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BARRY, a village, in the parish of TASHINNY, barony of ABBEYSHRUEL, county of LONGFORD, and province of LEINSTER; 3 1/4miles (W. S. W.) from Colehill: the population is returned with the parish. It is situated on the road to Ballymahon, and is a station of the constabulary police. Fairs are held on January 27th, April 28th, July 28th, and October 27th. A school for poor children is maintained by the Dowager Countess of Rosse. Near the village was formerly an ancient castle, of which only some trifling vestiges can be traced; and in the immediate vicinity is a high moat. --See TASHINNY.
BARTRA, or BARTRACH, an island, in the parish of KILLALA, barony of TYRAWLEY, county of MAYO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 2 miles (S. E.) from Killala: the population is returned with the parish. It is situated at the mouth of the river Moy, forming part of the coast of the harbour of Killala, and is the residence of Capt. Kirkwood. At the south-east end is the bar of Moy, on which there is only three feet of water.
BASLICK, a parish, in the barony of BALLINTOBBER, county of ROSCOMMON, and province of CONNAUGHT, 5 miles (N. E.) from Castlerea; containing 3574 inhabitants. This parish, which was anciently called Baisleac-mor, is situated on the road from Elphin to Castlerea, and comprises 6560 statute acres. According to the Annals of the Four Masters and other authorities, here was an abbey in the time of St. Patrick, of which St. Sacell was abbot or bishop; and in the year 800, St. Cormac, its abbot, died here. The state of agriculture is almost wholly unimproved; there is little woodland, except in the demesnes of the several seats; of the remainder of the parish, about three-fourths are arable and one-fourth pasture, or what is called "Bottom" land. There are several quarries of limestone, used only in constructing the fences. The gentlemen's seats are Rathmile House, that of Rich. Irwin, Esq.; Milton, of Roderic O'Connor, Esq.; Emla, of Rob. Irwin, Esq.; Heathfield, of Nicholas Balfe, Esq.; and Ballyglass, of R. Kelly, Esq. Fairs are held at Castle-Plunkett on the first Thursday in May (O. S.) and on Aug. 13th and Oct. 11th. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Elphin, and forms part of the union of Ballintobber; the rectory is impropriate in the Earl of Essex: the tithes amount to £350, payable in moieties to the impropriator and the vicar. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church; the chapel is a small building on the townland of Kilmurry. The remains of the old parish church are situated within a cemetery enclosed by iron railings and still used for interment.
BATTERJOHN, a hamlet, in the parish of DERRYPATRICK, barony of LOWER DEECE, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER; containing 15 dwellings and 93 inhabitants.
BATTERSTOWN.--See RATHREGAN.
BAULICK.--See BUOLICK.
BAWN, or BLACKNOW, a grange, in the barony of GALMOY, county of KILKENNY, and province of LEINSTER. It is also called Baunrichen, and is said to have been part of the possessions of the monastery of Fertagh. In ecclesiastical matters it is one of the denominations which constitute the union of Burnchurch, in the diocese of Ossory. Fairs are held on Ascension-day, July 8th, Sept. 8th, and Oct. 29th.
BAWNBOY.--See KILSUB.
BAYLIN, a village, in the parish of BALLYLOUGHLOE, barony of CLONLONAN, county of WESTMEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (E.) from Athlone, on the road to Mullingar; containing 39 houses and 225 inhabitants. It is a constabulary police station; and a manorial court is held on the first Monday in every month. A school-house was built here by Lord Castlemaine, who endowed it with an acre of land, and the school is supported by his Lordship and Lady Castlemaine. There is a mineral spring in the village, strongly impregnated with iron.--See BALLYLOUGHLOE.
BEAGH, or ST. ANNE'S, a parish, in the barony of KILTARTAN, county of GALWAY, and province of CONNAUGHT, containing, with part of the post-town of Gort, 5343 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the confines of the county of Clare, and on the road from Galway and Loughrea to Ennis. A monastery of the third order of Franciscans was founded here about the year 1441, but by whom is unknown: in an inquisition of the 28th of Elizabeth it is denominated a cell or chapel, and its possessions appear to have consisted of half a quarter of land, with its appurtenances and tithes, which had been long under concealment. The parish comprises 12,331 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and there is some bog; agriculture is improved, and there is good limestone. The seats are Loughcooter Castle, that of Viscount Gort; Cregg House, of F. Butler, Esq.; Ballygaagen, of W. Butler, Esq.; Ashfield, of D. McNevin, Esq.; Castle Lodge, of C. Lopdell, Esq.; River View, of Mrs. Lopdell; Sallymount, of J. Butler, Esq.; Prospect, of Mrs. Nolan; Rhyndifin, of E. Blaquiere, Esq.; Rose Park, of -- Hugo, Esq.; and Rose Hill, of A. Keeley, Esq. Large fairs for cattle, sheep, and pigs are held at the village of Tobberindony, on July 12th, and Sept. 20th. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Kilmacduagh, united with part of the rectory, and forming part of the union of Ardrahan; the remaining portion of the rectory is appropriate to the see. The tithes amount to £218. 1. 6., of which £38. 15. 4 1/2. is payable to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, and £179. 6. l 1/2. to the incumbent. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church: the chapel is a plain building, but a new one is about to be erected on a site given by D. McNevin, Esq. There are six hedge schools in the parish, in which are about 340 children. Here are the remains of the ancient castles of Fidane and Arddameilivan; those of the former are in good preservation and very massive. At a place called the Punch-bowl the Gurtnamackin river first disappears underground.
BEAMORE, or BEMOOR, a village, in the parish of COLPE, barony of LOWER DULEEK, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 1 1/4mile (S.) from Drogheda, on the road to Naule; containing 23 houses and 123 inhabitants.
BEATAE-MARIAE-DE-FORE.--See FEIGHAN of FORE (ST.).
BEAULIEU, county of KILKENNY.--See OWNING.
BEAULIEU, a parish, in the barony of FERRARD, county of LOUTH, and province of LEINSTER, 2 miles (E. by N.) from Drogheda; containing 535 inhabitants. This place was occupied by Sir Phelim O'Nial and the insurgent forces during the siege of Drogheda, which was defended by Sir Henry Tichborne, one of the lords justices of Ireland, who, on the forfeiture of the estate by the Plunkett family, purchased and obtained a grant of it from Chas. II.; the Rev. Alexander Johnson Montgomery, his descendant by the female line, is the present proprietor. The parish is situated at the estuary of the river Boyne, on the eastern coast, and comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 1228 statute acres, including 218 3/4 of tideway of the Boyne. Beaulieu House, the seat of the Rev. A. J. Montgomery, was built by the lady of Sir H. Tichborne: it is a stately mansion, situated in an extensive and finely planted demesne, bounded on the south by the Boyne, and contains an ornamental sheet of water; a very handsome entrance lodge has been recently erected. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Armagh, and in the patronage of the Lord-Primate: the tithes amount to £105. The church, a neat structure with a tower, was built by aid of a gift of £600 from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1807; and contains some handsome marble monuments to the Montgomery family, and one to the Donagh family of Newtown; in the churchyard is a curious stone with the figure of a skeleton in high relief and the date, apparently 1117. There is neither glebe nor glebe-house. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Termonfeckan. The parochial school of 10 boys and 10 girls is aided by an annual donation from the rector, and the master has a house and land from the Rev. A. J. Montgomery; there is also a pay school, in which are about 20 boys and 10 girls.
BEAUMONT, a village, in the parish of KILSHARVAN, barony of LOWER DULEEK, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 2 miles (E.) from Duleek; containing 77 inhabitants. This village, which comprises only 12 houses, is situated on the road from Duleek to Laytown, and on the Nanny water, which is here crossed by a stone bridge. Here is an extensive flour and oatmeal-mill, with six pairs of millstones and a steam-engine of 20-horse power, which has been recently erected and fitted up with the most improved machinery. It is the property of J. McCann, Esq., whose residence adjoins the mill.--See KILSHARVAN.
BECAN, or BEKAN, a parish, in the barony of COSTELLO, county of MAYO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 4 miles (W. by N.) from Ballyhaunis; containing 5659 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from Claremorris to Frenchpark, and is principally under tillage, with the exception of a few grazing farms. Becan is the residence of J. Bourke, Esq., and Ballenville, of J. Crean, Esq. The river Robe has its source within the limits of the parish. It is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Tuam, and is part of the union of Kiltullagh: the tithes amount to £127. 8. 5 1/4. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church: the chapel is a plain thatched building. At Brackloon is a school of about 60 boys and 50 girls; and there are five private schools in the parish, in which are about 300 boys and 100 girls. There are some ruins of the old church, with a burial-place annexed, which is still used.
BECTIVE, a parish, in the barony of UPPER NAVAN, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (S. W.) from Navan; containing 671 inhabitants, This parish, called also De Beatitudine, was granted by Chas. I. to Sir Richard Bolton, Lord Chancellor of Ireland, in 1639, and is now the property of his descendant, Richard Bolton, Esq. It derived considerable celebrity from a Cistertian monastery founded here, in 1146 or 1152, by Murchard O'Melaghlin, King of Meath, which was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, and richly endowed: this establishment, of which the abbot was a lord in parliament, continued to flourish, and in 1195, by order of Matthew, Archbishop of Cashel, at that time apostolic legate, and John, Archbishop of Dublin, the body of Hugh de Lacy, which had been for a long time undiscovered, was interred here with great solemnity, but his head was placed in the abbey of St. Thomas, Dublin. In the same year, the Bishop of Meath, and his Archdeacon, with the Prior of the abbey of Duleek, were appointed by Pope Innocent III. to decide a controversy between the monks of this abbey and the canons of St. Thomas, Dublin, respecting their right to the body of De Lacy, which was decided in favour of the latter. Hugh de Lacy, who was one of the English barons that accompanied Hen. II. on his expedition for the invasion of Ireland, received from that monarch a grant of the entire territory of Meath, and was subsequently appointed chief governor of the country. He erected numerous forts within his territory, encouraging and directing the workmen by his own presence, and often labouring in the trenches with his own hands. One of these forts he was proceeding to erect at Durrow, in the King's county, in 1186, on the site of an abbey, which profanation of one of their most ancient and venerable seats of devotion so incensed the native Irish and inflamed their existing hatred, that whilst De Lacy was employed in the trenches, stooping to explain his orders, a workman drew out his battle-axe, which had been concealed under his long mantle, and at one blow smote off his head. The abbey and its possessions, including the rectory of Bective, were surrendered in the 34th of Hen. VIII., and were subsequently granted to Alexander Fitton.
The parish, which is. situated on the river Boyne, and on the road from Trim to Navan, comprises 3726 statute acres, chiefly under tillage; the system of agriculture is improved, and there is neither waste land nor bog. Limestone of very good quality is abundant, and is quarried both for building and for burning into lime, which is the principal manure. Bective House, the seat of R. Bolton, Esq., is a handsome modern residence, pleasantly situated on the banks of the river Boyne. The parish is in the diocese of Meath, and, being abbey land,is wholly tithe-f'ree: the rectory is impropriate in Mr. Bolton. There is no church; the Protestant parishioners attend divine service in the neighbouring parishes of Kilmessan and Trim. In the R. C. divisions it is included in the union or district of Navan; the chapel at Robinstown is a neat modern edifice. There is a school near the R. C. chapel, for which it is intended to build a new school-room; and there is also a hedge school of 21 boys and 19 girls. The ruins of the ancient abbey occupy a conspicuous site on the west bank of the river, and have a very picturesque appearance: they consist chiefly of a lofty square pile of building, the front of which is flanked by a square tower on each side; the walls and chimneys of the spacious hall, and part of the cloisters, are remaining; the latter present a beautiful range of pointed arches resting on clustered columns enriched with sculpture, and displaying some interesting details. There are also some picturesque remains of an ancient chapel in the vicinity. Bective gives the inferior title of Earl to the Marquess of Headfort.
BECTIVE-BRIDGE, a village, in the parish of BALSOON, barony of LOWER DEECE, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 3 3/4 miles (E. N. E.) from Trim; containing 142 inhabitants. This place is situated on the road from Dunshaughlin to Athboy, and on the river Boyne, over which is a stone bridge connecting it with the parish of Bective, from which circumstance it has derived its name. It contains about 30 dwellings, and has two annual fairs; one on the 16th of May, principally for dry cows and young heifers, which is well attended, and the other on the 1st of November, chiefly for cattle and pigs.--See BALSOON.
BEG-ERIN, or BEGRIN, a small island in Wexford harbour, in the parish of ARDCOLME, barony of SHELMALIER, county of WEXFORD, and province of LEINSTER, 2 1/2 miles (N. E.) from Wexford, This island, of which the name signifies in the Irish language "Little Ireland," is situated in the northern part of Wexford harbour, and was, at a very early period, distinguished as the residence of St. Ibar, or Ivore, who, according to Ware and Archdall, founded here, in 420, a celebrated monastery for Canons Regular of the order of St. Augustine, over which he presided till his death. He established a school here, in which he instructed numerous scholars in sacred literature and various sciences, and was in such reputation for learning, as well as for the sanctity of his life, that he obtained the appellation of Doctor Begerensis; he died on the 23d of April, in the year 500, and was interred in the monastery. St. Aengus, in his litany, invokes 150 saints, all of whom were disciples of St. Ibar. Of the monastery there are no vestiges, unless the ruins of a small chapel, of which the rudeness of the masonry indicates a very remote antiquity, may be regarded as such. In 1171, Robert Fitz-Stephen, after having been deceived into the surrender of his castle of Ferry-Carrig, and such of his garrison as were not perfidiously put to death, were brought to this place, where they were detained prisoners till the landing of Hen. II. at Waterford, soon after which they were liberated by that monarch. The island was, in 1549, alienated by a fee-farm lease, at a rent of seven shillings, to James Devereux, and is now occupied by Henry Cooper, Esq., who has built a handsome rustic cottage for his residence, which is surrounded with thriving shrubberies and plantations. Mr. Cooper has made several improvements in farming and embanking; and his family, with one or two of his workmen, constitute the whole of the population of the island.
BEGGARSBRIDGE -- See ROCHFORT-BRIDGE.
BEG-INNIS or BEGNERS ISLAND, in the parish of CAHIR, barony of IVERAGH, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, lying near the north-east end of the island and post-town of Valencia: the population is returned with the parish. It is situated nearly in the centre of the chief entrance to the harbour of Valencia, on the western coast, from which island it is separated by a channel varying in breadth from one-eighth to one-half of a mile; and comprises about 330 statute acres of land, held by J. Primrose, Esq., of Hill Grove. The opening to the north, called Lough Kay, has deep water, but is much exposed to the great ocean swell. The south-eastern shore is covered with a fine shell sand, which forms a valuable manure, and is conveyed in boats to a considerable distance. There is a quarry of slate on the island, in the working of which the greater portion of the inhabitants are employed. Nearly in the centre of it is a remarkable conical hill, called the Sugar Loaf.
BEHAGH, or BEAGH, a hamlet, in the parish of ABBEY, barony of BURREN, county of CLARE, and province of MUNSTER; containing 14 dwellings and 101 inhabitants. The parochial R. C. chapel, a small thatched building, is situated here.
BELAN, a parish, in the barony of KILKEA and MOONE, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (S. S. W.) from Ballytore: the population is returned with the parish of Timolin. It is situated on the road from Dublin to Castledermot, and comprises 1176 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £865 per annum. Belan House, the seat of the Earl of Aldborough, is an extensive pile of building, situated at the foot of Bolton hill and occupying the site of an ancient castle which formerly belonged to a branch of the Fitzgerald family, and was destroyed by Cromwell in the parliamentary war; in the house is preserved an ancient bed, in which Jas. II. and Wm. III. successively slept in the year 1690. It is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Dublin, and is part of the union of Timolin: the tithes amount to £102. 10. In the R. C. divisions it is included in the union or district of Castledermot.
BELANAGARE, a village, in the parish of KILCORKEY, barony of BALLINTUBBER, county of ROSCOMMON, and province of CONNAUGHT, 2 miles (S. by E.) from Frenchpark: the population is returned with the parish. This place is situated on the mail coach road from Longford to Ballina, and consists of about 30 houses, of which several are neatly built. It was formerly the residence of the O'Conor Don, who has lately removed to a new lodge in the immediate neighbourhood, since which the village has been neglected and is falling into decay. The old mansion, now in ruins, was an irregular building with numerous gables and tall chimneys, and is surrounded with stately trees. The surrounding scenery is interesting, and the roads leading to the village are shaded by trees growing in the hedge-rows. Fairs are held on Jan. 6th, and the first Wednesdays in March, Aug. and Nov.; the January fair is noted for young horses and pigs. Petty sessions are held here irregularly. The R. C. parochial chapel is situated in the village, and was built by the late O'Conor Don, in 1819; the roof is covered with sandstone slate found in the neighbourhood. A large school is held in the chapel.--See KILCORKEY.
BELCARRA, a village, in the parish of DRUM, barony of CARRA, county of MAYO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 4 miles (S.) from Castlebar: the population is returned with the parish. This place, which is situated on the road from Castlebar to Hollymount, and comprises about 35 houses, is a constabulary police station, and has fairs on Feb. 2nd, June 4th, and Nov. 10th. It contains the parish church and R. C. chapel. In the immediate vicinity is Elm Hall, once the seat of Lord Tyrawley, but now in ruins.--See DRUM.
