon.
KILFEGHAN.-- See KILBRONEY, co. DOWN.
KILFEIGHNEY, a parish, in the barony of CLANMAURICE, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 5 miles (S. W.) from Listowel, on the road to Tralee; containing 1918 inhabitants. It comprises 11,972 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act: the land is chiefly in tillage, but there is a large portion of coarse mountain pasture, and some bog: limestone is quarried for manure. The seats are Banemore House, the residence of R. J. Palmer, Esq., romantically situated on the brow of a mountain, which is extensively planted; and Braeside Cottage, the neat residence of Hugh Studdert, Esq. The parish is in the diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe: the rectory is impropriate in the Earl of Cork, and the vicarage, with one-fifth part of the rectory of Ardfert and the vicarage of Ballyconry, constitutes the corps of the precentorship in Ardfert cathedral, in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes, amounting to £222. 6. 8., are payable in equal portions to the impropriator and the precentor. The glebe lands of the precentorship comprise 115 statute acres; and the gross value of the dignity, tithe and glebe inclusive, is £207. 14. 10. per annum. In the R. C. divisions it is partly in the union or district of Abbeydorney, but chiefly in that of Lixnaw. The ruins of the ancient church, in the burial-ground, form a very picturesque object.
KILFENNY, a parish, in the Eastern Division of the barony of UPPER CONNELLO, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER, 4 miles (S. W.) from Adare, on the road from Croom to Ballingarry; containing 1136 inhabitants. This parish comprises 2361 statute acres, of which 1650 are applotted under the tithe act; about 320 are common and 90 bog, and of the remainder, about two-thirds are under tillage, and one-third in pasture. The surface is uneven, rising in some places into hills of considerable elevation; the soil is in general fertile, and the system of agriculture improved. Fairs are held on the common on May 15th, July 14th, Sept. 12th, and Dec. 22d, chiefly for cattle. It is in the diocese of Limerick, and is a rectory and vicarage, forming part of the union of Nantinan and corps of the precentorship in the cathedral of Limerick: the tithes amount to £134. 18. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Croagh and Kilfenny; the chapel is a small edifice. There is a private school, in which about 140 children are instructed. There are some remains of the old church, in which is a tablet to the Pigot family; and near it are the remains of Ballynakill House, which, having been converted into a barrack, was burnt by the Rockites in 1822. At the foot of a hill are the remains of Kilfenny Castle, built by Cormac Mac Einery in the reign of John; it afterwards belonged to the Kildare family, by whom it was forfeited in the reign of Elizabeth. It was besieged by the Irish under Col. Purcell, in 1641, and resolutely defended by the widow of Sir John Dowdall for some time, but ultimately surrendered. Near the boundary of the parish are the picturesque ruins of Finnitterstown castle, which was also forfeited by the same family in 1598.
KILFENORA, a decayed market-town and parish, and the seat of a diocese, in the barony of CORCOMROE, county of CLARK, and province of MUNSTER, 4 1/2 miles (N. N. E.) from Ennistymon, on the road to Curofin; containing 2752 inhabitants, of which number, 558 are in the town. This place, called anciently Fenabore and Cellumabrach, though evidently of great antiquity, has not been much noticed by the earlier historians; the first mention that occurs of it is in the annals of Ulster, in which it is stated that Murrough O'Brien, in 1055, burnt the abbey, and slew many of the inhabitants. In the 12th century, the religious establishment which had been founded here, though originally by whom or at what date is unknown, became the head of a small diocese. The town appears to have been formerly of some importance, and a market was held there, but since the increase of Ennistymon it has been gradually declining; the market is no longer held, and it has dwindled into an inconsiderable village; fairs are, however, still held on the 4th of June and 9th of October, for cattle and sheep.
The EPISCOPAL SEE is of very uncertain origin, neither is it precisely known who was the first bishop; though many are of opinion that St. Fachnan, to whom the cathedral is dedicated, must have been the founder. Of his successors, who were called bishops of Corcomroe, there are but very imperfect accounts, and of the history of the see very little is preserved. In the ancient distribution of the bishopricks, made by Cardinal Paparo in 1152, this see was made suffragan to the Archbishop of Cashel. It remained a separate diocese till after the Restoration, when it was annexed to the archbishoprick of Tuam, and continued for 81 years to be held with that diocese, till, on the annexation of Ardagh to Tuam, it was separated from it and given in commendam to the bishoprick of Clonfert, with which it was held till 1752, when it was united to the see of Killaloe, with which it still remains. It is one of the twelve dioceses which constitute the archiepiscopal province of Cashel, and is the smallest in Ireland; it lies wholly within the county of Clare, and comprehends only the baronies of Burrin and Corcomroe, which formed part of the ancient territory of Thomond. It extends 23 miles in length and 11 in breadth, comprising an estimated superficies of 37,000 acres. The lands belonging to the see comprise 9237 acres, of which 2350 are profitable land; the gross annual revenue of the bishoprick is returned with that of Killaloe. The chapter consists of a dean, precentor, treasurer, and archdeacon; there are neither minor canons, prebendaries, nor vicars choral: a consistorial court is held occasionally by the vicar-general. It comprises 19 parishes, which are included in six unions; there are three parish churches, and one other place in which divine service is performed, and three glebe-houses. The cathedral church, dedicated to St. Fachnan, and which is also used as the parish church, is a very ancient and venerable structure with a massive square tower, commanding a very extensive and interesting view; the aisle is at present undergoing repair, and is being fitted up as the parish church, for which purpose the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have granted £421. In the R. C. divisions this diocese is united to that of Kilmacduagh, and comprises eight unions, in which are 15 chapels, served by eight parish priests and two coadjutors.
The parish comprises 9236 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, a considerable portion of which is good grazing land, and the remainder under profitable cultivation; the system of agriculture is improving, and there is a large portion of valuable bog. To the east of the village is a large turlough, which in summer affords very rich pasture for fattening cattle, but in the winter is under deep water after heavy rains. A new road has lately been made between the town and Ennistymon, with great benefit to the intervening district. Ballykeale, a seat of the Lysaght family, now occupied by Mrs. Fitzgerald, and Holywell, the residence of T. F. Comyn, Esq., are within the parish. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Kilfenora, united from time immemorial to the rectories of Clouney and Kiltoraght, together constituting the corps of the deanery of Kilfenora, in the patronage of the Crown: the tithes amount to £250, and of the whole union to £416. 13. 4. In the church are two monuments, of which one is supposed to be that of the founder, bearing a full-length effigy rudely sculptured, and to the north of the transept is another. The Deanery, towards the erection of which the late Board of First Fruits contributed a gift of £300, and a loan of £450, was erected about the year 1813; and has been greatly improved by the present occupant, the Very Rev. W. H. Stackpoole, D. D., who has added an extensive range of out-offices to the house; in the shrubberies is a perfect ancient rath thickly planted. The glebe and deanery lands comprise 231 plantation acres, of which 70 are good pasture and the remainder mountain land; and the gross annual value of the deanery, tithe, and glebe inclusive, is £482. 18. In the R. C. divisions the parish is held with that of Kiltoraght; the chapel is a neat modern edifice in the village, and a chapel is now in course of erection in the parish of Kiltoraght. About 200 children are taught in two public schools, of which one is supported by the dean, who, in conjunction with Sir W. McMahon, is about to erect a school-house. At Kilcarragh, very near this place, on the estate of Sir W. McMahon, was anciently an hospital or monastery, endowed with a quarter of land, and which, after the dissolution, was granted to John King. Near the cathedral is a stone cross of very light and beautiful design; and in the churchyard is a plain cross of great antiquity: there were formerly seven crosses around this place, but these are the only two remaining.
