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MITCHELSTOWN, or STROKESTOWN, a parish, in the barony of LOWER SLANE, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 2 3/4 miles (S. E.) from Nobber, on the road from Kells to Ardee, containing 303 inhabitants. This parish comprises 738 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Meath, forming part of the union of Syddan; the tithes amount to £46.3. 1.; the glebe comprises 8 1/2 acres, valued at £10. 4. 8. per annum. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the union or district of Lobbinstown. There are remains of an old church, and of a castle contiguous.

MOATE, or MOATE-A-GRENOGE, a market and post-town, partly in the parish of KILMANAGHAN, but chiefly in that of KILCLEAGH, barony of CLONLONAN, county of WESTMEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 7 3/4 miles (E. by S.) from Athlone, and 52 (W. by S.) from Dublin, on the mail coach road to Athlone; containing 1785 inhabitants. This place takes its name from a rath or moat at the back of the town, in what was originally the territory of the McLoughlins, and which was called after Grace McLoughlin, Grana-oge, or "Grace's Moat." During the war of the Revolution, a large body of the adherents of James II., which had been pursued from Ballymore by the forces under Gen. de Ginkel, drew up here in order to give battle to their pursuers; but they were driven into the town, whence, after they had vainly endeavoured to intrench themselves, they fled to Athlone, with the loss of about 300 men, several officers, their baggage, a great quantity of arms, and 500 horses. On their arrival at Athlone their defeat had caused such consternation in the garrison of that place, that the gates were closed against the fugitives from a fear of admitting their pursuers also, and several fled for shelter to the bogs and many perished in the river. The town, which is neatly built and of pleasing appearance, contains 330 houses, of which number, 244 are slated, and the remainder thatched. The manufacture of cottons and linens, formerly carried on here to a very great extent, is now much diminished, affording employment only to about 100 persons; and several large distilleries and breweries have been altogether discontinued. The market is on Thursday, and fairs are held on April 25th, June 22nd, Oct. 2nd, and Dec. 3rd. A chief constabulary police force is stationed here; a manorial court is held on the first Monday in every alternate month; petty sessions on alternate Thursdays, and the general quarter sessions for the district at the usual times. The court-house is a commodious building; attached to it is a small bridewell. The parish church of Kilcleagh is situated in the town; there are also a R. C. chapel, a small convent to which a chapel is attached, places of worship for the Society of Friends, Baptists, and Wesleyan Methodists, and a dispensary. Moate Castle is the seat of Cuthbert J. Clibborn, Esq.

MOATHILL. -- See MOTHELL.

MOBLUSK. -- See MOLUSK.

MOCKTOWN, or GRANGEMOCKSTOWN, also called RATHBIN, a parish, in the barony of GOWRAN, county of KILKENNY, and province of LEINSTER: the population is returned with the parish of Garranamanna, in which this is considered to have merged. In the incumbent's titles it is denominated a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Ossory, being one of the several parishes and denominations forming the union of Burnchurch.

MOCOLLOP, a parish, in the barony of COSHMORE, county of WATERFORD, and province of MUNSTER, 6 miles (W.) from Lismore, 011 the road to Fermoy, and on the river Blackwater; containing 3503 inhabitants. James, the seventh Earl of Desmond, died at his castle here in 1462. The castle continued in the possession of the Desmonds until forfeited by the treason of Gerald, the 16th earl, in 1583 it was defended against Cromwell's forces in 1650. The surface of the parish is chiefly rugged, and the land of inferior quality: on its verge, in the picturesque dell of Araglin, were formerly some iron-works. The seat of Francis Drew, Esq., is situated in a richly planted demesne, having an unusual extent of orchard, the cider produced from which is very celebrated. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Lismore; the rectory is united to that of Lismore, and appropriate to the dean and chapter; the vicarage is also united to that of Lismore, and appropriate to the vicars choral. The amount of tithes is included in that of Lismore. The church is a neat building. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Lismore: the chapel is at the village of Ballyduff. In a school, aided by F. Drew, Esq., and the vicars choral, about 120 children are taught; there are also three private schools, in which are about 190 children, and a Sunday school. Ruins of an ancient castle exist.

MODELIGO, a parish, in the barony of DECIES-without-DRUM, county of WATERFORD, and province of MUNSTER, 6 1/2 miles (E. by N.) from Lismore; containing 2116 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Phinisk, and comprises 7536 statute acres, of which 1273 are mountain. Within its limits are the ruins of many ancient buildings, of which the principal formerly belonged to the McGraths, who were extensive proprietors in this part of the country: of these the castle of Sledy was built by Philip McGrath in 1628, and there are also considerable remains of another, called Mountain castle, where a fair is held on the 1st of May. At Kilkenny is a fine vein of lead ore, near the surface, from which the ore is taken up in a powdered state with the shovel, and used by the potters for glazing: the contiguity of a deep ravine affords great facilities for working it. The principal seat is Rockfield, the handsome mansion of Pierse Hely, Esq. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Lismore: the rectory forms the corps of the prebend of Modeligo in the cathedral of Lismore; and the vicarage is united to that of Kilgobinet, together forming the union of Modeligo, in the patronage of the Bishop. The tithes amount to £270, of which two-thirds are payable to the prebendary, and the remainder to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, comprising also the parish of Affane, each containing a chapel. About 220 children are educated in a school partly supported by the R. C. clergyman; and about 60 are taught in two private schools. The ruins of the old church still remain. There is a vitriolic spring in the parish, the water of which is clear and of a sharp and acid taste.

MODESHILL, a parish, in the barony of SLIEVARDAGH, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 3 miles (S. S. W.) from Callan; containing 998 inhabitants. It is situated on the confines of the county of Kilkenny, and comprises 2862 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £2784 per annum. It is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Cashel, forming part of the union and corps of the archdeaconry of Cashel: the tithes amount to £260.

MODREENY, a parish, in the barony of LOWER ORMOND, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 3 miles (S. S. E.) from Burris-o'-Kane, on one of the public roads from Nenagh to Parsonstown; containing, with the town and district parish of Cloghjordan, 4306 inhabitants. It comprises about 9220 statute acres, of which 6l26 3/4, consisting chiefly of arable and pasture land, are applotted under the tithe act: the remainder is waste and bog. The woods of Knocknacrea and Ballycapple, the former of which is a noted fox cover, occupy 120 acres: the state of agriculture is gradually improving. At Coolnagrower is a quarry of good stone, and the bogs furnish an abundant supply of turf. The parish is embellished with numerous seats, some of which are surrounded by beautiful and well-planted demesnes: the principal are Merton Hall, the residence of Robert Hall, Esq., a spacious mansion; Modreeny House, of W. H. Head, Esq.; Modreeny, of Sir Amyrald Dancer, Bart.; Park House, the property of Wm. Trench, Esq., but now the residence of De La Pere A. J. Robinson, Esq.; Wood House, the residence of Stuart Trench, Esq.; Ballynavin Castle, of Mrs. Robinson; Fort William, of Anthony Parker, Esq.; Northland, of Wm. Smith, Esq.; Hilton, of Thomas Dancer, Esq.; Behamore Castle, of Benjamin Hawkshaw, Esq.; View Mount, of Thomas R. Barnes, Esq.; Cloghkeating, of A. Robinson, Esq.; Willow Lodge, of Jas. Fleetwood, Esq.; Elysium, of Thomas Ely, Esq.; the glebe-house, of the Rev. W. T. Homan; and Ballycapple Cottage, the property of the Rev. R. Stoney. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Killaloe, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £533. 8. 11. The glebe-house, which stands on a glebe of 10 acres, was built about 1813, when the late Board of First Fruits gave £250 and lent £550 towards its erection. The church was rebuilt in 1828. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Cloghjordan; the chapel of Modreeny, which stands on an eminence in the townland of Coolnamanna, is a handsome modern edifice. In the parochial schools, partly supported by S. Trench, Esq., and the rector, and partly by private subscriptions, about 150 children are educated: there are also three private schools, containing about 140 children, and three Sunday schools. At Ballycapple, Cloghkeating, and Behamore, are the ruins of the castles respectively so called; and in the demesne of Modreeny House are some remains of another, which appears to have been destroyed by gunpowder.

MOGEALY, barony of IMOKILLY, county of CORK. -- See IMOGEELY.

MOGEALY, MOGEELA, or MOYGEELAGH, a parish, in the barony of KINNATALOON, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 2 1/4 miles (W.) from Tallow, on the road to Fermoy; containing 3095 inhabitants. It is situated on the south side of the river Bride, and on the confines of the county of Waterford, and, including Templebelagh, comprises 9369 1/4 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. The land is in general good, particularly in the vale of the Bride, where it rests on a substratum of limestone; but the higher grounds towards the south and east are entirely composed of clay-slate. In many places the soil is light, well cultivated, and productive, and some of the land towards the east is occupied as nurseries for raising fruit and forest trees. The surface is very uneven, in some places mountainous; about 2000 acres consist of rough stony land chiefly in pasture and mostly reclaimable. Near Curriglass is found a white tenacious clay, which, when mixed with water, resembles lime in colour, and is in consequence occasionally used for whitening walls. The scenery in the vale of the Bride is interesting; and within the limits of the parish are several handsome seats, the principal of which are Lisnabrin House, the residence of Capt. Croker; Mount Prospect, of Mrs. Bowles; Curriglass House, of W. Gumbleton, Esq.; Lisnabrin Lodge, of Thos. Carew, Esq.; Frankfort, of F. Woodley, Esq.; Rockfield, of Chas. Welsh, Esq.; Woodview, of the Rev. G. Nason; and Curriglass Cottage, of the Rev. G. J. Gwynne: there are also several good houses occupied by wealthy farmers. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Cloyne, united to the particle of Templebelagh, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £725. The glebes comprise 5 acres, of which 3a. 1r. 36p. are at Templevally, and the remainder near the old church. The present church, in the village of Curriglass, is a small but neat edifice, in the early English style, erected in 1776, and for its repair the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have lately granted £121. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Knockmourne: a large chapel has been lately built at Glengowra, and the old chapel, at Lisnabrin, is shut up. The parochial school at Templevalley is chiefly supported by the rector, who has allotted 3 1/2 acres of the glebe for that purpose; a school at Lisnabrin is supported by a grant from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners and subscriptions from the Cloyne Scriptural School Association and individuals: there are also a Sunday school and a National school. On the south bank of the river Bride, at the old village of Moygeelah, and commanding the pass of the valley and river, are the extensive and picturesque ruins of a castle, once the splendid residence of Thomas, Earl of Desmond: it was reduced by Queen Elizabeth's forces during the rebellion in the latter part of her reign. Near it are the ruins of the old church of Moidgheallidh, or "Church of the vow;" and at Templevalley are those of a church erected by the Knights Templars, in 1302.

MOGEESHA, or IMOGEESHY, a parish, in the barony of BARRYMORE, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 11 1/2 miles (S. by E.) from Rathcormac, on the road from Cork to Youghal, and on the navigable portion of Midleton river; containing 1985 inhabitants. The parish is situated on the north-eastern part of Cork harbour, and comprises 3434 statute acres, of which about 100 are woodland, 2500 arable, 700 pasture, and the remainder marshy and waste land: the substratum is limestone, which is here solely used for agricultural purposes; the system of husbandry is improving. At Ballyannan, in this parish, was the country residence of Lord Chancellor Midleton, several times one of the Lords Justices, but the mansion is in ruins. The principal seats are Ballintobber, the residence of -- Heard, Esq.; Rossmore, of T. Coppinger, Esq.; Ballyannan, of J. Adams, Esq.; and Ballyhoody, of --Wigmore, Esq. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Cloyne, and in the patronage of the Bishop; the tithes amount to £809.3. 10. Divine service is performed in a private house, which is licensed by the bishop, until the re-erection of the church. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Carrigtohill. The male and female parochial schools are aided by a donation of £8 per annum from the rector; they afford instruction to about 30 children; and in two private schools are about 90 children.

MOGORBANE, a parish, in the barony of MIDDLETHIRD, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 5 miles (E.) from Cashel, on the road from Clonmel to Thurles and Nenagh; containing 1282 inhabitants. It comprises 6522 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and contains an abundance of limestone. The principal seats are Mobarnan Manor, the handsome and well-planted demesne of M. Jacob, Esq.; Beechmount, the residence of T. G. Phillips, Esq.; and Silverfort, of J. S cully, Esq. It is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Cashel, and in the gift of the Archbishop, to whose mensal the rectory is appropriate. The tithes, amounting to £230, are entirely payable to the archbishop, who allows a stipend to the curate: there is a glebe-house. The church is a neat Gothic structure, built about 20 years since. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Killenaule, and has a chapel at Moyglass. In the parochial school, built on an acre of ground given by S. Jacob, Esq., who also contributed £40 towards its erection, about 40 children are educated; and there are two private schools, containing about 170 children. Some remains of Mobarnan and Ballyvaiden castles still exist; and there are several ancient forts.