BELCLARE, or BELCLARE-TUAM, a parish, in the barony of CLARE, county of GALWAY, and province of CONNAUGHT, 3 1/2 miles (S. S. W.) from Tuam, on the road to Headfort; containing 2371 inhabitants. A monastery of Franciscan friars was founded here in 1291, and at an early period had acquired very ample possessions, but little more of its history is recorded. The celebrated hill of Knockman, or Knockma, from which is an extensive and delightful view, is situated in the parish; and there are several extensive tracts of bog, and a flour-mill. The gentlemen's seats are Thomastown, the residence of Capt. Kirwan, and New-Garden, of Roderick O'Connor, Esq. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Tuam, and, with a portion of the rectory, forms part of the union of Tuam; the other portion of the rectory is appropriate to the deanery of Tuam. The tithes amount to £235, of which one-half is payable to the dean and the other to the incumbent. In the R. C. divisions it is the head of a union or district, called Clare-Tuam, comprising the parishes of Belclare, Kilmoylan, and Kilmacrean, and containing two chapels, situated respectively in Belclare and Kilmacrean; the former is a good slated building recently erected. A school for Protestant females is wholly supported by Mrs. Kirwan, of Castle Hackett; and there are two pay schools, situated respectively at Wood's quay and Carabeg, in which are 148 boys and 21 girls.
BELCOE, a village, in the parish of BOHOE, barony of GLENAWLEY, county of FERMANAGH, and province of ULSTER, 9 miles (W. S. W.) from Enniskillen: the population is returned with the parish. It is situated near Lough Macnean, on the confines of the county of Cavan, and has fairs on April 5th, June 5th, Aug. 5th, Oct. 6th, and Nov. 26th. Here is a noted well, called Darugh Phadric.-- See BOHOE.
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Prior to the civil war in 1641, the town had attained a considerable degree of commercial importance, and was the residence of many merchants and men of note; but the inhabitants, being chiefly Presbyterians, suffered severely for refusing to conform to the Established Church; many of them left the kingdom, and those who remained embraced the parliamentarian interest. The immediate local effect of this rebellion was the suspension of all improvements, but the town was saved from assault by the defeat of the rebels near Lisburn; and, while the insurgents were overpowering nearly all the surrounding country, Belfast was maintained in security by the judicious arrangements of Sir Arthur Tyringham, who, according to the records of the corporation, cleared the water-courses, opened the sluices, erected a draw-bridge, and mustered the inhabitants in military array. In 1643 Chas. I. appointed Col. Chichester governor of the castle, and granted £1000 for the better fortification of the town, which, while the people of the surrounding country were joining the Scottish covenanters, alone retained its firm adherence to the royal interest. The royalists in Ulster, anticipating an order from the parliament for a forcible imposition of the Scottish covenant, assembled here to deliberate upon the answer to be returned to Gen. Monroe, commander of the Scottish forces in Ireland, when required to submit to that demand; but the latter, being treacherously informed of their purpose, and favoured by the darkness of the night, marched to Belfast with 2000 men, surprised the town, and compelled them to retire to Lisburn. The inhabitants were now reduced to the greatest distress; Col. Hume, who was made governor of the castle for the parliament, imposed upon them heavy and grievous taxes, and the most daring of the Irish insurgents were constantly harassing them from without. After the decapitation of Chas. I., the presbytery of this place, having strongly expressed their abhorrence of that atrocity, were reproachfully answered by the poet Milton; and the Scottish forces of Ulster having, in common with the covenanters of their native country, embraced the royal cause, the garrison kept possession of it for the king. But Gen. Monk, in 1648, seized their commander, Gen. Monroe, whom he sent prisoner to England, and having assaulted Belfast, soon reduced it under the control of the parliament, who appointed Col. Maxwell governor. In 1649, the town was taken by a manoeuvre of Lord Montgomery; but Cromwell, on his arrival in Ireland, despatched Col. Venables, after the massacre of Drogheda, to reduce it, in which enterprise he succeeded.
On the abdication of Jas. II., the inhabitants fitted out a vessel, and despatched a congratulatory address to the Prince of Orange, whom they afterwards proclaimed king; but, within a few days, James's troops having obtained possession of the place, many of the inhabitants fled to Scotland and elsewhere for safety, and several of the principal families were placed under attainder. On the landing of Duke Schomberg at Bangor, on Oct. 13th, 1689, with an army of 10,000 men, the Irish forces evacuated the town, of which Col. Wharton took possession in the name of King William: a reinforcement of 7000 well-appointed troops from Denmark shortly after joined the forces of Schomberg, which had encamped under the walls; and on June 14th, 1690, the king arrived in person, and issued from this town a proclamation to the army forbidding them to lay waste the country. The king remained here for five days, whence he proceeded to the Boyne by way of Hillsborough, and on his march issued an order to the collector of the customs of Belfast, to pay £1200 per annum to the Presbyterian ministers of Ulster, which grant formed the origin of the more extensive royal bounty at present paid to that body. The castle was destroyed by an accidental fire in 1708, and has not been rebuilt. In 1715, on the threatened invasion of the Pretender, the inhabitants of the town and neighbourhood formed themselves into volunteer corps for the better defence of the country; in 1745 they again had recourse to arms; and in 1760, by their prompt muster, in conjunction with the people of the surrounding country, they saved their town from the French under Thurot, who had landed at Carrickfergus, intending to surprise Belfast; but, overawed by the muster of 12,000 men, posted within two miles of Carrickfergus on the road to Belfast, he hastily re-embarked, after having obtained a considerable supply of brandy, wine, and provisions from the merchants of that town. The formation of the Irish volunteers, induced all the principal young men of Belfast again to accoutre themselves, and they assumed a formidable political attitude, until suppressed with the rest of that body. Notwithstanding the powerful excitement which prevailed towards the close of the 18th century, Belfast, although the centre of motion to the northern union, was preserved in peaceable subjection by the precaution of Government in placing in it a strong military force: but the spirit of disaffection had diffused itself considerably, and seven individuals were executed here for treason. With the exception of commercial difficulties, from which, however, this town suffered less than any other of equal importance in the kingdom, few circumstances have occurred in modern times to retard its progress; and it is now the most flourishing in the island, celebrated alike for its manufactures and commerce, and for the public spirit of its inhabitants in the pursuit of literature and science, and in the support of charitable and other benevolent institutions.
The town is advantageously situated on the western bank of the river Lagan, a long narrow bridge of 21 arches, erected in 1686, connecting it with the suburb of Ballymacarrett, in the county of Down, below which the river expands into the noble estuary called Belfast or Carrickfergus Lough; another bridge over the Lagan into the county of Down has been lately erected, and there is a third at some distance to the south. Its general appearance is cheerful and prepossessing; the principal streets and squares, which are well formed and spacious, are Macadamised, and the footpaths flagged with excellent freestone. The houses are handsomely built of brick and slated, and several new squares, terraces, and ranges of building have been recently erected, making the total number of houses 8022. The town is lighted with gas from works belonging to a company established by act of parliament in 1822. The inhabitants, previously to 1795, were but scantily supplied with water; but the late Marquess of Donegal granted to the trustees of the Incorporated Charitable Society a lease, for 61 years, of all the springs of water on his estate; and in 1805 the Malone springs were purchased, and the water was brought to the town at an expense of £3650. In 1817 an act was obtained, under the authority of which the trustees appointed water applotters, who took upon themselves the whole management, and now receive the rates, paying to the Society £750 per annum.
The town, though situated little more than six feet above high water mark of spring tides, is considered healthy, the air being pure and salubrious; and the surrounding scenery is richly diversified and, in many parts, picturesque. An extended range of mountains, 1100 feet in height, rises at the distance of two miles to the north-west; and within the limits of the parish is Divis mountain, 1567 feet above the level of the sea at low water. The views down the lough in a north-eastern direction are strikingly beautiful, the shores on both sides being decorated with elegant country seats and plantations. The inhabitants have long been distinguished for their zealous encouragement of literary pursuits, and the first edition of the Bible ever published in Ireland was printed at Belfast in the year 1704. In this town also was established, in 1737, the Belfast News Letter, the first newspaper ever printed in the North of Ireland: there are now several others, also a Mercantile Register and monthly periodicals. The Belfast Society for Promoting Knowledge, established in 1788, is supported by annual subscriptions of one guinea; the library contains more than 8000 volumes, and there are a cabinet of minerals, and a valuable philosophical apparatus. The Literary Society, for improvement in literature, science, antiquities, and the arts, was established in 1801; and the Historic Society, for the study of general history, the British laws and constitution, and the cultivation of oratory, in 1811. The Natural History Society, established in 1821, has recently erected a very handsome building: the lower story is an imitation of the Choragic monuments of Thrasyllus, with a portico, which is an exact copy of that of the octagon tower of Andronicus at Athens; and the upper portions are designed after the model of the temple of Minerva: the interior comprises several spacious, lofty, and elegant apartments, with lecture-rooms, an observatory, and a very valuable museum. The Botanic Gardens were formed in connection with the Natural History Society, by some of the members, who, in 1827, purchased for that purpose about 16 acres of land, on the banks of the Lagan, about a mile from the town, on the Malone road: they are under the direction of a committee of 21, elected from the holders of 500 shares of five guineas each, of whom those holding less than four shares pay also a subscription annually; the society has expended more than £4000 on these gardens, to which persons may subscribe without being shareholders. A spacious and handsome news-room, to which respectable strangers have free access, on entering their names in a book kept for the purpose, occupies the lower story of the Commercial Buildings: there is another large news-room in one of the wings of the White Linen Hall; a third has been recently opened in connection with the office of the Northern Whig newspaper, and a fourth under the patronage of the Belfast Society. Over the exchange is an elegant suite of assembly-rooms; there are also others in the Commercial Buildings, and there is a neat theatre in Arthur-street. On the north-eastern side of the town are artillery and infantry barracks; and a town-major is regularly appointed, this being nominally a garrison town: it is also a chief constabulary police station for the county.
Belfast owes much of its importance to the increase of the linen trade of Ulster, of which it is now become the grand depot. In 1830 a very extensive mill was erected for spinning linen yarn upon the same principle as in the chief houses at Leeds, in order to meet the increasing demand of the manufacturers; and, in 1832, a large cotton-mill was adapted to the spinning of the refuse flax of the linen-mill, for the use of the canvas weavers. In these two mills more than 700 persons are employed, and, since their erection, a linen cloth manufactory has been established on a very large scale at Ligoneil, two miles distant, which is the first of the kind in this part of the country. Seven more spinning mills, containing 48,000 spindles, and affording employment to more than 5000 persons, were built in 1834, and several others have been erected since; they are all of brick, roofed with slate, and are mostly five stories high. The celebrated Ardoyne damask manufactory was established in 1825; and the elegance of the fabric soon extended its reputation, and obtained royal patronage, an extensive order for his Majesty being at present under execution. Linens and sheetings of the stoutest fabric, for the London market, are likewise manufactured in this establishment, the proprietor of which, Michael Andrews, Esq., obtained the gold medal of the Royal Dublin Society for specimens of his productions, shewn at their exhibition of national manufactures, held in Dublin, in May 1835. The business of the linen trade of the whole kingdom was for a long time transacted solely in Dublin, by agents resident there; but the serious inconvenience experienced by the numerous bleachers in the province of Ulster, in consequence of the remoteness of the principal mart, prompted them to the establishment of a linen-hall at Belfast, and in 1785 a spacious and handsome quadrangular building was erected in the centre of Donegal-square, by public subscription, and called the White Linen Hall, which affords great facility for making up assorted cargoes for foreign countries; great quantities are exported to America, the West Indies, and various other places, and nearly all the London merchants are supplied by factors resident here. The Brown Linen Hall, erected about the same time, is an enclosed space on the south side of Donegal-street, containing several detached platforms, where the merchants attend every Friday for the purchase of brown webs from the weavers, who assembled here from the surrounding districts. The webs brought to this mart are principally one yard in width, and of the finest quality; and so great is the quantity purchased by the merchants, who are also bleachers, that in the Belfast district, situated within a distance of six miles of the town to the west and south west and containing in all fourteen bleaching-greens (of which eleven are within the parish of Belfast), 260,000 pieces are annually bleached, exceeding by 87,000 the number of pieces bleached in the same district in the year 1822; the value of the goods finished annually in these establishments is little less than one million sterling.
The cotton manufacture, of which Belfast is the centre and principal seat, was originally introduced here in 1777, by Mr. Robert Joy, father of Chief Baron Joy, and at that time one of the proprietors of the Belfast News Letter. That gentleman had been chiefly instrumental in establishing the incorporated poor-house, which under his auspices became the nursery of this important branch of manufacture, at that time unknown in any other part of Ireland, and which, after struggling with various difficulties, at length attained such rapidity of progress that, in 1800, it afforded employment to 27,000 persons within a circuit of ten miles round Belfast, and is still carried on here to a vast extent in all its branches, more especially in the spinning department, for which alone there are, in the town and neighbourhood, no less than 21 factories. The machinery used in these works is partly impelled by steam, but chiefly by water, for which the streams in the neighbourhood are particularly favourable, by reason of the rapidity of their currents and their numerous falls; and gives motion to about 982,000 spindles and 640 power-looms, which latter are of very recent introduction. The buildings are of very large dimensions, in general from six to eight stories in height, and in some of them from 800 to 2000 persons are employed. The principal articles manufactured are velvets, fustians, jeans, ticking, checks, ginghams, quiltings, calico muslins, and muslinets. There are also very extensive print-fields, bleach-greens, dye-works, and establishments for every department of the manufacture, which in the aggregate affords employment to 36,225 persons; but is at present in a declining state, several of the works having been recently suspended, and others applied to different purposes. Connected with these establishments are various manufactories for machinery, iron-forges, and works for the preparation of oil of vitriol and other chymical products used in bleaching, dyeing, and printing, together employing about 1000 persons; engraving also, as connected with the printing of cotton goods, is carried on extensively. An iron-foundry was first established here in 1792; in 1798 the Lagan foundry, in Ballymacarrett, was erected, where steam-engines are now made; and in 1811 the Belfast foundry, in Donegal-street, was built, in which the patent rotatory steam-engines, originally invented by one of the proprietors, have been manufactured. In 1834 the manufacture of machinery for spinning flax was first successfully introduced into Ireland, by the proprietors of the Belfast foundry; two other foundries have been since established,--the Phoenix, in York-street, and the Soho foundry, in Townsend-street, where spinning machinery is made; there are also several other foundries on a smaller scale, the whole affording employment to about 600 persons. The making of vitriol was introduced in 1799; at present there are two establishments, in which about 180 persons are employed. The manufacture of flint glass was commenced in 1776, and in a few years several extensive glass-houses were erected; at present there are only two in operation, employing together about 90 persons. There are two distilleries, which annually produce 311,000 gallons of spirits, nearly the whole of which is for home consumption: about 150 men are employed in the process; and at Brookfield, adjoining the town, is another upon an extensive scale. There are twelve extensive ale and porter breweries, from which many thousand barrels are annually exported; some large flour and meal-mills, worked by steam and water; and extensive manufactories for tobacco, soap, candles, starch, glue, and paper, both for home consumption and for exportation. The tanning of leather for exportation was formerly carried on to a great extent, and at the commencement of the present century there were 36 tanyards in the town and neighbourhood; but it has much declined, and is at present chiefly confined to the home market. The manufacture of ropes and canvas was originally introduced in 1758, to which were added, in 1784, the making of sail-cloth, and, in 1820, the making of sails, which has since grown into celebrity and affords employment to a great number of persons of both sexes. Ship-building was commenced in the year 1791, prior to which time all vessels belonging to the port were built and repaired in England and Scotland; there are now two extensive yards, with graving docks and every requisite appendage, in which more than 200 men are constantly employed, and from which four or five brigs of the first class, and schooners of from 100 to 360 tons' registered burden, are annually launched. Several ships have also been lately built, among which is the Hindoo, of 400 tons' register, for the East India trade.
The trade of the port, comparatively of modern origin, has been rapid in its growth and uniformly increasing in its progress: it originally rose into importance on the purchase by the Crown, in 1637, of the privileges possessed by the corporation of Carrickfergus (of which port Belfast was formerly only a dependency), of importing merchandise at a far lower rate of duty than was paid at any other port. After the completion of this purchase, the custom-house of that place was removed to Belfast, which, however, arose into distinguished notice only with the linen trade, as, at the commencement of the last century, there were only five vessels, of the aggregate burden of 109 tons, belonging to the port; and the amount of custom-house duties, in 1709, was not more than £1215. In 1740 it had not only become well known on the continent as a place of considerable trade, but was in equal repute with the most celebrated commercial towns in Europe; and in 1785 it became the principal depot of the linen trade, from which time its commerce rapidly increased. During the fluctuations of trade by which other places suffered so severely, Belfast experienced comparatively but little diminution of its commerce, and in 1825 derived a considerable addition to its trade in the increase of the cross-channel intercourse, from the introduction of steam navigation. In 1833, the number of vessels which entered inwards at the port was 2445, and which cleared outwards, 1391; and the amount of duties paid at the custom-house exceeded £412,000. The trade has been rapidly and uniformly increasing every year; and in that ending on Jan. 5th, 1836, the number of vessels that entered inwards was 2730, and that cleared outwards, 2047; and the amount of duties paid at the custom-house, was £357,645. 2. 10., and of quayage dues at the ballast-office, £9289. 19. 11. The commerce of the port consists of various branches, of which the most important at present is the cross-channel trade, which in 1747 employed only three vessels, collectively of 198 tons' burden; from that time it appears to have rapidly increased, and, since the more direct and expeditious intercourse with the principal ports of Great Britain, afforded by the introduction of steam navigation, has absorbed a considerable portion of the foreign and colonial trade. The principal exports connected with this branch are linen cloth, manufactured cotton goods, and agricultural produce. Its extensive trade in provisions is of very recent introduction, and affords a striking demonstration of the great improvements in the system of agriculture which have taken place since the commencement of the present century, previously to which considerable quantities of corn were annually imported, and in 1789 the only articles shipped from this port were beef and butter, in very limited quantities. The chief imports by the cross-channel trade are tea, sugar, cotton, wool, and various articles for the use of the manufacturers, bleachers, and dyers; also British manufactured goods, and articles of general merchandise. The number of vessels that entered inwards from British ports during the year 1835 was 2949, and the number that cleared outwards, 1534; of these there were nine steam-boats, of which four were employed in the Glasgow, three in the Liverpool, and two in the London trade. The first steam-boat that crossed the channel to this port was from Liverpool, in 1819, but it was not till 1824 that steam-boats were employed in the transmission of merchandise: the passage by steam navigation to Liverpool is performed, on the average, in 14 hours, to London in 132 hours, to Glasgow in 14 hours, and to Dublin in 14 hours.