KILFENTINAN, a parish, in the barony of BUNRATTY, county of CLARE, and province of MUNSTER, contiguous to the post-town of Six-mile-bridge (of which it includes a small portion); containing 2856 inhabitants and comprising about 3600 acres, as rated for the county cess. It is situated on the northern shore of the river Shannon, and comprehends the two small inhabited islands of Grass and Graigue, containing respectively six and five plantation acres of rich pasture land. Near the latter is a rocky shoal called "the Scarlets," on which is a low tower erected as a guide to the navigation of the river. On the shores of this parish are some of the rich corcasses, which yield a succession of abundant crops without any manure. The land is mostly in tillage, and the state of agriculture has been latterly improved. A court for the manor of Bunratty is occasionally held at Cratloe, by Lord Egremont's seneschal, in which small debts are recoverable. Here is a station of the constabulary police. The seats are Cratloe Woods, the occasional residence of Stafford O'Brien, Esq.; and Ballintlea, of J. Kelly, Esq. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Limerick, and in the patronage of the Earl of Egremont, in whom the rectory is impropriate: the tithes amount to £267. 10., of which £197. 10. is payable to the impropriator, and £70 to the vicar. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church. The principal chapel is at Cratloe Cross, and there is another at Ballyliddane, near Six-mile-bridge. About 120 children are educated in four private schools, and application is about to be made to establish a school at Cratloe, under the National Board. The ruins of the castles of Cratloe, Cratloe Kail, and Ballintlea, still remain; also of the old church on Gallows hill, and of another at Crochan. Near the latter is a very perfect druidical altar or cromlech.
KILFERGUS.--See GLINN.
KILFIERAGH, a parish, in the barony of MOYARTA, county of CLARE, and province of MUNSTER, 7 miles (W. by N.) from Kilrush, on the western coast; containing 6239 inhabitants. It comprises 8591 statute acres, the greater part of which is under tillage: seaweed is in general use for manure. Near Kilkee is a quarry of good building stone, and nearly in the centre of the parish is Dough bog, containing about 200 plantation acres, from which and other bogs extending into the adjoining parishes a vast quantity of turf is cut, and sent from Poulanishery harbour (formed by an inlet of the river Shannon) to Limerick. The boats employed in conveying the turf return with building materials and with limestone from the Limerick side of the Shannon. At Farahie bay, near the northern extremity of the parish, about 50 canoes are employed in the fishery; and at Kilkee, or Moore bay, about half that number are similarly employed. A seneschal's court is occasionally held at Lisdeen for the manor of Kilrush, in which small debts are recoverable. The seats are Atlantic Lodge, the residence of Jonas Studdert, Esq.; and Kilkee, of J. McDonnell, Esq.; and there are several neat bathing lodges in the vicinity of Kilkee. The parish is in the diocese of Killaloe: the rectory is partly impropriate in the representatives of Lord Castlecoote, but chiefly, with the vicarage, forms part of the union of Kilrush and corps of the prebend of Inniscattery: the tithes amount to £287, of which £37 is payable to the impropriators, and the remainder to the incumbent. The church, a small plain building without a tower, is said to have been rebuilt by the McDonnell family early in the last century; it was repaired a few years since, at an expense of £100, defrayed by the late Board of First Fruits. Application has been made to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners for aid in the erection of a new parochial church at Kilkee, the present being too small, and situated at a considerable distance from the most populous part of the parish. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Kilkee, where the principal chapel, a large and handsome building of recent erection, is situated: there is another chapel at Lisdeen. At Kilnahallagh, on the western side of Poulanishery harbour, a nunnery is said to have been founded by St. Senan: it is called Kilnacaillech, or "the Church of the Nuns;" and the ruins of the chapel still exist, with a burial-ground attached. Near Moore bay is a small rocky island, nearly inaccessible from the height of its cliffs; it is traditionally stated that a bishop was at some former period here starved to death, and it is still called Ilawn an uspug usthig, or "the Island of the Starved Bishop." Near Kilkee is a large fort or rath, attributed to the Danes.--See KILKEE.
KILFINAGHTY, a parish, in the barony of TULLA, county of CLARE, and province of MUNSTER, on the river Ougarnee, and on the old road from Limerick to Ennis; containing, with the greater part of the post-town of Six-mile-bridge, 4132 inhabitants. It comprises 7212 statute acres, including a large portion of coarse mountain pasture and bog; the remainder is in general of good quality, and chiefly under tillage. Slate exists, but is not worked. The gentlemen's seats are Castle Crine, the residence of H. Butler, Esq.; Mount Ivers, of W. Ivers, Esq.; Castle Lake, of J. Gabbett, Esq.; Springfield, of F. Morrice, Esq.; and Mount Ivers Lodge, of E. Ferriter, Esq. It is in the diocese of Killaloe: the rectory forms part of the union of Omullod, and the vicarage is united to those of Kilmurrynegaul, Tomfinlough, Finogh, Clonloghan, Kilconry, and Bunratty, constituting the union of Kilfinaghty, in the gift of the Bishop. The tithes amount to £177. 15. 2 3/4., of which £85. 7. 4 3/4. is payable to the rector, and the remainder to the vicar, who receives the entire tithes of the townland of Ballysheenmore, containing 180 plantation acres; and the entire tithes of the vicarial union amount to £330. 9. 4. The church of the union is at Six-mile-bridge, and the glebe-house is in the parish of Bunratty. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Six-mile-bridge, where the chapel is situated. About 210 children are educated in three private schools. At Ballysheen are the ruins of an ancient church, with several tombs of very early date; and within the limits of the parish are the remains of the old castles of Cappa, Castle Crine, Mountcashel, and Ballycullen; those of the last are extensive, and some vestiges of the outworks are still visible; and those of Mountcashel stand on an eminence near a lake, which thence takes its name.--See SIX-MILE-BRIDGE.
KILFINANE, a market-town and parish, in the barony of COSTLEA, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER, 5 miles (E. by S.) from Kilmallock, on the road from that place to Mitchelstown; containing 4437 inhabitants, of which number, 1752 are in the town. The town is situated in the midst of a group of mountains, by which it is surrounded on all sides but the north, where it opens upon the rich vale of Kilmallock; it has a penny post to Kilmallock, and consists of two principal and several smaller streets, containing 314 houses, many of which are large and well built, and is the property of R. Oliver Gascoigne, Esq. Many Palatine families were brought hither from Rathkeale, about 1740, by the Right Hon. Silver Oliver. In 1793, the attacks made on the town by the Defenders were repelled twice, and they were ultimately defeated by the Palatines and other inhabitants, under Chas. Silver Oliver, Esq.; and at a later period, when an attack from the disaffected was anticipated, the respectable inhabitants armed themselves in defence of the place. The inhabitants are mostly engaged in agricultural occupations; a few are employed in the weaving of linen and cotton goods; and not far from the town are oatmeal-mills, and others at Sunville, about two miles distant. The market is on Tuesday, and is well attended; and fairs, for farming-stock and implements, areheldonMay 19th, Aug. 9th, and Oct. 25th. The market-house is a large and commodious building, and was substantially repaired in 1836. Here is a constabulary police station, and petty sessions are held on alternate Saturdays. Quarter sessions were formerly held here, but have been removed to Bruff; it is, however, in contemplation to restore them. A small bridewell has recently been built; and the sessions-house, which is large and convenient, is about to be repaired. A spacious and handsome fever hospital was erected in 1836, at an expense of £700, to which an accident ward and a dispensary are attached.
The parish comprises 9340 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £5679 per annum. The mountains consist principally of coarse conglomerate and red sandstone; silver and iron ores are found, and coal is supposed to exist; limestone gravel is abundant, and is much used for manure. The land is generally good, and there are large dairy farms, and a considerable tract of bog and mountain pasture; much of the mountain land, however, has been brought into cultivation, and in a great measure provides for many poor families. The principal seats are Spa Hill, the residence of W. Oliver, Esq.; Spring Lodge, of W. Collins, Esq.; Bossonstown, of G. W. Bennett, Esq.; Kilfinane House, of C. Bennett, Esq.; and Brookville Cottage, of T. Massey, Esq., M. D. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Limerick, united by act of council to the vicarage of Daragh, forming the union of Kilfinane, in the patronage of the Earl of Cork, partly in whom and partly in E. Deane Freeman, Esq., the rectory is impropriate. The tithes amount to £270, of which £105 is payable to the Earl of Cork, and the remainder to the vicar; but the rectorial tithes of Bossonstown, Bosnitstown, and Moorestown, amounting to £60, are payable to E. D. Freeman, Esq. The church was rebuilt in 1760, and is a large plain edifice. The glebe house was built in 1813, for which the late Board of First Fruits gave £400 and lent £386: the glebe comprises 4 1/2 acres. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, comprising the parishes of Kilfinane, Particles, and Ardpatrick, and containing two chapels, one a large plain building at Kilfinane, erected in 1835 at an expense of £1000, and one at Ardpatrick. About 200 children are educated in two public schools. Adjoining the church are the ruins of an ancient castle, built by the Roches. Near the town are a rath and three strong forts; also a large artificial cave. Castle Oliver, which was successively occupied by the Fitz-Harrises and the Roches, and since 1641 by the Olivers, is now in ruins. Eastward of the town is a fine sulphuro-chalybeate spring, of great efficacy in cutaneous diseases. Outside the town is "the Danes' fort," a mound about 130 feet high, 50 feet in diameter at the base, and 20 at the summit, encircled by seven earthen ramparts about 20 feet apart, gradually diminishing in height from the innermost to the outermost, which is about 10 feet high and 2000 feet in circuit: an extensive view is obtained from its summit.
