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KIL
to Gort; containing 3321 inhabitants. It is situated
on the confines of the county, and comprises 15,390
statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, a large
portion of which is rough mountain pasture. There are
several lakes, of which Lough Buneagh is of considerable
extent. The principal seats are Rockforest, the resi
dence of Bindon Blood, Esq., situated in a finely planted
demesne extending nearly a mile along the road; Rock-
vale, of J. D’Arcy, Esq.; Carrignagoule, of J. Roughan,
Esq.; Ratope, of the late J. Foster, Esq.; and Derry-
owen, of C. Lobdell, Esq. Fairs are held at Turragh-
more on the 8th of June, and at Tubber on July 12 th
and Sept. 20th, chiefly for cattle; the first is nume
rously attended. Petty sessions are held at Derryowen
every alternate week, and a court for the manor of
Inchiquin is held occasionally for the recovery of small
debts. The parish is in the diocese of Killaloe: the rectory
is partly appropriate to the prebend of Tomgrany, in the
cathedral of Killaloe, partly impropriate in the repre
sentatives of the Right Hon. James Fitzgerald, and
partly united with the vicarage, which forms part of the
union of Kilneboy. The tithes amount to £144. 4. 0¼.,
of which £9. 15. 5. is payable to the prebendary,
£13. 18. 11½. to the impropriators, and £120. 19. 6¾.
to the vicar. The church is a small plain edifice, with
out tower or spire. The R. C. parish is co-extensive
with that of the Established Church, and contains a
large chapel at Boston, and a smaller one at Tubber.
There is a school under the superintendence of the R. C.
clergyman, in which are about 120 children. There are
some remains of the castles of Rockvale, Fidane, Carrig
nagoule, Ratope, Derryowen, and Kilkeedy: the castle
of Fidane is nearly perfect; that of Derryowen was a
square tower, 116 feet high, with very spacious rooms,
but part of it has fallen.
KILKEEDY, a parish, partly in the county of the
city of LIMERICK, but chiefly in the barony of PUBBLE-
BRIEN, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER,
4½ miles (S. W. by W.) from Limerick, on the road from
that city to Tarbert; containing, with part of the town
of St. Patrick’s-well, 4160 inhabitants. The castle of
Carrigogunnell, or Carrig Oge Connuil, was held by
O’Brien, Prince of Thomond, in 1316, when he joined
the standard of Edward Bruce. It was strengthened
by Dhubh, son of Conogher O’Brien, but in 1483 was
in the possession of the Earls of Kildare; but it seems,
however, to have reverted to the O’Briens, as they were
besieged in it, in 1536, by the Earl of Ormonde, and it
was surrendered by and regranted to Brien Dhubh
O’Brien, in 1584. The insurgents obtained possession
of it in 1642, surrendered it in 1648, and retook it soon
after, but finally evacuated it on Cromwell’s approach in
1651. At the Revolution it was held by the adherents
of King James, but surrendered to Gen. S’Gravenmore,
and was destroyed by gunpowder, 84 barrels being
necessary on account of its great strength. The castle
was built on a basaltic rock, 500 feet above the level of
the Shannon; two of its towers are still moderately
perfect, and several of the foundation walls have been
recently repaired by W. Monsell, Esq. The Knights
Templars had a castle at Carrig-a-Quincy, which at the
suppression of their order was granted to the O’Briens.
The parish comprises 8518 statute acres, as applotted
under the tithe act, of which about 150 are ornamental
plantations, and 50 bog; the remainder is arable, pas-
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KIL
ture, and meadow land, some of which, on the banks of
the Shannon, produces abundant crops of hay. The soil
is based on limestone; and near Faha and Carrigogun
nell the loose stones are so numerous as to impede
tillage, which, however, is rapidly improving. The river
Maigue is navigable here for lighters of 40 tons’ burden,
which pass by means of a canal, over which is a swing
bridge, and near it a small wharf. A bridge of three
arches was built over the river in 1792: it is sometimes
called the Ferry bridge, but more frequently Court
bridge, from the old residence of that name in the ad
joining parish of Kildimo. The Lord-Protector Carew
built a tower to protect the ferry, which is still called
the Ferry Castle. The principal seats are Elm Park,
the residence of Lord Clarina; Tervoe, of W. Monsell,
Esq., commanding some fine views; Cooper’s Hill, of
Mrs. Cooper; Faha, of G. Tuthill, Esq.; Cragbeg, of G.
Vandeleur, Esq.; and Vermont, of the Rev. R. Dickson.
The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of
Limerick, and in the alternate patronage of the Crown
and the Bishop: the tithes amount to £850. The
church, which is a neat building, with a square tower
and octagonal spire, was rebuilt by aid of a loan of
£660, in 1813, from the late Board of First Fruits.
The glebe-house was erected in 1792, by aid of a gift of
£100 from the same Board: the glebe comprises 44
acres. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of
the Established Church, and has two chapels, one of
which is a large plain edifice of hewn limestone, roofed
with slate, commenced in 1831, but not yet finished.
The parochial school for boys and girls, situated in the
modern village of Clarina, was built in 1826, and is
principally supported by the rector and his family; and
there is a school for the children of the tenants of Mr.
Monsell, by whose family it is maintained. About 130
children are taught in these schools, and about 220 in
four private schools. Mrs. Tuthill bequeathed £10. per
annum to the poor Protestant parishioners, which is
distributed at Christmas. At Clarina are a dispensary
and a constabulary police station. In 1815, a meteoric
stone, weighing 56 lb., fell in the demesne of Faha:
it consists of iron pyrites strongly impregnated with
sulphur, and is in Mr. Tuthill’s possession. Clarina
gives the title of baron to the ancient family of Massey.
—See ST. PATRICK’S-WELL.
KILKEEL, a post-town and parish, in the barony of
MOURNE, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER,
15 miles (S. E.) from Newry, and 65¾ (N. N. E.) from
Dublin; containing 14,806 inhabitants, of which num
ber, 1039 are in the town. According to the Ordnance
survey it comprises 47,882¾ statute acres, of which
about 11,000 are arable and 12,000 pasture; the re
mainder consists of the Mourne mountains. The only
creek in the twelve miles of coast that bounds the
parish is Annalong, where a small dock for fishing-vessels
has been excavated out of a rock. There are coast
guard stations at Annalong, Cranfield, and the Lee Stone,
all in the district of Newcastle; also a constabulary
police station. Fairs are held on Feb. 8th, May 3rd,
Aug. 2nd, and Dec. 8th; and a manorial court is held in
the sessions-house at Kilkeel, once in three weeks, for
the manor of Greencastle and Mourne, by a seneschal
appointed by the Earl of Kilmorey; its jurisdiction
extends over the whole of the barony of Mourne, which
is included in this parish, and is the property of his