The trade with the United States and with British North America is also very considerable: the chief exports are linen cloth, manufactured cotton goods, blue, starch, and whiskey; the imports are timber and staves, tobacco, cotton, wool, ashes, and flax and clover seeds. In 1835, the number of vessels in this trade which entered inwards was 78, and of those that cleared outwards 76, the latter taking out 2675 emigrants, of whom 1824 were destined for the British American colonies, and 851 for the United States. The trade with the West Indies commenced in 1740, and, of late, several first-class vessels have been built expressly for it; 9 vessels entered inwards, and 15 cleared outwards, in 1835, in connection with the British West India islands only. The trade with the Baltic, which is on the increase, consists in the importation of tallow, timber, ashes, flax, and hemp. Tallow and hides are also imported from Odessa; mats, pitch, tar, flax, and flax seed from Archangel; and wine, fruit, lemon and lime juice, olive and other oils, brimstone, and barilla, from the Mediterranean and the Levant. The total number of vessels employed in the foreign trade, which entered inwards in 1835, was 184, and of those that cleared outwards, 145. The coasting trade is also of great importance; exclusively of ordinary vessels of different classes, and of the regular steam-packets for goods and passengers to Liverpool, London, Dublin, Greenock, Glasgow, and Stranraer, it employs packets, in the summer season, to the Isle of Man, Whitehaven, North Wales, Port Stewart, Derry, and to several other places on the Irish and Scottish coasts. There is also engaged in this trade a regular establishment of vessels of different classes to London, Maryport, Workington, and Whitehaven, those to the last three ports being chiefly employed in the coal trade; the imports supply the greater part of the North of Ireland. The number of vessels belonging to the port is 219, of an aggregate burden of 23,681 tons; but they are very inadequate to the extent of its commerce, of which a very large portion is carried on in ships belonging to other countries.
The port is very advantageously situated for trade at the mouth of the Lagan in Belfast Lough, sometimes called Carrickfergus bay, a noble arm of the sea forming a safe and commodious harbour, well sheltered and easy of access; the entrance is about six miles in breadth from the point between Groomsport and Ballyholm bay, in the county of Down, and White Head in the county of Antrim; the length from the latter point to the quays at Belfast is 12 miles, decreasing gradually in breadth towards the bridge, where it is very much contracted by the different quays and landing-places, and the embankments of Ballymacarrett. The preservation and improvement of the port and harbour were vested in the Ballast Corporation, constituted by act of parliament in 1785, which was repealed by an act obtained in 1831, and a new "Corporation for Preserving and Improving the Port and Harbour of Belfast" was created, consisting of "the lord of the castle" and "the sovereign," the parliamentary representatives for the counties of Antrim and Down, and the boroughs of Belfast, Carrickfergus, and Downpatrick, and sixteen other commissioners, of whom four go out of office annually, and their successors are elected subject to the approbation of the lord-lieutenant and privy council. Their annual income, arising from pilotage, tonnage, quayage rates on imports and exports, ballastage, &c., on an average of five years, ending Jan. 5th, 1836, amounted to £8868. 18. 8., and the expenditure to £8789 8. 4. The objects of obtaining the new act, in 1831, were to enable the commissioners to purchase quays and grounds for the improvement of the harbour, and to render the enactments suitable to the present state of the trade of the town, which had increased nearly tenfold since the passing of the former act. Below the bridge a fine range of quays extends along the north-west bank of the river, with two graving docks, which were constructed soon after the port was frequented by large vessels; three of these wet docks extend into the principal streets of the town. A spacious graving dock was completed in the year 1826, at an expense of £26,000, by the Ballast Corporation; and several extensive wet docks, quays, and warehouses are now being constructed below the town, under an act of parliament obtained in 1829, by Messrs. Holmes and Dunbar, who have already expended £35,000 in this undertaking: the first of these docks, completed in 1832, is 400 yards in length and 100 yards in breadth, and is intended for the large ships in the timber trade, and for those in the coal trade till the other docks are constructed. The harbour commissioners, under the act of 1831, contemplate the deepening and enlarging of the harbour, the formation of a new channel from the quays to the Mile-water river, the construction of floating docks with entrance locks, additional quays, and other improvements; but these works are at present delayed. The custom-house, a very indifferent building, is situated on Hanover-quay. The Lagan navigation, extending in a line of 22 miles from the port to Lough Neagh, by way of Lisburn, was constructed under an act of the 27th of Geo. III., confirmed by others to the 54th of the same reign, by which the proprietors were invested with a small duty on beer and spirits in the excise district of Lisburn, since commuted for an annual money payment out of the consolidated fund: the number of debentures issued from 1785 to 1793 was sixty-two, amounting to £62,000. The navigation is continued partly in the bed of the river, and partly by collateral cuts to a mile above Lisburn; but, from its circuitous course and the high rate of the tolls, goods are conveyed by land with greater expedition and at less expense. Divers new roads have been formed in the immediate neighbourhood of the town; and, under an act of parliament obtained in 1832, a railway from the harbour to Cave Hill is now being constructed, in a double line, which is the first work of the kind in the North of Ireland.
The Chamber of Commerce was originally established in 1783; its meetings were suspended from 1794 to 1802, since which time they have been resumed without interruption, greatly to the benefit of trade and the interests of the town. The Old Exchange, situated nearly in the centre of the town, at the end of Donegal-street, is the private property of the Marquess of Donegal; it was formerly the place of public resort for the merchants, but, since the erection of the Commercial Buildings, has been used only for the election of the chief magistrate. The Commercial Buildings were erected in 1822, opposite to the Exchange, at an expense of £20,000, by a proprietary of 200 shareholders incorporated by act of parliament in 1823, and by a committee of whom, annually elected, the affairs of the institution are conducted: the buildings comprise an excellent commercial hotel, a spacious and handsome news-room, over which is an elegant assembly-room, and behind these an area with a piazza. for the use of the merchants; and in connection with them are numerous offices principally occupied by professional men. The north front, of Irish granite, is decorated with eight lofty Ionic columns, and the west front is principally occupied by shops: the merchants assemble in the news-room and hold 'Change on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The revenue derived by Government from the post-office, in 1835, was £10,073. The banking establishments are the Northern Banking Company, established in 1824; the Belfast Banking Company, in 1826; and the Ulster Banking Company, in 1836: all have branches in the different large towns throughout the province. There are also branches of the Bank of Ireland, the Provincial Bank, and the Agricultural and Commercial Bank of Ireland.
Jas. I., in 1605, 1608, and 1611, made grants of markets and fairs, which were all included in one grant to Arthur, Lord Chichester, in 1621, of a market to be held on Friday, and fairs annually on Aug. 1st and 2nd, and Oct. 23th and 29th; this grant was also confirmed by Charles II. to Arthur, Earl of Donegal, in 1668. Though the markets are open daily, the principal market day is Friday: the two fairs are now held on Aug. 12th and Nov. 8th. There are in Smithfield two market-places for meat, two for fish, and one for hay, straw, and hides, besides several others for meat and vegetables in various parts of the town, all of which are well supplied: the market for pork and butter is in the weigh-house and buildings adjoining; the sale of poultry of all kinds, collected from a great distance, forms a regular trade; and the fish market is well supplied with turbot and salmon from the coasts of Antrim and Derry.
Belfast is in some measure indebted for its incorporation to the favour shewn to the Chichester family by Jas. I., who, in 1612, granted to Sir Arthur Chichester, who had previously established a number of Devonshire men in the townland of Malone, the castle and an extensive surrounding territory; and in the following year incorporated the inhabitants by charter. In the 4th of Jas. II., on a seizure of the franchises, a charter, the provisions of which were in most respects similar to those of the former, was granted, but is now considered void. Geo. II., in the 33rd year of his reign, also granted a charter, which, however, is only an inspeximus of the charter of Jas. I. The corporation is styled "The Sovereign, Free Burgesses, and Commonalty of the Borough of Belfast;" and consists of a sovereign, lord of the castle, constable of the castle, twelve other free burgesses, and an unlimited number of freemen, assisted by a town-clerk and two serjeants-at-mace. The sovereign is chosen annually on the 24th of June by the free burgesses, from three of their own body nominated by the lord of the castle (or, in default of such nomination, which seldom occurs, elected by themselves), and is sworn into office before the lord, or in his absence before, the constable of the castle, on Michaelmas-day. The lord of the castle is a member of the corporation by tenure of the castle of Belfast; the office is held by the Marquess of Donegal, in whose family it has continued since the date of the charter; the constable is appointed by instrument under seal of the lord of the castle, and becomes a free burgess. The other free burgesses are chosen, as vacancies occur, by the sovereign and the remainder of their body; the town-clerk is elected by the sovereign and burgesses; and the serjeants-at-mace are chosen by the corporation at large. The freedom of the borough is acquired only by gift of the sovereign and • free burgesses 5 at present there are no freemen. The borough returned two representatives to the Irish parliament from the date of its incorporation till the Union, after which it sent one to the Imperial parliament, but its original number was restored by the act of the 2nd of William IV., cap. 88, passed to amend the representation. The right of election was formerly vested exclusively in the free burgesses, but by the act above-named has been extended to the £10 householders: the number of voters registered at the close of 1835 was about 1600: the sovereign is the returning officer. The jurisdiction of the corporation and of the town police is supposed to extend on the north to the Mile-water, and on the south to the Blackstaff, both of which streams fall into the Lagan, which forms its boundary on the east; and on the west is also a boundary, but so imperfectly defined that disputes are constantly arising with respect to the county cess, which within it is levied on the houses, and without it only on the acre. Under the act now regulating the harbour a jurisdiction is given to the judges "of assize, justices of the peace for Antrim, and the sovereign of Belfast, over all offences committed within the limits of the port and harbour, or within 500 yards of the quays in the county of Down, as if such offences had been committed within the county of Antrim. The act of the 2nd and 3rd of Wm. IV., cap. 89, assigns a new boundary for elective purposes, which is minutely described in the Appendix. The sovereign is a justice of the peace for the borough, and usually holds the commissions of the peace for the counties of Antrim and Down; he is also clerk of the market, and, ex officio, a member of different bodies incorporated under local acts for the improvement of the town and port. The charter granted a court of record for the recovery of debts not exceeding £20, arising within the borough or its liberty, to be held every Thursday before the sovereign, but it has long since fallen into disuse. The manor court, held every third Thursday before the seneschal (who is appointed by the Marquess of Donegal, as lord of the manor of Belfast, within which the borough is situated), has jurisdiction over the entire parish, and over the townland of Ballynafeigh, in the county of Down, to the amount of £20 present currency, by process of attachment or arrest: the seneschal also proceeds by civil bill under the manor court acts: the prison of the court was abolished in 1828, and defaulters are now sent to the county gaol. Courts leet for the manor are also held by the seneschal; at that held in May, constables, applotters, and appraisers are appointed for the ensuing year. The sovereign holds petty sessions every Monday and Wednesday at the sessions-house, at which county magistrates may also attend. The stipendiary police magistrate, appointed in 1816, holds a court of petty session at the sessions-house every Thursday, at which other justices attend; a magistrate's court at the police-office every Tuesday and Saturday, where he disposes of cases respecting servants' wages, and other matters not requiring the attendance of two justices; and also sits daily at the office of the nightly watch establishment. The county quarter sessions are held in this town, in conjunction with other places, four times in the year; and the assistant barrister then determines causes by civil bill under his statutable jurisdiction, for the division of Belfast. The house of correction, adjoining the quarter sessions court-house, is a good building of brick, erected in 1817, but is not sufficiently adapted for the classification of prisoners, who are chiefly employed in breaking stones for the streets of the town: it contains good schools, for both sexes, to which two hours in the day are devoted. Commissioners of police were appointed by an act of parliament passed in 1800, and amended in 1816, under which a police tax, amounting on an average of five years, ending with 1835, to £9000 per annum, is levied for the maintenance of patrols by night and by day, and for lighting, cleansing, and paving the town and precincts.
The parish, according to the Ordnance survey, contains 19,559 statute acres, and was anciently called Shankill, but no church having existed at the latter place for more than two centuries, it is now generally designated the parish of Belfast. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Connor, and province of Armagh, and in the patronage of the Marquess of Donegal, to whom the impropriate rectory belongs: the entire parish is under the tithe composition act, and, with the exception of a portion, called the Upper Falls, pays £950 per annum, of which £600 belongs to the lay impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar, who has also a glebe-house near the church, and 20 acres of land. The parochial church, dedicated to St. Anne, was erected in 1778, at the expense of the late Marquess of Donegal: it consists of a nave and chancel, with a lofty Ionic tower surmounted by a Corinthian cupola covered with copper, forming an interesting and conspicuous object for many miles round; the portico, which was inferior in character to the rest of the building, has been replaced by one of loftier elevation. About 1830 the late Board of First Fruits gave £666 for the repair, and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £375 for the improvement, of the church. St. George's church, or chapel of ease, was erected in 1812, on the site of a former edifice, called the corporation church, which had been built on the ruins of the ancient castle: it is a splendid structure, consisting of a nave and chancel, with a magnificent and highly enriched portico of six noble columns and four fluted pilasters, supporting a cornice and pediment, in the tympanum of which are the arms of the united sees of Down and Connor, and of the town, in alto relievo; this splendid specimen of Corinthian architecture was removed from the front of a palace built by the late Earl of Bristol, when Bishop of Derry, on the shore of Lough Beg, the materials for which were quarried from the Derry mountains, and worked by Irish artists, and after that noble prelate's decease purchased, on the demolition of the palace, by Dr. Alexander, then Bishop of Down and Connor, and now of Meath, and by him presented to this church: the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £123. 6. 7. for the repair of the building. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the patronage of the Vicar, and was endowed by the late Board of First Fruits with £3000, laid out in the purchase of the tithes of Naas, in the county of Kildare, producing under the composition act £126 per ann., and further endowed by the vicar with a portion of the tithes of the Upper Falls, now producing to the curate, under the same act, £50 per annum. Christchurch, containing 1000 free sittings, and situated near the Royal Institution, was erected by the late Board of First Fruits, aided by subscription, and was opened for divine service in 1833: the living is a perpetual curacy, endowed with £50 per ann. by the Board, together with the rents of the pews, and in the patronage of the Vicar. It is also in contemplation to erect a church, or chapel, in the townland of Upper Malone, in this parish, about three miles south of the town.
Belfast is the seat of the R. C. see of Down and Connor, and the residence of the Bishop; there are two spacious chapels in the town, one of which, erected in 1811, and considered as the cathedral, is an elegant edifice, in the later style of English architecture: there are also other chapels at Ballymacarrett, Hollywood, Green Castle, and Ballyclare, all in the R. C. parish of Belfast. There are seven places of worship for Presbyterians, of which that for the third congregation (so called from the order of its formation), built in 1831 at an expense of £10,000. by Mr. Millar, a native and resident architect, is perhaps the most elegant edifice of its kind in the three kingdoms. The front is enriched with a stately Grecian-Doric portico of ten lofty columns resting on a basement of twenty steps, and surmounted by a beautiful attic balustrade, composed of a series of pedestals and light pierced work, having a novel and pleasing effect; the other portions of the building are noble and elegant in design, and beautiful in detail, especially the grand staircase leading to the gallery, from which may best be observed that agreeable harmony of design and unity of effect which are strikingly characteristic of this chaste and beautiful edifice. The meet-ing-house for the fifth congregation, in Fisherwick-place, erected in 1827 at an expense of £7000; and that for the sixth, in May-street, built in 1829 at an expense of £9000, are also spacious and elegant structures. There are three places of worship for the Seceders (sometimes called Burghers or Antiburghers), two for Covenanters or Reformed Presbyterians, two each for Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists, and one each for General Baptists, the Society of Friends, and Independents. Five of the Presbyterian meeting-houses are in connection with the Synod of Ulster, namely, those of the third, fourth, fifth, sixth, and seventh congregations; the fifth and sixth are of the first class and the fourth and seventh of the second class. Two are in connection with the Presbytery of Antrim, namely, those of the first and second congregations, the first being a collegiate charge, and each of the first class; and two more in connection with the Seceding Synod are of the first class.