KILFINURA, a village, in the parish of BALLYNAHAGLISH, barony of TRUGHENACKMY, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 5 miles (W.) from Tralee, on the bay of that name; containing about 30 houses and 154 inhabitants. A fishery is carried on here, which is gradually increasing: about fifteen large boats employed in it are also engaged in conveying corn and other produce from Blennerville to this place, and merchandise from the larger vessels up the shallow part of the bay to Tralee. Several pilots reside in the village, which is a station of the coast-guard, removed from Barra harbour. In the vicinity is a quarry, producing large blocks of fine limestone, raised with very little blasting, and used in the construction of the Tralee ship canal now in progress. A regatta is generally held in the bay about the month of August.
KILFITHMONE, or FITHMONE, a parish, in the barony of ELIOGARTY, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 4 miles (S. W.) from Templemore, on the road from Cashel to Burris-o-leigh; containing 673 inhabitants. It comprises 1388 statute acres, of which about three quarters are arable and one quarter pasture land; there is a bog of about 50 acres, and plenty of limestone. Fithmoyne is the seat of R. Minchen Carden, Esq.; and Ballinlonty, of M. Fogarty, Esq. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Cashel, united by act of council, in 1789, to the rectories and vicarages of Barnane and Killoskehan, and in the patronage of the Archbishop: the tithes amount to £100, and of the union to £315. The church was rebuilt in 1821, for which the late Board of First Fruits granted a loan of £500. The same Board, in 1794, gave £100 towards the erection of the glebe-house: the glebe comprises 19 acres. About 60 children are educated in a public school.
KILFLYN, a parish, in the barony of CLANMAURICE, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 6 miles (N. N. E.) from Tralee, on the upper road to Listowel; containing 1072 inhabitants, of which number, 222 are in the village. It comprises 6481 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, of which upwards of one half consists of coarse mountain pasture; the remainder, with the exception of about 270 acres of bog, is good arable land. A vein of limestone extends into this parish from Kilfeighney, but at too great a depth to be properly worked: coal is also supposed to exist. A patent for fairs on May 11th and 12th, July 8th and 9th, Oct. 7th and 8th, and Nov. 5th and 6th, granted by Chas. II., has been lately revived by T. Ponsonby, Esq., whose seat, Crotto House, is situated in an extensive and finely wooded demesne, which extends into the parish of Kiltoomy. Crotto Cottage is the residence of the Rev. J. Alton. From the bridge over the small river Shannow, Glenballema, which here presents the form of an amphitheatre, has a highly picturesque effect. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe, united about 1750 to those of Kiltoomy, Killaghin, Kilshinane, Ballinacourty, Minard, and Stradbally, together constituting the union of Kilflyn, in the patronage of the Earl of Cork. The tithes amount to £84.18. 5 1/2., payable in equal portions to the impropriator and the vicar; and the tithes of the entire union to £549. 16. 9. The church, a plain structure, was erected in 1812, for which purpose £800 was given by the late Board of First Fruits; and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have lately granted £217 for its repair and the erection of a tower. The glebe-house was built in 1818, for which a gift of £450 and a loan of £250 were made by the late Board. There are also a church and glebe-house, with a glebe of 14 acres, at Ballinacourty, which now generally gives name to the union. In the R. C. divisions this parish forms part of the union or district of Abbeydorney: the chapel is a plain building. About 200 children are educated in a private school. There are some vestiges of the old church; and at Kill is a holy well, still frequented by the peasantry for devotional purposes.
KILFLYN, a parish, in the barony of COSTLEA, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER, 8 miles (S. E.) from Kilmallock, on the road from Limerick to Kildorrery; containing 1562 inhabitants. This parish, which is situated in the midst of a group of mountains separating the counties of Cork and Limerick, was waste and uncultivated previously to the year 1740, when a considerable number of Palatines, a branch from the colony of Rathkeale, settled here, and contributed greatly to its improvement. It contains 9086 statute acres, of which 5328 are applotted under the tithe act, and the remainder are chiefly mountainous and unproductive. A great portion of the waste has been brought into cultivation, and at the head of Glenroe is a large tract of land equal to any in the barony for fertility. The principal mountains are Kilcruig and Coolfrie, or Houndscourt. Slate of good quality is quarried in the immediate neighbourhood. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Limerick, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £160. The church, a neat edifice with a square tower, was built in 1812. The glebe-house is a handsome residence; and the glebe comprises 16 acres. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Glenroe; the chapel, situated in the village of Ballyorgan, is a small thatched building. The parochial schools are endowed · with an acre of the glebe, and are aided by the incumbent; and there is a private school, in which are about 30 children. There are remains of a Trinitarian monastery founded by St. Finian about the year 547, and rebuilt in 1296 by the Fitzgeralds, whose property in this parish now belongs to the Provost and Fellows of Trinity College, Dublin. A considerable portion of the building fell down in 1835, having been undermined by the peasantry in digging for treasure supposed to have been deposited there.
KILFREE, a parish, in the half-barony of COOLAVIN, county of SLIGO, and province of LEINSTER, 6 miles (W.) from Boyle, on the road from that place to Ballina; containing 5103 inhabitants. The soil is good, the land principally in tillage, and there is abundance of turf and limestone. It is a constabulary police station, and a manorial court is held occasionally. The principal seats are Kilfree, the residence of E. Costello, Esq.; Mount Irwin, of W. T. Sherlock, Esq.; and Red Hill, of A. Baker, Esq. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Achonry, forming part of the union of Killaraght; the rectory is impropriate in Viscount Lorton, and the tithes amount to £287. 0. 8., which is equally divided between the impropriator and the vicar. The church is a plain building with a square tower, erected in 1826, for which the late Board of First Fruits granted a loan of £600. In the R. C. divisions it is the head of a union or district, called Gurteen, which comprises this parish and Killaraght, and has a large chapel in Gurteen, built in 1829, and one in Killaraght. About 50 children are educated in a public, and 260 in eight private, schools. A friary was erected at Knockmore in the 14th century, by O'Gara, of which the doorway and windows are in good preservation, and it is still a favourite burial-place. Here are also the ruins of Gara Castle, the residence of that O'Gara who had the Psalter of Ballymote written, and whose descendant, Colonel O'Gara, left Ireland after the battle of Aughrim, having forfeited his possessions, and entered the Austrian service.
KILFRUSH, a parish, in the barony of SMALL COUNTY, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER, 5 miles (E. by S.) from Bruff, on the road from Hospital to Galbally; containing 402 inhabitants. It comprises 1557 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act: the soil, which rests on limestone, is generally good and well cultivated. Kilfrush House is the residence of J. Gubbins, Esq., and is situated in an extensive and well-planted demesne, in which are the ruins of the church. The parish is in the diocese of Emly; the rectory is impropriate in the representatives of the Earl of Arran, and the vicarage forms part of the union of Aney: the tithes amount to £125. 10. 4., of which £83. 0. 2. is payable to the impropriators, and the remainder to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the union or district of Hospital.