MOHER CLIFFS. -- See KILMACREHY.

MOHILL, a market and post-town, and a parish, partly in the barony and county of LONGFORD, province of LEINSTER, and partly in the barony of LEITRIM, but chiefly in the barony of MOHILL, county of LEITRIM, and province of CONNAUGHT, 85 miles (S. E.) from Carrick-on-shannon, and 74 1/4 (W. N. W.) from Dublin, on the mail coach road to Sligo; containing 16,664 inhabitants, of which number, 1606 are in the town. This place, at a very early period, was the site of an abbey founded for canons regular in 608, and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, by St. Manchan, who died in 652. The establishment, which was amply endowed with glebes, tithes, vassals' fees, and other lands, existed till the dissolution, and in 1621, the rectory, as part of its possessions, was granted to Henry Crofton, Esq., under the commission for the plantation of Leitrim. The town, which is neatly built, contains 305 houses; and derives its chief trade from its situation on a public thoroughfare. The market is on Thursday, and is well supplied with grain and provisions of every kind; the fairs are on the first Thursday in January, Feb. 3rd and 25th, March 17th, April 14th, May 8th. first Thursday in June, July 31st, Aug. 1st and 18th, second Thursday in Sept., Oct. 19th, Nov. 10th, and the first Thursday in December. A chief constabulary police force is stationed here, and petty sessions are held on alternate Saturdays.

The parish comprises 29,782 statute acres, of which 19,450 are good arable and pasture land, 60 woodland, and 10,270 are bog and waste; the soil is fertile, but the system of agriculture has hitherto been much neglected, though at present exertions are being made for its improvement. Limestone abounds and is quarried for agricultural purposes; and there are some quarries of very good freestone, which is raised for building; iron ore is found, but no mines have been yet opened. The principal seats are Clooncar, the residence of the Rev. A. Crofton; Drumard, of Theophilus B. Jones, Esq.; Drumrahan, of J. O'Brien, Esq.; Drumregan, of J. W. O'Brien, Esq.; Bonnybeg, of W. Lawder, Esq.; and Aughamore, of C. Armstrong, Esq. The scenery is greatly varied and in some parts enlivened by the fiver Shannon, which skirts a portion of the parish on the south-west. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ardagh, and in the patronage of the Bishop; the rectory is impropriate in Sir M. Crofton, Bart. The tithes amount to £651. 10. l 1/2., of which £218. 3. 4 1/2. is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar. The glebe-house was built in 1823, at an expense of £1569. 4. 7 1/2., of which £969. 4. 7 1/2. was a loan and £92. 6. 1 3/4. a gift from the late Board of First Fruits; the glebe comprises 500 acres, valued at £380 per annum. The church, a modern edifice, towards the erection of which the late Board of First Fruits granted a loan of £378, in 1815, is built partly on the site of the old abbey, and was recently repaired by a grant of £768 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. In the R. C. divisions the parish constitutes a benefice in two portions; there are chapels respectively at Mohill, Cavan, Clonturk, and Clonmorris; and there is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists. Nearly 700 children are taught in eight public schools, five of which are aided by an annual donation of £10 each from Lord Clements, who also gave the sites for the school-houses; and there are fifteen private schools, in which are about 900 children. There are also a dispensary, and a loan fund with a capital of £300. The only remains of the ancient abbey are a small circular tower; at Clonmorris are the ruins of a monastery, said to have been founded by St. Morris, and at Tullagoran is a druidical altar. There is a strong sulphureous spring at Mulock, more aperient than that of Swanlinbar; and at Athirnonus, about half a mile distant, is another of similar quality.

MOIRA, MOYRAGH, or ST. INNS of MOIRA, anciently called MOIRATH, a post-town and parish, in the barony of LOWER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 13 miles (S. W.) from Belfast, on the road to Armagh, and 71 1/2 (N.) from Dublin; containing 3801 inhabitants, of whom 787 are in the town. In 637, a sanguinary battle between the exiled Congal Cloan and Donald, King of Ireland, is said to have been fought here, which terminated in the defeat of Congal. The parish, which is on the river Lagan and the Belfast and Lough Neagh canal, comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 6096 1/4 statute acres, all rich arable land, under an excellent system of cultivation. It is at the western termination of a ridge of white limestone; there are many kilns always at work, and vast quantities of the stone in its natural state are annually sent away by the canal, and by land carriage, to distant parts. There are also quarries of excellent basalt, in great request for building; freestone is found of superior quality; and there are thin seams of coal in several parts, which are not worked. An excellent line of road has recently been opened hence to Lisburn, and other improvements are in progress. Moira was at one time celebrated for the manufacture of linen, large quantities having been made, sold, and bleached in the town and neighbourhood; its improvement was greatly attributable to the fostering care of Sir John Rawdon, and to the first Earl of Moira, who gave premiums, and otherwise encouraged the manufacture; but it has long been on the decline, and little is done in the market, the brown webs being chiefly sent to the market of Lisburn: yet there are some extensive manufacturers in and near the parish, who give out the yarn as piecework. The town, though small, is well built, and remarkably clean; it is the property of Sir R. Bateson, Bart., and consists of one long spacious street, containing a court-house, a large handsome building, erected by the proprietor, in which a manor-court is held, every three weeks, for the recovery of debts under £5, by civil bill and attachment; petty sessions are also held here on alternate Mondays, and it is a constabulary police station. Fairs take place on the first Thursday in February, May, Aug., and Nov., for black cattle, pigs, agricultural produce, pedlery, &c. The principal seats are Waringfield, the residence of T. Waring, Esq.; and the glebe-house, of the Rev. W. H. Wynne. The Moira demesne is very extensive and well wooded, possessing many large and rare trees planted by the first Earl of Moira, with a noble avenue leading to the site of the castle, long since demolished: the demesne is now the property of Sir R. Bateson, whose residence is at Belvoir Park, in the adjoining county of Antrim.

The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Dromore, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £351. 15, 7. The glebe comprises 17 acres, valued at £51 per ann.; the glebe-house, a handsome building, was erected in 1799, at an expense of £710. 3., British currency. This was formerly part of the parish of Magheralin, and was made a distinct parish about 1725, shortly after which the church was erected, at the joint expense of Sir John Rawdon and the Earl of Hillsborough: it is a large and handsome Gothic edifice, with a square tower surmounted by a spire, in excellent repair, and, from its situation on an eminence above the town, forming a beautiful object in this rich and well-planted district. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, comprising Moira and Magheralin, in each of which is a chapel. There is a meetinghouse for Presbyterians in connection with the Remonstrant Synod, of the third class; also one for those of the Seceding Synod, of the second class; and there are places of worship for Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists. There are parochial schools at Moira and Lurganville, supported by Sir R. Bateson, Bart., and the rector; a school for females at Moira, established in 1820 by Lady Bateson, who built the school-house, a large and handsome edifice with a residence for the mistress attached, and by whom also the children are principally clothed; and at Battier is a national school. These schools afford instruction to about 200 children: in a private school are about SO children, and there is also a Sunday school. The interest of £200, equally bequeathed by Jasper and Samuel Waring, Esqrs., is distributed by the churchwardens to the poor housekeepers of this parish. The first Earl of Moira bequeathed a sum of money, which, with some other legacies, amounts to nearly £400, the interest of which is annually distributed among poor housekeepers. Moira gives the inferior title of Earl to the Marquess of Hastings; the castle was formerly the family residence, and was the birth-place of the late Marquess, whose father was buried here. He is said to have had the largest funeral procession ever seen in Ireland; it was attended by upwards of 800 carriages of various kinds, with a train of 4000 people, among whom 2000 hatbands and scarfs were distributed.

MOLAHIFFE, a parish and village, in the barony of MAGONIHY, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 4 1/2 miles (N. E.) from Milltown, on the road from Killarney to Tralee; containing 3708 inhabitants, of which number, 48 are in the village. The parish extends to the summit of Slieve Meesh on the north, and comprises 9819 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act: it is partly bounded and partly intersected by the river Maine, which runs into Castlemaine bay, and is capable of being made navigable for barges up to Marshall's bridge. Nearly one-half of the land consists of mountain pasture and bog, chiefly reclaimable; the portion in tillage is manured with lime, there being quarries of excellent limestone on the southern bank of the river, which are extensively worked for the supply of this and the neighbouring parishes: copper is supposed to exist at Bushmount. In the village of Molahiffe, comprising about a dozen houses, a fair is held on the 26th of May. At Fieries are a small flour-mill and a tuck-mill; and a court for the Earl of Kenmare's manor of Molahiffe is held there every six weeks by the seneschal, for the recovery of debts not exceeding 40s. late currency. At Clonmellane is a station of the constabulary police. The seats are Molahiffe Castle, the residence of Maurice de Courcy, Esq.; Clonmellane, of A. McDonogh, Esq.; Ballybrack, of John Griffin, Esq.; Boucheens, of Montague Griffin, Esq.; and Roxborough, the property of Rich. Chute, Esq. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe, episcopally united to the vicarages of Kilcredane and Kilbonane, together constituting the union of Molahiffe, in the patronage of W. Talbot Crosbie, Esq.: the rectory is impropriate in J. S. Lawler, Esq. The tithes amount to £320, of which one-half is payable to the impropriator, and the other to the vicar; and the entire vicarial tithes of the benefice amount to £381. 10. 5. The church is a neat edifice with a square pinnacled tower, towards the erection of which the late Board of First Fruits gave £900, in 1819. In the R. C. divisions this parish is included in the district of Fieries, which also comprises the parishes of Aglish and Kilcredane, and contains the chapels of Fieries and Ballyhar: that of Fieries is a large building; the other is in the parish of Kilcredane. At Ballynvarig is a school aided by the Earl of Kenmare, in which and in the other schools of the parish about 120 children are educated. There are some remains of an ancient building, called Old Court, of which no particulars are recorded; and there are vestiges of an ancient stone fort, of which the walls are said to have been of great strength, and the materials to have been used in the construction of Molahiffe castle and the old church. The ruins of the latter still remain; those of the castles of Molahiffe, Clonmellane and Castle Fieries are situated near the banks of the Maine: they formerly belonged to the Mac Carthys, and are now the property of the Earl of Kenmare, whose ancestors resided at Molahiffe Castle. Near Old Court, and also near Castle Fieries, is a subterraneous cavern.

MOLOGGA. -- See TEMPLEMOLOGGA.

MOLUSK, or MOBLUSK, a parish, in the barony of LOWER BELFAST, county of ANTRIM, and province of ULSTER, 8 miles (N. W. by N.) from Belfast, on the road to Antrim; containing 766 inhabitants. This place is said to have formerly belonged to the preceptory of the Knights Templars in the adjoining parish of Templepatrick, who had an establishment here also, of which there are no vestiges. Moblusk comprises 928 3/4 statute acres, according to the Ordnance survey, two-thirds of which are good land, the remainder being inferior; agriculture has of late much improved, a judicious mode of drainage having been adopted, and considerable portions of bog reclaimed and brought under cultivation: good crops of corn and potatoes are produced. Near the village there is an extensive establishment, called Hyde Park Print-field, belonging to Messrs. Batt, where great quantities of muslin are finished for the English and foreign markets, and in which more than -200 persons are employed. The parish is in the diocese of Connor, and is a rectory, forming part of the union of Carrickfergus and of the corps of the deanery of Connor. The tithes amount to £25. 11. 9., but as the inhabitants are exclusively Presbyterians, no tithes have been levied for many years; it is, however, the intention of the dean to erect a church and to collect the tithes. There does not appear to have been a church since the Reformation, but the burial-ground shews where the edifice originally stood. Nearly adjoining the village is a Presbyterian meeting-house. A school-house has been erected by Messrs. Batt, in which, chiefly by their assistance, 46 children are gratuitously taught: and at Glenoe is a National school, in which are about 80 children. Remains of large encampments and fortifications are observable in the parish and on its borders. There are several large stones standing erect, and under some of a similar description which were removed for improvements in the land, were found urns, or the fragments of baked clay, containing ashes, or black unctuous earth.

MONAGHAN (County of), an inland county of the province of ULSTER, bounded on the east by Louth and Armagh, on the north by Tyrone, on the west by Fermanagh and Cavan, and on the south by Meath. It extends from 53° 53' to 54° 25' (N. Lat.), and from 6° 33' to 7° 18' (W. Lon.); and comprises an area, according to the Ordnance survey, of 327,048 statute acres, of which 9236 are unimproved mountain and bog, 6167 are under water, and the rest cultivated land. The population, in 1821, amounted to 174,697; and in 1831, to 195,536.