The "Royal Belfast Academical Institution," which reflects so much honour on its founders, was projected in ] 807; and, within a few weeks from the first promulgation of the design, subscriptions to the amount of £16,000 were raised for carrying it into effect: this sum was further increased by subscriptions from other parts of Ireland, and from England; and, under the patronage of the Marquess of Hastings, and by the unwearied exertions of several gentlemen, nearly £5000 was subscribed in India: making the total amount £25,000. In 1810, the patrons and principal subscribers were by act of parliament incorporated a body politic, to consist of the Lord-Primate, the Marquess of Donegal, the Bishop of Down and Connor, the Bishop of Dromore, and more than 70 of the principal subscribers, including all who should subscribe and pay 20 guineas, with power to elect a president, vice-presidents, treasurer, secretary, managers, visitors, and auditors, of whom 21 should be competent to form a board, to transact all business relative to the institution, with license to take lands not exceeding £2500 per annum, and other privileges. The buildings were completed at an expense, including furniture and apparatus, of £28,954. 3. 8., leaving no provision for the endowment of professorships; for which object the managers applied to government, and in the year 1814 received from parliament a grant of £1500, which was continued during the years 1815 and 1816; after which it ceased till 1824, when it was renewed on the recommendation of the Commissioners of Education, and in the year 1834 was increased to £3500; of which sum £2000 was for additional buildings, and £1500 for general expenditure. The institution comprehends a collegiate and a school department, the former under the direction of seven professors of natural philosophy, moral philosophy, logic and the belles lettres, mathematics, Latin and Greek, Hebrew, and anatomy, respectively; there are also two professors of divinity, one appointed by the general Synod of Ulster, and the other by the Seceding Presbyterian Synod of Ireland. The professors were, in 1818, constituted a board of faculty for superintending the courses of instruction and discipline observed in the institution, as were also the masters of the school department for that branch of it. The collegiate department is conducted on a plan similar, in most respects, to that of the university of Glasgow; the session commences in November and ends in May, when public examinations take place; the mathematical class is generally very numerous, and is considered equal to any in the United Kingdom; the classical course is also extensive; the moral philosophy class has no prescribed course of reading, but lectures are given and examinations are held; the course of anatomy is pursued rather as a branch of general education than as a medical study, though admirably calculated as a first course for medical students, for whom it is in contemplation to establish a distinct class. The school department comprises the mercantile, English, classical, mathematical, Italian, French, and drawing schools, each superintended by a separate master. There are at present about 200 students in the collegiate, and 210 pupils in the school, department of the institution, to which is attached a good library, a museum, and a valuable philosophical apparatus. Nearly all the candidates for the Presbyterian ministry in Ireland are educated here; and the Synod of Ulster, and the Seceding Synod of Ireland, by whom the institution is cordially patronised, consider the general certificate of the faculty equivalent to the degree of M. A. in any of the Scottish universities, or to that of B. A. in Trinity College, Dublin, or either of the English universities: the total receipts of this establishment, for 1835, were £3646. 8. 5., and the expenditure was £3735. 19. 5. The number of children educated in the various charity and other free schools, excepting the Sunday schools, is about 2850, of whom 1480 are boys and 1370 girls; one on the Lancasterian plan was formerly a Sunday school, and was converted into a day school in the year 1811, when a spacious school-house of brick, with a residence for the master, was built at an expense of £2000, raised by lottery and by local subscriptions; the school in Brown-street was established in the year 1812, under the patronage of the Marquess of Donegal, and a large and handsome brick building, with houses for the master and mistress adjoining, was erected by subscription, at an expense of £1500; the school in Donegal-street, which was the first in the North of Ireland, that placed itself in connection with the National Board, was founded in 1829, under the patronage of the Right Rev. Dr. Crolley, R. C. Bishop of Down and Connor, and two large school-houses were built adjoining the R. C. cathedral; and in the townland of Malone the late Marquess of Donegal, in 1765, built a very large school-house on the demesne of Willmount, and endowed it with the rent of an adjoining farm, now let for £40 per annum, which appears to have been originally a charter school, but is now open to all children of the neighbourhood, of whom those attending it are educated gratuitously, and supplied with books. The number of private schools is 74, in which are 3630 boys and 2820 girls.
The Incorporated Poor-house, for the reception of the aged and infirm poor, and the support of their children during infancy, was built at an expense of £7000, raised by a lottery and by public subscription, on an elevated site at the upper end of Donegal-street, granted in 1771 by the Marquess of Donegal; and the founders of this humane institution were incorporated by act of parliament in 1774, under the title of "the President and Assistants of the Belfast Charitable Society." The funds, which from the improvement in property are likely to increase, at present exceed £2500 per annum, arising from an annuity of £750 paid by the commissioners of water, the surplus of the revenue of the harbour commissioners after paying the necessary expenses of improving and maintaining the harbour, rents of land and houses, annual subscriptions and donations, and from collections at the churches and principal chapels. There are at present more than 480 individuals who are lodged, clothed, and fed in the house, of whom the aged, both male and female, are employed in some useful occupation, or in its domestic management; and the children, for whose instruction a master and a mistress are appointed with salaries respectively of £25 and £20 per annum, are also taught some business in the house, or apprenticed to trades, or to the sea service: each is at liberty to attend his own place of worship on Sunday; and ministers of all denominations are allowed to officiate in the house during the week. The House of Industry, for the suppression of mendicity and the promotion of industry among the poor, was established in Smithfield in 1809; it is principally supported by voluntary contributions, and affords employment in weaving, spinning, knitting, net-making, and other branches of industry, to the unemployed poor, making up any deficiency in their earnings by donations of food and clothing; it assists poor housekeepers, relieves strangers and forwards them to their destination, supplies deserving mendicants with food and punishes the refractory, accommodates industrious families with small loans or occasional grants, and has diffused great benefit over this populous town, in which it has entirely abolished mendicity. The Fever Hospital was established in 1817, and a dispensary, instituted in 1792, has been incorporated with it: the buildings, situated in Frederick-street, are handsome and commodious, with a spacious area in front, and are adapted to the reception of 226 patients; it is supported by donations, bequests, and subscriptions, also by fines levied by magistrates and grand jury presentments, of which the last alone amount to about £400 per annum, and its annual income is about £1000: it is open to patients not only of the town, but from the county at large, of whom a great number are annually relieved. The Lying-in Hospital was originally established in Donegal-street, in 1794, but in 1830 removed to a more spacious and handsome building erected for it on the new road; it is liberally supported by subscription. The Belfast District Lunatic Asylum, for the reception of pauper patients from the counties of Antrim and Down, and from the county of the town of Carrickfergus, was erected on an eminence one mile from the town, near the Falls road, in 1829, at an expense, including furniture and other contingencies, of £25,319. 13., defrayed by Government under an act of the 1st and 2nd of Geo. IV.: the buildings, which are handsome, were originally adapted for 104 patients, and consist of a centre comprising the house of the governor and the committee-rooms, and two wings, in which are eight corridors containing each thirteen cells for patients, and two others of smaller size containing six cells each, for those of more violent derangement; each corridor has a day-room for the patients, and one also for the keeper: the grounds surrounding the house comprise an area of more than 21 acres, to which the patients have free access, and the whole is enclosed with a stone wall fourteen feet high, with a porter's lodge at the entrance: the males are employed in weaving linen and cotton, gardening, and cultivating the land; and the females in spinning, knitting, and domestic occupations. The management of the asylum is vested in a committee appointed by the general board in Dublin; the medical department is superintended by a physician, governor, and matron, assisted by 26 keepers and others: the annual expenditure, about £2000, is advanced by Government, but repaid by the grand juries of the respective counties. Many extraordinary cures have been effected, and upon an average nearly one-half of the patients have been restored to sanity by the skilful and humane system of treatment introduced and successfully practised by the governor. A savings' bank was established in 1816, for which a handsome edifice was erected in 1830, at an expense of £1400, raised from a fund which had accumulated from the gratuitous superintendence of the committee for the fourteen years preceding; the amount of deposits at present is nearly £90,000. There are also several minor establishments for the benefit of the poor, among which may be noticed the female penitentiary; the society for the relief of the destitute sick, established in 1826; the society for clothing the poor, in 1827; the society for discountenancing vice and promoting the Christian religion, also in 1827; the association for the protection of the rights of conscience, in 1830; the society for the religious improvement of the poor, also in 1830; a Bible society, tract societies, and a library of religious books for the use of the poor.
There are no remains of antiquity in the town, though some are scattered over the parish: near Stranmillis, on the Lagan, was an ancient chapel, called Capella de Kilpatrick; on the summit of a hill in Upper Malone was the Capella de Crookmuck; near Callender's Fort, on the Falls road, about two miles from the town, was that of Cranock, of which traces of the foundations and a large cemetery are still remaining; and on the same road, the chapel of Kilwee, where numerous elegantly carved crosses and other sepulchral monuments have been found. About three miles on the Carrickfergus road is a small fragment of an ancient fortress, called Greencastle; in Upper Malone was an extensive fort called Castle Cam, or Freeston Castle, on the site of which the elegant mansion of Malone House has been erected; at a small distance on the left of the road to Shaw's-bridge are seen the foundations of a third fort; in the grounds of Malone, near Lismoine, are the remains of a fourth; and in the R. C. burial-ground at Friar's Bush are the remains of a fifth. Among the most curious relics of antiquity are the caves in various places formed in the earth and in the hard limestone rock; of the former, three were discovered in 1792 at Wolf Hill, the largest of which is eight yards long and one yard wide, with four small chambers diverging from it; on the side of a small hill in the townland of Ballymargy is one of larger dimensions, and in a more perfect state, with two entrances; and near Hannahstown is one still larger, which since 1798 has been closed, having at that time been a place of concealment for arms. Three large caves, which give name to the. mountain called Cave Hill, are all formed in the perpendicular face of an immense range of basaltic rock; the lowest is 21 feet long, 18 wide, and from 7 to 10 feet in height; above this is another, 10 feet long, 7 wide, and 6 in height; and above that is a third, said to be divided into two unequal parts, each of which is more extensive than the largest of the other caves; but the ascent is so dangerous that few venture to visit it. The large ramparts of earth, called raths, or forts, are also numerous: of these the most extensive is Mac Art's fort, on the summit of Cave hill, protected on one side by a precipice, and on the others by a single ditch of great depth and a vallum of large dimensions; the enclosed area is nearly level, and, from the height of the mountain, which is 1140 feet, commands a view of vast extent, variety, and beauty, including the Isle of Man, the Shores and mountains of Scotland, and a large portion of the counties of Antrim, Down, Armagh, Derry, and Donegal. Near the base of Squires hill are many smaller raths, and two of large dimensions almost at the summit of the Black mountain; and near the shore, at Fort William, is an encampment, 70 feet square, surrounded by a deep fosse and defended by a bastion at each angle, and said to have been thrown up by King William in 1690; near it is another intrenchment of ruder construction. There are two large cairns on the Black mountain, in one of which, in 1829, was found a large urn filled with calcined human bones, a spear head, and two ornaments of brass; there is also a cairn on Gave hill, and one on Squires hill. Great numbers of stone and flint hatchets, and arrow heads of flint, have been discovered; and brazen celts and querns, or hand mill-stones, are occasionally found.
Among the gentlemen's seats in the parish the most conspicuous for their elegance are Ardoyne, the residence of M. Andrews, Esq.; Ballydrain, of H. Montgomery, Esq.; Ballysillen, of J. F. Ferguson, Esq.; Beech Park, of Arbuthnot Emerson, Esq.; Beech Mount, of Lewis Reford, Esq.; Brookfield, of T. Tripp, Esq.; Cromac, of T. Garret, Esq.; Duncairn, of A. J. Macrorey, Esq.; the Falls, of J. Sinclaire, Esq.; Fortfield, of W. Johnson, Esq.; Fort-William, of G. Langtry, Esq.; Glenbank of T. Mackay, Esq.; Glennalena, of W. Orr, Esq.; Glenville, of Mrs. McCance; the Grove, of W. Simms, Esq.; Jennymount, of R. Thomson, Esq.; Larkfield, of Henderson Black, Esq.; Ligoneil, of A. Stewart, Esq.; Lismoine, of R. Callwell, Esq.; the Lodge, of J. Emerson Tennent, Esq., M.P. for Belfast; Low-Wood, of J. Thomson, Esq.; Malone House, of W. Wallace Legge, Esq.; Mount Collier, of A. Mulholland, Esq.; Mount Vernon, of Hill Hamilton, Esq.; New Forge, of J. Ferguson, Esq.; Park-Mount, of J. McNeile, Esq.; Old Park, of H. Lyons, Esq.; Sea-view, of J. Boomer, Esq.; Springfield, of J. Stevenson, Esq.; Strandmillis, of G. Black, Esq.; Suffolk, of W. McCance, Esq,; Wheatfield, of J. Blair, Esq.; Willmount, of J. Stewart, Esq.; Wolf Hill, of Mrs. Thompson; Woodburn, of M. Charley, Esq.; Finaghy, of J. Charley, Esq.; and Strigoniel, of J. Steen, jun., Esq. The mineral productions are coal, iron, manganese, marble, limestone, freestone, gypsum, and fullers' earth, of which only the limestone is worked; the coal seams are seen in the Collin and Dunmurry water, and under the lands of Willmount, near which place also, and at New Forge, is the iron; the manganese, at the foot of the Black mountain, near which is a fine stratum of grey marble; and the gypsum, in the Collin and Forth water. Among the eminent natives of this place may be noticed, Dr. Black, the celebrated chymist; the Rev. T. Romney Robinson, author of an able mathematical work, and principal astronomer in the observatory at Armagh; J. Templeton, Esq., who left in manuscript the Botany and Natural History of Ireland, now in preparation for the press by his son; and J. Emerson Tennent, Esq., author of the History of Modern Greece, &c. Among the distinguished persons who have resided here may be mentioned the late Dr. R. Tennent, the philanthropist; Dr. Abernethy, author of the Attributes; Edward Bunting, a celebrated professor of music and collector of the ancient melodies of Ireland; Dr. J. L. Drummond, author of various scientific treatises and botanical works; Dr. Bruce, author of a life of Homer and other works; and Dr. W. H. Drummond, author of various poetical, religious, and political works. Belfast gives the titles of Earl and Baron to the ancient family of Chichester, Marquesses of Donegal.
BELGRIFFIN, or BALGRIFFIN, a parish, in the barony of COOLOCK, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 5 miles (N. E.) from Dublin; containing 259 inhabitants. This place formerly belonged to the ancient family of the De Burgos, who held the manor in the 14th century, and by whom the castle was erected. It afterwards became the property of the O'Neills and De Bathes, and the castle was for some time the residence of Richard, Duke of Tyrconnel, Lord-Deputy of Ireland under Jas. II. The parish is situated on the turnpike road from Dublin to Malahide: the lands are chiefly under tillage; the system of agriculture is improving, and the parish generally is noted as a corn district. Belgriffin Park, the seat of the Rev.. T. F. Walker, is pleasantly situated; the mansion is built with the materials of the ancient castle, of which there are now no remains. The other seats are Bellcamp, the property of J. J. Baggot, Esq.; Clare Grove, of General Cuppage; Airfield, of Alderman Sir Edmund Nugent; and Sea View, of T. Franklyn, Esq. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Dublin; the rectory is united to that of Drumshallen and to the half rectories of Kilcullen and Glasnevin, together forming the corps of the precentorship in the cathedral of Christ-Church, Dublin, in the patronage of the Crown; and the vicarage is part of the union of St. Doulogh's, in the patronage of the Precentor. The lands in this parish belonging to the precentor comprise 29a. 2r. 3p., let on lease for £3. 13. 4. per annum, and an annual renewal fine of £18. 9. 2 3/4.; and the lands of the union comprise altogether 680a. 3r. 21p., let on lease for £95. 19. 5. per annum, and annual renewal fines of £114. 9. 2.; making the gross income of the precentorship, including the tithes, £484. 19. 6 3/4. per annum. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Baldoyle and Howth. In 158O, Mr. John Bathe left a piece of land at Chapelizod for the support of an hospital for four poor men of this parish. There are some remains of the old church.
BELLAGAN, a village, in the parish of CARLINGFORD, barony of LOWER DUNDALK, county of LOUTH, and province of LEINSTER, 2 1/2 miles (S.) from Carlingford; containing 155 inhabitants. It is situated on the south-west side of the entrance into the bay of Carlingford, and consists of about 25 houses, which are mostly inhabited by small farmers and agricultural labourers.--See CARLINGFORD.
BELLAGHY, a village and post-town, in the parish of BALLYSCULLION, barony of LOUGHINSHOLIN, county of LONDONDERRY, and province of ULSTER, 9 1/2 miles (S.) from Kilrea, and 100 1/4(N.) from Dublin: the population is returned with the parish. This" place became the head of a district granted in the reign of Jas. I. to the Vintners' Company, of London, who, in 1619, founded the village, and erected a strong and spacious castle, the custody of which they entrusted to Baptist Jones, Esq., who had a well-armed garrison of 76 men for its defence. In the war of 1641 the castle was besieged and taken by a party of insurgents under the command of one of the Mac Donnells, and in the following year burned to the ground. It occupied a gentle eminence on the north-west side of the village, but no portion of it is remaining; the very site has been cultivated as gardens, and the only traces are some of the arched cellars beneath the roots of some large trees. The village is situated on the western shore of Lough Beg, and on the roads leading respectively from Castle Dawson to Portglenone and from Kilrea to Toome; it consists of one long street intersected at right angles by two shorter streets; the houses are generally small, but well built; and the environs are remarkably pleasant, and are embellished with gentlemen's seats, of which the principal near the village are Bellaghy Castle, the residence of J. Hill, Esq., and Bellaghy House, of H. B. Hunter, Esq. Fairs are held on the first Monday in every month, for the sale of cattle, sheep, and pigs, and are well attended. A court for the Vintners' manor is held once every month, for the recovery of debts under £2: its jurisdiction extends over the parishes of Ballyscullion, Kilrea, Tamlaght-O'Crilly, Termoneeny, Maghera, Desertmartin, Kilcronaghan, Magherafelt, and Killelagh. Adjoining the village is the parish church of Ballyscullion, a large and handsome building; and at a short distance is a small R. C. chapel. Here is also a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists; and a meetinghouse is now being built for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster. The parochial school for boys and girls, a large and handsome building, was erected at the joint expense of the Marquess of Lothian, Earl of Clancarty, Lord Strafford, and the Hon. T. Pakenham, G.C.B., proprietors of the estate by purchase from the Vintners' Company, who have also endowed it with £5 per annum, and a like sum is granted by the rector: and there is a school for girls, supported by subscription, also a school built and supported by the Methodists.--See BALLYSCULLION.
BELLAGHY, a village, in the parish of ACHONRY, barony of LENEY, county of SLIGO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 10 miles (S. W.) from Ballyrnote, on the road to Swinford; containing 34 houses and 170 inhabitants. A market for provisions is held on Wednesday, and a fair is held every month: the market-house is situated in the centre of the village. Here is a station of the constabulary police.--See ACHONRY.