KILFYAN, a parish, in the barony of TYRAWLEY, county of MAYO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 6 1/4 miles (W.) from Killala, on the road from Crossmolina to Ballycastle; containing 5656 inhabitants. This parish, which takes its name from an abbey founded here by St. Finan, and, according to Colyan, existed but for a short time, comprises, according to the county books, 3060 plantation acres, chiefly under tillage. The system of agriculture is improving; there is no waste land, but in several parts are tracts of bog, which are being rapidly reclaimed and brought into cultivation. Limestone is quarried for agricultural uses and for building, and there are several quarries of slate. Iron ore has been found in the picturesque glen of Cleedagh, which is watered by a small river and commands some fine views of the sea. The principal seats are Greenwood Park, the residence of Capt. J. Knox; Woodville, in the same demesne; Rappa Castle, of Annesley Gore Knox, Esq.; Fahy, of E. A. Knox, Esq.; Farmhill, of Major Gardiner; Mount Glynne, of J. Fausset, Esq.; Killina, of Duke Ormsby, Esq.; Ballintubber, of S. Handy, Esq.; and Smithstown, of A. Pugh, Esq. Rappa Castle is a place of very great antiquity; the grounds are profusely embellished with fine old timber, and the land is of the first quality. At Brideswell is a large fair for horses on Feb. 1st; fairs are held at Tonrahowen on St. Stephen's, St. Patrick's, and Corpus Christi days; and at Fortfield, a small village, which has obtained the grant of a market not yet opened, on Jan. 1st, June 15th, Aug. 16th, Sept. 8th, Oct. 29th, and Dec. 1st. A constabulary police force is stationed here. The parish is in the diocese of Killala; the rectory is partly appropriate to the vicars choral of the cathedral of Christchurch, Dublin, and partly to the precentor-ship of the cathedral of St. Patrick, Killala; and the vicarage forms part of the union of Crossmolina. The tithes amount to £280, of which £28 is payable to the vicars choral of Christchurch, £112 to the precentor of Killala, and £140 to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions it is partly in the union or district of Ardagh, and partly the head of a union, comprising also the parish of Rathrea; the chapel is a small thatched building. About 120 children are taught in a public school, and there is a private school of about 35 children. In Ballynglen, about two miles from the sea, are the remains of a castle of that name; in this glen are found various incrustations of marl. There are also the ruins of a castle at Rathroe; and in various parts of the parish are raths, in some of which are several apartments. There are remains of cromlechs and numerous cairns, in some of which are wells of water, and several human skeletons of extraordinary size have been discovered. Silver coins of the reign of Anne, and others of which the dates could not be ascertained, have also been found.
KILGARRIFFE, a parish, partly in the barony of IBANE and BARRYROE, but chiefly in the Eastern Division of the barony of EAST CARBERY, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER; containing, with the post-town of Clonakilty, 6273 inhabitants. It is situated on the shores of the harbour of Clonakilty, and comprises 4581 statute acres, of which 4070 are applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £3640 per annum. The greater portion is under tillage, and there are some tracts of good pasture: the soil, though light and in some parts intermixed with rocks that rise above the surface, is generally fertile, and the system of agriculture is improved, though the old heavy plough is still in use. Near the town and at Crohane, in the northern part of the parish, are about 500 acres of bog. There are several quarries of blue slate on the lands of the Earl of Shannon, and indications of copper may be seen in various parts. The scenery is pleasingly varied, and along the coast are lofty cliffs. The principal seats are Ballydevane House, that of M. Becher, Esq.; Kilgarriffe House, of Capt. Davis; Fern Hill, of W. F. Atkin, Esq.; Taunies Cottage, of the Rev. Dr. Stewart; Ballyduvane, of E. Herrick, Esq.; and the Cottage of M. Galway, Esq. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ross, united to those of Desert and Island, forming the union of Kilgarriffe, in the patronage of the Bishop; the rectory is impropriate in Michael Roberts and Thos. W. Foot, Esqrs. The tithes amount to £430, of which £215 is payable to the impropriators, and the remainder to the vicar; and the entire tithes of the union, including the prebend of Island, with which it is held, amount to £510. The church is at Clonakilty, which see. There is no glebe-house, but a glebe of three acres. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of the union or district of Clonakilty, comprising also the parishes of Kilnagross, Templeomalus, and Carrigrohane-More, and parts of Inchidony and Kilkerran-More; there is a spacious chapel at Clonakilty, and one on the lands of Donay, in Templeomalus. There is also a place of worship in the town for Wesleyan Methodists. About 600 children are taught in four public schools, of which the parochial schools and also an infants' school are supported by the incumbent and his lady; the parochial school-house for the girls was built in 1810 by subscription, and that for the boys, a good slated building, was erected at an expense of £150, of which £50 was given by the Association for Discountenancing Vice, £50 by the Earl of Shannon, and £50 by the Rev. Horatio Townsend. A large and handsome school-house, containing three rooms, with a residence for the mistress, and in which are 400 girls, was built in 1835, by subscription and a grant of £310 from the National Board, on ground given by the Earl of Shannon. There are eight private schools, in which are about 300 children; and a Sunday school.
KILGARRILANDER, a parish, in the barony of TRUGHENACKMY, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 3 miles (W. N. W.) from Milltown, on the north side of Castlemaine harbour, and on the road from Castleisland to Dingle; containing 2793 inhabitants. It comprises 12,171 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. The land partly consists of a fine alluvial soil on a substratum of limestone; but a large portion of the parish is occupied by the southern side of the mountains of Cahirconree and Bourthriggoum: it also comprises a valuable bog of considerable extent. Keel is the residence of Giles Ray, Esq. The parish is in the diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe: it is a rectory, forming part of the union of Kiltallagh; the tithes amount to £216. 18. 5., and there is a glebe of 11 acres. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the district of Castlemaine: there is a chapel at Boulteens. About 60 children are educated in three private schools. Remains of the old church still exist in the burial-ground; and at Ardcanaught is a burial-place, used only for children.
KILGARVAN, co. CORK.--See GREAT ISLAND.
KILGARVAN, a parish, in the barony of GLANEROUGH, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 6 miles (N. E.) from Kenmare, on the road from that place to Millstreet and Macroom; containing 3443 inhabitants, of which number, 157 are in the village. Callan, in this parish, is celebrated for the surprise, defeat, and slaughter, in 1261, of John Fitz-Thomas and his son Maurice (ancestors of the Fitzgeralds, Earls of Desmond) by the McCartys. Tradition states that a younger son, named John, escaped the slaughter, and was afterwards called "John of Callan." The parish, according to a recent survey, comprises 43,090 statute acres, a large portion of which consists of mountain and bog, the greater part reclaimable, from the abundance of limestone that exists, but the want of roads has hitherto rendered such improvements ineffectual. A new road, however, has been lately opened towards Macroom, in the county of Cork, from which a considerable improvement may be expected to result. The river Roughty, which takes its rise in this parish, runs through a picturesque valley into the river Kenmare: it produces excellent salmon and trout. Near the village is a station of the constabulary police, and petty sessions are held every third Monday. The gentlemen's seats are Ardtully, the ancient mansion of R. Orpen Townsend, Esq.; Woodville, the residence of R. H. Orpen, Esq.; Bridgeville, of Capt. H. Orpen; the glebe-house, of the Rev. Bastable Herbert; Clontoo, of R. E. Orpen, Esq.; Kilfadamore, of D. McCarthy, Esq.; and Sillerdine Cottage, of J. B. Warren, Esq., who has lately formed some extensive plantations. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe, united to that of Killaha, and together constituting the union of Kilgarvan, in the patronage of the Bishop: the rectory is impropriate in the Earl of Donoughmore. The tithes amount to £221.10. 8., payable in equal portions to the impropriator and the vicar: the gross vicarial tithes of the union amount to £230. 15. 4. The church is a neat building, situated about a mile from the village, for the erection of which the late Board of First Fruits, in 1815, gave £600; and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have lately granted £125 for its repair. The glebe-house, a substantial mansion, was erected about 1818, when the late Board granted £400 as a gift and £280 as a loan for that purpose: the glebe comprises 20 acres, subject to a rent of £27; and there is another glebe of about 7 1/2 acres, the property of the vicar, and one of 6 acres, which, with one-third of the tithes of the "church quarter," belongs to the Archdeacon of Aghadoe. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church: the chapel is in the village, and adjoining it are the ruins of the old church: a school is held in the chapel. The parochial school, near the church, is supported by the incumbent and other subscribers: in this school about 60, and in two other schools about 70 children are educated. At Ardtully are the remains of an ancient castle, which, from the thickness of the fragments of wall that remain, must have been formerly of great strength: it was reduced by Cromwell during the civil wars. On one side of the river Roughty, which here separates a limestone soil from one of grit, a large limestone rock is seated on a bed of gritstone, while a large rock of grit appears on the limestone, on the other side of the river. Near a small brook in the mountainous district is a rock, which, from numerous impressions like those of human feet, bears the name of "the Fairy Rock." Indications of copper appear in several places, and some unsuccessful attempts at working have been made.