According to Whitaker, this county was inhabited in the time of Ptolemy by the Scoti, who then possessed all the inland parts of Ireland: it afterwards formed part of the district of Uriel, Oriel, or Orgial, which also comprehended Louth and part of Armagh; but it was more generally known by the name of Mac Mahon's country, from the powerful sept of that name. Its present name is derived from its chief town, Monaghan or Muinechan, "the Town of the Monks," although no trace of an ecclesiastical establishment can now be discovered there. Immediately after the English invasion, when De Courcy entered Ulster, he was joined by a chieftain named Mac Mahon, who ingratiated himself so much with him that he was entrusted with the command of two forts, which, on the first change of fortune, Mac Mahon utterly destroyed; and when questioned on his breach of faith, answered, "that he had not engaged to keep stone walls; and that he scorned to confine himself within such cold and dreary enclosures, while his native woods were open for his reception and security." Hugh de Lacy, some time after, invaded Monaghan and burned the town and abbey, but soon after erected a castle there and restored the monastic institution. In the reign of Hen. IV., Lord Thomas of Lancaster, his son, having gone to Ireland as Lord-Lieutenant, received the homage of several of the native chieftains, among whom was Mac Mahon, who then submitted so far to the rules of English law as to accept an estate for life in that part of the county called the Ferney, for which he paid ten pounds a year chief-rent. This state of acquiescence, however, was not permanent; for, in the very next reign, Lord Furnival, who was then Lord-Deputy, found it necessary to undertake a military expedition against the Mac Mahons and other insurrectionary septs in Ulster; but, though he succeeded so far as to make them sue for the king's peace, he was unable to reduce them to the obedience of subjects. The county remained in the same state until the time of Elizabeth, in the 11th of whose reign, the parts of Ulster that had not previously acknowledged the Queen's authority, were reduced into seven shires, of which Monaghan was one; and afterwards the Lord-Deputy Fitzwilliam, during a progress through this part of Ulster, caused Mac Mahon to be attainted and executed for high treason, and the county to be divided according to the baronial arrangement which it still retains, the lands to be allotted among the Irish occupiers and English settlers, and to be held according to the tenures of the law of England. According to this arrangement, the particulars of which are still extant in the original document, the five baronies contained one hundred "ballibetaghs," a term applied by the Irish to a tract of land sufficient to maintain hospitality, each ballibetagh containing 16 tathes of 120 English acres each; thus making the area of the county 86,000 acres, exclusively of church lands. All the grants then made contained a clause of forfeiture, in case of the re-assumption of the name of Mac Mahon, of failure in payment of rent, or of attainder on rebellion. The subsequent insurrection of the Earl of Tyrone, however, prevented the plan from taking effect. The chief of the Mac Mahons still continued to arrogate the title of supreme lord, and the whole county was occupied by three or four families only, namely, those of the chieftain, and of Mac Kenna, Mac Cabe, and O'Conally. So little had the progress of civilisation been forwarded by the measures of the English government, that in the succeeding reign of James I., when the lord-deputy made a progress thither to inspect and settle the province, he was forced on entering the county to encamp in the open field. On investigating the titles by which the lands were held, it was found that the patents were all void in consequence of the non-observance or breach of some of the conditions; new grants were therefore made, and the country being reduced to a state of perfect submission, partly by intimidation and partly by concession, continued tranquil till the war broke out in 1641, when it followed the example of the rest of the north of Ireland in joining with the Irish against the lately established government, and the Mac Mahons again vainly endeavoured to recover their supremacy.

The county is wholly within the diocese of Clogher and province of Armagh. For purposes of civil jurisdiction it is divided into the baronies of Cremorne, Dartree, Farney, Monaghan, and Trough. It contains the disfranchised borough, market, and assize town of Monaghan; the market and post-towns of Carrickmacross, Castle-Blayney, Ballybay, Clones, and New-bliss; and the post-towns of Emyvale and Glaslough: the principal villages are Smithsborough (which has a penny-post), Ballytrain, Ballinode, Glennon, and Rockcorry. Prior to the Union it sent four members to the Irish parliament, two for the county at large, and two for the borough of Monaghan: since that period the two returned for the county to the Imperial parliament have been its sole representatives: the election takes place at Monaghan. The constituency, as registered at the close of the October sessions, 1836, consisted of 269 £50, 216 £20, and 1946 £10 freeholders; 4 £50 and 21 £20 rent-chargers; and 36 £20 and 602 £10 leaseholders; making in the whole 3094 registered electors. The county is included in the north-eastern circuit: the county court-house and gaol are in the town of Monaghan, where the assizes are held; general quarter sessions are held four times in the year at Monaghan and Castle-Blayney, which latter town has a sessions-house and bridewell. The local government is vested in a lieutenant, 11 deputy-lieutenants, and 50 other magistrates, besides the usual county officers, including two coroners. There are 21 constabulary police stations, having in the whole a force of an inspector, a stipendiary magistrate, a paymaster, 5 chief officers, 24 constables, 140 sub-constables and 6 horses. The district lunatic asylum is at Armagh, the county hospital at Monaghan, and there are dispensaries at Ballytrain, Farney, Scotstown, Castle-Shane, Smithsborough, Ballybay, Clones, Newbliss, Drum, Rockcorry, Monaghan, Carrickmacross, and Glaslough; half of the expenses of the dispensaries is raised from the baronies in which they are situated, while in every other county it is assessed on the county at large. The amount of Grand Jury presentments for 1835 was £17,071. 8. 1 1/2 ., of which £801. 1. 3. was for roads, bridges, &c., of the county at large; £7045. 17. 0 1/2. for roads, bridges, &c., of the baronies; £5001. 3.4. for public buildings, charities, officers' salaries and incidents; £2537. 10. 3 1/2. for the police; and £1676. 16. 2 1/2. for repayment of advances made by Government. In military arrangements the county is in the northern district, and contains a barrack at Monaghan for cavalry, which has accommodations for 3 officers, 54 privates and 44 horses, and hospital accommodation for 4 patients, but is generally occupied by a detachment of infantry from Londonderry or Newry.

Monaghan is described by old writers as being very mountainous, and covered with wood: it is, however, rather hilly than mountainous, and is now entirely stripped of its forests. The Slievebeagh or Slabbay mountains form an uninterrupted ridge of high land along the north-western boundary, separating the county from Tyrone, and exhibiting an uninteresting waste, with none of the romantic features that often atone for the want of fertility. The next mountain in point of extent is Cairnmore, whose summit commands a very expanded prospect, comprising the whole of this county, and parts of those of Armagh, Fermanagh, Cavan, Leitrim, Down, Tyrone, Louth, and Meath; Lough Erne, studded with beautiful islands, is also in full view, as are the numerous lakes scattered throughout the county. Crieve mountain, towards the south, though not of such extent as Cairnmore, is more elevated, commanding views far more extensive and varied. It is about six miles in circumference, and the waters flow from it in opposite directions, on one side towards Dundalk and on the other towards Ballyshannon. The lakes are numerous and highly interesting. On Cairnmore is one of considerable size and very deep: it has no apparent outlet for its waters, is always agitated, and is surrounded by a very wide strand. Another, called Lough Eagish, covers about 50 acres and is very deep: its waters are extremely useful for the supply of the neighbouring bleach-greens, fourteen of which are worked by the stream flowing from it, the tail race of one mill forming the. head of the next in succession; the lake is under the care of an engineer, whose duty it is to regulate the flow of the water, so as to allow every claimant his fair proportion. But the largest and most interesting of all the lakes is that of Castle-Blayney, also called Lough Muckno: it is about 3 miles in length, covers upwards of 600 acres, and is embellished with numerous beautifully wooded islands; the shores are exceedingly romantic, and the demesne and woods of that mansion entirely surround its fertile banks. Glaslough, which gives name to a flourishing and beautiful town, and is situated near the northern boundary of the county, is somewhat less than that of Castle-Blayney; but the fertility and gentle undulations around its banks, the extensive demesne, the fine old timber, and the numerous plantations combine to form a delightful landscape. Near Mount Louise is a beautiful lake: the land rises suddenly and boldly from its shores, presenting an unusual inland scene, but the absence of wood considerably diminishes the effect. The town of Ballybay is situated between two lakes of considerable beauty. At Dawson Grove is a peculiarly interesting lake, around which is some sylvan scenery, rarely found in the North: there are also other very pretty lakes, particularly those of Emy, Leesborough, Creeve, and White Lough, besides upwards of 180, upon a smaller scale, scattered over every part of the county. The climate is damp, but not unwholesome; the humidity is owing to the situation of the county, which is placed at the inner extremity of a very broad valley, for the most part forming the county of Fermanagh, through which pass the waters of Lough Erne to their influx into the Atlantic ocean at Ballyshannon; and as the wind from this quarter prevails for nine months in the year, the vapours are driven up the vale with great force, and rushing against the Slievebeagh mountains cause frequent showers or mists: this humidity is also much increased by the numerous lakes, whose exhalations, even in summer, are sensibly felt, particularly by strangers; the inhabitants, however, are in general very, healthy.

The undulating surface of the county produces a great variety of soil. The low lands are generally wet, sour, and moory, particularly near the foot of Slievebeagh; yet even in this district are some exceptions, for amid the very poorest tracts several gentle elevations of limestone are found, and in the valleys are extensive deposits of marl; this moory soil is everywhere reclaimable, though the subsoil is stiff, and the shallow and mossy loam on its surface imbibes the moisture like a sponge, so that after a fall of rain it is nearly impassable for cattle, and a few dry days harden the surface so as to render it nearly impenetrable to a plough; this character pervades the greater portion of the barony of Trough. The central district, comprehending the depressed land between the Slievebeagh and Crieve mountains, is far superior to any other part of the county in point of fertility; it is interspersed with beautiful lakes, well watered with streams, has a sufficiency of bog, and in richness and natural capability may vie with some of the best improved lands in the north of Ireland. A vein of excellent land runs from Glaslough, by Tyhallon, Monaghan, Scotstown, and Clones, into Fermanagh at Corren. The southern extremity of the county consists for the most part of a rich and highly productive soil, based on a substratum of limestone, and in some places a deep loam highly improveable by calcareous manure. The soil in the intermediate district varies much in quality, and is disposed very irregularly: even in several parts of the same field it is seen sometimes to vary extremely, being deep and argillaceous at one spot, a gravelly grit at another, exhibiting at a third a stiff clay, and at a fourth a party-coloured mixture of red and greenish gravel; yet in general character it approximates nearly to that of the northern part. The western side of the county is a rich but shallow loam, in its natural state spongy, wet, and overspread with rushes, but capable of a high degree of improvement by manuring.

The large estates of the county vary from £20,000 to £1000 per ann., but a very considerable portion of the land is held in grants producing from £20 to £500 per ann.: the former are not resided on by the proprietor in fee, but the latter almost uniformly; many of them are held from the crown by the descendants of the Scotch colony introduced here after the settlement of the county by James I.; a considerable portion were grants to Cromwell's soldiers, many of whose posterity now possess farms so small as not to yield an annual income exceeding £20. Few of the farms on the larger estates are tenanted in perpetuity: the usual term is 21 years, and a life, or 60 years and three lives. The mountainous districts form an exception to this observation, as they are divided into extensive portions, and mostly depastured by young cattle. An extraordinary mode of tenure formerly existed on some estates, of letting several townlands in one lease to all the occupying tenants, who might be from 20 to 30 joint lessees; by which practice part of the legal expenses for drawing the lease was saved by the tenants, but it gave the landlord a powerful control over them, as any one of the tenants is liable to have his goods seized for the rent of the whole: the rent paid by each is acknowledged by a receipt on account, and he who pays last obtains a receipt for the total amount. The farms throughout the county do not average 25 acres; the smaller, which are much more numerous, not six: so that ten acres may be adopted as the general average. Great improvements have been made within the last few years in almost every department of agriculture, both as to the treatment of the land and the implements. The principal manure is lime and the produce of the farm-yard, together with composts of various kinds. Limestone in a state of decomposition is found in several districts; when first raised, it has a compact slaty appearance, but on exposure to the atmosphere forms a kind of paste; no benefit is derived from it as a manure for the first year; but for several years after the crops are most abundant. Marl, though found in several parts, is little used except in the southern districts, where it has been found very beneficial to the corn crops: but in general, land is seldom manured for any crop but the potato. In the northern districts, in consequence of the smallness of the farms, and the wetness of the soil, the manure is mostly carried to the fields in baskets, here called "bardocks," slung across the back of an ass, and very often on the shoulders of the women. There is no county in Ireland where manual labour is more employed in farming than in Monaghan. The spade which is generally used in tilling the land, working the manure, raising potatoes, &c., resembles the English spade in having a footstep on each side, but differs from it in having the blade made hollow and filled with timber, to which the handle is made to fit in a sloping form. In some parts, where the soil is heavy and adhesive, the blade tapers nearly to a point, and is much curved in the middle, to prevent the mould clogging upon it. The principal crops are wheat, oats and potatoes. Flax has been a favourite and beneficial crop for the last few years: the quantity sown is constantly increasing. Clover and green crops are every year becoming more common. The pasturage in the mountainous districts is mostly formed of rushes and sprit grass, neither of which affords much nutriment; in the other parts it is very rich and close, the grass heavy and exceedingly nutritious. In some parts white clover is produced spontaneously, though too often choked with rushes; in others it is sown with grass seeds and mowed twice or thrice a year: oats are also mixed with the clover seed, and cut green for fodder, by which management the farmers estimate that one acre is more productive than four of common pasture. The tops of furze, here called whins, are used for fodder; they are prepared by being pounded in a stone trough with a wooden mallet, which makes them very juicy; they are greedily eaten by horses, and answer the double purpose of food and medicine.

