LEIGHLIN-BRIDGE, a market and
post-town partly ia the parish of AWGHA, barony of IDRONE-EAST,
but chiefly in that of WELLS, barony of IDRONE-WEST, county of
CARLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 6 miles (S.) from Carlow, and
45 (S. S. W.) from Dublin, on the mail coach road to Cork;
containing 2035 inhabitants. This place derives its name from a
bridge over the river Barrow, which connects the two parts of
the town on its opposite banks with each other, and also with
the road leading to Old Leighlin, in contradistinction to which,
previously to the erection of the bridge, it was generally
called New Leighlin. It was originally granted by Hugh de Lacy
to John de Clahul, or de Claville, who in 1181 erected a strong
castle or fortress, called the Black Castle, which was one of
the earliest defences of the English in Ireland.
Towards the
close of the reign of Hen. III., a Carmelite monastery was
founded near the castle, on the eastern bank of the Barrow, by a
member of the Carew family, and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin.
The bridge, of nine arches, was built in 1320 by Maurice Jakis,
a canon of the cathedral of Kildare, to facilitate the
intercourse between the religious houses of Old and New
Leighlin. As the English settlement here became more insecure,
the monastery was much exposed to the hostile attacks of the
native Irish; and in 1371, Edw. III. granted ten marks annually
for the repair and rebuilding of the house, which grant was
renewed six years afterwards. In 1378, Rich. II., in
consideration of the expense and labour of supporting the house
and the bridge against the king's enemies, granted to the prior
an annual pension of 20 marks out of the rents of the town of
Newcastle of Lyons, which he confirmed in 1394, and it was also
ratified by Hen. IV. and Hen. V., the latter monarch ordering
that all arrears then due should be paid. In 1408, Gerald, fifth
Earl of Kildare, built another fortress here, which he called
White Castle; and after the dissolution the monastery was also
converted into a fort and occupied as a military station by Sir
Edward Bellingham, Marshal of the English army and Lord-Deputy
of Ireland.
This fortress was taken in 1577 by Rory Oge O'More,
dynast of Leix, who destroyed the town by fire ; and in 1649 it
surrendered to the parliamentarians under Col. Hewson, soon
after which the main army under Ireton, on their march to
Carlow, laid waste the neighbouring country. The town, which is
chiefly the property of W. R. Stewart, Esq., still retains many
indications of its earlier importance as a military station; it
is pleasantly situated on the river Barrow, by which it is
divided into two nearly equal parts, and contains 369 houses, of
which 178 are in the parish of Augha and 191 in that of Wells.
The market is on Monday and Saturday, and is amply supplied with
corn and butter; fairs are held on Easter- Monday, May 14th,
Sept. 25th, and Dec. 27th; and there is a constabulary police
station.
The parish church of Wells and a R. C. chapel are in
that portion of the town which lies on the Wells side of the
river, and there is also a national school. About a mile distant
is a celebrated spa, which is much resorted to. At the foot of
the bridge, and on the eastern bank of the river, are the ruins
of Black Castle, consisting of an oblong tower, about 50 feet
high, completely capped with ivy ; one of the floors resting on
an arch is still remaining, and there is a flight of steps
leading to the summit; it appears to have formed the
north-western angle of a quadrangular enclosure, 315 feet in
length and 234 feet wide, surrounded by a wall seven feet thick,
with a fosse on the outside ; part of the wall is standing on
the west side, and at the south-eastern angle are the ruins of a
round tower, the walls of which are ten feet in thickness.
At
the south end of the west wall of the quadrangle was the ancient
monastery, of which an old building with loop hole windows and a
stone doorway are supposed to be the only remaining portion;
adjoining it and within the enclosure was a cemetery, now
converted into a garden. In the neighbourhood was the abbey of
Achadfinglass, founded by St. Fintan, who died in the 6th
century; it was plundered by the Danes in 864, and there are no
remains, even the precise site being unknown.