KILGARVAN, county of DONEGAL.--See KILLYGARVAN.
KILGARVEN, a parish, in the barony of SHELMALIER, county of WEXFORD, and province of LEINSTER, 2 1/2 miles (N. W.) from Taghmon, on the road to Adamstown and New Ross; containing 898 inhabitants, and comprising 5369 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Ferns, and forms part of the union of Horetown; the tithes amount to £156. 8. 8. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the union or district of Taghmon: there is a small thatched chapel at Caroreigh, which it is in contemplation to rebuild. Some remains of the old church yet exist.
KILGARVEY, or KILGARVIN, a parish, in the barony of GALLEN, county of MAYO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 5 miles (E. S. E.) from Ballina, on the road from that place to Boyle; containing 4230 inhabitants. This parish includes part of the Ox mountains and a considerable tract of reclaimable bog. It also contains limestone, and lead mines are supposed to exist. Fairs are held at Bonneconlan, or O'Dowda's-town, on the 13th of May, June, and Aug., and Nov. 2nd. That village consists of one street, and is a constabulary police station; it is an improving place, and a weekly market is about to be established in it. The principal seats are O'Dowda's-town, the residence of Thaddeus O'Dowda, Esq.; Rabbit Hill, of M. Howley, Esq.; Ella, of E. Howley, Esq.; Sallymount, of L. Atkinson, Esq.; and Bowfield, of E. Howley, Esq. The parish is in the diocese of Killala; the rectory is impropriate in Sir W. H. Palmer, Bart., and the vicarage forms part of the union of Ardagh: the tithes amount to £281. 17. 9., which is equally divided between the impropriator and the vicar. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church; the chapel at O'Dowda's-town is a slated building erected in 1800, and about to be rebuilt. About 140 children are educated in two schools, one of which is aided by subscription. Here are several raths and an ancient burial-ground.
GILGAVOWER, or KILGEVER, a parish, in the barony of MURRISK, county of MAYO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 11 miles (W. S. W.) from Westport, on Clew bay; containing, with the islands of Innisboffin, Clare, Innisburk, Innishark, and Innisdogal (which are all separately described), 11,900 inhabitants. It comprises 50,036 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £4294 per annum; and contains a large quantity of mountain and bog. Fairs, and a weekly market, are held at Lewisburgh, which see. It is a rectory, vicarage, and perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Tuam; the rectory is appropriate to the chapter of the cathedral of Tuam, the vicarage forms part of the union of Aughaval, and the perpetual curacy is called Lewisburgh, and is in the patronage of the vicar: the tithes amount to £240, of which £60 is payable to the chapter, and £180 to the vicar. The church is a neat building at Lewisburgh. There is a glebe-house and glebe. In the R. C. divisions this parish forms two districts, one consisting of Clare Island and Innisturk, and the remainder forming the district of Lewisburgh; there are two chapels, one at Goulagh, the other at Lewisburgh. About 750 children are educated in eleven public and about 130 in three private schools; there is also a Sunday school. The mountain of Croagh Patrick, which is 2666 feet above the level of the sea, is traditionally stated to have been the spot on which St. Patrick assembled all the venomous reptiles to banish them from Ireland, and is a celebrated place of pilgrimage; on the summit, which commands a fine view, is St. Patrick's chapel, built of loose stones, and there are several small piles of stones that are used as altars.
KILGRIFFIN, a parish, in the barony of BALLINTOBBER, county of ROSCOMMON, and province of CONNAUGHT, 4 1/2 miles (S.) from Stokestown, on the road from that place to Roscommon; containing 4420 inhabitants. In a skirmish which took place here in 1795, many of the peasantry were killed. The parish comprises 4018 statute acres, and is bounded on the east by Slieve Bawn, which is supposed to contain copper and lead ores. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Elphin, and in the patronage of the Bishop; the rectory is impropriate in the representatives of Lord Kingsland; the tithes amount to £159. 1. 6 1/2., per annum, which is equally divided between the impropriator and the vicar. The church is a neat plain structure, erected in 1824, by aid of a gift of £200 from the late Board of First Fruits. There is a glebe-house, with a glebe of 10 acres, subject to a rent of 36s. per acre. In the R. C. divisions this parish is the head of a union or district, comprising Kilgeffin, Kilbride, and Clontuskert, and containing chapels at Ballagh and Ballyleague, and one in progress at Four-mile house. About 200 children are educated in four private schools.
KILGERRIL, or KILGIRDLE, a parish, partly in the barony of CLONMACNOON, and partly in that of KILCONNELL, county of GALWAY, and province of CONNAUGHT, 3 miles (W. N. W.) from Ballinasloe, on the road from that place to Ahascragh; containing 1432 inhabitants. This parish comprises 4153 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe art. and a considerable quantity of bog. Fairfield is the residence of John O'Brien, Esq., and the Lodge, of W. Usher, Esq. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Clonfert, forming part of the union of Aughrim; the rectory is appropriate to the see, the deanery, and the vicarage; and the tithes amount to £104. 6. 1 3/4. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Fohana: the chapel, which stands on the road side, was erected in the year 1834.
KILGLASS, a parish, partly in the barony of ABBEYSHRUEL, partly in that of MOYDOW, but chiefly in the barony of ARDAGH, county of LONGFORD, and province of LEINSTER, 4 1/4 miles (S. W.) from Edgeworthstown, on the road from Ardagh to Ballinacarrig; containing, with the parish of Ahara, 4354 inhabitants. It comprises 5253 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, besides about 100 acres of heathy mountain and a considerable quantity of bog; there is some good limestone. Slyan is the seat of J. Black, Esq. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Ardagh, united by act of council, in 1737, to the vicarages of Rathrea and Ahara, forming the union of Kilglass, in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £192. 18. 8 3/4., and the gross value of the benefice, including tithe and glebe, is £486. 6. 6 3/4. per annum. The church, which is a plain building with a square tower, was erected in 1814, for which the late Board of First Fruits granted a loan of £368. The glebe-house was built by aid of a gift of £350 and a loan of £450 from the same Board: the glebe comprises 49 acres, valued at £90. 9. 2.; and there is a glebe of 37 acres at Ahara, valued at £59. 19. 2. per annum. The R. C. union is co-extensive with that of the Established Church, and is called the union or district of Lagan, in which are two chapels, that of Kilglass at Lagan, and that of Rathrea at Ballycloghan. About 180 children are educated in two public schools, which are partly supported by the Countess Dowager of Rosse and the rector, and about 160 in two private schools; there is also a Sunday school. Lagan is a small village at the extremity of the parish, in which a patron is held on Sept. 8th. St. Echea, sister of St. Mell, is said to have been abbess of a nunnery here in the 5th century.
KILGLASS, a parish, in the barony of BALLINTOBBER, county of ROSCOMMON, and province of CONNAUGHT, 5 1/2 miles (E. by N.) from Strokestown, on the road from that place to Rooskey; containing 9118 inhabitants. It comprises 7168 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and about 1400 acres of bog: the land is principally under tillage, and there are some quarries of stone. The principal seats are Gilstown, the residence of J. Hogg, Esq.; Lava, of W. Hanly, Esq.; Cottage, of M. Hanly, Esq.; and Doneen, of G. Hogg, sen., Esq. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Elphin, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the rectory is impropriate in the representatives of Lord Kingsland; the tithes amount to £759. 9. 2., which is equally divided between the impropriators and the vicar. The church, which is a neat structure, was erected in 1826, by aid of a loan of £740 from the late Board of First Fruits, and was recently repaired by aid of a grant of £101 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The glebe-house was built by aid of a loan of £400 and a gift of the same amount from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1813: the glebe comprises five acres. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church, and has chapels at Kilglass and Mullogh-McCormick. About 40 children are educated in two public, and about 700 in twelve private, schools.