In some parts much attention is paid to the fences, which are generally quicksets of white thorn, often mixed with sallows that are afterwards applied to many purposes of country work; in some parts the only fence is a small mound of earth, apparently raised more as a boundary mark than as a means of security against trespassing. The chief breed of horned cattle is a cross of the Old Leicester with the Roscommon cow, which grows to a large size and fattens rapidly. Butter is made in great quantities in the north and west.: for though there are no large dairies, every farmer makes some, the greater part of which is sent to Monaghan, Newry and Dundalk, where it is bought up for the English market. Sheep are very numerous in the north and north-west, and of great variety of sorts. The native horses are not of a good kind; those worthy of notice are brought in from other counties: a small strong breed called Ragheries, imported from Scotland by carriers who are inhabitants of the island of Rathlin, (whence the name) are in great request; they are cheap, durable, serviceable, well calculated for a hilly country, and live to a great age. Asses are also numerous: they are found to be extremely useful and very easily fed, being particularly fond of the green tops of furze, on which the Raghery horses also feed. Pigs are more numerous here than in any other county; they are slaughtered in great numbers for the provision merchants of Belfast, Newry and Drogheda, and are also exported alive to Liverpool. The lakes abound with fish, particularly trout and pike, which grow to a great size: the pearl muscle is found in some of the larger streams.

Of the extensive forests mentioned by early writers, no vestiges can be traced, except in the stunted underwood so frequent at the foot of the hills, and the numerous trunks of forest trees, found deeply imbedded in almost every bog. The mountains and hills present no remains of timber, and the only woods now found in the county are those belonging to the mansions and demesnes of the nobility and gentry. Those of Dawson Grove and Anketell Grove are more especially worthy of notice. At Glaslough are some of the finest ash trees in Ireland; near Monaghan are several remarkably large beech trees, and some few venerable oaks are to be seen in different parts, so that Monaghan may be said to produce timber nearly sufficient for its own consumption. Sycamore is in much repute for the shafts of bleach-mills, round which the webs of cloth are rolled and beetled: it never splinters during the operation of the machinery, whereas when other timber is used for the same purpose, it must be cased with horse skins, which do not last long. In the moory bottoms at the foot of hills, groves of sallow and osier are planted, which thrive vigorously, and the wicker-work made of the twigs yields a return which forms no inconsiderable portion of the rent. Fuel is procured in the greatest abundance from the numerous bogs, which are so dispersed in every part that the carriage adds but little to the expense.

The county forms part of the northern extremity of the great limestone field of Ireland; and, except in its northern districts, the rock is well distributed and lies very advantageously for working. The limestone is of great variety and of excellent quality; at Glenmore it is raised in large blocks, and, when polished, exhibits all the varieties of fine marble. Freestone of beautiful and valuable quality is found in various parts. Part of Slievebeagh is formed of a fine white sandstone extensively used for architectural purposes. The south side of this mountain is formed altogether of jasper, in some places very pure, but mostly in a state of decomposition, much resembling clay-slate and of a bright vermillion hue: the mountains of Crieve are entirely formed of greenstone and basalt. Escars can be traced in several parts, particularly in the neighbourhood of Tyhallon, which, in one respect, are unlike all others in Ireland, being entirely formed of jasper, quartz, agates and argillaceous sand. Coal has been found in thin seams at the foot of the Slievebeagh mountain near Emyvale, and at Glennon in large blocks; but the most extensive beds are near Carrickmacross, where pits were opened a few years since, but after a few tons had been raised, the workings were discontinued. Iron-stone of inferior quality is frequently found; slate quarries are worked at the Crieve mountains, and flags in three quarries in Dartree. Large lead-works were erected in the Crieve mountains for the smelting of lead-ore, but they have been long since abandoned: the ore has also been found near Castle-Blayney, both in large blocks and in thin veins: some promising veins can be traced in the limestone near Carrickmacross. Indications of copper have been discovered near Castle-Blayney, and ochres, potters' clay and soft unctuous earth in the same neighbourhood. Potters' clay found near Glaslough is wrought into glazed earthenware; brick clay, and oxyde of manganese, are distributed over all the country. The bones and antlers of the moose deer and the bones of several other kinds of animals, long since extinct in the island, have been discovered. Four teeth of extraordinary size were discovered on the Slievebeagh mountains, which on an examination by the Royal Society of London, were pronounced to be those of an elephant; two of them weighed 2 3/4 lb. each; the other two, 6oz. each.

The linen manufacture was established here at a very early period, and several towns and villages owe their origin to this branch of national industry. Both spinning and weaving declined considerably until the last two years, within which period the trade has revived. A large linen factory is now in process of erection at Glaslough, and great quantities are made and bleached in various parts: the yarn is spun by the women. A very good description of woollen cloth is manufactured in considerable quantities at Carrickmacross. At Stone-bridge and Emyvale are iron-mills, which are chiefly employed in the manufacture of agricultural implements. Tanning is extensively carried on at Glaslough and Castle-Blayney.

The county has within it no stream of water deserving the name of river. The Blackwater, which bounds it on the side of Tyrone, receives several of its smaller tributaries; and a very rapid stream separates the county from Armagh. The Finn, which falls into Lough Erne, rises in the centre of Monaghan, but is not navigable for boats until it has quitted the county. The Lagan forms its southern boundary and afterwards joins the Glyde in the county of Louth. The canal from Lough Neagh to Lough Erne, now in progress, enters the county near Middleton and proceeds thence by Tyhallon, Bessmount and Monaghan, near to which town the works are almost finished; it is intended to carry it round this town and thence towards Clones, but some disputes having arisen respecting the lands through which the line was originally laid down, another line is now under survey.

There are two ancient round towers in the county, one at Clones, the other at Inniskeen. Contiguous to the former is a rath of large dimensions, and near the latter a circular mount enclosed with a wall of stone and mortar. At Freamount is another large rath, and another also of very considerable dimensions, but now nearly concealed by plantations, at Fort Singleton near Emyvale. Near Carrickmacross are the ruins of a Druidical temple, consisting of an oblong mound of earth enclosed by a circuit of large upright stones. Wicker hurdles of very curious workmanship have been found in the bogs, in a high state of preservation: they appear to have been carried thither by parties on a marauding expedition, for the purpose of crossing the bog, and having been left behind in the hurry of advance or retreat, were gradually imbedded in the bog. A curious relic is preserved at Knockbuy, near the town of Monaghan: it is called the "Balaghdthownagh," and consists of a box, about the size of a thick folio volume, containing a crucifix and some relics: it is kept with the greatest veneration as a kind of heir-loom in the Bradley family, and is used as an attestation of innocence for imputed crimes which do not admit of the usual kind of evidence; when let out on an occasion of this kind, valuable security is always required for "its restoration.

No county in Ireland has so few vestiges of monastic buildings: the abbey of Clones is the only one of which any remains exist: that of Monaghan is utterly destroyed, and a castle was erected on its site: the wealthy abbey of Tyhallon is known only by name. The castle of Monaghan is noticed by Sir John Da-vies, in his account of the lord-deputy's tour through the county, as being then in a state of ruinous neglect: the ruins of the old mansion-house of Castle-Blayney still standing are so close to the modern building as to injure the appearance of both: there are also the ruins of an old building in the same demesne, bearing no resemblance to a religious structure; the walls are very massive, but it is so overgrown with trees as to render its inspection very difficult. At Vicar's Dale, in Donaghmoyne, are the ruins of a castle; and near Dawson Lodge, those of another, called Maghernacligh.

The residences of the great landed proprietors are not remarkable for architectural splendour; they are rather good family houses, and are noticed in their respective parishes. The farm-houses are better than those of the same class in Leinster; those of the class that combines manufacture with farming are comfortable in appearance, but the habitations of the cottiers and journeymen weavers are miserably poor. Such tenants hold their hovel, with a small plot of ground for a garden, either by a "dry cot take" or a "wet cot take," the former implying an agreement by which the tenant pays a rent for his tenement and works at taskwork or for daily pay at the loom for his landlord; the latter signifying that he has also the grass for a cow in winter, for which he pays an additional amount of rent, but finds his own hay and grass in summer: these tenures are merely from year to year. The clothing of the peasantry is frieze, or a coarse light blue cloth manufactured at home and dyed with indigo: the women wear cottons more generally than stuffs: all are tolerably well supplied with linen and with shoes and stockings. Their food is potatoes, meal, milk, and butter; though in the poorer parts, where the population depends wholly on the produce of the soil, the cottiers are seldom able to procure anything better than salt to their potatoes; while in the neighbourhood of the county town the luxury of animal food is occasionally enjoyed. Irish and English are indiscriminately spoken in the intercourse of the peasantry with one another. An attempt was made some years ago to diminish the pressure of mendicancy, which is very prevalent, by compelling the paupers to wear badges, but it had no permanent effect. An extraordinary custom of annually electing a mayor, with power to decide all disputes, long prevailed in the village of Blackstaff, near Carrickmacross, which was composed of about 200 wretched hovels in the centre of 500 acres of bog, heath, and rock, so barren as never to have been cultivated, and on which the inhabitants supported themselves by holding each a very small portion of land at a considerable distance from the village. But the inconvenient distance of their habitations from their farms, and the dangers apprehended from this irregular union of a number of families during the disturbed period of 1798, caused the community to be broken up, and its members established on their separate plots of land; yet for years after they met annually at Black-staff to commemorate the by-gone pleasures of their former state of social intercourse. A chalybeate spring rises in Cairnmore, at a place called Drumtubberbuy, or "the ridge with the yellow spring," from which flows a stream of pellucid water covered with a strong scum of ochre; it is not noted for any medicinal qualities. At Tullaghan is a spring, the water of which, though tasteless and perfectly pellucid, forms an incrustation on all the substances it passes over near its source. This county gave the title of Baron to Sir Edw. Blayney, who was ennobled by James I., in 1621, for his services against the Irish.

MONAGHAN, an incorporated market-town and parish, the chief town of the county, and formerly a parliamentary borough, in the barony and county of MONAGHAN, and province of ULSTER, 12 1/4 miles, (W. S. W.) from Armagh, and 60 (N. N. W.) from Dublin, on the mail coach road to Londonderry; containing 11,875 inhabitants, of which number, 3848 are in the town. This place, till within a comparatively modern period, was distinguished only by a monastery, of which St. Moclodius, the son of Aedh, was abbot; and which, according to the Annals of the Four Masters, was plundered in 830 and again in 931. It appears from the same authority to have flourished for more than two centuries, and the names of its abbots, deans, and archdeacons (among the former of whom was Elias, the principal of all the monks of Ireland, who died in Cologne in 1042) are regularly preserved till the year 1161, after which date no further mention of it occurs. Phelim Mac Mahon, in 1462, founded on the site of the ancient abbey a monastery for Conventual Franciscans, which at the dissolution was granted to Edward Withe; but even at that time no place deserving the name of a village had arisen near the monastery, and the whole of this part of the country, under its native chief's, the Mac Mahons, still retained the ancient customs. About the commencement of the 17th century, Sir Edward Blayney, who had been appointed seneschal of the county, erected a small fort here, which he garrisoned with one company of foot; and on the approaching settlement of Ulster, when the Lord-Deputy came to this place to make some arrangements respecting the forfeited lands, it was so destitute of requisite habitations, that he was under the necessity of pitching tents for his accommodation. On this occasion the Lord-Deputy was attended by the Lord-Chancellor and judges of assize, and by the attorney-general, the celebrated Sir John Davies, who describes the place as consisting only of a few scattered cabins, occupied chiefly by the retired soldiers of Sir Edward Blayney's garrison. Besides that fort, which was on the north side of the village, he notices another in the centre of it, which had been raised only 10 or 12 feet above the ground, and was then lying in a neglected state, although £1200 had been expended on it by the king as a means of retaining the native inhabitants of the district in subjection. The Lord-Deputy divided several neighbouring "ballibetaghs" among the soldiers residing in the town; and as the fort at this time depended on Newry for its supplies, which, from the hostility of the intervening country, were frequently precarious, he granted to Sir Edward Blayney a portion of land on which he erected the fortress of Castle Blayney. In 1611, Sir Edward obtained the grant of a market and fair; and the town, which now began to increase in population and extent, was, in 1613, made a parliamentary borough, and the inhabitants were incorporated by a charter of James I., under the designation of the "Provost, Free Burgesses, and Commonalty of the Borough of Monaghan."