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LORUM, a parish, in the barony of
IDRONE EAST, county of CARLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles
(S. S. E.) from Leighlin-bridge, on the road from Carlow to New Rossj containing 1507 inhabitants. It comprises 5428 statute
acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £5033 per
ann.; and contains Corries, the property of the Rudkin family,
and Ballycormac House, late the residence of the Newton family.
The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Leighlin,
episcopally united to the vicarage of Slyguffe and the rectory
of Ballyellin, together constituting the union of Lorum, in the
gift of the Bishop : the rectory is impropriate in Lord
Cloncurry. The tithes amount to £294. 4. 7¼., of which £196. 3.
1. is payable to the impropriator and the remainder to the vicar
; the tithes of the entire benefice amount to £609. 4. 7- There
is no glebe-house or glebe. The church, an old building,
containing two modern tombs of the Rudkin family, has been
recently repaired at an expense of £184 defrayed by the
Ecclesiastical Commissioners. In the R. C. divisions the parish
forms part of the union or district of Bagnalstown, and has a
chapel at Ballinkellin. The parochial school was built and is
supported by subscription; and in the national school, which is
aided by £10 per ann. from Lord Beresford, about 160 children
are educated : there is also a Sunday school.
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MOYACOMB, or CLONEGAL, a parish,
partly in the barony of SHILLELAGH, county of WICKLOW, partly in
that of SCARAWALSH, county of WEXFORD, but chiefly in that of
ST. MULLINS, county of CARLOW, and province of LEINSTER, on the
road from Tullow to Newtownbarry, and on the river Derry;
containing with the post-town of Clonegal and the village of
Johnstown, (both separately described) 4877 inhabitants. It
comprises 28,204 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe
act, of which 9347½ are in Wicklow, 9287½ in Wexford, and 9569
in Carlow. The portion in the county of Wexford includes the
estate of Abbeydown, containing 452 plantation acres, which has
been tithe free from time immemorial, and is considered extra
parochial. The soil is varied, and there are some patches of bog
: tbe state of agriculture is gradually improving. A slate
quarry has been lately opened on Gibbet hill, near Johnstown.
Several fairs held at Clonegal are mentioned under that head; it
is also a station of the constabulary police, and contains an
old castellated mansion of the Esmonde family. The living is a
rectory, in the diocese of Ferns, and in the patronage of the La
Touche family: the tithes amount to £850. The church, in the
town of Clonegal, is a good modern building, erected in 1819,
for which the late Board of First Fruits granted a loan of
£1300; and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently
granted £186 for its repair. In the R. C. divisions the parish
is chiefly in the diocese of Kildare and Leighlin, and, together
with the parish of Barragh, constitutes the union or district of
Clonegal, containing the chapels of Clonegal and Kildavin ; the
remainder of the parish is in the diocese of Dublin, forming
part of the union or district of Arklow, and containing the
chapel of Ballyfad, near Johnstown. There is a meeting-house for
Methodists at Clonegal. In the parochial school, supported by
the rector, and in the national school at Clonegal, about 210
children are educated; and there are about 30 children in a
private school. At Abbeydown are the remains of an ancient
religious house, of which no account is extant.
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MULLINS (ST.), a parish, partly
in the barony of BANTRY, county of WEXFORD, but chiefly in that
of ST. MULLINS, county of CARLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 2½
miles (E.) from Graigue, on the road to Enniscorthy, and on the
river Barrow; containing 5895 inhabitants. Its name is derived
from the ancient monastery founded here by St. Moling, or
Mullin, at a place called Aghacainid, subsequently Teighmolin,
or " St. Mullin's House," about the year 632, or, according to
some historians, in the middle of the seventh century. St.