KILGLASS, a parish, in the barony of TYRERAGH, county of SLIGO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 8 miles (N. N. E.) from Ballina, on the bay of Killala; containing 4275 inhabitants. Many of the peasantry who assembled here in 1798 were killed in an attack made by the cavalry. The parish comprises 12,478 statute acres, chiefly under tillage, with a considerable quantity of bog. Carrownin is the property of E. Tennant, Esq., and Kinnaird, is the residence of J. Paget, Esq. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Killala, forming part of the union of Castle Connor; the rectory is appropriate to the bishoprick, the deanery, and the precentorship of Killala. The tithes amount to £472, of which £234 is payable to the bishop, £4 to the dean, £4 to the precentor, and £234 to the vicar. The church is a neat building with a spire, erected in 1829 by aid of a gift of £900 from the late Board of First Fruits. There is a glebe of 17 acres, but no glebe-house. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church, and contains a chapel, which was built in 1825, at an expense of £600. About 240 children are educated in three public schools, one of which is endowed with a bequest of £400 from the late Rev. J. Valentine, which has accumulated to £865: the school-house is a good stone building, and cost £215. About 370 children are educated in six private schools. At Enniscrone, in this parish, is a coast-guard station belonging to the Sligo district; also a constabulary police station. Petty sessions are held there on alternate Saturdays; and fairs are held on June 15th and Sept. 18th; one is also held at Quiguboy on July 20th. At Pullogheany creek, on the east side of the bay of Killala, small vessels land kelp, &c., in summer: it has tolerably good shelter in most winds behind the breakwater. The ruins of a castle are near this creek, and there are also ruins of castles at Enniscroee and Lacken.
KILGOBAN.--See BALLINADEE.
KILGOBBIN, or KILGOBBAN, a parish, in the half-barony of RATHDOWN, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 5 1/2 miles (S. by E.) from Dublin, on the road to Bray; containing 1149 inhabitants. This parish comprises 3290 statute acres; the system of agriculture is improving. Ballybrack and the principal part of the Three Rock mountains are within its limits; and there is an abundance of fine granite that is used for building, flagging, &c., and is chiefly sent to Dublin. Good turf is obtained from the mountains. There are several pretty villas, which, from their elevated situation, command extensive views, embracing the bay and city of Dublin, with a great expanse of sea and adjacent country: the principal are Fern Hill, the residence of J. McCasky, Esq.; Kilgobbin Cottage, of B. E. Lawless, Esq.; and Jamestown House, of J. Rorke, Esq. There is a constabulary police station in the village of Step-aside. It is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Dublin, forming part of the union of Kilternan: the tithes amount to £150. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the union or district of Sandyford or Glancullen. There is a school, aided by subscriptions and collections at an annual charity sermon, in which about 80 children are educated. Here are the remains of an ancient castle, erected by the family of Walsh, by which it was forfeited in the reign of Chas. I., and then passed to the Loftus family. The church, which is said to have been the first erected after the Reformation, stands near the castle, and has been disused since 1826, when one was built at Kilternan. Near it is an ancient cross, about eight feet high, and there is another in the Jamestown House demesne, in the vicinity of which was a holy well, dedicated to St. James. An urn, which is now in the museum of the Royal Irish Society, was discovered in the lawn of Kilgobbin Cottage.
KILGOBBIN, a parish, in the barony of CORKAGUINEY, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 7 1/2 miles (W. S. W.) from Tralee, on the Connor Hill road from that place to Dingle; containing 2378 inhabitants. It comprises 17,449 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act; part of it is well cultivated. Sea-weed is much used for manure, and there is a fine bank of shell-sand at Bunnavounder. On the side of the mountain of Cahirconree is a quarry of indifferent slate, and iron is said to exist at Carraduff: at Bunnow is a large flour-mill. There is a constabulary police station at Knock-glass. The principal seats are Garryhees, the residence of F. Fitzgerald, Esq.; Knockglass, of Mrs. Ray; and the glebe-house, of the Rev. E. Day. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £422. The church, for the erection of which the late Board of First Fruits granted a loan of £850, in 1825, is a handsome building, with a square tower surmounted with pinnacles. There is a glebe-house, for the erection of which the same Board gave £250 and lent £550, in 1820: the glebe comprises ten acres. In the R. C. divisions this parish is the head of a union or district, called Cappaclough, comprising the parish of Kilgobbin and part of Ballinvohir: the old chapel at Cappaclough is in ruins, and a new building has been erected at Camp. At the latter place are the ruins of an ancient castle. There are four private schools in the parish.--See CAPPACLOUGH.
KILGOBINET, a parish, in the barony of DECIES-without-DRUM, county of WATERFORD, and province of MUNSTER, 2 miles (N.) from Dungarvan; containing 2683 inhabitants. This parish comprises 16,134 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and includes the southern end of the elevated range of the Cummeragh mountains, which are chiefly composed of clay-slate and slaty conglomerate, with veins of quartz and sandstone. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Lismore, forming part of the union of Modeligo: the rectory forms the corps of the prebend of Kilgobinet in the cathedral of Lismore: the tithes amount to £380, of which £180 is payable to the prebendary, and the remainder to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions this parish is the head of a union or district, comprising the parishes of Kilgobinet, Colligan, and Clonca, and containing three chapels, two of which are at Kilgobinet, and one at Colligan. About 200 children are educated in two public schools, and 90 in a private school. There are some remains of the old church.
KILGOGHLIN.--See BUMLIN.
KILGORMAN, a parish, in the barony of GOREY, county of WEXFORD, and province of LEINSTER, 5 miles (S. W.) from Arklow, on the coast road from Wexford to Dublin; containing 1465 inhabitants. This place takes its name from St. Gorman, who, according to Archdall, was abbot of a monastery founded here at a very early period. It lies on the shore of St. George's channel, and comprises about 5860 statute acres, of which the greater portion is under tillage. The soil is marshy, the system of agriculture slowly improving, and there is neither waste land nor bog; coal has been found on the border of the parish, but no works have been yet established. Hyde Park, the seat of J. Beauman, jun., Esq., is a handsome mansion, in grounds tastefully laid out, and commanding a fine view of the sea, and of the escarpment of Tara Hill. Ahare, also the property of Mr. Beauman, and Castletown, a deserted mansion, belonging to H. K. Grogan Morgan, Esq., are also in the parish. There are considerable herring fisheries at Clone and Saleen. Near the northeastern extremity of the parish is Kilmichael Point, off which, about a mile from the shore and at the north end of the Kilgorman sand bank, is stationed a light-ship, also called the Arklow floating light, from its position near the south end of the Arklow sand banks. Kilgorman bank extends more than four miles (S. W. by S.), and has six feet of water on the north and three feet on the south end, the latter running nearly opposite to the new pier and harbour of Courtown. About halfway between the great sand bank and the shore is an oyster bed, about half a mile in extent, to the south of which is a small sand bank called the Saleen Patch. At the Point is a coast-guard station. The parish is in the diocese of Dublin and Glendalough; the rectory is partly impropriate in Messrs. D. Howell, W. Johnson, and C. Cooper, and partly forming a portion of the union of Arklow; and the vicarage is part of the union of Inch. The tithes amount to £210, of which £46. 3. 1. is payable to the impropriators, £13. 16. 11. to the incumbent of Arklow, and £150 to the vicar: the glebe comprises 20 1/2 acres. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Arklow; the chapel, at Castletown, built by subscription in 1806, is a handsome edifice, with a lofty square embattled tower crowned with pinnacles, which was added to it in 1829. Adjoining it is a school-house, built by subscription; and at Hyde Park is a school wholly supported by the Misses Beauman. Near the ruins of the old church, on the sea shore, is one of those raths or mounds usually attributed to the Danes.