The town consists of one principal square in the centre, called the Diamond, in which is the linen-hall, and of another spacious opening in which is the market-house, and of three streets diverging from the principal square in a triangular direction; the total number of houses is about 580, of which many are well built, and those in the environs are neat and handsome. There are barracks for cavalry, a neat building adapted for 3 officers and 54 non-commissioned officers and privates, with stabling for 44 horses, and a small hospital. A news-room is supported by subscription; and a savings' bank has been established, in which, in 1835, the deposits amounted to £22,016. 2. 5., belonging to 749 depositors. There is a large brewery in the town, but no particular manufactures are carried on; the chief trade is in agricultural produce and the sale of linen, for which this place is one of the principal marts in the county; the quantity of linen sold, in 1835, was 6641 pieces, of 25 yards each, and the average price per piece, 18s. 9d. The market days are Monday, for linen and for pigs, of which great numbers are slaughtered and sold to dealers, who send the carcasses to Belfast, where they are cured for exportation; on Tuesday for wheat, bere, barley, and rye; on Wednesday for oats; and on Saturday, for oats and potatoes: flax, yarn, butter, and provisions of all kinds are also sold here in large quantities. Fairs are held on the first Monday in every month, and are amply supplied and numerously attended. The market-house, a very commodious building, was erected by the late Gen. Conyngham, afterwards Lord Rossmore, whose arms are emblazoned over the entrance. The Ulster canal, which is now in progress, will pass through the northern part of the parish; a branch of the river Blackwater also bounds the parish on the north, running nearly parallel with the canal. These facilities of water conveyance will contribute to the benefit of the town, which is at present in a thriving state, and is progressively increasing in importance.

The corporation, by the charter of James I., consists of a provost, 12 free burgesses, and an indefinite number of freemen, assisted by a recorder, two serjeants-at-mace, and other officers. The provost is annually chosen from the free burgesses on the festival of St. John the Baptist, and sworn into office on that of St. Michael; the burgesses are elected, as vacancies occur, from the freemen by a majority of their own body, by whom also freemen are admitted by favour only; the recorder and serjeants-at-mace are chosen by the corporation at large, but no recorder has been chosen since 1815, when the last, who was also the first serjeant-at-mace, died. The corporation continued to send two members to the Irish parliament till the Union, when the borough was disfranchised. The court of record, ordained by the charter to be held every Monday, with jurisdiction extending to five marks, has not been held for the last 50 years. The assizes for the county are held here, also the quarter sessions four times in the year, and petty sessions every Tuesday. There is a chief constabulary police force stationed in the town. The county court-house, situated in the centre of the town, is a handsome modern building of hewn stone, containing spacious court-rooms and all requisite offices, and in every respect well adapted to its purpose. The county gaol, completed in 1824, and situated on an eminence near the entrance to the town, is a handsome semicircular range of building, containing 75 single cells, and 11 rooms with more than one bed each, with appropriate day-rooms and airing-yards, in one of which is a tread-wheel applied to the raising of water for the supply of the prison; there are a male and female hospital, a chapel, and a school; the prison is well adapted for classification, and under very good regulations.

The parish, called also "Rackwallis," comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 13,5475 statute acres, of which 12,758 are applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £23,013. 13. 2. per ann.; 265 acres are water, and the remainder principally under tillage. The general surface is irregular and hilly, rugged towards the south, but smoother and more gently undulating towards the north. The soil is rich in the vicinity of the town, but inferior towards the south and south-west; there is but little bog in the parish, though there are large tracts in those adjoining, from which abundance of fuel is obtained. The system of agriculture is improved; limestone abounds, and there is a very fine quarry at Milltown Bridge; marl is also found, but is seldom used for manure; whinstone also forms part of the substratum. The principal seats are Rossmore Park, the residence of the Right Hon. Lord Rossmore, a handsome mansion in the Elizabethan style, situated in an extensive and beautifully diversified demesne, abounding with wild and romantic scenery and commanding some fine distant views; Castle Shane, of E. Lucas, Esq., an ancient mansion in a highly enriched and tastefully embellished demesne (within which is the site of the ancient village of Castle-Shane), with a handsome entrance lodge in the later English style of architecture, and forming an interesting object as seen from the new line of road winding through the valley; Cornacassa, of Dacre Hamilton, Esq., pleasantly situated in a highly cultivated and well-planted demesne; and Camla Vale, of Lieut.-Col. Westenra, brother of Lord Rossmore, a spacious and handsome residence, situated in grounds tastefully laid out and adjoining the demesne of Rossmore Park: there are also many handsome residences in the immediate environs. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Clogher, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £553. 16. 11. The glebe-house is a neat thatched residence, and the glebe comprises 38 statute acres, valued at £114 per annum. The church, a very handsome structure, in the later English style of architecture, with a tower and spire, was erected on the site of the former edifice in 1836, at an expense of £5330, of which £1100 was a legacy, with interest, bequeathed by the late Dowager Lady Rossmore; £1000, a bequest of Mrs. Jackson; £2000, a loan from the late Board of First Fruits, the remainder being raised by subscription. The interior contains some handsome monuments and tablets of white marble, to the late rector, the Rev. Mr. Montgomery, Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, the families of Lucas and Cole, and the lady of Col. Westenra. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church; there are chapels situated respectively at Latlurken, Ardahy, and in the town. Contiguous to the chapel at Latlurken are the national school and a house and ground given by the Rossmore family for the residence of the R. C. clergyman. There are places of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, of the second and third classes, and for those of the Seceding Synod, of the first class; also for Wesleyan and Primitive Wesleyan Methodists. The consistorial court of the diocese of Clogher is held in the town; and the presbytery of Monaghan, in connection with the Synod of Ulster, also holds its meetings here in February and October. The diocesan school for the sees of Raphoe, Kilmore, and Clogher was founded by Queen Elizabeth and is supported chiefly by the bishops and clergy of those dioceses: the school-house is a spacious and handsome edifice, towards the erection of which Lord Rossmore contributed largely, and endowed the establishment with an annuity and five acres of land. About 1400 children are taught in ten other public schools, of which the parochial school, for which a new house has been recently built, is partly supported by the rector; a free school for boys was founded by R. Jackson, Esq., who endowed it with £22. 10. per annum, and a house rent-free; a female sewing school is also supported by the same gentleman, who endowed it with a house rent-free and a salary of £16 for the mistress; and a school at Killamarly is aided by an annual donation from W. Brook, Esq. There are also seven private schools, in which are about 300 children. The county infirmary, a good building, occupying an open and elevated site, is supported by a parliamentary grant, by the interest of a legacy of £4000 bequeathed by the late Francis Ellis, Esq., a rent-charge of £20 by the late J. Wright, Esq., and £100 per annum from Bishop Sterne's charity; also by Grand Jury presentments and subscriptions. During the year ending Jan. 6th, 1835, it afforded relief to 286 in-patients, and medicine and attendance to 900 out-patients. There are also a mendicity society, and a penny a week society for the assistance of the poor, supported by subscription and weekly contributions from the members. An almshouse for six poor widows was founded by the late Richard Jackson, Esq., who endowed it with £25. 19. per annum, charged on lands in the parish. A large house in the square called the Diamond is said to occupy the site of an ancient castle; and in the rear of it are some old walls, said to be the remains of the old abbey; the cemetery attached appears to have been very extensive. In levelling the ground in front of the old gaol, human bones and a skull of unusually large size were discovered. On the summit of the hill to the north of the town, and near the site of the new gaol, was a small mound of earth, marking the site of the fortress built by Sir Edward Blayney for the protection of the town, and noticed by Sir John Davies as serving both for a garrison and a gaol. Several silver coins have been found here, among which was a curious coin of one of the Henrys, and a larger coin of James I., which is in good preservation; and in a meadow near the river was dug up, some years since, an ancient brass spur, similar to those in the museum of Trinity College, Dublin. On the townland of Lisard, about two miles to the south-west of the town, is a perfect fort, with a rampart and fosse; it is situated on an eminence commanding the surrounding country.

MONANIMY, a parish, in the barony of FERMOY, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 5 miles (N. E.) from Mallow, on the river Blackwater, and on the high road from Mallow to Fermoy; containing 2751 inhabitants. The estates of Monanimy, Ballygriffin, and Carrigacunna formerly belonged to the ancient family of the Nagles, the head of which has for several centuries been settled in the vicinity; the two former have passed by female connection into other families; the last was the residence of Sir Richard Nagle, successively Attorney-General, Lord Chief Justice, Speaker of the Irish House of Commons, and private secretary to James II., whom he accompanied into exile; he died abroad, and the estate was forfeited; it is now the property of H. B. Foott, Esq. The parish, which comprises 10,637 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £4140 per ann., is situated on both sides of the Blackwater, and contains part of the range called the Nagle Mountains on the south side of that river, affording good pasturage; the land on the north side, which comprises about one-third of the parish, is good and chiefly in tillage, and the state of agriculture is improving. There is a large tract of bog, that supplies not only the neighbourhood, but the market of Mallow, with fuel. Considerable improvements have been made by H. B. Foott and Jas. Hennessy, Esqrs.: those of the former consist of flourishing plantations extending up a romantic mountain glen on the old road to Fermoy; and those of the latter are in connection with the village of Kealavollen, or Killavullane, under which head they are noticed, together with his seat, Ballymackmoy House. Carrigacunna Castle, the seat of H. B. Foott, Esq., is a handsome modern mansion, adjoining the ruins of the old castle, the approach to which from Kealavollen is through some young plantations leading to a grove of venerable oak-trees, forming with the castle an interesting feature in the surrounding beautiful and diversified scenery. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Cloyne, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £400. The church, a small neat building with a tower and spire, is situated on the northern bank of the Blackwater: it was erected in 1810, on the site of an ancient preceptory of Knights Hospitallers that formerly existed here, and was aided by a gift of £800 from the late Board of First Fruits. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Kealavollen, comprising also those of Clenore and Wallstown, and containing the chapels of Kealavollen and Anakissy: the latter is in the parish of Clenore; the former, a small plain building, is about to be rebuilt on a site given by Jas. Hennessy, Esq.: there is a small cottage residence for the parish priest. A school of about 80 children is maintained by a bequest of £18 per annum from the late Jos. Nagle Esq., of Bally-griffin, for 30 years from 1814; and there are two private schools, containing about 90 children. The castle of Monanimy is by some supposed to have been built by the Knights Templars; and by others, it and the castle of Carrigacunna are said to have been erected by the Nagles, to whom this district formerly belonged, and after whom the "Nagle Mountains" are named. The former, which is the property of the Hon. Douglas Halliburton, has been fitted up, and is now occupied by a respectable farmer. Of the ancient preceptory nothing now remains but a few fragments of a wall near the church. The celebrated Edmund Burke passed his early childhood at Ballyduff, in this parish, the seat of his maternal grandfather, where he remained about five years, and received the first rudiments of his education at the ruined castle of Monanimy, in which a sort of hedge school was then held. He always retained a great partiality for these places, which he often revisited in subsequent years. -- See KEALAVOLLEN.

MONART, an ecclesiastical district, in the barony of SCARAWALSH, county of WEXFORD, and province of LEINSTER, 2 miles (N. W.) from Enniscorthy, on the road to Kilkenny; containing 3384 inhabitants. It is situated on a stream called the Urrin, which falls into the Slaney below Enniscorthy; and comprises 8834 statute acres. The soil is chiefly of a light shingly nature; limestone gravel is found on the banks of the Slaney, and a kind of slaty stone abounds, which is used for building: the state of agriculture is improving. The village of Forge, on the Urrin, derives its name from an extensive forge formerly established there, which appears by an ancient document to have belonged, in 1560, to Col. Robt. Phayre, and was then employed in the manufacture of sword blades. In 1818 the works were converted into a distillery by Andrew Jameson, Esq., who, in the course of 12 years, expended upwards of £25,000 on the establishment, and in 1830 it produced 55,594 gallons of spirits; it has been since discontinued, and part of it converted into a flour-mill, capable of producing nearly 40,000 barrels annually, and for working which there is a copious supply of water. A Mining Company is employed at Caim in search of a lead mine, which is expected to be profitable A fair is held on Aug. 16th at Scarawalsh Bridge, on the Slaney, chiefly for lambs. The seats are Monart House, the residence of E. Rogers Cookman, Esq., a handsome mansion pleasantly situated on a gentle eminence above the Urrin, in a highly improved and richly wooded demesne; Killoughram, of R. Phaire, Esq., surrounded by an extensive oak coppice, called Killoughram Wood; Munfin, of Edw. Cary, Esq., beautifully situated on the margin of the Slaney, sheltered by a richly wooded eminence, and commanding an extensive view of the luxuriant scenery on the banks of the river; Kiltra, of Capt. Brenan; Farmley, of Capt. Richards; Urrinsfort, of Mr. Hill; Oak Hall, of Mr. Sutton; and Daphne, the property of Robt. Phaire, Esq. The district was formed in 1805, by separating 39 townlands from the parish of Templeshanbo, which have been recently reduced to 33 by the detachment of six to form part of the new district parish of Ballycarney. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Ferns, and in the patronage of the rector of Templeshanbo, for the support of which the tithes of three of the above-mentioned townlands, amounting to £101. 10. 9. are appropriated. The glebe-house is a neat building, towards the erection of which the late Board of First Fruits gave £382, in 1807; and there is a glebe of about 17 acres. The church, or chapel of ease, is a neat cruciform structure, erected in 1805 by aid of a gift of £500, and enlarged in 1831 by aid of a loan of £500, from the same Board; and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have lately granted a sum for its repair. In the R. C. divisions it is partly included in each of the districts of Marshalstown and Ballindaggan, and contains the chapels of Marshals-town, Castledockrill, Cairn, and Newtown. Near the church is the parochial school built by the Association for Discountenancing Vice, and partly supported by it and partly by subscription. A school has been lately established near the chapel at Marshalstown, and temporary schools are held during the summer in the other chapels. At Farmly are two of the ancient raths or mounds usually attributed to the Danes.