Moling, being a native of this part of the island and of the
royal race of Leinster, was afterwards made bishop of Ferns. In
951, the church was plundered by the Danes, and the abbey was
destroyed by fire in. 1138. The remains of the ancient edifices,
and the present parish church, occupy a beautiful situation on
the eastern bank of the river Barrow, at a spot where its banks
are finely elevated, on the opposite side well wooded, and where
a small stream merges into it from a deep defile that extends to
the church from the village of Glynn, presenting some
picturesque scenes. The parish comprises 13,174 statute acres,
of which 998 are common, 423 Woodlands, 671 waste, 1475 bog, and
the remainder arable; it derives considerable facility for the
transit of its produce from the Barrow navigation. Road sessions
are held in Glascany; and fairs at St. Mullins on June 17th and
July 25th for the sale of general farming stock. It is an
impropriate cure, in the diocese of Leighlin, and in the
patronage of Caesar Colclough, Esq., in whom the rectory is
impropriate. The tithes amount to £600, entirely payable to the
impropriator, who allows the curate £32. 6. I¾. per annum. The
glebe-house was built by a gift of £380, and a loan of £450,
from the late Board of First Fruits; the glebe comprises 57
acres. The church is a plain building, erected in 1811 by aid of
a gift of £800 from the same Board, and has recently been
repaired by aid of a grant of £185 from the Ecclesiastical
Commissioners; it contains some elegant monuments to the
Kavanagh family. In the R. C. divisions the parish is partly in
the union or district of Borris, and partly a district in
itself, containing chapels at Glinn and Drummond. There are
three national schools, in which about 790 children are taught;
and two private schools, in which are about 120 children. The
remains of the ancient buildings consist of the ruins of five
small plain structures in the churchyard, extending from east
to west, with two walls, once forming part of a sixth, and the
broken walls of a seventh outside the enclosure: there is little
worthy of notice in these ruins: at the east of the largest are
the remains of a stone cross and of a small roofless building,
with two steps descending into it. Numerous memorials exist of
the Kavanaghs and other ancient Irish families; and a holy well
is enclosed by a stone wall, round which the country people do
penance
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MYSHALL, a parish, partly in the
barony of IDRONE EAST, but chiefly in that of FORTH, county of
CARLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 8 miles (E. S. E.) from
Leighlin-bridge, on the road from Newtown-Barry to Bagnalstown,
and on the north side of the river Burren; containing 2874
inhabitants, of which number, 123 are in the village. The parish
comprises 9220 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act,
and valued at £4744 per annum. There is a great deal of waste
mountain land, and much bog; but agriculture is improving. There
are quarries which yield stone for building. The village
consists of 19 houses; it has a penny post to Leighlin-Bridge,
and is a constabulary police station; petty sessions are held on
alternate Wednesdays, and road sessions four times in the year.
Fairs are held on May 10th and Sept. 14th, for cattle, sheep and
pigs. Myshall Lodge is the residence of J. Brody, Esq.; and
Holly-brook, of A. Bloomfield Feltus, Esq. The living is a
rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Leighlin, and in the
patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £400. There are
six statute acres of glebe, on which stands the glebe-house. The
church is a plain building, towards the repairs of which the
Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £203; it was
built in 1811, by aid of a gift of £800 from the late Board of
First Fruits. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a
union or district, comprising the parishes of Myshall and
Fennagh, in each of which is a chapel; that of Myshall is a neat
building, kept in excellent order. There is a school at
Shangarry, of which the house, a good stone building, was
erected at an expense of £200, partly by government and partly
by subscription; and one at Myshall, in which are about 150
children. There is also a private school of about 130 children.
The ruins of the old church, overgrown with ivy, are situated on
the townland of Myshall, and have a burial-ground annexed ;
there is also a burial-ground on the townland of Ballaghmore. At
Knockrimah is a chalybeate spa.
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NURNEY, a parish, partly in the
barony of CARLOW, and partly in that of FORTH, but chiefly in
the barony of IDRONE EAST, county of CARLOW, and province of
LEINSTER, 2 miles (N. E.) from Leighlin-bridge, on the road to
Tullow ; containing 975 inhabitants, of which number, 284 are in
the village. This parish comprises 2758 statute acres, as
applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £2215 per annum.