KILGRANT, or POWERSTOWN, a parish, in the barony of IFFA and OFFA EAST, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 1 3/4 mile (E. N. E.) from Clonmel, on the high road from that place to Waterford, and the mail coach road from Cork to Dublin; containing 1186 inhabitants. It comprises 1749 acres, and is watered by the rivers Anner and Suir, over the latter of which is a stone bridge built at the expense of the late Sir Thomas Osborne, Bart.; and near the junction of the rivers are the extensive flour-mills and residence of Barclay Clibborn, Esq. The other seats are Annerville, the residence of -- Riall, Esq.; Wilderness, of -- Green, Esq.; and Redmonstone House, of -- Quinn, Esq. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Lismore, forming part of the union of Kilcash, or Killaloon; the rectory is impropriate in John Bagwell, Esq., and the tithes amount to £193. 16. 10., of which £129. 4. 6. is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions it is the head of a union or district, comprising this parish and those of Donoughmore, Lisronagh, and Kilcash, and has one chapel at Gammonsfield and another in Kilcash.
KILGULLANE, or KILCOHILAN, a parish, in the barony of CONDONS and CLONGIBBONS, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 2 1/4 miles (S. S. W.) from Mitchelstown, near the road to Glanworth; containing 1174 inhabitants. This parish comprises 3437 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £3073 per annum: the land, which is in general good, is chiefly under tillage, and the state of agriculture is gradually improving. It is in the diocese of Cloyne: the rectory is partly impropriate in the Earl of Donoughmore; the remainder, with the vicarage, forming part of the union of Glanworth. The tithes amount to £228. 16. 6 1/2., of which £7. 8. 0. is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions it also forms part of the union or district of Glanworth. The parochial school, in which are about 40 children, is chiefly maintained by the incumbent, who allows the master the use of the glebe land, containing six plantation acres, rent free. The school-house, a neat building, was erected at an expense of £60, of which £50 was granted from the Lord-Lieutenant's school fund, and the remainder was defrayed by the incumbent. Some remains of the old church still exist.
KILHENY, or KILLEANY, a parish, in the barony of BURREN, county of CLARE, and province of MUNSTER, about 11 miles (S. W.) from Burren, near the road from Ballyvaughan to Ballyaline bay; containing 465 inhabitants. It is the estate of the Creagh family, by patent of Chas. II., and comprises 3111 statute acres, consisting chiefly of rocky mountain pasture, but containing some very rich grazing farms, from which large droves of cattle are sent to Cork and Liverpool. About two feet below the surface is a stratum of excellent limestone, causing very great productiveness in the soil, which, on the townland of Ballyconroe South, has been known to yield nine crops in succession without manuring. It is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Kilfenora, forming part of the union of Kilcorney, and the corps of the chancellorship of the cathedral of Kilfenora: the tithes amount to £25. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Tuoclea, or Arranview, and has a small chapel at Toumavara, in which a school of about 50 scholars is kept. Here are the ruins of a chapel, the burial-ground of which is still used; five forts, called Cahers, composed of huge blocks of limestone, with underground apartments; a cromlech; and a cave called Poul Ilva, more than 150 feet in depth, at the bottom of which is seen a subterraneous stream, which, after a course of about two miles, appears above ground near the old parish church.
KILHOOLY.--See KILCOOLY.
KILKEA, a parish, in the barony of KILKEA and MOONE, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER, 2 1/4 miles (N. N. W.) from Castledermot, on the road from that place to Athy; containing 395 inhabitants. It comprises 3207 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £1673 per annum. The principal seats are Milbrook, the residence of J. Green, Esq.; Kilkea Lodge, of H. Green, Esq.; Kilkea House, of P. Dunne, Esq.; and Kilkea Castle, of P. Caulfield, Esq. This castle was built in 1180, by De Lacy, and afterwards passed to the Earls of Kildare. In 1414, the O'Mores and O'Dempseys were defeated here by the Lord Justice. The castle was nearly rebuilt by Lord Kildare, in 1426, and now belongs to his successor, the Duke of Leinster. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Dublin, and in the patronage of -- La Touche, Esq.; the rectory is impropriate in the Rev. Sir Erasmus Borrowes, Bart.; the tithes amount to £210, of which £140 is payable to the impropriator, and £70 to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions this parish forms part of the union or district of Castledermot. About 30 children are educated in two private schools. Near Kilkea Castle is a large conical mount covered with trees, and to the east of it are the remains of an old church.
KILKEARY, a parish, in the barony of UPPER ORMOND, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 4 miles (S. E.) from Nenagh, on the road to Cashel; containing 662 inhabitants. It comprises 2524 statute acres; the land is generally good and mostly under tillage. Greenanstown House is the seat of Count D'Alton. The parish is in the diocese of Kil-laloe, and is a rectory, forming part of the union of Ballynaclough and corps of the deanery of Killaloe: the tithes amount to £120. About 70 children are educated in a private school.
KILKEASY, a parish, in the barony of KNOCKTOPHER, county of KILKENNY, and province of LEINSTER, 2 3/4 miles (S.) from Knocktopher, on the road from Thomastown to Waterford; containing 612 inhabitants, and 5292 statute acres. It is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Ossory, forming part of the union of Knocktopher: the tithes amount to £185. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Bally-hale. About 70 children are educated in a private school, and there is also a Sunday school.
KILKEE, or DOOGH, a village, in the parish of KILFIERAGH, barony of MOYARTA, county of CLARE, and province of MUNSTER, 6 1/2 miles (W. by N.) from Kilrush, on the western coast; containing 1051 inhabitants. In 1831 it consisted of 153 houses; since which time several houses and bathing lodges have been erected, the village being much frequented as a bathing-place, chiefly by the citizens of Limerick, on account of its remarkably fine strand, which is sheltered by a ledge of rocks stretching across one-third of Kilkee bay. There are tepid baths, the property of Jonas Studdart, Esq. It has a penny post to Kilrush, and is a constabulary police station and a coast-guard station, the latter being one of the six within the district of Miltown-Malbay. Petty sessions are held every Friday, and a court for the recovery of small debts is occasionally held for the manor of Kilrush. It is in contemplation to establish fairs in May and August. Divine worship is performed in a lodge, but subscriptions are being collected for the erection of a new parochial church. A handsome and spacious R. C. chapel has been lately built, and there are a parochial school, and a dispensary.--See KILFIERAGH.
KILKEEDY, or KILKEADY, a parish, in the barony of INCHIQUIN, county of CLARE, and province of MUNSTER, 6 miles (N. E.) from Curofin, on the road to Gort; containing 3321 inhabitants. It is situated on the confines of the county, and comprises 15,390 statute acres, as applotted tinder the tithe act, a large portion of which is rough mountain pasture. There are several lakes, of which Lough Buneagh is of considerable extent. The principal seats are Rockforest, the residence of Bindon Blood, Esq., situated in a finely planted demesne extending nearly a mile along the road; Rockvale, of J. D'Arcy, Esq.; Carrignagoule, of J. Roughan, Esq.; Ratope, of the late J. Foster, Esq.; and Derryowen, of C. Lobdell, Esq. Fairs are held at Turraghmore on the 8th of June, and at Tubber on July 12th and Sept. 20th, chiefly for cattle; the first is numerously attended. Petty sessions are held at Derryowen every alternate week, and a court for the manor of Inchiquin is held occasionally for the recovery of small debts. The parish is in the diocese of Killaloe: the rectory is partly appropriate to the prebend of Tomgrany, in the cathedral of Killaloe, partly impropriate in the representatives of the Right Hon. James Fitzgerald, and partly united with the vicarage, which forms part of the union of Kilneboy. The tithes amount to £144. 4. 0 1/4., of which £9. 15. 5. is payable to the prebendary, £13. 18. 11 1/2. to the impropriators, and £120. 19. 6 3/4. to the vicar. The church is a small plain edifice, without tower or spire. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church, and contains a large chapel at Boston, and a smaller one at Tubber. There is a school under the superintendence of the R. C. clergyman, in which are about 120 children. There are some remains of the castles of Rockvale, Fidane, Carrignagoule, Ratope, Derryowen, and Kilkeedy: the castle of Fidane is nearly perfect; that of Derryowen was a square tower, 116 feet high, with very spacious rooms, but part of it has fallen.