BELLAIR, a hamlet, in the parish of LEMANAGHAN, barony of GARRYCASTLE, KING'S county, and province of LEINSTER, 6 miles from Clara; containing 81 inhabitants. The village, which is of modern origin, is situated on the road from Clara to Moat, and was founded by the family of Mullock: it has a neat and orderly appearance; the houses are built of stone and slated. Contiguous to it is the residence of Thos. H. Mulock, Esq., sheltered by plantations raised with great care. Mount Mulock, in the vicinity, is another seat of this family. Petty sessions are held here and at Doone every alternate Friday.--See LEMANAGHAN.
BELLEEK, county of ARMAGH.--See BALEEK.
BELLEEK, a parish, in the barony of LURG, county of FERMANAGH, and province of ULSTER, 3 miles (E.) from Ballyshannon; containing 2702 inhabitants, of which number, 260 are in the village. This place is situated on Lough Erne, and on the road from Ennis-killen to Ballyshannon, and was erected into a parish in 1792, by disuniting 36 townlands from the parish of Templecarn; it comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 12,848 1/2 statute acres, of which 9706 are ap-plotted under the tithe act, and 2576 are water. The land is principally heathy mountain, but that which is under tillage is of very superior quality; the state of agriculture, though very backward, is gradually improving; there is a large tract of bog, and abundance of limestone. The seats are Castle Caldwell, the residence of J. C. Bloomfield, Esq., and Maghramena, of W. John-ston, Esq. The village contains 47 houses, and has a penny post to Ballyshannon and Enniskillen. It is a station of the constabulary police; fairs are held on Feb. 3rd, March 17th, May 17th, June 20th, and Oct. 10th, and petty sessions every alternate Thursday. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Clogher, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £110. The church, a neat plain edifice, was erected in 1790, and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £267. 9. 2. for its repair. The glebe-house is a handsome residence: the glebe comprises 660 statute acres. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Templecairn or Pettigo; the chapel is a spacious and well-built edifice, with a slated roof. There are schools at Belleek and Tullyna-behogue, partly supported by the rector; and at Castle Caldwell is a school supported by Mrs. Bloomfield. In these schools are about 60 boys and 80 girls; and there are also three pay schools, in which are about 180 boys and 70 girls, and a Sunday school. There are some ruins of the old church; on the shore of Lough Keen-aghan are those of an abbey; and there are remains of several Danish forts in the parish.
BELLEWSTOWN, a village, in the parish of DULEEK, barony of UPPER DULEEK, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 1 mile (E.) from Duleek; containing 13 houses and 77 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from Duleek to Laytown, and on the Nanny water. Races are held in June on the hill of Bellews-town, and are well attended; the days vary, but on the last Thursday in the month the king's cup is run for. The view from this hill is very extensive, embracing the Carlingford and Mourne mountains, and the bays of Dundalk and Carlingford.--See DULEEK.
BELLOUGH, a village, in the parish of CLONOULTY, barony of KILNEMANAGH, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 6 miles (S. E.) from Cashel, on the high road from Tipperary to Thurles; containing about 60 houses and 400 inhabitants.
BELMULLET, a small sea-port, in the parish of KILCOMMON, barony of ERRIS, county of MAYO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 32 1/4miles (W. by N.) from Bal-lina: the population is returned with the parish. This place is beautifully and advantageously situated on an isthmus to which it gives name, on the western coast, and which separates the bay of Blacksod from that of Broadhaven. It is a rapidly improving town: the surrounding district, about 20 years since, was scarcely accessible; but since that period, by the construction of several lines of road by Messrs. Nimmo, Knight, and Bald, the engineers, and more especially those from the county town of Castlebar and Ballina, the whole barony has been thrown open, and a great improvement has taken place in the agriculture of the district and the commerce of the port. In 1822 the land in the barony produced only about 80 tons of oats and barley; but in 1834 and 1835, the annual produce was 1800 tons. This great improvement has resulted from the reclaiming of the adjacent lands, and from Belmullet having become a very considerable mart, where the neighbouring farmers can readily find immediate purchasers for all their produce. The town owes its origin to the establishment of the head-quarters of the commander of the coast-guard here, in 1822. It is uniformly built, and contains 117 houses; it has a penny post to Ballina, and its general appearance, as seen from Blacksod bay, is pleasing and prepossessing. A pew line of road has been constructed along the coast, from Ballycastle to Belmullet and thence to Westport, a distance of 57 miles, forming a most interesting drive. The trade consists chiefly in the export of grain, especially of oats and barley; and several spacious warehouses have been built for the deposit, of corn. A commodious quay was constructed in 1826, at an expense of £700, of which sum, £300 was given by the late Fishery Board, and £300 by Mr. Carter. The harbour is capable of very great improvement, and by cutting through the narrow part of the isthmus, a canal might be made, at an estimated expense of £2000, which would enable vessels of 150 tons' burden to pass from Broadhaven into Blacksod bay, and in all winds at full tide into the Atlantic ocean, without being detained for months, as is now frequently the case. Fairs are held on the 15th of every month, except when it falls on Sunday, in which case the fair is held on the following Monday. Here is a chief constabulary police station; and the coast-guard district comprises the stations of Belmullet, Dugurth, Duhooma, Ballycovy, Blacksod, Ballyglass, and Renown Tower, and is under the superintendence of Capt. Nugent, resident inspecting commander, and a county magistrate. Petty sessions are held every Saturday: the court-house was built in 1833, at an expense of £200, by Mr. Ivers. There is also a dispensary. In the vicinity are several gentlemen's seats, noticed in Kilcomrnon and Kilmore-Erris, which see.
BELTURBET, an incorporated market and post-town, partly in the parish of DRUMLANE, but chiefly in that of ANNAGH, barony of LOWER LOUGHTEE, county of CAVAN, and province of ULSTER, 12 miles (N. N. W.) from Cavan, and 67 (N. W.) from Dublin; containing 2026 inhabitants. It is pleasantly situated on the river Erne, on the road from Cavan to Ballyconnell, and owes its origin to the Lanesborough family, whose patronage has also contributed materially to its prosperity. In 1610, certain conditions were proposed by the lords of the council in England to Sir Stephen Butler, of Bealetirbirt, Knt., for establishing a market here and erecting a corporation; and in 1613 it received its first charter, whereby the king, on petition of the inhabitants, and for the purpose of furthering the plantation of Ulster, incorporated the village and its precincts into a borough. By an indenture in 1618 Sir Stephen Butler, in fulfilment of the conditions of the lords of the council, granted and confirmed to the corporation certain parcels of land amounting altogether to 284 acres, also a weekly market and two annual fairs, and a weekly court of record, the whole to be held of him or his successors in the fee, in fee-farm for ever, at the rent of 30s. yearly. This indenture contains a covenant on the part of the corporation that all the inhabitants should be ready at all times to be mustered and trained to arms whenever required by Sir Stephen, or his heirs or assigns, or by the Muster-master General of Ulster, or any of the king's officers duly authorised; and that they should grind their corn at Sir Stephen's mill. By Pynnar's survey, made in 1619, it appears that the newly erected houses were built of "cage work," and all inhabited by English tradesmen, who had each a garden, four acres of land, and commonage for a certain number of cows and horses. In 1690, the town, being garrisoned by a body of the forces of Jas. II., was taken by surprise by the Enniskilleners, who fortified it for their own party. It contains several neat houses, but the greater number are indifferently built and thatched. The wide expanse of Lough Erne to the north, and the varied character of the surrounding scenery, impart to the environs an interesting and highly picturesque appearance. A handsome bridge of three arches is in course of erection over the Erne, for which the Board of Works has consented to grant a loan of £1700, and has already advanced £500 on account. There is a cavalry barrack for 7 officers, 156 noncommissioned officers and men, and 101 horses. A very extensive distillery belonging to Messrs. Dickson, Dunlop, and Co., was erected in 1825 at an expense of £21,000, and enlarged and improved in 1830, at an additional cost of £6000: it is wrought by never-failing water power, and the quantity of whiskey made annually is from 90,000 to 100,000 gallons; about 100 persons are usually employed. There are also some malting establishments. The river Erne opens a communication through Lough Erne to within three miles of Ballyshannon; but in dry weather the navigation is interrupted by shoals, which might be removed, to the great improvement of the trade of the town. The market is on Thursday, and is principally for butter, oatmeal, potatoes, and yarn, of which last there is a good supply. Fairs are held on Ash-Wednesday, Sept. 4th, and the first Thursday in every other month. Here is a station of the constabulary police.
The charter of Jas. I., granted in 1613, after incorporating the inhabitants, empowered them to return two representatives to the Irish parliament, and to hold a court of record every Tuesday, before the provost, with jurisdiction to the extent of five marks, besides conferring other privileges, which were confirmed by the indenture made between Sir Stephen Butler and the corporation, by which the jurisdiction of the court of record in all actions, personal or mixed, was extended to £6. 13. 4., and it was ordered to be held before the bailiff and stewards of the corporation every Saturday. The corporation is styled "the Provost, Burgesses, Freemen, and Inhabitants of the borough of Belturbet," which in some degree differs from the style prescribed by the charter of Jas. I. and the indenture. The officers named in the charter are a provost, twelve free burgesses, and two serjeants-at-mace; the other officers are a treasurer, town-clerk, herd, marshal-keeper or corporation gaoler, pound-keeper, foreman of the market jury, and weigh-master. The provost is by the charter to be elected by the provost and free burgesses from among the latter annually on the 24th of June, and sworn in upon Sept. 29th. The burgesses are chosen from among the inhabitants by the provost and free burgesses, and by the usage of the corporation must be freemen prior to their election; there are at present only nine or ten, all non-resident, and they were formerly entitled to certain privileges and emoluments now lost. No recognised right to the freedom at present exists, nor does it appear that any freemen have been admitted by the provost and burgesses for many years, except for the purpose of qualifying persons immediately after elected burgesses. The town-clerk and other officers of the corporation, whose offices have not fallen into desuetude, are appointed by the provost. The municipal affairs are regulated by the inhabitants assembled by the provost at what are termed "Town Courts," which are held before the provost generally eight or ten times in the year, and in which are made by-laws for the government of the town, the corporation property is regulated, and complaints of trespass respecting commonage and upon the private lands within the district are referred for investigation and adjustment to the market jury. This jury consists of not less than twelve members appointed from the inhabitants by the provost, and sworn in at the town court; its duties are not only to inspect the meat brought to market, of which the foreman is appointed clerk by the provost, but to superintend the property of the corporation generally, forming, in fact, a court of arbitration, and exercising a jurisdiction highly beneficial to the inhabitants. The borough returned two members to the Irish parliament until the Union, when the £15,000 awarded as compensation for the abolition of its franchise was paid to Armar, Earl of Belmore, who had a short time previously purchased the borough for that amount from the Earl of Lanesborough. It comprises the town and precincts, forming a district termed "the corporation," the boundaries of which are clearly defined. The provost is chief magistrate, and is by usage the first magistrate named upon the commission in the county, and next in rank to the lieutenant; he formerly sat with the judges at the county assizes, but has not for many years exercised this privilege. The court of record, in which he presided, has fallen into disuse for nearly 30 years. Petty sessions are held by the county magistrates every Saturday in the market-house, of which the upper part is appropriated to that use and the lower to the purpose of the market. Beneath this building was the corporation gaol, a damp and unhealthy prison, which was prohibited to be used as a place of confinement after the passing of the act of the 7th of Geo. IV., c. 74. The commons in possession of the corporation comprise about 120 acres; the right of commonage enjoyed by the inhabitants is regulated by the possession of the whole or a portion of a homestead, to which also a proportionate quantity of bog is annexed: these homesteads include certain portions of the front of streets, defined and granted to individuals on the original foundation of the town, and subsequently divided among different tenants, and the right to commonage was by usage similarly apportioned. The lands allotted for the private occupation of the burgesses are said to have been granted to them and their heirs, instead of their successors, and, under the name of "burgess acres," are divided and separately enclosed as private properties. The only revenue which the corporation now possesses is derivable from some nominal reservations on fee-farm grants made, within the last few years, of small portions of the commons, the fines on which, amounting to £175, were applied to the repairs of the market-house.
The parish church of Annagh, a neat edifice with a tower surmounted by a spire, is situated in the town; it was rebuilt by a loan of £923 from the late Board of First Fruits in 1828, and of £800 in 1829. It is in contemplation to erect a handsome R. C. chapel. The parochial school for boys is on the foundation of Erasmus Smith, and was built on an acre of ground granted by the corporation, who also gave a site for the erection of a school for girls on the same establishment, which is supported by subscription; and there is an infants' school, also a dispensary. Six alms-houses for poor widows were built on a site granted by the corporation in 1733, the inmates of which are supported by a legacy bequeathed by a Mr. Maunsell, 6f Dublin, and distributed by the rector. He also distributes the interest of £100 paid by the Earl of Lanes-borough's agent, £3 per ann. derived from a charity called Fellor's List, and £6 per ann. accruing from another charity; and there is a house in the town bequeathed by Benjamin Johnson for the benefit of the poor, and let for £1. 16. 11. per annum. In the churchyard are vestiges of a strong fortification enclosing an extensive area, with bastions and salient angles of great strength; about two miles distant are some venerable ecclesiastical ruins, with others at Clinosy; and in the vicinity are the remains of an ancient castle.--See ANNAGH and DRUMLANE.
BENBURB, or BINBURB, a small village, in the parish of CLONFEACLE, barony of DUNGANNON, county of TYRONE, and province of ULSTER, 5 3/4 miles (N. N. W.) from Armagh: the population is returned with the parish. The first notice of this place under its present name occurs during the rebellion of the Earl of Tyrone, when the Lord-Deputy Boroughs crossed the river Black-water at Beam-Bhorb, at the head of the English forces, in June 1597; and being seized with a sickness of which he died a few days after at Newry, was succeeded in the command of the army by the Earl of Kildare, between whom and the Earl of Tyrone a severe engagement took place, in which the English were defeated, the Earl of Kildare mortally wounded, and his two foster brothers slain; many of the English were killed in battle, and numbers perished in the river. Sir Henry Bagnall, with .4500 foot and 400 horse, marched against the Earl of Tyrone's army, with which he had a severe conflict; many of the English cavalry were dreadfully mangled by falling into pits dug by the enemy and covered with branches of trees; but after surmounting these and other obstacles, Bagnall made a vigorous attack upon the right wing of the Irish army commanded by the earl himself, and on the left under O'Donnell of Tyrconnell; a dreadful carnage ensued, the two armies being wholly engaged; but just when victory seemed to incline towards the English forces, Bagnall was shot by a musket ball in the forehead and fell dead on the field. The English, thrown into confusion by the loss of their leader, were defeated, and in their retreat to Armagh, many were trodden down by the Irish cavalry. This triumph of Tyrone was but of short duration; the Lord-Deputy Mountjoy defeated him in several battles, and had driven him back to the camp at Bean-Bhorb, where, on the 15th of July, 1601, a battle was fought, in which Tyrone was totally defeated and his army compelled to retreat in confusion to his chief fortress at Dungannon.
On the plantation of Ulster, Sir Robert Wingfield received from James I. a grant of 1000 acres of laud at Benburb, by a deed dated Dec. 3rd, in the 8th year of that monarch's reign; and previously to the year 1619 he had erected a castle on these lands, built the present church, and founded the village, which at that time contained 20 houses. This new establishment continued to flourish till the breaking out of the war in 1641, when the castle was surprised by order of Sir Phelim O'Nial, on the night of the 22nd of October, and the whole of the inmates put to death. On the 5th of June, 1646, this place became the scene of a battle between Sir Phelim O'Nial and Gen. Monroe; the former, with a large body of men, took up a position between two hills, with a wood in his rear and the river Blackwater, at that time difficult to pass, on his right. Monroe, with 6000 foot and 800 horse, marched from Armagh and approached by the opposite bank of the river, where, finding a ford, now called Battleford Bridge, he crossed and advanced to meet O'Nial. Both armies were drawn up in order of battle, but instead of coming to a general engagement, the day was spent in skirmishing, till the sun, which had been favourable to the British, was declining, when, just as Monroe was beginning to retreat, he was attacked by the Irish, who made a furious onset. An English regiment commanded by Lord Blayney fought with undaunted resolution till they were cut to pieces and their leader slain; the Scottish horse next gave way, and the infantry being thrown into disorder, a general rout ensued. More than 3000 of the British forces were slain and their artillery and stores taken, while, on the part of O'Nial, not more than 70 were killed. The castle was soon after dismantled, and has ever since remained in ruins; it was the largest in the county, and, though weakly built, occupies a remarkably strong position on the summit of a limestone rock rising perpendicularly from the river Blackwater to the height of 120 feet. In the village is a small ancient out-post strongly built and probably forming an entrance to the castle, which on every other side was defended by natural barriers. Near the village are Tullydoey, the seat of J. Eyre Jackson, Esq., where also is the residence of T. Eyre, Esq.; and Castle Cottage, of Capt. Cranfield. There were formerly very extensive bleach-greens near the village, and the mills and engines are still remaining; but the principal part of the business is carried on at Tullydoey, where large quantities of linen are finished for the English markets; the weaving of linen is also carried on to some extent. The Ulster canal, now in progress, passes on the eastern side of the river and village, and is here carried through a hill of limestone, which has been excavated to the depth of 80 feet, and is conducted longitudinally over the mill-race by an aqueduct of considerable length. A court is held on the first Friday in every month for the manor of Benburb, which extends over 47 townlands and comprises 9210 acres, for the recovery of debts not exceeding £2. The parish church is situated close to the village, in which is also a place of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster. The ruins of the castle are extensive and highly picturesque; and near the walls was found a signet ring bearing the arms and initials of Turlogh O'Nial, which is now in the possession of Mr. Bell, of Dungannon. The O'Nials had a strong hold here of greater antiquity than the castle erected by Sir R. Wingfield.--See CLONFEACLE.
BENDENSTOWN.--See GILBERTSTOWN.
