All Lewis entries for Monasteroris

CASTROPETRE

CASTROPETRE, or MONASTERORIS, a parish, in the barony of COOLESTOWN, KING'S county, and province of LEINSTER; containing, with the market and post-town of Edenderry and the village of Conabury, 4009 inhabitants. This parish derived its name, Monasteroris, from Sir John de Bermingham, Earl of Louth, who founded an abbey here, in 1325, for conventual Franciscans, which was called, from his Irish name, Monasterfeoris, or the nionastery of Mac Feoris. In 1511, Cahir O'Connor, Lord of Offaley, was slain near this monastery by his own countrymen ; and in 1521, the abbey was held for a considerable time against the Earl of Surrey, then lord-lieutenant, who afterwards took and kept possession of it. At the general suppression it was granted to Nicholas Herbert, who died in 1581, possessed of the abbey and townland of Monasteroris, The parish is situated on the line of the Grand Canal, and at the source of the river Boyne, and is bounded on the northwest, north, and east by the bog of Allen, through which the navigation to Tullamore is cut. It contains 8401 acres, as applotted under the tithe act, exclusively of about 1000 acres of unreclaimed bog. There are some limestone quarries, and a vein of silver and lead ore, which has been worked twice, but relinquished on account of its poverty. The chief seats are Leitrim House, the residence of W. Purefoy Lumm, Esq. ; Monasteroris House, of the Rev. W. G. Wakeley ; and Lummville, the property of Mr. Lumm, but occupied by a respectable farmer. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Kildare, and in the patronage of the Crown ; the rectory constitutes the corps of the prebend of' Castropetre in the cathedral of Kildare. The tithes amount to £415. 7. 8-., of which £276. 18. 5-. is paid to the prebendary, and the remainder to the vicar. The church is at Edenderry, and is a plain but neat edifice, to the repairs of which the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently made a grant of £374. 2. 9. There is neither glebe-house nor glebe. In the R. C. divisions this parish is the head of a union or district, also called Edenderry and Killane, comprising the parishes of Castropetre, Ballymacwilliam, Ballyburhey, and Croghan, and parts of those of Ballynakill and Castle-Jordan ; and containing three chapels, situated at Edenderry, Rhode, and Kranghan. There are also places of worship for the Society of Friends and Primitive Methodists. Here are two schools, aided by subscriptions from the rector, the Marchioness of Downshire, and Mrs. Murray, in which are 30 boys and 47 girls ; and about 100 boys and 60 girls are taught in five private schools. A few remains of the abbey of Monasteroris still exist ; and at Ballykilhinfort, in the neighbourhood, is a celebrated rath, with a vault in the centre, in which were found, some years since, several relics, and some ancient coins, in high preservation. It was defended by strong ramparts, and was very difficult of access. There is a chalybeate spring in the parish.-See EDENDERRY.

CONABURY

CONABURY, a village, in the parish of CASTROPETRE, barony of COOLESTOWN, KING'S county, and province of LEINSTER, adjoining the town of Edenderry, and containing 24 houses and 143 inhabitants. This village is situated on the road from Dublin to Tullamore, and is divided into Upper and Lower Conabury.

CONEY ISLAND, county of Clare.-See INNIS-DADROM.

COOLES-TOWN

COOLES-TOWN, KING'S county, and province of LEINSTER, 5- miles (S. by W.) from Edenderry : the population is returned with the parish. This village is situated on the small river Barrow, and is surrounded by the bog of Allen ; it consists only of a few small and indifferent dwellings, the larger houses having been burned in the disturbances of 1798, during which period it was the only place in this part of the country that suffered from actual violence. Fairs are held on July 11th and Oct. 29th ; and a constabulary police force is stationed here. The parish church, which was built about the year 1670, is situated in the village, and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £243. 8. for its repair.-See CLONSAST.

EDENDERRY

EDENDERRY, a market and post-town, in the parish of CASTROPETRE, barony of COOLESTOWN, KING'S county, and province of LEINSTER, 9 miles (E.) from Philipstown, and 32- (W.) from Dublin, on the mail coach road from Conard, and close to the bog of Allen ; containing 1427 inhabitants. This place, in the 16th century, obtained for a time the name of Coolestown from the family of Cooley, or Cowley, 'who had a castle here, which in 1599 was defended by Sir George Cooley against the insurgents in the Earl of Tyrone's rebellion, and in 1691 was sacked by a part of the army of Jas. II., under Lieut.-Col. O'Connor. It is near the right bank of the Grand Canal, from which a branch has been carried for nearly half a mile close up to the town ; the late Marquess of Downshire gave the ground, and contributed £1000 towards the expense. The town consists of one wide street, from which diverge several smaller streets, and contains 214 houses, well built of stone and slated ; it is well paved and supplied with water, and is rapidly improving. Adjoining, and now forming a part of it, under the name of Downshire Row, on the road to Monasteroris, are several tenements, formerly the small village of Glann, which the Marquess of Downshire has greatly improved and let to occupiers with about one rood of garden to each, at a nominal rent of one shilling per ann. A coarse kind of worsted stuff is made here, affording employment to 30 families, and there are a tanyard and a brewery. The market, in which considerable business is transacted, particularly in the corn trade, is on Saturday ; fairs are held on Shrove-Tuesday, the Thursday after Whitsuntide, and Nov. 4th. A constabulary police force has been sta tioned here, and petty sessions are held on alternate Saturdays. The town-hall, a handsome building of stone, recently erected at an expense of £5000 by the Marquess of Downshire, proprietor of two-thirds of the town, affords in the lower part accommodation for the corn-market ; and the upper part contains a large handsome room for assemblies and public meetings, with several offices, and in which the sessions and other courts are held. In the town is the parochial church, also a place of worship for the Society of Friends ; and about - of a mile distant is a R. C. chapel. There are some remains of the old castle, and about half a mile from the town are the ruins of the old abbey of Monasteroris, formerly a place of great strength ; it held out for a considerable time against the Earl of Surrey, in 1521.-See CASTROPETRE.