KILKEEDY, a parish, partly in the county of the city of LIMERICK, but chiefly in the barony of PUBBLE-BRIEN, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER, 4 1/2 miles (S, W. by W.) from Limerick, on the road from that city to Tarbert; containing, with part of the town of St. Patrick's-well, 4160 inhabitants. The castle of Carrigogunnell, or Carrig Oge Connuil, was held by O'Brien, Prince of Thomond, in 1316, when he joined the standard of Edward Bruce. It was strengthened by Dhubh, son of Conogher O'Brien, but in 1483 was in the possession of the Earls of Kildare; but it seems, however, to have reverted to the O'Briens, as they were besieged in it, in 1536, by the Earl of Ormonde, and it was surrendered by and regranted to Brien Dhubh O'Brien, in 1584. The insurgents obtained possession of it in 1642, surrendered it in 1648, and retook it soon after, but finally evacuated it on Cromwell's approach in 1651. At the Revolution it was held by the adherents of King James, but surrendered to Gen. S'Gravenmore, and was destroyed by gunpowder, 84 barrels being necessary on account of its great strength. The castle was built on a basaltic rock, 500 feet above the level of the Shannon; two of its towers are still moderately perfect, and several of the foundation walls have been recently repaired by W. Monsell, Esq. The Knights Templars had a castle at Carrig-a-Quincy, which at the suppression of their order was granted to the O'Briens. The parish comprises 8518 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, of which about 150 are ornamental plantations, and 50 bog; the remainder is arable, pasture, and meadow land, some of which, on the banks of the Shannon, produces abundant crops of hay. The soil is based on limestone; and near Faha and Carrigogunnell the loose stones are so numerous as to impede tillage, which, however, is rapidly improving. The river Maigue is navigable here for lighters of 40 tons' burden, which pass by means of a canal, over which is a swing bridge, and near it a small wharf. A bridge of three arches was built over the river in 1792: it is sometimes called the Ferry bridge, but more frequently Court bridge, from the old residence of that name in the adjoining parish of Kildimo. The Lord-Protector Carew built a tower to protect the ferry, which is still called the Ferry Castle. The principal seats are Elm Park, the residence of Lord Clarina; Tervoe, of W. Monsell, Esq., commanding some fine views; Cooper's Hill, of Mrs. Cooper; Faha, of G. Tuthill, Esq.; Cragbeg, of G. Vandeleur, Esq.; and Vermont, of the Rev. R. Dickson. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Limerick, and in the alternate patronage of the Crown and the Bishop: the tithes amount to £850. The church, which is a neat building, with a square tower and octagonal spire, was rebuilt by aid of a loan of £660, in 1813, from the late Board of First Fruits. The glebe-house was erected in 1792, by aid of a gift of £100 from the same Board: the glebe comprises 44 acres. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church, and has two chapels, one of which is a large plain edifice of hewn limestone, roofed with slate, commenced in 1831, but not yet finished. The parochial school for boys and girls, situated in the modern village of Clarina, was built in 1826, and is principally supported by the rector and his family; and there is a school for the children of the tenants of Mr. Monsell, by whose family it is maintained. About 130 children are taught in these schools, and about 220 in four private schools. Mrs. Tuthill bequeathed £10. per annum to the poor Protestant parishioners, which is distributed at Christmas. At Clarina are a dispensary and a constabulary police station. In 1815, a meteoric stone, weighing 56 lb., fell in the demesne of Faha: it consists of iron pyrites strongly impregnated with sulphur, and is in Mr. Tuthill's possession. Clarina gives the title of baron to the ancient family of Massey. --See ST. PATRICK'S-WELL.
KILKEEL, a post-town and parish, in the barony of MOURNE, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 15 miles (S. E.) from Newry, and 65 3/4 (N. N. E.) from Dublin; containing 14,806 inhabitants, of which number, 1039 are in the town. According to the Ordnance survey it comprises 47,882 3/4 statute acres, of which about 11,000 are arable and 12,000 pasture; the remainder consists of the Mourne mountains. The only creek in the twelve miles of coast that bounds the parish is Annalong, where a small dock for fishing-vessels has been excavated out of a rock. There are coastguard stations at Annalong, Cranfield, and the Lee Stone, all in the district of Newcastle; also a constabulary police station. Fairs are held on Feb. 8th, May 3rd, Aug. 2nd, and Dec. 8th; and a manorial court is held in the sessions-house at Kilkeel, once in three weeks, for the manor of Greencastle and Mourne, by a seneschal appointed by the Earl of Kilmorey; its jurisdiction extends over the whole of the barony of Mourne, which is included in this parish, and is the property of his lordship, and pleas to the amount of £10. are determined either by attachment or civil bill. The principal seats are Mourne Park, the splendid residence of the Earl of Kilmorey; Shannon Grove, of .J. S. Moore, Esq.; and the glebe-house, of the Rev. J. Forbes Close. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Down, united, in 1809, by charter of Jas. I., to the rectories of Kilcoo and Kilmegan and the chapelry of Tamlaght (a small townland in Kilkeel), which together form the union of Kilkeel and the corps of the treasurership of the cathedral of Down, in the alternate patronage of the Marquess of Anglesey, and the Earl of Kilmorey. The tithes amount to £800, and of the entire benefice to £1600. The church was rebuilt in 1818, for which the late Board of First Fruits granted a loan of £2160. The glebe-house is situated on a glebe of 30 acres, valued at £37. 10. per annum, but subject to a rent of £19. 7. 9., payable to the Earl of Kilmorey. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms two districts, called Upper and Lower Mourne, the former containing a chapel at Ballymaguagh; the latter, one at Glassdrummond and one at Ballymartin. There are a Presbyterian meeting-house in connection with the Synod of Ulster, and one of the third class in connection with the Seceding Synod, also meeting-houses for Wesleyan Methodists, Baptists, and Moravians. About 770 children are educated in eight public schools, to one of which the Earl of Kilmorey contributes £31, and to another, Mrs. Keown £10. annually. Needham Thompson, Esq., built and principally supports the school at Mullartown; and that for girls, at Ballinahatton, was built by the Rev. J. F. Close, who clothes and educates 65 children there. About 450 children are taught in 10 private schools; and there are six Sunday schools and a dispensary.
KILKEEL, county of KILDARE.--See KILTEEL.
KILKEEVAN, a parish, in the barony of BALLINTOBBER, county of ROSCOMMON, and province of CONNAUGHT; containing, with the post-town of Castlerea, 10,867 inhabitants. Some of the land is of good quality, and there are large grazing farms: there is a great quantity of bog, much of which is easily reclaimable, with very good limestone. The principal seats are Clonallis, the residence of the O'Conor Don; Arm Lodge, of W. Lloyd, Esq.; Dalefield, of J. Gray, Esq.; Southpark, of M, Balfe, Esq.; and Harristown, of Owen Young, Esq. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Elphin, forming part of the union and corps of. the prebend of Ballintobber in the cathedral of Elphin; the rectory is impropriate in the Earl of Essex. The tithes amount to £450, of which £200 is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar. The church, which is at Castlerea, is a neat edifice, built in 1818, for which the late Board of First Fruits granted a loan of £2500, and has been recently repaired by a grant of £200 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The glebe-house was erected by aid of a gift of £100 and a loan of £850 from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1821: the glebe comprises 14a. 3r. 30p., subject to a rent of £2. 6. 1 1/2. per acre. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church, and has a large chapel at Castlerea. About 1200 children are educated in 13 public schools, to nine of which Lord Mount-Sandford contributes from £10 to £40 each annually; and about 500 are educated in 10 private schools. There are some remains of an abbey at Moor, also of a church at Kilkeevan, with a cemetery attached, which is the burial-place of the O'Conor Don family.--See CASTLEREA.
KILKELLANE, or KILCULLANE, a parish, in the barony of SMALL COUNTY, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER, 4 miles (N. E. by E.) from Bruff on the road from Limerick to Hospital; containing 679 inhabitants. This was part of the immense estate of the Earl of Desmond, and on his rebellion was granted to Robert Bouchier, Gent., who soon afterwards erected Kilcullane House, which has been sold to Viscount Guillamore. The parish comprises 1299 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act: the land is fertile, and is based on limestone; there are some small tracts of turbary. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Emly, forming part of the union of Cahircorney; the rectory is impropriate in E. Deane Freeman, Esq. The tithes amount to £135, of which two-thirds are payable to the impropriator, and one-third to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Hospital, or Herbertstown. Near the remains of the old church are the ruins of Kilcullane castle, which was erected by the Hurleys in the 15th century.