BENEKERRY, otherwise BUSHERSTOWN, a parish, in the barony of RATHVILLY (but locally in that of Carlow), county of CARLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 2 1/2 miles (E. N. E.) from Carlow; containing 135 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the road from Carlow to Tullow, and is bounded on the south-west and east by the river Burren: more than four-fifths consists of meadow and pasture land, and the remainder is arable, with a few acres of woodland. In the ecclesiastical divisions it is not regarded as a parish, but as forming part of that of Urglin, the incumbent of which receives the tithes, except of about ten acres, which pay tithe to the incumbent of Ballinacarrig or Staplestown.
BENMORE, or BALLYDUFF, a village, in that part of the parish of RATTOO which is in the barony of CLANMAURICE, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 12 miles (N. N. W:) from Tralee; containing 448 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from Tralee to Ballybunnian, by the Cashen ferry, and contains 71 houses, which are mostly thatched, and form one street. Fairs are held on the 1st of June and Sept., Nov. 10th, and Dec. 21st. It is a police station, and petty sessions are held every alternate week. The R. C. chapel, a slated building, is in the centre of the village. Ballyeagh, near it, was the scene of a desperate affray, in the summer of 1834, between the rival factions of the Cooleens and Lawlors, when sixteen of the former were killed or drowned, while endeavouring to cross the Cashen ferry, in their retreat. Ballyhorgan, the ancient seat of the Stoughton family, is in the neighbourhood.--See RATTOO.
BENNETTS-BRIDGE, a village, partly in the parish of KILLARNEY, barony of GOWRAN, and partly in that of DANESFORT, barony of SHILLELOGHER, county of KILKENNY, and province of LEINSTER, 5 miles (W. S. W.) from Gowran; containing 426 inhabitants. This place is situated on the river Nore, which is here crossed by a good stone bridge on the road from Kilkenny to Thomastown, and contains 85 houses. There are some flour-mills in the immediate vicinity. Fairs are held on Feb. 24th, Aug. 26th, Sept. 19th, and Dec. 21st; and it is a station of the constabulary police. There is a R. C. chapel of ease to Danesfort, with a national school adjoining it.--See KILLARNEY and DANESFORT.
BENOWEN, or BUNNOWN, a parish, in the barony of KILKENNY WEST, county of WESTMEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 2 3/4 miles (N. by E.) from Athlone; containing 1418 inhabitants. This parish forms the north-eastern bank of an arm of Lough Ree, called the Inner Lake, and, near the village of Glasson,. touches for a few perches on the road from Athlone to Ballymahon. It was the retreat of Sir James Dillon, when driven from Athlone, which he had taken, in 1641, by one of the boldest military manoeuvres on record. In his retreat from that place Sir James at first took up his quarters at Bally-Kieran, and afterwards retired to the castle of Killinure, in this parish, whence, in about three weeks, he recaptured Athlone, which, after a short occupation, he was again compelled to abandon. The parish comprises 2937 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act: about 160 acres are underwood and bog, and of the remainder, the principal portion is arable and pasture. Agriculture is in a state of slow but progressive improvement; the only waste lands are the rocky shores of the lake. Portlick Castle, the residence of Robert Smyth, Esq., is beautifully situated on the border of Lough Ree, and is one of the very few ancient feudal castles at present in good repair and inhabited. Killenmore, the residence of Capt. Fry, is also finely situated on the border of the lake. The other seats are St. Mark's, that of John Potts, Esq.; Lough Ree Lodge, of Gustavus H. Temple, Esq.; Killinure, of Major-Gen. Murray; Benowen, of Capt. Caulfield; and the beautiful cottage on Hare Island, in Lough Ree, belonging to Viscount Castlemaine. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Meath, and in the patronage of the Bishop, to whom the rectory is appropriate, as a mensal: the tithes amount to £92. 6. 1 3/4., payable to the lessee of the bishop. The church, a neat plain structure, was erected in 1822, by aid of a gift of £600 from the late Board of First Fruits in 1818. The glebe-house was built by aid of a gift of £415 and a loan of £46 from the same Board, in 1829. In the R. C. divisions this parish forms part of the union or district of Noughoval. A school of 6 boys and 18 girls is aided by Lord Castlemaine and an annual donation from the rector: and there is a pay school, in which are about 12 children. The ruins of the ancient church, in which are some monuments to the Dillon family, are romantically situated on the verdant bank and at the very extremity of the Inner Lake; and a little higher up are the ruins of the ancient castle of Benowen. A small portion of Killinure castle still remains, occupying a site on a bold and picturesque eminence over the Inner Lake, and adjoining Killinure House; and on Hare Island are the ruins of a religious house, founded by the family of Dillon, some of whose descendants still live in the neighbourhood. There is also a well dedicated to the Blessed Virgin.--See GLASSON.
BERE, or BEAR ISLAND. This island forms part of the parish of KILACONENAGH, in the barony of BERE, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER: it is situated on the north side of the bay of Bantry, 21 miles (W. by. S.) from Bantry, and contains 1898 inhabitants. It comprises 2849 acres, of which about one-fourth is under tillage, and the remainder consists of mountain, bog, and pasture land, and is the property of R. H. Eyre, Esq. The inhabitants are principally occupied in fishing and agriculture, but the system of husbandry is rude and unimproved. A pier has been built at Lawrence Cove, which is very useful to the fishery, affording protection to 16 hookers of 12 tons and 90 yawls of 3 or 4 tons each, belonging to the island, and employing about 1000 persons exclusively in the fishery. The southern shore is bold and rocky, but on the north the land slopes gently to the water's edge: there is a small lake on the south side. The whole island is of the clay-slate formation, and excellent stone for flagging is obtained in some of the quarries: copper ore has been found in several places, but no attempt has yet been made to search for mines. The chief communication is by boats from Castletown, and there are also boats from the Bank and other places on the mainland. After the arrival of the French fleet in the bay, in 1796, Government erected five Martello towers, a signal tower, a large and commodious barrack for two officers and 150 men, a quay, storehouses, and other public works, all of which are now in a neglected condition; the barrack has been taken down, and the rest of the works are under the care of a resident lieutenant. In the R. C. divisions this island forms part of the union of Castletown, in the diocese of Kerry: the chapel is a low thatched building of mean appearance, occupying the site of an ancient church. A school for boys and girls was established in 1825. Divine service is regularly performed in the school-house by the vicar. The sites of three churches are indicated by the burial-grounds, which are still used for interment. There are the remains of a Danish fort or rath on the island. Between the island and the mainland is Bere haven, capacious and well sheltered, and affording good anchorage in water sufficiently deep for the largest ships in the navy: it has two entrances, one at the west and the other at the east end of the island, both rendered somewhat dangerous by rocks. Bere-haven gives the inferior title of Viscount to the Earl of Bantry.
BEREGH, or LOWRYSTOWN, a market-town, in the parish of CLOGHERNEY, barony of OMAGH, county of TYRONE, and province of ULSTER, 7 miles (S. E.) from Omagh: the population is returned with the parish. It is situated on the road from Omagh to Dungannon, and consists of one long wide street containing about 70 houses, most of which are well built, though rapidly falling into decay. The former residence of the Belmore family, proprietors of the town, an elegant and spacious mansion, is now in ruins; and the town exhibits every appearance of neglect. The inhabitants are principally employed in agriculture, with which they combine the weaving of linen cloth. The patent for the market and fairs was granted under the name of Lowrystown; the market is on Wednesday, and fairs are held regularly on the first Monday in every month for cattle, sheep, and pigs. A constabulary police force is stationed here; and petty sessions are held every alternate week. One of the chapels for the R. C. parish of Clogherney is situated in the town.--See CLOGHERNEY.
BETAGHSTOWN, or BETTYSTOWN, a village, in the parish of COLPE, barony of LOWER DULEEK, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 3 1/2 miles (E. S. E.) from Drogheda; containing 214 inhabitants. This place is situated on the eastern coast, and contains 26 houses, chiefly thatched cabins; it is the property of R. Shepheard, Esq., whose seat is in the neighbourhood. The coast is here a shallow strand, and, from the extent of fine sandy beach, the village has become a place of some resort for sea-bathing, and would be much more numerously frequented if suitable accommodations were provided. The surrounding scenery is pleasingly diversified, and in the immediate vicinity are many handsome private residences.--See COLPE.
BEWLEY.--See OWNING.
BILLY, a parish, partly in the barony of CAREY, but chiefly in that of LOWER DUNLUCE, county of ANTRIM, and province of ULSTER; containing, with the post-town of Bushmills, 5845 inhabitants. This parish is bounded on the west by the river Bush, and on the south-east by the sea; it is also intersected for nearly three miles by the road from Ballymoney, through Bushmills, to the Giants' Causeway, which is within its limits. Including eight townlands which now form part of the parish of Dunseverick, it comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 17,329 3/4 statute acres, of which 16,860 are applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £8139 per annum. The land is generally in a good state of cultivation; the system of agriculture is considerably advanced, and is still improving; there is very little waste land, except moss and bog, which together form nearly one-third of the surface. Whinstone abounds, and is quarried for building and for the roads; limestone is found in great quantity and occasionally burned for manure, and wood-coal is obtained near the Causeway. Among the principal seats are Bushmills House, the residence of Sir F. W. Macnaghten, Bart.; Ballylough, of W. Trail, Esq.; Ballydivity, of J. Stewart Moore, Esq.; Black Rock House, the property of Miss Wray, and now in the occupation of Hugh Lecky, Esq.; and Bentfield, formerly the residence of Col. Wray, but at present uninhabited. There are some weirs on the river Bush, near its influx into the sea, for taking salmon, of which great quantities are sent to Liverpool and London. A market on Tuesday, and five fairs are held at Bushmills (which see); and on the day after Dervock fair, which is generally on Aug. 12th (except that day falls on the Saturday or Sunday, on which occasions it is held on the Monday following), a pleasure fair, called the Causeway fair, is held at the Rock Head, above the Giants' Causeway, and is numerously attended by persons for many miles round, for whose accommodation tents are pitched. This parish was formerly the head of a union, which comprised also the parishes of Armoy, Ballyclug, Donegore, and Kilbride, together forming the corps of the archdeaconry of Connor; but by the act of the 5th of Geo. IV., obtained by Dr. Mant, the union has been dissolved, the parishes disappropriated from the archdeaconry, and the rectorial tithes annexed to their respective vicarages, with the exception only of this parish, of which the rectory and vicarage alone now constitute the corps of the archdeaconry, with the cure of souls, the former archdeacons having no cure of souls: it is in the diocese of Connor, and patronage of the Bishop. The late Archdeacon Trail, then rector of this parish, in 1830, separated nine townlands from it, giving the tithes of four; and his brother, the Rev. Robt. Trail, rector of Ballintoy, seven townlands from that parish, giving the tithes of three, for the formation and endowment of the perpetual curacy of Dunseverick, the patronage of which is vested alternately in the respective incumbents: the new church is a very neat building in a central situation. The tithes of the parish amount to £489. 4. 7 1/2., of which £37. 9. 3. is paid to the perpetual curate, and the remainder to the archdeacon. The church, a plain substantial building, was erected on the site of a former structure, by aid of a gift of £800 and a loan of £500, in 1815, from the late Board of First Fruits. The glebe-house was built in 1810, by the Rev. T. Babington, vicar, aided by a gift of £350 and a loan of £450 from the same Board. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Coleraine. There are two meeting houses for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, one of which is of the third class, and there are places of worship for Seceders, Covenanters, and Wesleyan Methodists. At Eagry is a school under the trustees of Erasmus Smith's charity, for which a good school-house has been erected, with a residence for the master, who has two acres of land; a school is held in a house hired for that purpose at Bushmills, and is supported by subscription; there is a parochial school for girls, for which a house was built, in 1832, by William Trail, Esq.; also schools at Moycraig, Carnbore, Straidbilly, and Dromiarran, and another is held in the Methodist meeting-house at Castle-Cat, which was endowed with £20 by the late Dr. Adam Clarke. The Rev. Archdeacon Trail, in 1831, bequeathed £50 for the use of the poor of the parish, which has been invested in Government securities, and the interest is annually distributed by his son, W. Trail, Esq. There are some remains of the ancient castle of Ballylough, which was of much importance; the lake on which it was situated has been drained, and is now under cultivation.
The GIANTS' CAUSEWAY, probably the most extensive and curious assemblage of basaltic columns in the world, is situated between Port-na-Grange and Port Noffer, in N. Lat. 55° 20' and W. Lon. 6° 50'; and derives its name from a popular tradition that it was erected by giants, as the commencement of a causeway across the ocean to Scotland. This very interesting natural curiosity forms part of a large promontory, of which Bengore Head, about a mile distant, is the most northern point in Ireland. The only access to it by land is down a winding path, cut at the expense of the late Earl of Bristol, while Bishop of Derry, on the western side of a verdant headland called Aird Snout, to two detached hills called the Stookans, whence the first view of this stupendous work of nature is obtained. This view is one of the most magnificent imaginable, embracing an immense bay broken with capes and headlands, rising abruptly to the height of 400 feet above the level of the sea, and consisting of lofty colonnades of the most symmetrically-formed basaltic pillars, inserted in the cliffs like artificial supporters, standing in groups like gigantic honeycombs, or scattered in pleasing disorder like the ruins of a city of temples and palaces. From the Stookans the road leads to the base of the causeway, which extends in a northerly direction from the promontory into the sea. This splendid natural pier is somewhat triangular in form; the base beneath the cliff being 135, the eastern side 220, and the western 300, yards long; while the breadth in the centre is about 60. The view of the causeway from the footpath suggests the idea of an immense unfinished embankment, forming an inclined plane, in some places rising by successive steps, in others presenting a nearly level pavement, formed by the tops of the closely united columns, with some chasms exhibiting the admirable arrangement of this wonderful structure. The causeway is divided into three unequal parts. The little, or western, causeway is 386 feet long, but only 16 high, and is separated from the central compartment by an enormous whin dyke, extending from the cliff to the sea. The middle section, which is the shortest, contains a magnificent group of lofty pillars, called "the honeycomb," and is also bounded on the east by a whin dyke. Beyond this is the grand causeway, which is 706 feet long by 109 wide in the middle: in that part of this compartment which is called "the loom " it attains an elevation of 34 feet, from which it diminishes in height gradually as it approaches the sea, into which it enters for some distance beyond low water mark. In the western and central compartments all the columns are perpendicular, but in the grand causeway they are vertical towards the east, inclining eastward as they approach the sea, and westward near the base of the cliff. The three divisions of the causeway comprise 37,426 distinct and perfect columns, besides many that are broken and scattered about in its vicinity. The columns consist of prisms of equal dimensions through their whole height, which ranges from 15 to 36 feet, with diameters of from 15 to 28 inches, and varying in their number of sides from 3 to 9, although the greater number are pentagons and hexagons. Each of the pillars is perfectly distinct, and almost invariably differs in size, number of sides, and points of articulation from the adjacent columns, to which, however, it is so close that not even water can pass between them. Almost every column is composed of several pieces, the joints of which are articulated with the greatest exactness, and in a strictly horizontal direction. Generally the upper part of the section is concave and the lower convex, but this arrangement is sometimes reversed. The cavity or socket is perfectly circular, from two to four inches deep, and in a few instances its rim is divided, covers two or three articulations, and terminates in sharp points. In a few of the columns no joints are visible; in some, three, four, or more may be traced; and, in "the loom," columns are found which are divisible into as many as 38 pieces. The basalt of which these columns is composed is of a very dark colour, approaching to black; its weight is three times as great as that of water; and of 100 of its constituent parts, 50 are silicious earth, 25 iron, 15 argillaceous earth, and 10 calcareous earth and magnesia. About 300 yards east of the causeway is the Giants' Organ, about 120 feet long, consisting of 60 columns, of which those in the centre are 40 feet high, but those on the sides are lower. At the eastern extremity of Port Noffer are four lofty and massive basaltic columns, rising to the height of 315 feet; they are hexagonal and jointed, and from their height and isolated position are called the Chimney Tops. Near these is the Theatre, consisting of three distinct colonnades, the successive tiers of which are separated by horizontal strata of amorphous basalt, red and grey ochre, and fossil coal, the alternations of which with the columnar basalt produce a very extraordinary and pleasing appearance. A little eastward of Port-na-Spagna is a perpendicular cliff, 326 feet high, composed of alternate layers of columnar and horizontal basalt, arranged with surprising regularity; but the most picturesque cliff is Pleaskin, which rises from the sea in a gentle acclivity for more than 300 feet, and then ascends perpendicularly 70 feet more to its summit. This beautiful headland is 382 feet in height, and strikingly exhibits the geological formation of this district, as it consists of numerous clearly distinguishable strata, which rise above each other in the following order; at the base is a bright red ochreous rock, on which are placed tabular basalt, grey ochreous rock, amorphous basalt, clear red basalt, irregular basalt with cracks, iron ore, imperfectly formed basaltic pillars, argillaceous rock, fossil coal, and the lower range of basaltic columns, which is 45 feet high. Imposed on this colonnade are grey rock containing nodules of iron, slightly columnar basalt, grey ochreous rock, amorphous basalt, and then the upper range of basaltic pillars, which forms a magnificent colonnade 64 feet high, and has broken basalt for a superstratum, above which is vegetable mould covered with green sod. This splendid headland, which is unrivalled for beauty of arrangement and variety of colouring, is seen to most advantage from the sea, from which also some of the grandest views of the causeway and its adjacent scenery are obtained. Fossil wood, as black and compact as coal, and fossil oysters and muscles are found in the limestone rock that forms the substratum of the causeway and its neighbouring promontories; and large opals, chalcedony, agates, &c., are collected here. Specimens of these fossils and minerals, and a wooden model of the causeway, are in the museum of Trinity College, Dublin.