There is no bog: agriculture is in a good state. Here are
granite quarries for building, and limestone for burning ; and
the Barrow navigation affords the means of conveying goods to
Waterford. The village, consisting of about 50 houses, stands at
the junction of several roads; it is a constabulary police
station, and has a patent for a fair on May 6th, which is not
held. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of
Leighlin, forming the corps of the precentorship thereof, in the
patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £230. 15. 4½. The
church is a small neat building of hewn stone, erected in 1788,
by aid of a gift of £500 from the late Board of First Fruits,;
and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £217
for its repair: the steeple was thrown down by lightning some
years since. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the
union or district of Dunleckney. The parochial school, in which
about 30 boys and 40 girls are taught, is under the patronage of
Col. Bruen, M. P., who erected the schoolhouse, at an expense of
£400. From the churchyard a noble view of the western part of
the county is procured, with the windings of the river Barrow :
in it is part of a rude stone cross, and without its boundary
stands a perfect cross, six feet high.
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PAINSTOWN, a parish, partly in
the barony of KILKEA and MOONE, county of KILDARE, but chiefly
in the barony and county of CARLOW, and province of LEINSTER, l¾
mile (N.) from Carlow, on the road to Dublin and Athy, and on
the river Barrow; containing 177 inhabitants. This parish
comprise’ 2232 statute acres, under a highly improved system of
agriculture; there is no bog. The Barrow navigation affords
great facility for the transmission of goods to Waterford and
Dublin. Oak Park, the seat of Col. Bruen, is more particularly
noticed in the article on the town of Carlow. The living is an
impropriate cure, in the diocese of Leighlin, and in the
patronage of the Bishop : the rectory is appropriate to the dean
and chapter of Leighlin. The tithes amount to £89. 0. 0½., of
which £59. 6. 8. is payable to the dean and chapter, and £29.13.
4½. to the impropriate curate. Divine service is performed in a
private house licensed for the purpose. In the R. C. divisions
the parish forms part of the union or district of Carlow. Here
is a school, supported by Col. Bruen. There are ruins of a
church and a burial-ground, on the townland of Painstown; and
the ruins of a church at Duganstown.
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PALATINETOWN, a hamlet, in the
parish of URGLIN, barony and county of CARLOW, and province of
LEINSTER, 2f miles (N. E.) from Carlow, on the road to
Castledermot; containing 88 inhabitants. It is said to derive
its name from a colony of German refugees, who were driven from
their native country, and settled here, in the reign of Louis
XIV. The Rt. Hon. B. Burton obtained a patent for four fairs, of
which that on the 26th of March is the only one at present held.
A constabulary police force is stationed in the village.
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PUBBLEDRUM, a parish, partly in
the barony of RATHVILLY, but chiefly in that of FORTH, county of
CARLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 2 miles (E.) from Tullow, on
the road to Clonegal; containing 1271 inhabitants. It comprises
4503 statute acres, of which nearly one-half consists of
Woodlands, and the remainder, with the exception of about 240
acres of bog, is arable land : the state of agriculture is
improving. Limestone abounds and is burnt for manure, and fine
granite adapted for building is also found. It has been for
several centuries the seat of a branch of the ancient family of
Butler, and contains Ballintemple, the residence of Sir Thomas
Butler, Bart., and Broomville, of Jas. Butler, Esq. At Blacklion
is a station of the constabulary police. In the Ecclesiastical
divisions it is not known as a parish, but is considered to form
part of the parish of Barragh, in the diocese of Leighlin; and
in the R. C. divisions it is partly included in the union or
district of Tullow, and partly in that of Gilbertstown: the
chapel is at Ardattin. At Ballintemple are the ruins of an old
church, beautifully situated on the margin of the river Slaney.
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RAHILL and BROUGHLSTOWN, a
parish, in the barony of RATHVILLY, county of CARLOW, and
province of LEINSTER, 2 miles (S.) from Baltinglass; containing
269 inhabitants. This parish is situated at the northern
extremity of the county, on the confines of Wicklow, and is
bounded on the east by the river Slaney: it comprises 2636
statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, about
four-fifths of which consist of meadow and pasture, and the
remainder of arable land, with a few acres of bog. It is a
rectory and impropriate cure, in the diocese of Leighlin; the
rectory is appropriate to the dean and chapter, and the curacy
forms part of the union of Rathvilly: the tithes amount to £184.
