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BAN
NAUGHT, 3 miles (W. by S.) from Tubbercurry: the po-
pulation is returned with the parish. It comprises about
30 cabins, and is beautifully situated on the banks of the
river Moy, which winds through it in a broad deep
stream, and on the road from Tubbercurry to Foxford.
A friary of Eremites, following the rule of St. Augustine,
was founded here in 1423, through the industry of a
brother of the order, and was dedicated to Corpus
Christi. The modern seat, called the Abbey, is the
residence of D. Jones, Esq., and from a plantation rises
the lofty steeple of the ancient monastery, built of hewn
stone and still entire. Fairs are held on Jan. 17th, May
19th, and Aug. 7th; and here is a station of the consta-
bulary police.—See KILMACTIGUE.
BANAGHER, a market and post-town (formerly
a parliamentary borough), in the parish of RYNAGH,
barony of GARRYCASTLE, KING’S county, and province
of LEINSTER, 6 miles (N. W. by N.) from Parsonstown,
and 64 miles (W. S. W.) from Dublin; containing 2636
inhabitants. This town is situated on the side of a hill,
on the south bank of the Shannon, just above the influx
of the little Brosna river, and at the junction of the
roads from Parsonstown to Cloghan and Eyrecourt.
The bridge, connecting it with the Galway shore, is one
of the oldest across the Shannon: it consists of several
small arches with projecting piers, and is very narrow
and inconvenient, but of great strength and solidity.
Latterly, however, this bridge, which is supposed to
have stood between 400 and 500 years, has shown
numerous symptoms of decay: it completely obstructs
the navigation of the river, to remedy which a canal
with a swing-bridge over it has been formed on the
Galway side. Its military defences are very strong: on
the King’s county or Banagher side is a tête-du-pont
mounting three pieces of heavy ordnance, and about
a ¼ of a mile lower down the river is a circular field
work with six pieces of ordnance; on the Galway side
to the right is a Martello tower, and on the left a small
battery. The town comprises about 500 houses, mostly
well built; the streets are Macadamised. It has a
reading-room; and close to the bridge are infantry
barracks for 3 officers and 63 men. There are a dis-
tillery, brewery, malt-house, and tanyards; and the
town has a good general trade with the rural popula-
tion of the surrounding district. It is well situated for
trade, having the advantages of steam navigation to
Limerick and the sea, and of water communication with
Athlone, Ballinasloe, and Dublin: the introduction of
steam navigation on the Shannon, has greatly benefited
the general trade of this place, and in the autumn of
1836 extensive surveys were made by order of Govern-
ment, with a view to improve the navigation of this
noble river. The market, originally granted in 1612 to
Sir John M c Coghlan, Knt., to be held on Thursday,—
and to the corporation in 1628 on Monday,—is now
held on Friday, and is a considerable corn market.
Fairs are held on May 1st, Sept. 15th and three fol-
lowing days, Oct. 28th, and Nov. 8th; that held in
September is a large fair for live stock, inferior only
to that of Ballinasloe. Here is a station of the consta-
bulary police.
The inhabitants were incorporated in 1628 by char-
ter of Chas. I., by which it was ordained that certain
lands, altogether comprising 200 acres of arable and
pasture land, and 70 acres of wood and moor, should
175
BAN
be a free borough; 1-13th of these lands was granted
to Sir Arthur Blundell and his heirs, 1-13th to Sir Mat-
thew Derenzie and his heirs, and 1-13th to each of the
other burgesses named in the charter, to be held in
free burgage at a rent of 3s. 1d. respectively. It fur-
ther granted to the corporation 222 acres of arable and
pasture land, and 7 acres of wood and moor, for the sup-
port of a resident preaching minister, whom they were
to appoint; and 200 acres of arable and pasture, and
85 acres of wood and moor, for the maintenance of a
schoolmaster in the town, to be appointed by the vice-
roy, or, in default, by a majority of the burgesses. It
also contained a grant of a court with jurisdiction to
the amount of £20; and constituted the sovereign, or
his deputy, a justice of the peace within the borough,
and coroner and clerk of the market, and empowered the
corporation at large to send two members to the Irish
parliament. The corporation was styled “The Sovereign,
Burgesses, and Free Commons of the Borough and Town
of Bannacher alias Bannagher;” and consisted of a
sovereign and twelve burgesses, with power to admit
freemen and appoint a recorder and other officers; but
the corporate offices have not been filled up since the
year 1800, when the borough was deprived of its right
of parliamentary representation, and the £15,000 award-
ed as compensation was paid to the Rt. Hon. Wm, Bra-
bazon Ponsonby. The sovereign formerly held, under
the charter, a court for the recovery of debts to the
amount of £20 late currency, which was discontinued
about forty years since: the only court now held is a
court of petty sessions every alternate Monday. The
lands granted by the charter for a preaching minister
are said to have been formerly held by a clergyman ap-
pointed by the corporation, who officiated in a church
now fallen into decay in the town; but they have for
many years become united to the rectory, and are now
held by the incumbent of the parish. At the entrance
to the town is the parish church, a handsome edifice in
the ancient English style of architecture, with a tower
and spire, built in 1829 at an expense of £2286, of
which £2030 was granted on loan by the late Board
of First Fruits. There is also a R. C. chapel, a large
plain building in good repair. A school was establish-
ed by the corporation pursuant to the charter granting
lands for its endowment: by an act of the 53rd of
Geo. III., cap. 107, these lands, which according to a
survey made in 1817 comprised about 370 acres, of
which about 233 acres are arable and pasture, were
vested in the Commissioners of Education, and the
schools placed under their control. The lands were
formerly let at a rent of £300, but are now held by the
master at a rent of £148. 17. 10. per annum, and the
Board has recently proposed to allow him a salary of
£200 on the condition of his surrendering all interest
in them, with a view to their being placed under the
superintendence of a local qualified agent. The school
is held very near the town, and was suspended from
1798 to 1807: there are no free scholars on the esta-
blishment, which in no respect differs from an ordinary
classical school, except that it is under the control of
the Board. The parochial school in the town is aided
by an annual donation from the incumbent; and there
is a national school for boys and girls, aided by volun-
tary contributions, also a dispensary. In the vicinity
is Cloghan Castle, the seat of Garrett O’Moore, Esq.,