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KIL
forfeited in the reign of Elizabeth. It was besieged
by the Irish under Col. Purcell, in 1641, and reso-
lutely defended by the widow of Sir John Dowdall for
some time, but ultimately surrendered. Near the boun-
dary of the parish are the picturesque ruins of Finnit-
terstown castle, which was also forfeited by the same
family in 1598.
KILFENORA, a decayed market-town and parish,
and the seat of a diocese, in the barony of CORCOMROE,
county of CLARE, and province of MUNSTER, 4¼ miles
(N. N. E.) from Ennistymon, on the road to Curofin;
containing 2752 inhabitants, of which number, 558 are
in the town. This place, called anciently Fenabore and
Cellumabrach, though evidently of great antiquity, has
not been much noticed by the earlier historians; the
first mention that occurs of it is in the annals of Ulster,
in which it is stated that Murrough O’Brien, in 1055,
burnt the abbey, and slew many of the inhabitants. In
the 12th century, the religious establishment which had
been fouuded here, though originally by whom or at what
date is unknown, became the head of a small diocese.
The town appears to have been formerly of some import-
ance, and a market was held there, but since the increase
of Ennistymon it has been gradually declining; the
market is no longer held, and it has dwindled into an
inconsiderable village; fairs are, however, still held on the
4th of June and 9th of October, for cattle and sheep.
The EPISCOPAL SEE is of very uncertain origin, nei-
ther is it precisely known who was the first bishop;
though many are of opinion that St. Fachnan, to whom
the cathedral is dedicated, must have been the founder.
Of his successors, who were called bishops of Corcomroe,
there are but very imperfect accounts, and of the history
of the see very little is preserved. In the ancient dis-
tribution of the bishopricks, made by Cardinal Paparo in
1152, this see was made suffragan to the Archbishop of
Cashel. It remained a separate diocese till after the
Restoration, when it was annexed to the archbishoprick
of Tuam, and continued for 81 years to be held with
that diocese, till, on the annexation of Ardagh to Tuam,
it was separated from it and given in commendam to
the bishoprick of Clonfert, with which it was held till
1752, when it was united to the see of Killaloe, with
which it still remains. It is one of the twelve dioceses
which constitute the archiepiscopal province of Cashel,
and is the smallest in Ireland; it lies wholly within the
county of Clare, and comprehends only the baronies of
Burrin and Corcomroe, which formed part of the ancient
territory of Thomond. It extends 23 miles in length
and 11 in breadth, comprising an estimated superficies
of 37,000 acres. The-lands belonging to the see com-
prise 9237 acres, of which 2350 are profitable land; the
gross annual revenue of the bishoprick is returned with
that of Killaloe. The chapter consists of a dean, pre-
centor, treasurer, and archdeacon; there are neither
minor canons, prebendaries, nor vicars choral: a con-
sistorial court is held occasionally by the vicar-general.
It comprises 19 parishes, which are included in six
unions; there are three parish churches, and one other
place in which divine service is performed, and three
glebe-houses. The cathedral church, dedicated to St.
Fachnan, and which is also used as the parish church,
is a very ancient and venerable structure with a massive
square tower, commanding a very extensive and inte-
resting view; the aisle is at present undergoing repair,
92
KIL
and is being fitted up as the parish church, for which
purpose the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have granted
£421. In the R. C. divisions this diocese is united to
that of Kilmacduagh, and comprises eight unions, in
which are 15 chapels, served by eight parish priests and
two coadjutors.
The parish comprises 9236 statute acres, as applotted
under the tithe act, a considerable portion of which is
good grazing land, and the remainder under profitable
cultivation; the system of agriculture is improving, and
there is a large portion of valuable bog. To the east
of the village is a large turlough, which in summer
affords very rich pasture for fattening cattle, but in the
winter is under deep water after heavy rains. A new
road has lately been made between the town and Ennis-
tymon, with great benefit to the intervening district.
Ballykeale, a seat of the Lysaght family, now occupied
by Mrs. Fitzgerald, and Holywell, the residence of T. F.
Comyn, Esq., are within the parish. The living is a
rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Kilfenora, united
from time immemorial to the rectories of Clouney and
Kiltoraght, together constituting the corps of the deanery
of Kilfenora, in the patronage of the Crown: the tithes
amount to £250, and of the whole union to £416. 13. 4.
In the church are two monuments, of which one is
supposed to be that of the founder, bearing a full-length
effigy rudely sculptured, and to the north of the transept
is another. The Deanery, towards the erection of which
the late Board of First Fruits contributed a gift of £300,
and a loan of £450, was erected about the year 1813;
and has been greatly improved by the present occupant,
the Very Rev. W. H. Stackpoole, D. D., who has added
an extensive range of out-offices to the house; in the
shrubberies is a perfect ancient rath thickly planted.
The glebe and deanery lands comprise 231 plantation
acres, of which 70 are good pasture and the remainder
mountain land; and the gross annual value of the
deanery, tithe, and glebe inclusive, is £482. 18. In the
R. C. divisions the parish is held with that of Kiltoraght;
the chapel is a neat modern edifice in the village, and a
chapel is now in course of erection in the parish of Kil-
toraght. About 200 children are taught in two public
schools, of which one is supported by the dean, who, in
conjunction with Sir W. M c Mahon, is about to erect a
school-house. At Kilcarragh, very near this place, on
the estate of Sir W. M c Mahon, was anciently an hospital
or monastery, endowed with a quarter of land, and which,
after the dissolution, was granted to John King. Near
the cathedral is a stone cross of very light and beautiful
design; and in the churchyard is a plain cross of great
antiquity: there were formerly seven crosses around this
place, but these are the only two remaining.
KILFENTINAN, a parish, in the barony of BUN-
RATTY, county of CLARE, and province of MUNSTER, con-
tiguous to the post-town of Six-mile-bridge (of which it
includes a small portion); containing 2856 inhabitants
and comprising about 3600 acres, as rated for the
county cess. It is situated on the northern shore of the
river Shannon, and comprehends the two small inha-
bited islands of Grass and Graigue, containing respec-
tively six and five plantation acres of rich pasture land.
Near the latter is a rocky shoal called “the Scarlets,”
on which is a low tower erected as a guide to the navi-
gation of the river. On the shores of this parish are
some of the rich corcasses, which yield a succession of