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Lewis Topographical Dictionary - OSi Online Shop

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DEV<br />

in spinning flax. The river Scillies abounds with pike,<br />

bream, and perch, and salmon is occasionally taken in<br />

it; and in Lough Melvin, near the western boundary of<br />

the parish, is found the Gillaroo trout. Lough Erne is<br />

navigable from Belturbet to Belleek, a distance of 40<br />

miles; and the river Scillies is also partly navigable<br />

but is very little used. Fairs are held at Monea on<br />

Feb. 7th, Whit-Monday, July 7th, Aug. 26th, Oct.<br />

13th, and Nov. 12th, for cattle of all kinds, yarn, and<br />

turner’s ware; fairs are also held at Garrison and Der-<br />

rygonnelly.<br />

The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese<br />

of Clogher, constituting the corps of the prebend of<br />

Devenish in the cathedral of Clogher, and in the pa<br />

tronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £295.7. 8¼.<br />

The glebe-house was erected in 1820, by aid of a loan<br />

of £843 from the late Board of First Fruits: the glebe<br />

comprises 400 acres. The parish church, for the repair<br />

of which the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently<br />

granted £205. 10. 10., is an ancient edifice without any<br />

remarkable architectural features, situated in the village<br />

of Monea. There is a chapel of ease at Garrison,<br />

erected by aid of a gift of £900 from the late Board of<br />

First Fruits, in 1828: it is served by a curate, and<br />

divine service is also performed in a farm-house on the<br />

mountains. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the<br />

head of a union or district, called also Derrygonnelly,<br />

and comprising also parts of the parishes of Innismacsaint<br />

and Bohoe; there are three chapels, one at Monea, one<br />

at Derrygonnelly, and one at Garrison, all plain struc<br />

tures. There are places of worship for Wesleyan Me<br />

thodists, at Derrygonnelly and at Springfield, in each of<br />

which divine service is performed on alternate Sundays.<br />

Schools are supported by the rector at Monea and Le-<br />

velly; a school for children of both sexes is supported<br />

at Moyglass, by the Marquess of Ely; one at Derry<br />

gonnelly, and another at Monea, by Mrs. Brien, of<br />

Castletown; and there is a school under the National<br />

Board at Knocknashannon, altogether affording gratui<br />

tous instruction to 450 children: there are two pay<br />

schools, in which are about 50 boys and 50 girls.<br />

The island of Devenish appears to have derived its<br />

early importance from the foundation of a religious<br />

establishment, in honour of St. Mary, by St. Laserian,<br />

called also Molaisse and now Molush, who died in 563,<br />

and was succeeded by St. Natalis, son of AEngus, King<br />

of Connaught. This establishment was plundered by<br />

the Danes in 822, 834, and 961, and appears to have<br />

been refounded in 1130, and to have continued till the<br />

dissolution. The island, though not in itself very re<br />

markable for picturesque beauty, forms a portion of the<br />

most interesting scenery in Lough Erne; it comprises<br />

about 70 or 80 Irish acres, and the land is so fertile as<br />

to require little or no manure; when viewed from the<br />

water, it presents an outline of oval form, but whether<br />

from neglect, or from the great value of the land, it is<br />

entirely destitute of timber. Of its ancient religious<br />

establishments there are some interesting remains: the<br />

lower church, dedicated to St. Molush, is 76 feet long<br />

and 21 feet wide, with a large aisle on the north; and near<br />

it is an ancient building, 30 feet long and 18 feet wide,<br />

with a roof entirely of hewn stone, called St. Molush’s<br />

house. Near the summit of the hill are the remains of<br />

the abbey, of which the ruined church is 94 feet long<br />

and 24 feet wide, with a large aisle northward; near the<br />

459<br />

DIN<br />

centre is an arch of black marble, resting on four<br />

pillars and supporting a belfry tower, with a grand<br />

winding staircase leading to the summit, which com<br />

mands an extensive prospect over the lake and the sur<br />

rounding country. Within the abbey is a stone, bearing<br />

the inscription, in old Saxon characters, “Matheus<br />

O’Dubagan hoc opus fecit, Bartholomeo O’Flannagan Priori<br />

de Daminis. A. I). 1449.” About 100 paces from the<br />

abbey is St. Nicholas 1 well to which great numbers<br />

formerly resorted. Near the church of the abbey is an<br />

ancient round tower in excellent preservation: it is 82<br />

feet high and 49 in circumference, and formed of stones<br />

accurately hewn to the external and internal curve, and<br />

cemented with mortar in quantity so small that the<br />

joints of the stones are almost imperceptible; it is<br />

covered with a conical roof of hewn stones in diminish<br />

ing series; under the cornice which encircles it at the<br />

top, and which is divided into four equal compartments,<br />

each containing a sculptured subject, are four windows<br />

facing the cardinal points, above each of which is a<br />

carved human head; below there” are other windows at<br />

different distances, and about seven feet from the base<br />

is the entrance doorway, about four feet high. This<br />

beautiful monument of antiquity, which was beginning<br />

to show symptoms of partial dilapidation, was tho<br />

roughly repaired in 1835. There are some remains of<br />

an old castle at Monea, and of an ancient family re<br />

sidence at Tullycalter; several Danish forts are scat<br />

tered over the parish; and in the bogs have been found<br />

querns or handmills for grinding corn, the stones of<br />

which were about two feet in diameter.—See DERRY<br />

GONNELLY and GARRISON.<br />

DEVIL’S-GLEN.—See KILLESKY.<br />

DEVLANE, or DAVILANE, an island, in the pa<br />

rish of KILMORE, barony of ERRIS, county of MAYO,<br />

and province of CONNAKGHT, 14 miles (S. W.) from Bel-<br />

mullet: the population is returned with the parish.<br />

This island is situated off Blacksod bay, on the western<br />

coast, about two miles from the extremity of the penin<br />

sula, called the Mullet: near it is a smaller island, called<br />

Devlane-beg.<br />

DIAMORE, orDIAMOR, a parish, in the barony<br />

of DEMIFORE, county of MEATH, and province of<br />

LEINSTER, If mile (W.) from Crossakeel, on the road<br />

from Oldcastle to Kells; containing 724 inhabitants.<br />

This parish comprises 4207 statute acres, as applotted<br />

under the tithe act. At Diamor is a quarry of good<br />

limestone, chiefly used for building; and at Bellvue is<br />

the neat residence of John Daniell, Esq. It is a vicarage,<br />

in the diocese of Meath, and forms part of the union of<br />

Loughcrew; the rectory is impropriate in E. Rotherarn,<br />

of Hollymount, Esq. The tithes amount to £140, pay<br />

able in equal portions to the impropriator and the vicar.<br />

In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union<br />

or district of Kilskyre. There is a private school, in<br />

which are about 20 boys and 20 girls.<br />

DINGINDONOVAN, or DANGAN, a parish, in<br />

the barony of IMOKILLY, county of Come, and province<br />

of MTJNSTER, 3 miles (N. N. W.) from Castle-Martyr;<br />

containing 1120 inhabitants. This parish, which by<br />

the country people is called Danion, comprises 5449<br />

statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. By<br />

draining, irrigating, and the introduction of modern<br />

farming implements, the state of agriculture has been<br />

greatly improved. A large supply of turf is procured<br />

3 N 2

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