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DUN
Danish raths, commanding extensive views, and an
ancient churchyard, near which is a well, supposed, to be
efficacious in various disorders, but probably owes its
celebrity to its being only a fine cold spring; there is
also a rath at Milltown. Dean Swift was for some time
incumbent of this parish.
DUNLEARY, county of Dublin.—See KINGS-
TOWN.
DUNLECKNEY, a parish, in the barony of Idrone
East, county of Carlow, and province of Leinster.,
on the road from Carlow to Burris; containing, with
the post-town of Bagenalstown, 4217 inhabitants. This
place, which is situated on the river Barrow, was
anciently the seat of the Kavanaghs, Kings of Leinster;
and in 1300 a preceptory of Knights Templars was
founded here, which continued only till 1308, when it
was suppressed. It was also the residence of the Bage-
nal family from the 16th to the 18th century, and is
at present the property of Walter Newton, Esq. In
1545, a battle took place at Ballynakill, near Garry hill,
in this parish, between the Kavanaghs of the latter place
and those of Polmonty, in which, after 100 on each side
were slain, the former were victorious and secured
possession of the territory which was the object of their
contention. The parish comprises 7751 statute acres,
as applotted under the tithe act; the land is good and
the system of agriculture in an improved state. Lime-
stone abounds and is quarried for agricultural purposes,
and there are quarries of fine granite, which is used for
building: the Barrow is navigable to Waterford. The
principal seats are Dunleckney, that of W. Newton,
Esq.; Bagenalstown House, of Miss Newton; Garry
Hill House, of Viscount Duncannon; the Lodge, of
Mrs. Weld; Rathwade House, of B. B. Norton, Esq.;
Lodge Mills, of S. Crosthwaite, Esq.; and Clonburrin, of
W. B. Cooke, Esq. The manufacture of starch is carried
on, and there is an extensive malting concern in the
parish belonging to Mr. Crosthwaite; fairs and petty
sessions are held at Bagenalstown. The living is a
vicarage, in the diocese of Leighlin, united in 1795 to
that of Agha, and in the patronage of A. Weldon, Esq.,
who is impropriator of the rectory. The tithes amount
to £830. 15. 4½., of which £553. 16. 11. is payable to
the impropriator, and £276. 18. 5½. to the vicar; and
the vicarial tithes of the union, to £415. 7. 8¼. The
glebe-house i.s a neat residence; the glebe comprises 10
acres. The church i.s a small edifice, and has been recently
repaired. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of
a union or district called Bagenastown, comprising also
part of the parishes of Agha, Fenagh, and Slyguff, The
chapel, a handsome edifice lately erected at an expense
of £2000, is situated at Bagenalstown; and there are
chapelts also at Newtown and Bailinkillen, and places of
worship for Wesleyan Methodists and Walkerites. The
parochial school-house, a neat building in the Grecian.
style, is in Bagenalstown, where also is a handsome
court-house in the same style, lately erected at the
expense of Philip Bagenal, Esq., in which quarter ses-
sions are held at the usual periods. Besides the paro-
chial school, there are two private schools in the town.
The side walls and gables of the old parish church are
still remaining in the churchyard; the interior was lighted
by narrow lancet-shaped windows, At Ballymoon are
the ruins of the castle of the preceptory of the Knights
Templars; the walls, which are 8 feet in thickness and
584
DUN
30 in height, enclose a square of 130 feet, flanked by
four square towers, and having a gateway entrance on
the west side.—See Bagnalstown.
DUNLEER, a post-town and parish (formerly a
parliamentary borough), in the barony of Ferrard,
county of Louth, and province of Leinster, 10 miles
(S. E.) from Dundalk, and 30 (N.) from Dublin, on the
great north road to Belfast; containing 1603 inhabi-
tants, of which number, 710 are in the town. This
place appears to have been first brought into notice by
its proprietor, Geo. Lcgge, Esq., ancestor of the Dart-
mouth family, to whom Chas. H., in 1671, granted
a market and fairs; and on whose petition, for the
greater encouragement of settlers, the same monarch, in
1678, incorporated the inhabitants by charter, vesting
the government in a sovereign, 12 burgesses, and an
indefinite number of freemen. The sovereign, who
with his deputy was a justice of the peace and coroner
for the borough, was annually elected, subject to the
approval of the lord of the manor, from the burgesses,
who also filled up vacancies in their own body, and by a
majority of whom the freemen were admitted by favour,
and a recorder and town-clerk and all other corporate
officers were appointed. The corporation returned two
members to the Irish parliament till the Union, when
the borough was disfranchised, and the £15,000 awarded
as compensation was paid in equal moieties to the Right
Hon. John Foster, speaker of the Irish Home of Com-
mons, and to Henry Coddington, Esq. From the
Union till the year 1811 a sovereign was regularly
elected, but since that period no election has taken place,
and the corporation is now virtually extinct. The town
contains 130 houses indifferently built, and is the pro-
perty of Rodolph de Salis, Esq. The market has been
long discontinued, but fairs are held under the charter
on July 5th, Dec. llth, May 14th, and Sept. 19th, and
other fairs toll-free on Jan. 6th, Feb. 1st, March 9th,
April 1st, June 9th, Aug. 11th, and Nov. 1st. A chief
constabulary police force is stationed in the town. The
parish, according to the Ordnance survey, comprises
237 8¾ statute acres. The living is a rectory., in the
diocese of Armagh, united by act of council, in 1682,
to the rectories of Dysart, Cappog, Monasterboyee, and
Moylary, and to the vicarage of Drumcar, and in
the patronage of the Crown, The tithen amount to
£153. 12. 3,, and of the whole benefice to £741. 11, 7
The glebe-house was built by a gilt of £100 and a loan
of £1125 from the late Board of First Fruits; the glebr
comprises 20¼ acres, of which 19¼ are subject to a rent
of £3 per acre, The church has been recently enlarged
and repaired, at an expense of £300 granted by the
same Board, In the R. C. divisions the parish is the
head of a union or district, comprising also the parishes
of Cappog, Mosstown, Drornin, and Richardstown, and
part of the parish of Kildemock; the chapel in a neat
edifiee, and there are chapels also at Dromin aud Moss-
town, About 50 children are taught in the parochial
school, which is supported by the rector and curate;
an infants’ school is supported by subscription; and a
handsome school-house has been built in connection
with the New Board of Education. There is also a
private school, in which are about 80 children; and a
dispensary. The horn of a large moose deer was found
some years since near the town.