MONASTERBOICE, a parish, in the barony of FERRARD, county of LOUTH, and province of LEINSTER, 2 1/2 miles (E. S. E.) from Collon, near the road from Drogheda to Dunleer; containing 705 inhabitants. This place is chiefly distinguished for the remains of the monastery from which it derived its name, founded by St. Bute or Boetius, the son of Bronagh, who died in 521; it was plundered in 968, and in 1097 was destroyed by fire. From this time it appears to have subsisted only for a few years; the last abbot of whom any notice occurs died in 1117. The parish comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 2316 1/2 statute acres, most of which is good land, and in a profitable state of cultivation. Monasterboice, the seat of W. Drummond Delap, Esq., who has a large estate here and is planting on an extensive scale, is undergoing great improvement, and a spacious mansion is now being erected by the proprietor. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Armagh, forming part of the union of Dunleer; the tithes amount to £116. 12. The ruins of the monastery are of very interesting character: at. a short distance from each other are the walls and gables of two churches or chapels, the architecture of which denotes very great antiquity; the windows are of freestone, but the rest of the building is of a slaty stone found in the surrounding hills. On the south side of the western church are two ancient and elaborately sculptured stone crosses, one 18 and the other 16 feet high; the larger, apparently formed of an entire stone, and called St. Boyne's Cross, has near its base some obliterated characters, supposed to be traces of the name Muredach, King of Ireland, who died in 534; the arms are enclosed within a circle, and the shaft and other parts are ornamented with figures sculptured in relief, which, though much defaced, appear to have represented scriptural subjects; on one side is the crucifixion, and on the other a figure of St. Patrick. Near the western extremity of this chapel are the remains of an ancient round tower, diminishing gradually in circumference from its base, which is 18 feet in diameter, to the summit which has an elevation of 110 feet; it is divided by circular projecting abutments, for the support of floors, into five stories; the internal diameter is 9 feet, and the doorway is about 6 feet from the ground. The surrounding cemetery is still used; in digging a grave were found three ancient Anglo-Saxon coins, two of the reign of Edmund, and one of that of Athelstan.

MONASTEREVEN, a market and post-town, and a parish, in the barony of WEST OPHALY, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER, 14 1/2 miles (W.S.W.) from Naas, and 30 (S. W.) from Dublin, on the mail coach road to Limerick; containing 4386 inhabitants, of which number, 1441 are in the town. This place derives its name from a monastery founded here, and made a place of sanctuary, by St. Abban, in which were afterwards placed monks from South Munster, by St. Emin, or Evin, in the seventh century. According to the book of Lecan, the forcible seizure of this religious house by Cearbhuil, was the cause of the war in 908, between that monarch and Cormac Mac Culinan, King of Munster, in which the latter was defeated. The monastery having afterwards become extinct, was refounded towards the close of the twelfth century, by Dermod O'Dempsey, King of Ophaly, with the consent of Muredach O'Conor; and though considered as just beyond the border of the English pale, was made a mitred abbey, and its abbot sat as a baron in the Irish parliament. At the dissolution, the abbey and the manor were granted to George, Lord Audley, who assigned them to Adam Loftus, Viscount Ely, and they are at present the property of the Marquess of Drogheda. During the disturbances of 1798, a battle took place here between the insurgents and a party of the yeomanry, which terminated in the total defeat of the former, and the consequent interruption of their progress into Queen's county. The town is pleasantly situated on the eastern bank of the river Barrow, amidst the improvements of Moore abbey, from which it extends for about a quarter of a mile towards the Grand Canal, which passes its extremity. It consists of 214 well built houses, on one side only of the principal street; which is parallel with the river; the other side being left open and laid out in gardens and lawns sloping down to the water's edge. The street is intersected by the Dublin road; and a bridge of six arches over the Barrow was erected in 1832, in a direct line with the road, by which the former sharp and dangerous turn is avoided. A new street has recently been laid out in a direction parallel with the back of the principal street, at the private expense of the Rev. Henry Moore; and great improvements have been made on the line of the Grand Canal by that company, among which may be noticed the construction of an elegant cast-iron drawbridge over the canal, in 1829, and the carrying of the canal over the Barrow by an aqueduct of three arches of 40 feet span, handsomely built of hewn limestone, and surmounted by an iron balustrade; a branch canal from this place has also been extended to the thriving town of Portarlington. The extensive brewery, distillery, and malting concern of Mr. Cassidy, whose dwelling-house is highly ornamental to the town, afford employment to many of the working class; and a small tobacco and a tobacco-pipe manufactory are also carried on. The traffic arising from its situation as a great thoroughfare on one of the branches of the great southern road from the metropolis adds to the support of the town. Its situation in the midst of a vast extent of turbary affords eminent advantages for the establishment of manufactures; and its facilities of communication with Dublin, Shannon harbour, and Waterford, by means of the Grand Canal and the Barrow navigation, render it peculiarly favourable to the carrying on of a very extensive inland trade. The market is on Saturday, and is abundantly supplied with provisions of every kind at a moderate price; and fairs are held annually on March 28th, May 29th, July 31st, and Dec. 6th, for cattle, sheep, and pigs. The market-house is a commodious building, but not remarkable for any architectural ornament. A constabulary police station has been established here; and petty sessions are held every Saturday.

The parish comprises about 5000 statute acres, comprehending an extremely large tract of bog, which affords employment to many persons, who procure fuel not only for the supply of the brewery and distillery and other uses of the town and neighbourhood, but also for the supply of the Dublin markets, whither it is conveyed by the Grand Canal. There are some quarries of good limestone, used for buildings in which hewn stone is not required, and also burnt, into lime for manure. Moore Abbey, the property of the Marquess of Drogheda, is a spacious mansion, erected on the site of the ancient conventual buildings, of which the only remains are some sculptured ornaments inserted into the gable end of the domestic chapel: in the entrance-hall, which is wainscoted with oak, Loftus, Viscount Ely, is said to have held the court of chancery in 1641; it is situated in an extensive and greatly improved demesne near the banks of the river Barrow. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Kildare, and in the patronage of the Marquess of Drogheda, in whom the rectory is impropriate: the tithes amount to £129. 5. 8. The church is a venerable structure with a square tower overspread with ivy, and was recently repaired by a grant of £880 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners; it was built by the Drogheda family, in lieu of one which was originally situated within their demesne. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, comprising also the parishes of Kildangan, Nurney, Donany, and parts of those of Lea, Ballybracken, Harristown, and Walterstown: the chapel is a plain cruciform structure. There are places of worship for Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists. The parochial school, for which a good school-house, with apartments for the master and mistress, was erected on an acre of ground given by the Rev. H. Moore, with £300 presented by the trustees of the Marquess of Drogheda's estates, is supported by the incumbent, by a bequest of the late Viscountess Ely, and by a grant of £30 per annum from the Marquess of Drogheda, who also gave £300 towards the national schools, and allows £30 per ann. to the master and mistress. An infants' school has been built and is supported at the sole expense of Lady Henry Cole. About 360 children are taught in these schools; and there are also six private schools, in which are about 280 children; and a Sunday school. A bequest of £3 per annum for teaching 12 poor children, and of £4 for apprenticing a Protestant child, was made, about 150 years since, by a member of the Loftus family; and £100 per ann. is given by the proprietor of the Drogheda estate to be distributed in acts of charity, at the discretion of the incumbent; as also is A3 per annum, late currency, bequeathed by the late Viscountess Ely.

MONASTERNENAGH.-- See MANISTER.

MONASTERORIS. -- See CASTROPETRE.

MONEGAY, MOLCHONRIAH, or TEMPLE-NA-MONA, a parish, in the Glenquin Division of the barony of UPPER CONNELLO, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER, on the road from Limerick to Tralee; containing, with part of the post-town of Newcastle, 4711 inhabitants. The parish comprises 21,798 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, one-third of which is arable, producing good crops; about one-third is meadow and pasture, on which are several extensive dairy farms; and the remainder is uncultivated mountain, everywhere affording excellent pasturage to numerous herds of young cattle and sheep, and containing also some bog. The lower parts of the parish are based on limestone, dipping westward beneath the mountains, which are of the coal formation, namely, silicious grit and very compact indurated clay, or clunch, in which five beds of coal are found, but the two upper seams, that are very thin, only are worked. The upper stratum, called culm, is chiefly used for burning lime: iron-stone and fire-clay are abundant and very good, but neither are worked; and the silicious grit is only used for making roads. The principal seats are Glanduff Castle, the residence of Eyre Massy, Esq.; Woodlawn, of R. Cart, Esq.; Tulliline, of J. J. Furlong, Esq.; and Mount Plummer, of Brudenell Plummer, Esq. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Limerick, forming part of the union of Newcastle; the tithes amount to £500; the glebe comprises 53 acres of very rich land. The church stands in the town of Newcastle. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church, and is called Rathcahill and Templeglauntane; it contains two chapels. About 150 children are educated in a school supported by the Earl of Devon, and in two national schools; and there are five private schools, in which are about 120 boys and 60 girls. Ruins exist of the church of the Knights Templars, called Teampul-na-glauntane, in which is a tomb of the ancient family of Lacy; of another, called Team-pul-na-Hinghine-bugdhe, or "the Church of the Devout Daughter ;" and of the fine old parish church. There are also the ruins of several heathen temples, or druidical altars.

MONEMOINTER, or BALLYCLOGHY, a parish, in the barony of GAULTIER, county of WATERFORD, and province of MUNSTER, 4 miles (S. S. E.) from Waterford; containing 102 inhabitants. This small parish, also called Monamentra, is situated upon the western side of the harbour of Waterford. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Waterford, constituting, with the rectories of Kilmacomb and Kilmacleague, and parts of those of Riesk and Kilmeaden, the corps of the chancellorship of Waterford, in the patronage of the Bishop. The tithes amount to £30; and the gross annual value of the dignity, tithes and glebes inclusive, is £476. S. 5. There are three glebes in the union, comprising 35 statute acres, with a house or store in Waterford let at a rent of £31.

MONEYGALL, a village and post-town, in the parish of CULLENWAYNE, barony of CLONLISK, KING'S county, and province of LEINSTER, 6 3/4 miles (S. W.) from Roscrea, and 65 3/4 (S.W. by S.) from Dublin, on the mail coach road to Limerick; containing 379 inhabitants. It comprises 76 houses, and is situated on the estate of the Rev. W. Minchin, near the confines of the county of Tipperary: it has a patent for three fairs during the year, and is a constabulary police station. It is in contemplation to hold petty sessions here shortly. Adjoining is Greenhills, the residence of the proprietor, a modern and elegant mansion in a highly ornamented demesne. Busherstown, originally called Bouchards-town, is a handsome residence of a branch of the same family. The church service is performed twice every Sunday in the school-house, there being no church in the parish. There is a R. C. chapel, and a dispensary was established in 1826.

