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KEL
KEALAVOLLEN, or KILLAVULLANE, a village,
in the parish of MONANIMY, barony of FERMOY, county
of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 2½ miles (S.W.) from
Castletownroche, on the river Blackwater, and at the
intersection of the road from Mallow to Fermoy by that
from Doneraile to Cork: the population is returned with
the parish. This place is picturesquely situated at the
foot of the range called the Nagle mountains, from the
name of the family that for several centuries possessed
this district, and whose descendants still reside in the
neighbourhood. The Blackwater is here crossed by a
neat stone bridge of three arches, at the south end of
which is an immense rock overhanging the river, the
base of which has been worn away by the action of the
water, and is perforated so as to form a low and narrow
cavern of considerable extent, resembling a subterra-
neous passage. The road from the bridge winds round
the steep rock, and branches off towards the east through
a romantic mountain pass on the old road to Fermoy.
The village, which consists of several comfortable houses,
is the property of James Henessy, Esq., by whom its
vicinity has been extensively planted, and whose man-
sion, Ballymackmoy House, stands on the summit of
the rock before mentioned,, and commands an extensive
view of the surrounding scenery, which is here of the
most picturesque and diversified character. The air is
very salubrious, and the river affords excellent salmon
and trout fishing. Here are the R. C. chapel of the
district, a station of the constabulary police, and the
neat residence of the Rev. G. Spaight, rector of Mona-
nimy; and in the immediate vicinity is a large boulting-
mill, lately discontinued.
KEELSALAGH.—See KILSILLAGH.
KELLISTOWN, or KELLYSTOWN, a parish,
partly in the barony of FORTH, but chiefly in that of
CARLOW, county of CARLOW, and province of LEINSTER,
4½ miles (S.E.) from Carlow, on the road from that place
to Newtown-Barry; containing 662 inhabitants. It
comprises some elevated grounds, which command ex-
tensive prospects; and in it is Moyle, the residence of
T. Bunbury, Esq. The living is a rectory, in the dio-
cese of Leighlin, and in the gift of the Crown for two
turns, and the Bishop for one: the tithes amount to
£361. 12. 6. The church is a small plain building, for
the erection of which the late Board of First Fruits
granted a gift of £600 and a loan of £100, in 1810; it
was lately repaired by a grant of £155 from the Eccle-
siastical Commissioners. The glebe-house was built in
1801, by aid of a gift of £100 from the late Board; the
glebe comprises 20a. 2r. 23p. In the R. C. divisions
the parish forms part of the union or district of Gil-
bertstown. One of the ancient round towers stood here
till 1807, when it was pulled down to make room for
the belfry of the church. The remains of the old church
denote an early date; in the burial-ground are some
tombstones of the Cummins family, formerly proprietors
of this place.
KELLS, a parish, in the barony of LOWER ANTRIM,
county of ANTRIM, and province of ULSTER, 5½ miles (N.)
from Antrim, on the road from Ballymena to Randals-
town: the population is included in the return for the
parish of Connor, into which this place (which in the
civil divisions is not recognized as a parish) is generally
considered to have merged. In the early part of the
ninth century, a cell existed here, on the site of which
35
KEL
a priory was erected some time before the arrival of the
English, by O’Brien Carrog, who dedicated it to the
Blessed Virgin; and it existed till 1442, when it was
surrendered, with all its possessions. The village has a
neat appearance; it is a constabulary police station, and
has a penny post to Antrim. Fairs are held on Jan. 10th,
March 1st, June 10th, and Sept. 12th. The parish is in
the diocese of Connor, and is wholly impropriate in the
Earl of Mountcashel, who allows the incumbent of the
adjoining parish of Connor £3 per annum for discharg-
ing the clerical duties.
KELLS, a parish, in the barony of KELLS, county of
KILKENNY, and province of LEINSTER, 6¼ miles (S.by W.)
from Kilkenny, on the road from that place to Carrick-
on-Suir; containing 1658 inhabitants, of which number,
482 are in the village. This place, which was formerly
of considerable importance, was built by Geoffry Fitz-
Robert, one of Earl Strongbow’s followers, for his
English companions: he also founded a priory in
1183, which he filled with monks from Bodmin, in
Cornwall; and his sons William and John gave char-
ters to the inhabitants, constituting the place a free
borough. The town afterwards passed into the De
Birmingham family, and was burnt by William De
Birmingham in 1252, during a dispute with the St.
Aubans. Edward Bruce occupied it for a short time in
1316, and in 1327 it was again burnt by the De Bir-
minghams. In the early part of the 14th century, the
barony was granted to the Poers, and the town was
fortified by Sir Eustace le Poer. Roger Mortimer, Earl
of March, Lord-Lieutenant of Ireland, was slain near
this place, in 1398, by the O’Byrnes, whom he had
pursued from their own country near Dublin. The
priory, with some of its possessions, was granted at the
dissolution to the Earl of Ormonde. The prior was a
lord of parliament, and the priory of Tullelash, in the
county of Cork, was under his authority. Several tow-
ers and part of the walls remain, and there is a large
moat, said to have belonged to a college. The village,
which contains about 70 houses, is a constabulary po-
lice station, and has a penny post to Thomastown. A
fair is held in it on July 13th.
The parish comprises 4384 -statute acres, as applot-
ted under the tithe act; there are three large flour-mills,
worked by water. The principal seats are Church View,
the residence of T. Izod, Esq., and the glebe-house, of
the Rev. C. Darby. The living is a vicarage, in the
diocese of Ossory, united by act of council, in 1678, to
the rectories and vicarages of Earlstown, Ballytobin,
and Mallardstown, and the rectories of Kilree, Stam-
carty, and Annamult, and in the alternate patronage of
the Bishop and the Marquess of Ormonde, in the latter
of whom the rectory is impropriate. The tithes amount
to £297. 15. 9¾., of which, £198. 10. 6½. is payable to
the impropriator, and £99. 5. 3¼. to the vicar; and the
gross tithes of the benefice amount to £807. 7. 10. The
church is an ancient plain structure. The glebe-house
is a handsome building; the glebe lands, in various
parts of the union, comprise 54a. 2r. 24p. In the R. C.
divisions the parish is partly in the union or district of
Callan, but chiefly in that of Danesfort, and has a plain
chapel. In the parochial school, which is supported
by the incumbent, about 20 children are educated, and
about 200 in two private schools; there is also a
Sunday school.
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