BINGHAMSTOWN, or SALEEN, a village, in the parish of KILMORE-ERRIS, barony of ERRIS, county of MAYO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 3 miles (S. E.) from Bellmullet: the population is returned with the parish. This place is situated on the eastern shore of the peninsula called the Mullet, and consists of one long street indifferently built: it commands a good view of Saleen bay, in which a landing pier has been erected by the late Fishery Board, where considerable quantities of corn and potatoes are shipped for Westport, and various articles of merchandise are brought back. A fair is held on the first day of every month throughout the year; there is a market-house. Petty sessions are held in a court-house every Thursday; and here is a constabulary police station. The parish church, a neat plain edifice, is situated in the village, in which is also a R. C. chapel.--See KILMORE-ERRIS.
BIRMINGHAM (NEW), a village and post-town, in the parish of KILCOOLEY, barony of SLIEVEARDAGH, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 11 1/2 miles (E. N. E.) from Cashel, and 82 (S. W. by S.) from Dublin; containing 298 inhabitants. This place, which is situated at the termination of the mail coach road branching from Littleton, contains about 50 houses, and is indebted for its origin and name to the late Sir Vere Hunt, Bart., who, struck with its favourable situation contiguous to the coal mines of the Killenaule district, used every effort to raise it into manufacturing importance. For this purpose he obtained patents for one or two weekly markets and twelve fairs, which are now discontinued; and the town, which was the residence of its founder, and is now the property of his son, Sir Aubrey de Vere, Bart., is at present comparatively deserted. It is a constabulary police station; and there is a small prison, to which offenders are committed occasionally by the county magistrates. The parochial R. C. chapel, a large and handsome structure in the later English style, and recently erected, is situated in the village; and there is a school of about 80 or 90 children.--See KILCOOLEY.
BIRR.--See PARSONSTOWN.
BLACKDITCHES.--See BOYSTOWN.
BLACKRATH, a parish, in the barony of GOWRAN, county of KILKENNY, and province of LEINSTER, 2 miles (N. E. by E.) from Kilkenny; containing 730 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the mail coach road from Dublin to Cork, and on the river Nore, on the banks of which there are two considerable flour-mills; and within its limits are the marble works described in the account of the city of Kilkenny. Lyrath, the seat of Sir J. D. W. Cuffe, Bart., is pleasantly situated on an eminence commanding a fine view of that city. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Ossory, forming the corps of the prebend of Blackrath in the cathedral of St. Canice, Kilkenny, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £121. 1. 7 1/2. There is neither church nor glebe-house, but there is a glebe of eight acres attached to the prebend. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Gowran. There is a private pay school, in which about 50 boys and 30 girls are taught. Some remains of the old church yet exist.
BLACKROCK, a chapelry, in the parish of ST. FINBARR, county of the city of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 2 1/4miles (E. S. E.) from Cork: the population is included in the return for the parish. This place is beautifully situated on a peninsula bounded on the north and east by the river Lee, and on the south by Lough Mahon and the Douglas channel. The castle was originally built in 1604 by the Lord-Deputy Mountjoy, to protect the passage up the river from the harbour to the city, and was subsequently vested in the corporation, who held their courts of admiralty in it, and by whom, having been some years since destroyed by an accidental fire, it was rebuilt in 1829, from a design by Messrs. Pain, and is now assigned to the mayor of Cork as an occasional residence during his year of office. It is situated on a limestone rock projecting into the river, and consists of one bold circular tower of hewn limestone, containing a small banqueting room, from which there is a fine view over the river: from this tower springs a small turret rising to a considerable elevation and displaying from the upper part of it two brilliant lights; and attached to it is a water gate, with some low embattled buildings in the rear, which harmonise well with the principal feature of the castle. Numerous advantages resulting from its proximity to Cork; the beauty of its situation, the salubrity of its climate, and the excellent accommodations for bathing, have rendered this one of the most desirable places of residence in the South of Ireland. It has a penny post to Cork, and the railroad from Cork to Passage will; if carried into effect, pass through the village. The scenery is of the most varied and pleasing character, exhibiting numerous elegant villas and cottages, with lawns, gardens, and plantations reaching down to the margin of the Lee, which is here a noble expanse of water more than a mile broad, constantly enlivened by steam-boats and other vessels. Among the principal seats are Dundanion Castle, that of Sir T. Deane, Knt.; Beaumont, of W. Beamish, Esq., a noble mansion consisting of a centre and two wings, with two conservatories, situated in tastefully arranged grounds; Lakelands, of W. Crawford, Esq.; Clifton, of J. Moore Travers, Esq.; Ring-Mahon Castle, of J. Murphy, Esq.; Besborough, of Ebenezer Pike, Esq.; Cleve Hill, of S. Perrott, Esq.; Castlemahon, of Sir W. A. Chatterton, Bart.; Ferney, of J. H. Manley, Esq.; Filtrim, of W. Fagan, Esq.; Ashton, of J. Cotter, Esq.; Prospect, of Garden Terry, Esq.; Rochelle, of R. W. Topp, Esq.; Carrigduve, of R. Notter, Esq.; Sans Souci, of R. B. Shaw, Esq.; Carrigduve, of G. Sherlock, Esq.; Chiplee, of P. Maylor, Esq.; Ballinure House, of W. Crofts, Esq.; Lakeview House, of Miss Allen; Webbe Ville, of the Rev. C. Tuthill; Mary Ville, of J. Lindsay, Esq.; Lakeview, of P. Kearney, Esq., Templeville, of M. Murphy, Esq.; Rose Hill, of G. P. Rogers, Esq.; Lakeview, of W. Prettie Harris, Esq.; Temple Hill, of R. Hall, Esq.; Rosetta, of G. Frend, Esq.; Dean Ville, of J. Mac Mullen, Esq.; Knockrea, of A. W. Webb, Esq.; Barnstead, of the Rev. W. R. Nash; Midsummer Lodge, of Miss Jones; Clover Hill, of C. Connell, Esq.; North Cliffe, of J. Mac Donnell, Esq.; Prospect Lodge, of C: Terry Crofts, Esq.; Flower Lodge, of R. Mac Mullen, Esq.; Rockville Cottage, of J. Cogan, Esq.; Clifton Cottage, of F. C. Cole, Esq.; and Rock Cottage, of M. Smith, Esq. Besides these seats there are numerous villas which are let during the summer. The land is naturally very fertile, and is for the most part enclosed in lawns, gardens, and pleasure grounds; the rest, deriving from its contiguity to Cork an abundant supply of rich manures, and having the advantage of inexhaustible quarries of limestone and plenty of sea sand, is in a high state of cultivation, and supplies the Cork market with a large proportion of its vegetables. The substratum is limestone of excellent quality, which is extensively quarried for various purposes. Between the fissures of the rocks, near its junction with the clay-slate, are found numerous amethystine crystals, some of which are very large and clustery, and all are beautifully coloured; one specimen in the Cork Royal Institution weighs more than 40lb.
The church, dedicated to St. Michael, serves as a chapel of ease to the cathedral church of St. Finbarr, Cork, and was built in 1827, at an expense of £2100, of which £900 was given by the late Board of First Fruits, £100 by the corporation of Cork, and the remainder, with the exception of a few local subscriptions and the sale of pews, was defrayed by the dean and chapter, who appoint and pay the curate. It is a handsome edifice of hewn limestone, in the later style of architecture, with a tower crowned with battlements and pinnacles, and surmounted by a spire 60 feet high, which, with part of the tower and the western portion of the nave, was destroyed by lightning on Jan. 29th, 1836, but has been restored by aid of a grant of £310 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The R. C. chapel, erected in 1821, is a large and handsome building, and is a chapel of ease to the parochial chapel of St. Finbarr, or the South chapel: it was begun at the private expense of the late Dean Collins, aided by a subscription of £300, and was completed and elegantly fitted up by means of a bequest of £1100 from the late T. Rochford, Esq., of Garretstown, part of which, in 1834, was expended in the erection of a house for the officiating priest near the chapel. An Ursuline convent was removed hither from Cork, in 1825: it was founded in 1771, by the late Miss Honora Nagle, whose portrait is in the visiting-room, and is the original of all the institutions of this class founded in Ireland. The community consists of 35 professed nuns and 6 lay sisters, and is governed by a superioress, her deputy, and a council of six. At this institution many of the daughters of the R. C. gentry are instructed; and in a separate building about 100 poor girls are gratuitously taught and partially clothed. The convent has a demesne of 42 acres, and is an ornamental building, consisting of a centre and two wings, with a frontage of 350 feet. The chapel, which is in the east wing, is fitted up with simple elegance and ornamented with four Ionic pilasters supporting a pediment, on the apex of which is a cross, and at each of the other angles a vase. It contains a neat monument to the Rev. Dr. Lyons, who was many years chaplain to the convent. A school-house connected with St. Michael's chapel was erected at Ballintemple in 1836; a school for boys was built in 1834, at an expense of £160, of which two-thirds were contributed by the National Board, and the remainder by J. Murphy, Esq., of Ring-Mahon Castle; and there is a school for girls, supported by subscription. Here is a dispensary, and near Ballintemple are two private lunatic asylums. Cittadella, belonging to Joshua Bull, Esq., was established by the late Dr. Hallaran, in 1798, and has secluded pleasure grounds for the use of the patients. Lindville belongs to Dr. Osborne, and is pleasantly situated in a demesne of 14 acres. A temperance society was established in 1835. At the village of Ballintemple, situated on this peninsula, the Knights Templars erected a large and handsome church in 1392, which, after the dissolution of that order, was granted, with its possessions, to Gill abbey. At what period it fell into decay is uncertain; the burial ground is still used. There are fragments of some ancient towers at Dundanion and Ring-Mahon, but nothing of their history is known.
BLACKROCK, a village, in the parish of MONKSTOWN, half-barony of RATHDOWN, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 4 miles (S. E.) from Dublin Castle; containing 2050 inhabitants. This place, which is situated on the southern shore of Dublin bay, consists of one principal street extending along the road from Dublin to the head of the village, and continued along the two roads which meet there from Kingstown, also of several minor streets and avenues, containing altogether 308 houses irregularly built, of which some are in pleasant and retired situations. The village itself possesses few pleasing features, but the country around it is beautifully diversified, and the immediate vicinity is embellished with numerous detached villas surrounded with pleasure grounds disposed with much taste. Maritimo, the marine villa of Lord Cloncurry, and Blackrock House, the residence of the Rev. Sir Harcourt Lees, Bart., are beautifully situated; the Dublin and Kingstown railway passes through the grounds of both these seats. Carysfort House, the villa of the Right Hon. W. Saurin, commands a fine view of the sea and of the mountains in the neighbourhood; Newtown House, belonging to W. Hodgens, Esq., is finely situated, and from the rear is a noble view of the bay of Dublin. The other principal seats are Montpelier House, that of J. Duckett, Esq.; Mount Temple, of E. Brewster, Esq.; Frescati Lodge, of H. Cole, Esq.; Field Villa, of H. C. Field, Esq.; and Laurel Hill, of the Rev. Hugh White. Frescati, formerly the seat of the Fitzgerald family, a spacious mansion erected by the mother of Lord Thomas Fitzgerald, called "Silken Thomas," is now divided into four separate dwellings, and occupied by respectable families. The facilities for sea-bathing render this a place of great resort during the summer months; several respectable boarding-houses have been opened for the accommodation of visiters; and an excellent hotel, called Seapoint House, has been built and fitted up for the reception of families. Baths have been constructed by the Dublin and Kingstown Railway Company, on the side of the railway embankment, which passes along the sea-shore close to the village, and to these access is obtained by a handsome foot bridge from the high ground. An elegant bridge has been built over the railway, which passes close under Seapoint House, affording the inmates a facility of access to a boat pier on the opposite side. In the centre of the village is a large block of granite, on which are the remains of an ancient cross; to this spot, which is the southern extremity of the city of Dublin, the lord mayor, with the civic authorities, proceeds when perambulating the boundaries of his jurisdiction. The twopenny post has three deliveries daily from the metropolis; and in addition to the constant railway communication with the city, numerous cars are stationed here, plying in all directions. There is an Episcopal chapel in Carysfort avenue; it was formerly a dissenting place of worship, but was purchased a few years since, and endowed with £1000 from a fund bequeathed by Lord Powerscourt; the chaplain is appointed by the trustees. In the R. C. divisions this place forms part of the union of Booterstown; the chapel, situated in the village, was built in 1822, by subscription, at an expense of £750. A nunnery of Carmelite sisters was established in 1822, consisting of a superior, 20 professed nuns, and three lay sisters; the ladies of this convent support a school for the gratuitous instruction of 120 girls, who are also clothed annually at Christmas. A school for boys was built in 1822, by subscription, and is supported by collections at charity sermons; and a girls' school was erected in 1827, chiefly at the expense of the Rev. J. McCormick, R. C. clergyman, by whom it is partly supported. A savings' bank has been established.--See MONKSTOWN.
BLACKROCK, a village, in the parish of HAGGARDSTOWN, barony of UPPER DUNDALK, county of LOUTH, and province of LEINSTER, 2 miles (E.) from Dundalk; containing 434 inhabitants. This place is situated on the bay of Dundalk, and contains about 80 houses, which are neatly built. The beach is smooth and soft, and peculiarly adapted to sea-bathing; and, if due accommodation were provided for visiters, it might become a watering-place of general attraction. It is at present much frequented, during the summer season, by the farmers of the inland counties, both for the purposes of bathing and drinking the sea-water. Alexander Shekelton, Esq., of Dundalk, has a beautiful marine villa here. --See HAGGARDSTOWN.
BLACKWATER, a village, in the parish of KILCROHANE, barony of DUNKERRON, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 6 miles (W.) from Kenmare, on the road from that place to Sneem: the population is returned with the parish. This small village is romantically situated on the west bank of a river of the same name, that issues from Lough Brinn, situated among the mountains, and after separating the parishes of Kilcrohane and Templenoe, flows into the estuary of Kenmare river. The banks of the Blackwater are richly clothed with wood on each side, and are so steep and lofty that the bridge across is upwards of sixty feet above the water. The river immediately beneath and above the bridge is confined in a narrow channel, and rushes over rocks in numerous cascades, while below it expands to a considerable breadth, and forms a deep basin, in which vessels may lie in safety. The bridge of two narrow and lofty arches, the salmon-leap beneath, and the richly wooded banks on each side, form a highly picturesque and interesting scene. This place is a favourite resort for salmon fly-fishing, permission for which is always granted by the proprietor on a proper application; but there is no accommodation for the angler nearer than Kenmare, where, however, there is a very good and commodious hotel. At the mouth of the Blackwater is a salmon fishery, where more than 100 fine fish are sometimes taken at a haul: it is chiefly the property of the Rev. Denis Mahony, of Dromore Castle. Fairs are held here in July and December; and petty sessions for the Blackwater district are held monthly, at Clover Field, in the adjoining parish of Templenoe.--See KILCROHANE.
BLACKWATER, a village, partly in the parish of BALLYVALDEN, and partly in that, of KILLELY or KILLILA, barony of BALLAGHKEEN, county of WEXFORD, and province of LEINSTER, 7 miles (N. E. by N.) from Wexford; containing 58 houses and 255 inhabitants. It is situated on the old coast road from Wexford to Dublin, about a mile from the shore of St. George's channel; there is also a direct road hence to Enniscorthy, about eight miles distant. Fairs are held on March 25th, May 12th, June 1st, Aug. 10th, and Nov. 10th. It is a station both of the constabulary police and the coast-guard: the latter, which is one of the eight comprised in the district of Gorey, has a detachment at Curracloe. The R. C. chapel of the district is situated in the village.
BLACKWATERTOWN, a post-town, in that part of the parish of CLONFEACLE which is in the barony of ARMAGH, county of ARMAGH, and province of ULSTER, 5 miles (N. N. W.) from Armagh, and 70 (N. N. W.) from Dublin; containing 103 houses and 528 inhabitants. This place is situated on the old road from Armagh to Dungannon,, and on the river Blackwater, from which it takes its name; it is connected by a stone bridge of three arches with the old village of Clonfeacle, now forming part of the town. During the rebellion of the Earl of Tyrone, in the reign of Elizabeth, an English garrison was placed here to check the incursions of that chieftain, who, under a plea of some injuries done to his party by the English, in 1595, attacked and expelled the garrison, and obtained possession of the fortress, which he afterwards destroyed and abandoned on the approach of Sir John Norris. In 1596 the Earl covenanted to rebuild it, and to supply an English garrison to be then stationed in it with all necessaries, as one of the conditions upon which peace was granted to him by the queen. In the following year the English forces, under Lord-Deputy Borough, assaulted the place and easily took possession; but the insurgents soon reappeared, and commenced an attack; and though the further progress of the war was prevented by the death of the general, yet a strong English garrison was stationed here as a frontier post. Tyrone was once more compelled to agree to repair the fort and bridge, and to supply the garrison; but he shortly after attacked the former with the greatest vigour; and as the works were weak and imperfect, the assailants were repulsed only by the determined valour of the garrison. The earl afterwards attempted to reduce it by famine; and the besieged were driven to the last extremities, when Sir Henry Bagnall, with the English army of about 5000 infantry and cavalry, and some loyal Irish clans, marched to their relief. This force, however, suffered a total defeat between Armagh and the Black-water, and the fortress was immediately surrendered to the enemy, though it was soon after recovered.
This town, from its situation on the Blackwater, carries on a considerable trade in the export of corn and potatoes, of which great quantities are annually shipped to Belfast and Newry, and in the importation of coal and timber. Sloops of 50 tons' burden can deliver their cargoes at the quay; and the Ulster Canal, which is now in progress, passes close to the town. There is an extensive bleach-green at Tullydoey, belonging to Messrs. Eyre; and the extensive spirit and corn stores of Mr. Hanna furnish an abundant supply for the neighbourhood. Fairs are held on the second Wednesday in every month throughout the year; and a constabulary police force is stationed here. Tullydoey, the seat of J. Eyre Jackson, Esq., and also the residence of T. Eyre, Esq., are within a short distance of the town. There is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists, also a dispensary. On the western side of the river is the ancient and extensive cemetery of Clonfeacle, the church of which being in ruins, another was erected at Benburb, which is now the parish church. Opposite to the town are vestiges of a fort, by some called the Blackwater fort, in the attempt to take which Sir Henry Bagnall lost his life; and by others supposed to have been the strong fortress of the Earl of Tyrone, and one of those for which he stipulated when he obtained a patent of favour from Queen Elizabeth.--See CLONFEACLE.