MONEYMORE, a market and post-town, partly in the parish of DESERTLYN, but chiefly in that of ARDTREA, barony of LOUGHINSHOLIN, county of LONDONDERRY, and province of ULSTER, 24 miles (S.) from Coleraine, and 92 (N.) from Dublin, on the road to Coleraine; containing 1025 inhabitants. This place, which is one of the oldest post-towns in the country, is noticed by Pynnar, in his survey of Ireland, as consisting of an ancient castle, which he describes as a fine old building, and of six good houses of stone and lime, supplied with water conveyed by pipes to the castle and to each of the houses from a well near the limestone quarry at Spring Hill. Cormick O'Hagan, a follower of Sir Phelim O'Nial, took the castle by stratagem in 1641, and it remained for a long time in the possession of the insurgents, by whom it was subsequently destroyed. Sir Phelim, some time after, rendezvoused his troops at this place, whence he marched to plunder the house of Lissan, then the property and residence of Sir Thomas Staples. The castle which was one of the most perfect in Ireland, was taken down about the year 1760, to afford room for a small public-house, and only some portions of the walls are at present remaining. In lowering the high street and the hills some years since, some of the old water pipes were discovered, the wood of which crumbled into dust, but the iron hoops were in a tolerably perfect state and are now in the possession of Mr. Miller; some more of the pipes were also found in trenching a field adjoining the spring, proving the accuracy of Pynnar's statement. The town consists of two principal and five smaller streets, and contains 184 houses, which are very neatly built, and several others are now in progress of erection. About a quarter of a mile above it is Spring Hill, the seat of W. L. Conyngham, Esq., a fine mansion more than 200 years old, pleasantly situated in grounds tastefully arranged and commanding some finely varied scenery; the demesne is enriched with some remarkably fine beech, oak, ash, and fir trees, and close to the house is a remarkably fine cedar. A very elegant house has been recently built by Rowley Miller, Esq., agent of the Drapers' company, and another by J. R. Miller, Esq.; the glebe-house, built in 1831 by the Hon. and Rev. J. P. Hewitt, is a very handsome residence; and Desertlyn Cottage, the residence of J. Smyth, Esq., is pleasantly situated and the grounds tastefully laid out. There are also, in the immediate vicinity of the town, handsome houses belonging to Z. Maxwell and E. L. Batchelor, Esqrs., the Rev. J. Barnett, the Rev. G. Thompson, Mrs. Hamilton and others.

The surrounding district has been greatly improved by the Drapers' company, who are the proprietors, since the year 1817, when, on the expiration of a lease granted to Sir W. Rowley, the estates returned into their possession, and have since been managed under their superintendence. The annual rent roll is £10,300, the whole of which is expended by the company in the improvement of the country generally, and more especially of their own property. They have planted more than 800 statute acres, and have completed more than 50 Irish miles of good road at their own expense, for the convenience and benefit of their tenantry; they have expended more than £1000 in the erection of bridges, and are about to plant 800 acres of mountainous land, in addition to the former plantations. They have thus not only added to the improvement and embellishment of the surrounding district, but have contributed greatly to the benefit of the poor by affording employment to the industrious, and have given directions to their agents to afford employment to all that may stand in need of it. The system of agriculture has been greatly improved under the auspices of the North-West Farming Society; there is little or no waste land, and scarcely sufficient bog to supply the inhabitants with fuel. There are many limestone quarries, from which lime is procured chiefly for manure; sandstone and freestone of good quality abound, and from the quarries of the latter was raised the stone for the erection of the new church; coal has also been found near the surface, and about two years since an attempt was made to explore the vein, but without success. The linen manufacture is carried on extensively throughout the district; and there is a considerable traffic by means of Lough Neagh, which is within four miles of the town, and across which merchandise brought by the canal from Belfast and Newry is conveyed to Port Ballyronan, where corn, butter and other agricultural produce of this neighbourhood are shipped to those places for exportation to Liverpool and other English ports. The market is on Monday, and fairs are held on the 21st of each month, at which, in addition to horses, cows, swine, sheep, and agricultural produce, large quantities of linen are also sold. These are the largest linen fairs in the North of Ireland; the sales, on an average, amount to £40,000 per annum. An additional linen market, established in 1835, is held on the first Monday in every month; it is well attended, and promises to equal the other linen fairs in the extent of its sales. The market and court-house, and the linen-hall, erected in 1818, are neat and well-arranged buildings; and near them is a spacious and handsome hotel, erected about the same time. A new marketplace and a spacious corn-store are now being erected, a little off the main street, which will diminish the pressure of the people on market and fair days; and here corn, potatoes, butchers' meat and other articles will be exposed for sale. A constabulary police force is stationed in the town; petty sessions are held on alternate Tuesdays, and a court for the manor once every month, in which debts to the amount of 40s. late currency are recoverable. The manor is co-extensive with the whole estates belonging to the Drapers' company, which include portions of the several parishes of Arboe, Ardtrea, Ballynascreen, Derryloran, Desertlyn, Desertmartin, Kilcronaghan, Lissan, Maghera, and Tamlaght. This estate comprises 64 townlands, nine of which are native freeholds, each paying a chief rent to the company, and of which seven are in the parish of Kilcronaghan.

The parish church of Desertlyn, situated in the town, is a very handsome structure, in the Norman style, and was erected in 1832, at an expense of £6000, wholly defrayed by the Drapers' company. There are also a handsome R. C. chapel, towards the rebuilding of which the same company contributed £230; a place of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, built by the company at an expense of £4000; and one for those in connection with the Seceding Synod, built on ground presented by the company, who also contributed £250 towards its erection; these last pay an annual rent of 5s., and the ground around them has been tastefully laid out and planted by the company. Two large and handsome school-houses, with residences for a master and mistress, were built in the town in 1820, and are supported by the Drapers' company, who also have built and support four others in the rural parts of their estate: in these schools about 1400 children are gratuitously instructed, and ten of the boys annually apprenticed to handicraft trades; the masters have each a salary of £50 and the mistresses of £35 per ann., with a house rent-free and a supply of fuel. Two dispensaries, with houses for resident surgeons, were built and are supported by the company, one here and one at Draperstown, for the benefit of their tenantry; and two county dispensaries at the same places were also erected and are solely supported by the same company, for the benefit of such inhabitants of the surrounding district as do not reside on their estates. The company allow £1000 per ann., for the maintenance of the schools and dispensaries, which are regulated by a Board of Governors, consisting of the clergy of all denominations, the resident gentry of the neighbourhood, and the respectable farmers on the estate. There are several Danish forts in the parish, two of which, on the townland of Tulnagee, are in a perfect state; and adjoining the linen-hall are some slight vestiges of the ancient castle.

MONIMOLIN. -- See MONOMOLIN.

MONIVAE, or ABBERT, a market-town and parish, in the barony of TYAQUIN, county of GALWAY, and province of CONNAUGHT, 7 1/2 miles (N.) from Craughwell, to which it has a penny post, on the road from Galway to Castle-Blakeney, and on the river Tyaquin; containing 5117 inhabitants. The parish comprises 15,337 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act: one-third of the land is good, the remainder being of indifferent quality; there are 1000 acres of waste, and 2500 of bog (on the estate of Tyaquin alone) all reclaimable. It is a constabulary police station, and petty sessions are held at irregular intervals. The market is held on Thursday; and fairs are held on May 12th and Oct. 12th. The principal seats are Tyaquin, the residence of Edmond Burke, Esq.; Monivae Castle, of Robt. French, Esq.; Rye Hill, of Mrs. Riddington; Abbert, of J. H. Blakeney, Esq.; Bellville, of T. Mahon, Esq.; Bengarra, of J. Bodkin, Esq.; and Currandoo, of M. Dowdall, Esq. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Tuam, and in the patronage of the incumbent of Athenry: the income of the perpetual curate is £92. 6. 1 1/2 ., derived from £60 paid by the rector of Athenry, and £32. 6. 1 1/2. from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The church is a neat edifice, built in 1761, towards which the late Board of First Fruits gave £268. In the R. C. divisions the parish is partly in the union or district of Athenry, and partly in that of Abbeyknockmoy; in each portion there is a chapel, one of which is on the Tyaquin estate. About 70 children are educated in the parochial school, which is aided by the perpetual curate; and about 100 in two private schools. A national school-house has just been completed; and here is a dispensary. In the demesne of Tyaquin are the ruins of an old castle; and an inscription on a stone in the old chapel purports that it covers the remains of Hobbert Burke, Earl of Ulster, Lord of Connaught, Viscount Galway and Baron Tyaquin. Here is a chalybeate spa, on the properties of which Dr. Macartney wrote a treatise.

MONKNEWTOWN, a parish, in the barony of UPPER SLANE, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 2 1/2 miles (E. by N.) from Slane, on the road to Drogheda; containing 700 inhabitants. It is bounded on the south by the river Boyne, and on the north-east it is separated by the Mattock from the parish of Tulloghallen, in the county of Louth, of which, in the ecclesiastical divisions, it is considered to form a part. The land is in general of excellent quality, and is nearly equally divided between tillage and pasture; the pasture land in the vicinity of New Grange, the residence of R. Maguire, Esq., is of the very best description. On the river Mattock is an extensive flour-mill, partly propelled by steam; and the canal from Drogheda to Navan passes through the southern part of the parish. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Grangegeeth: the chapel, a neat structure, is near the ruins of the ancient church. About 30 children are educated in a private school. At New Grange is a remarkable vestige of antiquity, consisting of a mound surrounded by a circle of upright stones, and in which is a vaulted cave in the form of a cross: it is fully described in the article on Slane.

MONKSGRANGE. -- See GRANGEMONK.

MONKSLAND, or MONKSTOWN, a parish, in the barony of UPPERTHIRD, county of WATERFORD, and province of MUNSTER, 3 miles (S. S. E.) from Kilmacthomas, on the river Mahon; containing 1024 inhabitants. It comprises 1290 statute acres, and is a rectory, in the diocese of Lismore, forming part of the union of Innislonnagh: the tithes amount to £112. The church serves as a chapel of ease to Innislonnagh, besides which divine service is performed once on Sunday, and on Tuesday evenings, in a school-house. A day school is supported by Lady Osborne, in which are about 40 children.

MONKSTOWN, a parish, in the barony of KERRYCURRIHY, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, on the new line of road from Passage to Cork, and on the western shore of the river Lee, at its confluence with the sea in Cork harbour; containing, with part of the post-town of Passage-West, 2199 inhabitants, of which number, 698 are in the village of Monkstown. It derives its name from a small establishment of Benedictine monks, called Legan abbey, belonging to the priory of St. John's, Waterford, which was formed here in the fourteenth century, on a grant of land made to the original establishment by the family of McCarthy, being part of their manor of Marmullane; of the buildings there are no traces. A house in the Elizabethan style was built on the side of a glen, in 1636, by Eustace Gould, called Monkstown castle: it is a gloomy structure, and was once rented by the government for barracks, but it is now used as a store-house by the proprietor, or lessee under Lords Longford and De Vesci, who, by the marriage of two heiresses, became possessed of this property, which had been forfeited by the Archdeacons, or Goulds, from their attachment to the cause of James II. in the revolution of 1688. The parish is bounded on the east and south-east by the Lee and the harbour of Cove; it comprises 1546 statute acres, of which about 100 are scattered woodland and ornamental grounds, 60 rock, and the remainder arable and pasture; the annual value is about £1500. The land is moderately well cultivated, though at a great expense, and the soil being fertile is productive of good crops of corn and grass. The rocks are of clay-slate, and, near Carrigmahon, are precipitous and interesting; the steepest is called the Giant's Stairs, being a rocky promontory with receding ledges of rock, having the appearance of a rude staircase when viewed from the opposite bank of the Lee. There are several quarries of a red and brown stone, useful for many purposes, the former being chiefly used for lining limekilns. The river Lee affords every facility for water carriage, and here is excellent anchorage for vessels of all sizes. The village, which has a penny post to Cork, comprises a great number of detached villas and cottages, many being new and very handsome, particularly twelve beautiful marine villas recently built close to the shore; they are constructed in the pure Elizabethan style, and are chiefly occupied by respectable families as bathing-lodges, for which purpose the village is most favourably situated. It is built on the sides of a deep glen, which is thickly clothed with beautiful and thriving plantations, much increasing the natural beauty of the scene: the prospect is very extensive, taking in the woods of Ballybricken, Rostellan, and Prospect; the islands of Hawlbowling, the Rock, and Spike, with their numerous forts, depots, arsenals, and magazines; Ringskiddy, crowned by its martello tower; and the numerous vessels in the harbour. Among the elegant residences scattered over the parish are Monkstown Castle, that of R. B. Shaw, Esq.; Rock Lodge, of J. Galwey, Esq.; Carrigmahon, of De Courcy O'Grady, Esq.; Rockville, of J. Taylor, Esq.; Bellevue, of N. S. Parker, Esq.; and the glebe-house, of the Rev. Alex. Stuart, besides several very beautiful houses in the portion of the town of Passage that is in the parish, which, by means of the new road, has become one place with Passage. This road was designed by Robert Shaw, Esq.; it winds round the base of all the bold and wooded hills, only a few feet above the level of the highest tides, uniting Cork, Douglas, Passage, Monkstown, Carrigaline, and Kinsale: the estimated cost was £2700, one-third of which was to be paid by the barony, the remainder by the county.

