| CONRAGH, or CONRY, a parish, in the barony of RATHCONRATH, county of WESTMEATH , and province of LEINSTER, 4 miles (E.) from Ballymore, on the road from Mullingar to Athlone, containing 930 inhabitants. The land is principally under tillage, and there is much bog and limestone. Here are Charleville, the scat of C. Kelly, Esq., and Tozerstown, of W. T. Dillon, Esq. At Loughnavally is a police station, and a patron or fair is held there on the 15th of August. This is a chapelry, in the diocese of Meath, and is part of the union of Churchtown ; the rectory is impropriate in the Marquess of Downshire, The tithes amount to £65, of which £40 is paid to the impropriator, and the remainder to the incumbent. In the R. C. divisions also the parish forms part of the union or district of Churchtown, and has a chapel at Loughnavaily. There is a pay school at Carna, in which are about 25 children. There are the remains of an old church at Conragh, and of old castles at Tozerstown and Croughill. On the celebrated bill of Knockusneach are two large rocks, said to have been St. Patrick's bed ; and some of the Irish kings resided in the neighbourhood. |