12. 3½. In the R. C. divisions also it is included in the union
or district of Rathvilly. On the townland of Rahill are the
ruins of the old church, with a burial ground attached: the
surrounding scenery is of a pleasing character, embracing the
mountains of Cadeen and Lugnaquilla, in the adjoining county of
Wicklow.
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RATHMORE, a parish, in the barony
of RATHVILLY, county of CARLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 7
miles (S. W.) from Baltinglass, on the road from Tullow to
Castle-Dermot; containing 225 inhabitants. This parish is
situated on the confines of the county of Kildare, by which it
is bounded on the north-west, and on the river Slaney, which
forms its south-eastern boundary. As applotted under the tithe
act, it comprises 2374 statute acres, the greater part of which
is in meadow and pasture, and the remainder in tillage; there is
a very small portion of Woodlands and bog. Rathmore is a station
of the constabulary police. It is a rectory, in the diocese of
Leighlin, forming part of the union of Rathvilly: the tithes
amount to £160, and there is a glebe of 13 acres. In the R. C.
divisions also it is part of the union or district of Rathvilly.
About 120 children are educated in a school endowed by the late
Mr. Disraeli, who bequeathed £3000 for its establishment and
support: the school-house is a handsome building, consisting of
a centre and two wings the former being appropriated as a
residence for the master and mistress, who receive £30 per ann.
each, and have the use of five acres of ground rent-free.
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RATHVILLY, a parish, in the
barony of RATHTILLY, county of CARLOW, and province of LEINSTER,
5 miles (N. E.) from Tallow, on the road to Ballinglass, and on
the rivers Slaney and Derreen; containing 3187 inhabitants, of
which number, 305 are in the village. This parish comprises 9103
statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, three-fourths
being meadow and pasture, and the remainder, excepting some bog,
arable land. Within its limits, close on the confines of Wicklow
county, is the townland of Ladytown, belonging to Baltinglass
parish in that county. Granite exists here, but is not much
used. The village of Rathvilly is on the eastern side of the
Slaney, and consists of 58 houses. Fairs are held on Jan. 1st,
March 25th, June 24th, Aug. 1st, and Nov. 12th, for general
farming stock. Lisnova was lately the residence of the Bunbury
family. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Leighlin,
episcopally united, since 1683, to the rectories of Rathmore and
Straboe, and the impropriate cure of Rahill, and in the
patronage of the Crown, by agreement with the bishop. The tithes
amount to £784.12. 3., and the entire tithes of the benefice to
£1060. 2. 5½. The glebe comprises 12 acres, on which is the
glebe-house. The church, built in 1751, though small, is a
pretty structure with a handsome spire lately added; it has been
lately repaired by a grant of £315 from the Ecclesiastical
Commissioners. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of
a union or district, comprising this parish and that of Rathmore,
and parts of Straboe, Kiltegan, and Kilranala ; and containing
three chapels, of which two are in Rathvilly; that at Tynock was
built about five years since, and has a belfry ; that in the
village of Rathvilly is a large old slated building, in which a
national school is held. There is also a national school at
Knockleshan : these schools afford instruction to about 550
children, and about 50 are taught in a private school. On the
townland of Tobinstown there is a large cromlech ; at the west
end are two pillar stones, eight feet high; the table stone is
twenty-three feet long, and at the west end eight, feet broad,
but at the other, which rests on small stones elevated about a
foot from the ground, it is only six. The thickness at the upper
end is four feet, at the lower two ; the under surface is plain
and even, but the upper is convex. Along the sides are several
upright stones, from three to six feet, rendering the space
underneath an enclosed room, entered between the two tall
uprights. From this entrance is a sort of avenue, forty yards
long, formed by small irregular artificial hillocks : the whole
is in a low plain field, near a rivulet, on the road from Tallow
to Hacketstown. On the townland ofWaterstown is a rude stone
cross, seven feet high, where the parish church is supposed
originally to have stood. Near the village is an old rath, from
which the name of the place appears to have been taken. Here are
remains of a religious house called Erchorn: there is also a
ruin of a church called Cloughafaile.