The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Cork and in the patronage of Lord De Vesci: the income of the vicar is £50 per ann., payable out of the estate of Monkstown, and secured by the two noble proprietors. The glebe-house, with three acres of land, formerly the residence of Mich. Westropp, Esq., is held by lease for ever from Robt. B. Shaw, Esq., at £25 per ann., derivable from Primate Boulter's augmentation fund. The church, which stands on a picturesque elevation, is a cruciform edifice in the early English style, with a tower and spire, 70 feet high, at the east end: it was built of hewn limestone, in 1832, at an expense of £950, raised by subscriptions from the patrons and others; S. Hollingsworth, Esq., contributed £350, and the noble proprietors of the estate £100. It contains a fine organ and gallery: the west window is of stained glass, exhibiting the armorial bearings of the principal subscribers. The bell has on it this inscription: "Monkstown Protestant church, erected by voluntary contributions, collected in Ireland and England by Gerrard Callaghan, Esq., M. P. for Cork, and the Rev. A. G. H. Hollingsworth. The first Protestant church erected since the Reformation. Lord Longford and Lord De Vesci gave the endowment; Gerrard Callaghan, Esq., M. P. for Cork, first commenced the subscription, and gave the ground for the church; Robert Shaw, Esq., of Monkstown, gave the glebe in perpetuity. A. G. H. Hollingsworth, the first Protestant incumbent; William Hill, of Cork, architect. The church completed March, 1832. Robert Shaw and Wm. Andrews, churchwardens." In the R. C. divisions the parish is annexed to West Passage and part of Carrigaline, the parishioners attending the chapel at Shanbally. The parochial and infants' schools are in Passage; they were founded by subscription in 1836, on land presented by W. Parker, Esq., to be held so long as they shall continue scriptural schools: the parochial school-house is very handsome, and will accommodate about 250 children; it is open to all children of Monkstown and Passage, and is supported by subscription. Besides these there are three private schools, in which are about 60 children. A parochial library has been established for the use of the poor, and an Indigent Room-Keepers' Society has been formed; both are supported by subscriptions. There is a bequest of £10 per ann., made by Mrs. Andrews, to the church, to commence after the decease of her husband. Within the demesne of Monkstown Castle, on the side of the glen, are the ruins of a small chapel, which was the last retreat of a few monks from the abbey of St. Mary, Bath: it was subsequently repaired and appropriated by the Archdeacon family, as a domestic chapel. Numerous Danish forts, or raths, are scattered over the parish; and on an elevated situation a circle of very large stones, partly sunk in the earth, and placed upright, are supposed to be the remains of a druidical altar. Crystals of Irish diamond, very clear and transparent, are occasionally found here; and there is a chalybeate spring.

MONKSTOWN, a parish, in the half-barony of RATHDOWN, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 5 miles (S. E.) from Dublin, on the road to Bray by Kingstown ; containing, with the town of Kingstown and the village of Blackrock (both of which are separately described), 9815 inhabitants. The parish probably derived its name from an ancient grange within its limits belonging to the priory of the Holy Trinity, Dublin. It is pleasantly situated on the bay of Dublin, and comprises 1214 1/2 acres of land, of which a large portion is in demesnes and pleasure grounds. The scenery is beautifully diversified, and the neighbourhood thickly studded with handsome seats and pleasing villas, most of which command fine views of the bay and the adjacent country. Of these, the principal are Monkstown Castle, the residence of Linden Bolton, Esq., a modern house, in the grounds of which are the ruins of two ancient castles of unknown origin; Rockville, of S. Bewley, Esq.; Bloomsbury, of J. Pim, Esq.; Windsor, of M. Thunder, Esq.; Ashton Park, of A. Thunder, Esq.; Monkstown House, of Capt. Kirwan; Somerset, of W. Disney, Esq.; Rochford, of G. P. Wallace, Esq.; Ranelagh House, of Mrs. Molesworth; Rich View, of R. Jordan, Esq.; Richmond Villa, of E. Alexander, Esq.; Carrigbrennan, of J. Pim, jun., Esq.; Richmond Cottage, of R. Gray,Esq.; Glenville, of Mrs. Warburton; Glenville, of H. Rooke, Esq.; Easton Lodge, of Col. Burgoyne; Richview Priory, of R. Jordan, Esq.; Purbeck Lodge, of Capt. Rochfort; Heathville, of J. M. Cheater, Esq.; Plantation, of W. Plant, Esq., M.D.; De Vesci Lodge, of R. Allen, Esq.; Hillsborough, of J. Pim, Esq.; Woodpark, of Mrs. Stepney; Avondale, of C. Hughes, Esq.; Albany House, of A. Williamson, Esq.; Mill-beach, of J. Williamson, Esq.; Monkstown, of E. Maguire, Esq.; Thornhill, of B. Arthure, Esq.; Cromwell Lodge, of J. Price, Esq.; Lark Hill, of T. Allen, Esq.; Richmond Hill, of B. Grant, Esq.; Milfield, of P. Gogarty, Esq.; Monkstown Hill, of S. James, Esq.; and Seafield Cottage, of M. George, Esq. The Dublin and Kingstown railway passes from Blackrock to Kingstown along the coast of this parish. The living is a rectory and curacy, in the diocese of Dublin, the rectory united to those of Kill, Dalkey, Killiney, and Tully, together constituting the corps of the deanery of Christ-Church, Dublin, in the patronage of the Crown; and the curacy united to the curacies of the same parishes, forming the union of Monkstown, in the patronage of the Dean. The tithes amount to £204. 9., the whole payable to the curate; the dean receives only two-thirds of the tithes of the other parishes in the union, the remaining third being also paid to the curate. The glebe-house is a neat building, and there are two glebes, comprising together 14 acres. The church was rebuilt a few years since in the later English style, and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £216 towards its repair. There are chapels of ease at Blackrock, Killiney, and Kingstown. In the R. C. divisions the greater part of the parish is within the union or district of Kingstown. There is a place of worship for the Society of Friends. About 780 children are taught in five public schools, of which the parochial and infants' schools are supported by subscription, and two under the new Board of Education are aided by an annual donation from the R. C. clergyman; there is also a private school, in which are about 60 children. The Rathdown dispensary, in this parish, was established in 1812, and from that time till June, 1835, afforded relief to 28,424 patients. From an accumulation of its funds, amounting to £500, an hospital was erected in 1834, containing four wards with eight beds in each, and apartments for the requisite attendants; it is situated in a healthy spot, nearly in the centre of the barony, and is supported by subscription. There are some remains of the ancient church; and near the village of Glasthule is a curious rocking-stone of very large dimensions.

MONKSTOWN, or MOUNTOWN, a parish, in the barony of SKREEN, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 5 miles (S. E. by S.) from Navan; on the road to Duleek by Black-Lion; containing 429 inhabitants. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Meath, entirely impropriate in Mrs. C. Reynell: the tithes amount to £151. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Johnstown. A national school at Walterstown affords instruction to about 50 children.

MONMOHENNOCK, or DUNMANOGUE, a parish, in the barony of KILKEA and MOONE, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (S. W.) from Castledermot; with which place the population is returned. This parish comprises 2790 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. It is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Dublin, forming the corps of the prebend of Monmohennock, in the cathedral of St. Patrick's, and part of the union of Castledermot: the tithes amount to £200, and the gross annual value of the prebend is £222. 10. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the union or district of Castledermot: a neat chapel has lately been erected here. A school has also lately been built under the National Board, in which about 60 children are taught. There are very small remains of the old abbey of Dunmanogue.

MONOMOLIN, or MONOMOLING, a parish, partly in the barony of BALLAGHKEEN, but chiefly in that of GOREY, county of WEXFORD, and province of LEINSTER, 8 miles (S. by W.) from Gorey, on the old road from that place to Wexford; containing 1986 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Awen-o-varra, by which it is partly bounded on the east, and comprises 7743 statute acres, chiefly under tillage: within its limits is a quarry of good building stone. The living is a rectory and perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Ferns: the rectory forms part of the union of Leskinfere, and the corps of the treasurership of Ferns; the curacy, formed in 1822, is in the patronage of the Treasurer. The tithes amount to £461, of which £401 is payable to the rector, and £60 to the curate; the latter sum being the amount of the tithes of the townlands of Clone and Curratabbin, with which the curacy was endowed by the present incumbent. The glebe-house was built by aid of a gift of £450, and a loan of £50 from the late Board of First Fruits, and, together with a glebe of 26 acres, is attached to the curacy. The church is a neat modern structure, towards the erection of which the same Board granted a loan of £1000; and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have lately given £154 for its repair. In the R. C. divisions the parish is partly in the union or district of Monageer, but chiefly in that of Litter: the chapel is at Monomolin. About 30 children are educated in the parochial school, which was established a few years since by the incumbent and is partly supported by subscription: the master has the school-house and an acre of land rent-free.

MONSEA, or MOUNTSEA, a parish, in the barony of LOWER ORMOND, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 2 1/4 miles (N. W.) from Nenagh, on the road to Dromineer, near the river Shannon; containing 1753 inhabitants. It comprises about 5265 statute acres, chiefly in tillage; the land is in general good, limestone abounds, and the state of agriculture is much improved.

There is a small portion of wet or bottom land. Great facility for the transport of agricultural and other produce is afforded by the steam-boats of the Inland Navigation Company, one of whose stations is in the adjoining parish of Dromineer. The seats are Richmond, the residence of R. W. Gason, Esq., situated in a handsome and well-planted demesne; Tullaghmore, of Wm. Finch, Esq.; the glebe-house, of the Rev. Wm. Cromie; and Rockfort, the property of J. Wolfe, Esq. It is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Killaloe, each forming a distinct benefice, and both in the gift of the Bishop. Of the tithes, amounting to £415. 7. 8 1/2., two-thirds are payable to the rector, and the remainder to the vicar. There is a glebe comprising 8a. 1r.; and a glebe-house, erected in 1813, by aid of a gift of £400, and a loan of £308, from the late Board of First Fruits. The church is a plain structure with a tower, built in 1799, by aid of a gift of £500, and repaired in 1818 by a loan of £50 from the same Board. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, comprising also the parishes of Killodiernan and Dromineer, and containing two chapels: that of Monsea is a handsome modern building, situated at Carrick; the other is in Killodiernan. About 50 children are educated in a private school. At Ballyatalla are some vestiges of the ancient castle of that name.

MOONE, a parish, in the barony of KILKEA and MOONE, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER, 2 miles (S. by W.) from Ballytore, on the mail coach road from Dublin to Carlow: the population is returned with Timolin. This parish comprises 7220 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £4234 per annum: the soil is tolerably good and agriculture improving; the land is chiefly under tillage, with some excellent pasture. There are quarries of good grey stone, used for building. The village consists of about 40 houses: here are extensive mills, capable of grinding 15,000 bags of flour annually, the property of Ebenezer Shackleton, Esq., who is building an elegant residence in the Elizabethan style adjoining. Moone Abbey, the seat of Benedict A. Yates, Esq., takes its name from a monastery of the order of St. Francis, near which it is situated; and on the summit of a neighbouring hill are the remains of a long narrow church, supposed to have belonged to that establishment. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Dublin, forming part of the union of Timolin; the rectory is appropriate to the economy fund of the cathedral of St. Patrick, Dublin. The tithes amount to £378, of which £252 is payable to the economy fund, and £126 to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the union or district of Castledermot; the chapel is a large cruciform structure in the village. There are remains of an ancient castle, supposed to have been built by one of the first English adventurers, on the bank of the river, above which, one tower yet standing forms a conspicuous object. Little of the history of this castle is known. It received considerable injury during the disturbances of 1798; but part of the building is preserved in a habitable condition by B. A. Yates, Esq. Near the ruins of the Franciscan monastery is a very curious ancient stone cross; and at a short distance, there is an artificial mount, in which Counsellor Ash was interred, by his own desire. and which has since been planted and enclosed with a wall.

MOORE, a parish, in the half-barony of MOYCARNON, county of ROSCOMMON, and province of CONNAUGHT, 2 1/2 miles (E.) from Ballinasloe, on the road to Athlone, and on the rivers Shannon and Suck; containing 4376 inhabitants. Disturbances have occasionally occurred of late years at this place, which has been the scene of many outrages. The parish comprises 9856 1/2 statute acres, chiefly arable and poor land; there are about 100 acres of bog, easily reclaimable, as there is a fall into the Shannon and Suck, which latter river merges into the Shannon, at right angles, at Shannon bridge good limestone is abundant. Petty sessions are held at Ballydangan every Thursday; and there is a constabulary police station, about a mile from which, at Tully House, is a chief station of the constabulary force. The principal seats are Clonburn, the residence of J. Knight, Esq.; Falta, of T. Power, Esq.; Thomastown Park, of E. H. Naghten, Esq.; Castle Park, of W. Kelly, Esq.; Birch Grove, of Mrs. O'Shaughnessy; Killawn, of E. Duffy, Esq.; Tully, of Mr. Lowry, the chief constable; Woodpark, of Owen Lynch, Esq.; Kilbegley, of B. Newcomen, Esq.; Correen, of J. T. Potts, Esq.; two at Shannon Bridge, the respective residences of A. and D. Lynch, Esqrs.; and Dromalga Cottage, the property of Sir R. St. George, Bart., now occupied by Mr. Dexter. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Tuam, episcopally united to the vicarage of Drum, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £224. 10., of which £12 is payable to the dean of Clonfert; and the gross tithes of the benefice are £302. 10. The church is a neat building, erected, in 1825, by a gift of £900 from t