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LOW
in the diocese of Armagh, and in the patronage of the
Crown for two presentations, and the Lord-Primate for
one. The tithes amount to £1988. 1. 9.; the glebe-
house was built in 1813, at an expense of £4940. 6. 1¾.,
and the glebe comprises 64¾ statute acres of cultivated
land, valued at £147. 14. 2. The church is a plain
structure, erected about 1807 and enlarged in 1828 by
parochial assessment; it has a tower and spire, which
are not yet completed, and has been recently repaired
by a grant of £242 from the Ecclesiastical Commis-
sioners. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of
the Established Church; there are three chapels, situ-
ated at Louth, Knockbridge, and Stonetown; the two
first are spacious edifices. About 500 children are taught
in four public schools, of which the parochial school in
the town, with an infants’ school attached to it, is partly
supported by the rector; one near Glyde Farm by the
trustees of Erasmus Smith’s charity, also aided by the
rector; and one on the demesne of Stephenstown, sup-
ported by the rector and M. Fortescue, Esq. There are
five private schools, in which are about 400 children;
and a dispensary for the poor, who, when unable to
attend, are visited at their own dwellings. At Ard-
patrick, in this parish, a church was founded by St.
Patrick, of which no part remains; and at Knock a
monastery for Canons Regular, and dedicated to St.
Peter and St. Paul, was founded in 1148, by Donchad
O’Kervaill, prince of Orgial, and Edan Coellaidhe, Bishop
of Clogher, who also founded the priory of Louth.
Marian O’Gorman, who was abbot in 1167, composed a
martyrology in the Irish language, which existed in the
time of Colgan and was then in great esteem; the en-
dowment was augmented by Hugh de Ardiz, in 1260,
but was yet insufficient for the maintenance of its esta-
blishment. The abbot surrendered the monastery, with
its revenues, in the 31st of Hen. VIII.; and Jas, I., in
the 3rd of his reign, granted it to Sir John King, Knt.,
at the yearly rent of £16. 10. 4.; there are no remains.
On the summit of a hill near this place is Mount Ash,
a curious fort, supposed to be of Danish origin; it con-
sists of an oval mount, the surface of which is depressed,
and surrounded with a vallum, and around two-thirds
of the circumference is a second vallum with a ditch.
On the glebe land is Fairy Mount, an abrupt conical
eminence surrounded by a high earthen vallum; and
Castle-Ring, near the town, is of similar construction,
but more elevated, and has a small stream surrounding
it between the vallum and the counterscarp; on the
summit are the foundations of a hexagonal mural fort.
The remains of the ancient abbey of Louth, founded by
St. Patrick, or rather of the priory subsequently erected
on its site, are extensive but in a very dilapidated state;
and the cemetery is still a favourite place of interment.
Dr. Plunkett, the R. C. Archbishop of Armagh, who
was executed in London for high treason, was for some
time resident here.
LOWESGREAN, or ROESGREEN, a hamlet, in
the parish of ST. PATRICK’S ROCK, barony of MIDDLE-
THIRD, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUN-
STER., 3 miles (S.) from Cashel, on the road to Clonmel;
containing 62 inhabitants. Fairs are held on Aug. 2nd,
and Oct. 23rd; and one of the R. C. chapels of the
union or district of Cashel is situated here.
LOWEY.—See LAVAY.
LOW ISLAND.—See KILDYSART.
VOL. II.—321
LUC
LOWRYSTOWN.—See BEREGEL
LOWTHERSTOWN.—See IRVINESTOWN.
LUCAN, a post-town and parish, in the barony of
NEWCASTLE, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEIN-
STER, 7 miles (W.) from Dublin, on the mail road to
Galway and Sligo; containing 1755 inhabitants, of
which number, 1229 are in the town. After the English
settlement it appears to have been granted to Richard
de Peche, one of the earliest English adventurers, and
in 1220 was the property of Waryn de Peche, who
founded the monastery of St. Catherine, near Leixlip.
In the reign of Rich. II. it was in the possession of the
Rokeby family, and in the 16th century it belonged to
the Sarsfield family, of whom William, one of the ablest
generals in the service of Jas. II., was by that monarch,
after his abdication, created Earl of Lucan, from whom
it descended by marriage to the ancestor of Col. G.
Vesey, its late proprietor. The town is beautifully
situated in a fertile vale on the eastern bank of the
river Liffey, over which is a handsome stone bridge of
one arch, built in 1794, and ornamented with balus-
trades of cast iron from the Phoenix iron-works, near
Dublin. At the other side of the bridge, on the eastern
bank of the river, is the picturesque glebe of the incum-
bent, the Rev. H. E. Prior. The total number of houses
is 187, most of which are well built, and many of them are
fitted up as lodging-houses for the reception of visitors,
who, during the summer season, resort to this place to
drink the waters, which are found efficacious in scorbutic,
bilious, and rheumatic affections. A handsome Spa-house
has been erected, consisting of a centre and two wings, in
one of which is an assembly-room, 62 feet long and 22
feet wide, in which concerts and balls are given; the
house affords excellent accommodation for families. The
mineral spring, from its having a higher temperature
than others in the neighbourhood, is called the “Boil-
ing Spring;” the water, on an analysis made in 1822,
was found to contain, in two gallons, 70 grains of
crystallised carbonate of soda, 20 of carbonate of lime,
1½ of carbonate of magnesia, 2 of silex, 6½ of muriate
of soda, and 14 of sulphur. The scenery of the neigh-
bourhood is beautifully diversified, and its short distance
from the metropolis renders the town a place of fashion-
able resort and of pleasant occasional residence. A
chief constabulary police force is stationed in it, and
petty sessions are held on Tuesdays. The parish,
through a portion of which the Royal Canal passes, is
in a high state of cultivation; the soil is fertile and
the crops are abundant. Lucan, the interesting resi-
dence of Mrs. Vesey, is a spacious mansion, situated in
a highly embellished demesne, comprising nearly 500
statute acres extending along the banks of the Liffey:
within the grounds is a monument to one of the Sarsfield
family, near which are an ancient oratory, dedicated to
St. John, and thickly covered with ivy, and a holy well.
Of the other seats the principal are St. Edmonsbury, that
of T. R. Needham, Esq., a tasteful demesne beautifully
situated and commanding some fine views; Weston Park,
of J. Hamilton Reid, Esq., finely situated on the Liffey;
Woodville, of Major-Gen. Sir H. S. Scott, K.C.B,; Her-
mitage, of Sir John Kingsmill, Knt.; Finstown House,
of J. Rorke, Esq.; Lucan Abbey, or Canon Brook, of J.
Gandon, Esq.; Primrose Hill, of A. Heron, Esq., M.D.;
Glenwood, of J. Bingham, Esq.; Villa, of T. Smullen, Esq.;
View Mount, of Major J. Wolfe; Lucan Lodge, of Capt.
2 T