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ROYAL OAK, a village, in the
parish of KLLINANE, barony of IDRONE WEST, county of CARLOW, and
province of LEINSTER, 1 mile (S. w.) from Bagnalstown, on the
road from Dublin to Carlow ; containing 82 houses and 428
inhabitants. This place is situated on the river Barrow, which
is here crossed by a bridge, and derives its name from that of
an old and well-known inn in its vicinity, which was established
previously to the erection of the village.
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SLYGUFF, a parish, in the barony
of IDRONE EAST, county of CARLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 3
miles (S. by E.) from Leighlin-bridge, on the road from
Goresbridge to Bagnalstown, and on the river Barrow; containing
2092 inhabitants. This parish comprises 6381 statute acres, as
applotted under the tithe act, and extends from the eastern bank
of the river Barrow to the summit of Mount Leinster, a distance
of seven miles; there is a considerable quantity of bog. Fairs
are held on Feb. 12th and Nov. 1st for general farming stock. It
is a vicarage, in the diocese of Leighlin, forming part of the
union of Lorum; the rectory is appropriate to the Dean and
Chapter of Leighlin. The tithes amount to £319. 12. 3½., of
which £221. 10. 9¼. is payable to the dean and chapter, and £98.
1. 6½., to the vicar. Divine service is performed every Sunday
in a school-house in the parish. In the R. C. divisions it is
part of the unions or districts of Borris and Dunleckney. At
Killoughternane is a national school, and at Ballinree is a
school endowed by Miss Newton, in both which are about 150
children. The ruins of the ancient church within a burial-ground
stand beautifully above the course of the river Barrow. Here are
also the ruins of Ballylaughan castle, formerly belonging to the
Kavanaghs, from whom it passed to other proprietors about the
close of the sixteenth century. It is a picturesque pile, and,
though now roofless, is about 50 feet high, with projecting
round towers in front, flanking the gateway, which is arched
with hewn stone. The walls are about five feet thick, and the
second floor, supported by an arch, still remains, and is gained
by a flight of steps. It is now the property of Col. Bruen, who
intends to restore it. About eighteen yards distant is another
ruin, 30 feet square and 20 high, with walls of equal thickness
; and beyond this is a third, of smaller-dimensions. Near them
is a large old dwelling house of the Beauchamp family. In 1806
was found an ancient cloak-clasp of gold, weighing 4 oz., and
beautifully carved, which was purchased by the Dublin Royal
Society for £20.
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STRABOE, a parish, in the barony
of RATHVILLY, county of CARLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 3
miles (W.) from Tullow : containing 195 inhabitants. It is
situated on the north side of the county, and on the confines of
the county of Kildare ; and comprises about 500 statute acres.
It is a rectory, in the diocese of Leighlin, forming part of the
union of Rathvilly : the tithes amount to £115. 10. 2f. In the
R. C. divisions also it is part of the union or district of
Rathvilly.
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TEMPLEPETER, a parish, in the
barony of FORTH, county of CARLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 5
miles (S. E. by S.) from Carlow, on the road to Fennagh, and on
the river Burren ; containing 349 inhabitants. Granite is
plentiful, and the state of agriculture is improving. The living
is a rectory, in the diocese of Leighlin, and in the patronage
of the Bishop : the tithes amount to £64. 10. The Protestant
inhabitants attend divine service in the parish church of Dnnleckney. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the union or
district of Dunleckney. There is a private school, in which
about 100 children are instructed. The ruins of the old church
remain.
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TINNEHINCH, a village, in the
parish and barony of ST. MULLIN'S, county of CARLOW, and
province of LEINSTER, forming a suburb of the town of Graig, or
Graignamanagh, in the county of Kilkenny, with which it is
connected by a good stone bridge over the river Barrow : the
population is returned, with the parish.— See GRAIG.
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