BLANCHARDSTOWN, a village, in the parish and barony of CASTLEKNOCK, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 4 miles (N. W.) from Dublin, on the road to Navan; containing 57 houses and 342 inhabitants. It is within the limits of the Dublin twopenny post delivery; and a constabulary police station has been established, in the barrack of which petty sessions for the district are held the second Monday in every month. The R. C. parochial chapel is situated here; also the Cabra nunnery, in which a school of 200 girls is maintained by the nuns, a few of the children paying a penny weekly merely to ensure their attendance; there is also a school for children of both sexes.--See CASTLEKNOCK.
BLANCHFIELDSTOWN, or BLANCHVILLESKILL, a parish, in the barony of GOWRAN, county of KILKENNY, and province of LEINSTER, 2 miles (W. by S.) from Gowran; containing 224 inhabitants. This small parish is situated near the mail coach road from Dublin to Cork, by way of Kilkenny, and comprises 660 statute acres: the land is good and is principally under tillage, and there is plenty of limestone. Blanchvillestown, situated in a very neat demesne containing some fine timber, is the property of Major-Gen. Sir J. Kearney, and is held on lease by the Rev. Theobald Butler. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ossory, and forms part of the union of Kilfane and corps of the archdeaconry; the rectory is appropriate to the vicars choral of Christ-church, Dublin. The tithes amount to £69. 10. per annum, of which £46. 6. 8. is payable to the vicars choral, and £23. 3. 4. to the archdeacon. In the R. C. divisions it is included in the union or district of Gowran. There are some remains of the old church at Blanchvilleskill.
BLARIS.--See LISBURN.
BLARNEY, a village, in the parish of GARRYCLOYNE, barony of EAST MUSKERRY, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 5 miles (N. W. by W.) from Cork; containing 417 inhabitants. It is situated on a river of the same name, over which is a handsome bridge of three arches, on the road from Cork to Kanturk, and comprises 57 houses, which are small but well built and slated. The noted castle of Blarney was built in 1446, by Cormac McCarthy, surnamed Laidir, who was descended in a direct line from the hereditary kings of Desmond or South Munster, and was equally distinguished by his extraordinary strength and feats of chivalry as by elegance and grace both of body and mind. It is situated on an isolated rock of limestone rising boldly over the junction of the rivers Blarney and Comane, and is the third castle occupying the site: the first was rather a hunting post of Dermot McCarthy, King of South Munster, and was built of timber; the second was built in the year 1200, and the present structure was raised on its foundations, which are still visible. In the reign of Elizabeth it was the strongest fortress in Munster, and at different periods withstood regular sieges, but was treacherously taken by Lord Broghill in 1646, and the army of King William demolished all the fortifications, leaving only the tower remaining. Donogh McCarthy, who commanded the forces of Munster, was first summoned to parliament in the reign of Elizabeth by the title of Baron of Blarney; and Chas. II., in 1658, conferred the title of Earl of Clancarthy on the head of this family, the last of whom was dispossessed after the siege of Limerick; and the estate, comprising all Muskerry, was forfeited to the crown for the earl's adherence to the cause of Jas. II. On the sale of the forfeited lands in 1692, the Hollow Sword Blade Company purchased all the land around this place, and more than 3000 acres in the parish were allotted to a member of the Company, and are now held by his descendant, George Putland, Esq., of Dublin. Justin McCarthy, of Carrignavar, the only lineal descendant of that family, holds a part of the ancient inheritance. The castle was purchased in 1701 by Sir James Jefferyes, governor of Cork, who soon after erected a large and handsome house in front of it, which was the family residence for many years, but is now a picturesque ruin. The top of the castle commands a very fine view over a rich undulating tract intersected by the rivers Blarney, Comane, and Scor-thonac, and bounded on the north-west by the lofty chain of the Boggra mountains. On the east is the Comane bog, many years since an impenetrable wilderness, and the last receptacle for wolves in this part of the country: that river, which takes its name from its serpentine course, flows through the bog and joins the river Blarney under the walls of the castle; and their united waters receive a considerable accession from the Scorthonac, a rapid stream which rises in the Boggra mountains. The interest which both natives and strangers take in the castle arises more from a tradition connected with a stone in its north-eastern angle, about 20 feet from the top, than from any other circumstance: this stone, which bears an inscription in Latin recording the erection of the fortress, is called the "Blarney stone," and has given rise to the well known phrase of "Blarney," in reference to a notion that, if any one kisses it, he will ever after have a cajoling tongue and the art of flattery or of telling lies with unblushing effrontery. Few, however, venture upon this ceremony, from the danger in being lowered down to the stone by a rope from an insecure battlement 132 feet high. The "groves of Blarney" are of considerable extent and very interesting; and beneath the castle are some spacious natural caves, one of which was converted into a dungeon by some of its early proprietors: it is entered by a very strong door, near which is a solitary window scarcely admitting a ray of light, and there are several massive iron rings and bolts yet remaining. Stalactites and stalagmites of beautiful formation and very compact are found in these caves.
The village, though now of little importance, was once the most thriving in the county, and between the years 1765 and 1782, when the linen manufacture was carried on, had not less than 13 mills in operation, erected by St. John Jefferyes, Esq., at an expense of about £20,000. The cotton trade was afterwards introduced and flourished for a time, but has decayed; and the only establishments now in operation are a spinning-mill belonging to M. Mahony, Esq., in which about 120 persons are employed in spinning and dyeing woollen yarn for the extensive camlet manufactory in Cork; and a paper-mill, erected by G. Jenkins, Esq., which employs about 170 persons. St. John Jefferyes, Esq., the proprietor of the village, has it in contemplation to rebuild it on an enlarged and improved plan. Just above it stands the parish church, which was repaired and enlarged in .1835, and is a very neat edifice. Fairs are held on Sept. 18th and Nov. 11th; here is a station of the constabulary police; and petty sessions are held on alternate Tuesdays. A national school, capable of accommodating 500 children, was built in 1836, at an expense of £300, of which the Commissioners gave £90, the parishioners £11, and the Rev. M. Horgan, P.P., gave the remainder; and there is a dispensary.--See GARRYCLOYNE.
BLASQUET ISLANDS, also called BLASQUES or FERRITER'S ISLANDS, lying off the shore of the parish of DONQUIN, barony of CORKAGUINEY, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 10 miles (W. S. W.) from Dingle; the population is returned with Donquin. These islands were granted by the Earl of Desmond to the family of Ferriter, but were forfeited to the Crown by their joining in the rebellion of that nobleman, and in 1586 were granted, with other possessions, to George Stone and Cornelius Champion; they were afterwards purchased by Sir Richard Boyle, ancestor of the present proprietor, the Earl of Cork. They are rated for the county cess with the parish of Donquin, but for tithes with that of Ballinvohir, on the northern shore of Dingle bay. In September, 1588, part of the Spanish Armada, consisting of the admiral's ship the St. John, a large ship of 1000 tons called "Our Lady of the Rosary," and some smaller vessels, came into the Sound in distress. Our Lady of the Rosary struck on a rock and was wrecked, and of 500 persons on board, among whom were the Prince of Ascule and 100 gentlemen, only the pilot's son was saved: a violent storm soon after dispersed the rest of the ships. The islands, which are the most westerly on the coast of Ireland, are situated in Lat. 52° 6' 40" (N.), and Lon. 10° 33' (W.), as taken from the southern point of the Great Blasquet; they are twelve in number, including those which are mere rocks, and extend 2 1/2 miles W. by S. The largest is called the Great Blasquet or Innismore, and is nearly two miles from the main land: it is about three miles in length, and is elevated mountain ground, with some arable land towards the north-east extremity: ten families reside upon it at present, and there are the ruins of a very ancient church, with a burial-ground. The second in size, and the southernmost, is Innismackilane, which lies about seven miles W. by S. from Dunmore, and is low and bleak, but yields a very rich herbage: it is the abode of two families, and contains the ruins of an ancient chapel with a burial-ground, and a small stone-roofed cell or hermitage, with the remains of several others. The third is Innisnebroe or Quern Island, so called from its resemblance to the old mill-stones called "querns." The fourth and most northern, called Innistuskard, is about an Irish mile in length: only one family resides on it, and there is a stone cell similar to that above noticed. Near the Great Island are three smaller, one of which is called Innisbeg or the Little island, and consists of about 16 acres of rich grazing land; the other two are of the same character, but not so large. Most of them are stocked with sheep and black cattle, and abound with rabbits and sea-fowl, of which the last breed in vast numbers on the stupendous pyramidal rock forming the eighth island, and situated four miles W. N. W. from the Great island, and are taken for their feathers: near this rock is another of a similar form but inferior height. Here are also numbers of hawks and eagles, the former of which were once held in great esteem for sporting; and a small bird, called by the Irish gourder, and said to exceed the ortolan in deliciousness of flavour, appears to be peculiar to these islands. Smith, in his History of Cork, published in 1749, says that, for the space of 45 years before he visited the Great island, "neither man, woman, or child died on it."
BLENNERVILLE, a small sea-port town, in the parish of ANNAGH, barony of TRUGHENACKMY, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 1 mile (W.) from Tralee, containing 532 inhabitants. It is situated on the bay of Tralee, and consists chiefly of one street extending from a bridge over a small river which empties itself into the bay along the road to Dingle, and containing 88 houses, most of which are neatly built and roofed with slate. On the opposite side of the bay is an oyster bed, which with the fishery in the bay affords employment to a portion of the inhabitants. An extensive trade in corn is carried on with the port of Liverpool. Fairs are held on May 9th, Sept. 15th, Oct. 25th, and Dec. 19th; and there is a penny post daily between this place and Tralee. The Tralee ship canal, now in progress, will pass under the north end of the bridge and extend to the channel at a place called the Black rock; it is supposed that this work, when completed, will nearly annihilate the trade of Blennerville, which has hitherto been the port of Tralee. A portion of the slob on the east side of the bridge has been lately embanked by Mr. Blennerhasset, of this place. The parish church, a neat modern structure with a square tower, is situated in the town; as are also the Protestant and R. C. school-houses, and at Curragrague is a school under the trustees of Erasmus Smith's charity.--See ANNAGH.
BLESSINGTON (ST. MARY), or BURGAGE, a market and post-town, and a parish, in the barony of LOWER TALBOTSTOWN, county of WICKLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 6 1/4miles (E. S. E.) from Naas, and 14 (S. S. W.) from Dublin; containing, with Burgage, 2677 inhabitants, of which number, 426 are in the town. This place is situated on the river Liffey, and on the high road from Dublin, by Baltinglass, to Wexford, Carlow, and Waterford. The town occupies a rising ground on the north-western confines of the county, and was built by Archbishop Boyle in the reign of Chas. II.: it consists only of one street, and contains about 50 houses, which are mostly of respectable appearance, and a good inn or hotel. Considerable improvement has taken place since the construction of the new turnpike road from Dublin to Carlow, by way of Baltinglass, in 1829, by which the Waterford mail and the Kilkenny day mail, and several coaches and cars to the counties of Wexford and Carlow, have been brought through it. The celebrated waterfall called Poul-a-Phuca, about three miles distant on the road to Baltinglass, and described under the head of Ballymore-Eustace, is generally visited from this place. The market is on Thursday; and fairs are held on May 12th, July 5th, and Nov. 12th. Here is a station of the constabulary police; and the chief officer of the peace preservation force resides in the town. The inhabitants were incorporated by charter of the 21st of Chas. II. (1669), granted to Michael Boyle, Archbishop of Dublin and Chancellor of Ireland, and certain forfeited lands assigned to him were at the same time erected into a manor, to be called the manor of Blessington. This charter empowered the archbishop to hold before the seneschal of the manor a court leet with view of frankpledge twice in the year; a court baron every three weeks, or less frequently, for claims not exceeding 40s.; and a court of record when and where he should think proper, with jurisdiction not exceeding £10: and prescribed the style, constitution, and mode of electing the officers of the corporation. The corporation was styled "The Sovereign, Bailiffs, and Burgesses of the Borough and Town of Blessington;" and consisted of a sovereign, two bailiffs, and twelve burgesses, with power to a majority to admit freemen and choose inferior officers, and the archbishop was authorised to appoint a recorder and town-clerk. The borough returned two members to the Irish parliament till the Union, when the £15,000 awarded as compensation for the loss of the franchise was paid to Arthur, Marquess of Downshire; the right of election was vested in the corporation at large, which from that period has been extinct. Petty sessions are held on alternate Saturdays; and the Marquess of Downshire, as proprietor of the town, has power to hold a manorial court for the recovery of small debts.
The parish, which, previously to the erection of the town and church in 1683, was called Burgage, comprises 17,570 statute acres. The land is chiefly under tillage and pasturage, and there are some large tracts of mountain waste, on which are turf bogs; the state of agriculture has considerably improved. The subsoil is chiefly limestone gravel; and the mountains abound with granite, which is quarried and sent to Dublin for public buildings. The Marquess of Downshire had a handsome mansion and demesne of 410 statute acres, with a deer park of 340 acres, all surrounded by a wall, and situated on the right of the road from Dublin: the mansion was originally built by Primate Boyle, the last ecclesiastical chancellor of Ireland, who held his court of chancery here, and built houses for the six clerks, two of which yet remain; the interior was burnt by the insurgents in 1798 and has not been restored; the demesne is richly embellished with fine timber. About two miles from the town, on the road to Baltinglass, is Russborough, the elegant seat of the Earl of Miltown: the mansion, erected after a design by Mr. Cassels, architect of the Bank of Ireland, is in the Grecian style, and consists of a centre and two wings, connected by semicircular colonnades of alternated Ionic and Corinthian pillars, and presenting a noble facade of hewn stone 700 feet in extent; the interior is fitted up in a style of sumptuous magnificence; the floors of the principal apartments are of polished mahogany, and there is an extensive and valuable collection of paintings, chiefly of the Italian school, arranged in seven apartments appropriated to its reception: the demesne comprises 405 statute acres tastefully laid out and planted. Russellstown, the seat of J. Hornidge, Esq., is also in the parish. The living is a vicarage with Burgage, in the diocese of Dublin and Glendalough, to which the vicarages of Boystown and Kilbride were united by act of council in 1833, forming the vicarial union of Blessington, in the patronage of the Archbishop; the rectory is united to those of St. Andrew's and Ardree, and part of Lusk, together constituting the corps of the precen-torship in the cathedral church of St. Patrick, Dublin. The tithes, including those of Burgage, amount to £218. 10., of which £120 is payable to the precentor, and the remainder to the vicar, and the gross tithes of the benefice amount to £210. 19. 5. The lands of Great Burgage, comprising 670a. 3r. l0p. statute measure, let on lease at a rental of £64. 12. 3 3/4., form part of the endowment of the precentorship. The church, a neat edifice with a lofty square tower, was erected at the expense of Primate Boyle, who also gave a ring of bells: it is neatly fitted up, and an organ was erected by the grandfather of the present Marquess of Downshire, who allows the organist a salary of £40 per ann., to which £10 was formerly added by the parish, and now by the new Ecclesiastical Board: a monument to the memory of the founder records his benefactions to the town, and the inscription concludes with the motto, "Abi, et fac tu similiter." During the disturbances of 1798 the church was used as a barrack. Viscount Blessington, a descendant of Primate Boyle, in 1736, endowed the living of Blessington, otherwise Burgage, with 130 statute acres of land in the adjoining parish of Tipperkevin, subject to the payment of £5 per annum by the incumbent to the school: there is neither glebe-house nor glebe. In the R. C. divisions this parish is partly included in the union or district of Blessington, partly in that of Blackditches, and partly in that of Ballymore-Eustace: the first union comprises also the parishes of Rathmore, Kilbride, and Kilteel, and contains three chapels, situated at Cross and Eadestown, in Rathmore, and at Kilbride. A neat building, the upper part of which is used as a girls' school, and the lower as a court for holding the petty sessions, with a house for the master and mistress, has been erected at an expense of £800 by the Marquess of Downshire, who allows a salary of £20 to the master and £10 to the mistress, the latter of whom also receives the £5 payable by the incumbent: there are about 20 boys in the school, who are taught in a school-room a short distance from the building, and 30 girls. There are also five hedge schools in Blessington and Burgage, in which nearly 150 children are taught. A dispensary is supported in the customary manner. There are some ruins of the old church of Burgage, and in the churchyard are the remains of a castle, and on the outside is a very fine cross, hewn out of one large block of granite, and about 14 feet high. On the townland of Crosscool Harbour, near Liffey Cottage, are a burial-place and a holy well, the latter of which is much resorted to in June for its reputed efficacy in healing various diseases. On the townland of Three Castles are some remains of one of the ancient fortresses from which it has derived its name. Blessington gave the title of Earl to the family of Gar-diner, now extinct; and Russborough gives the inferior titles of Viscount and Baron to the Earl of Miltown.
BODENSTOWN, or BOWDENSTOWN, a parish, in the barony of NORTH NAAS, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER, 1 1/2 mile (S. W.) from Clane; containing, with part of the village of Sallins, 458 inhabitants. It is bounded on the east by the river Liffey, over which is a very curious stone bridge of five arches, all differently shaped. About three-fourths of the land are pasture and appropriated to the fattening of stock for the Dublin and Liverpool markets, and the remainder is under tillage, producing good crops: there is no waste land or bog, yet the supply of fuel is abundant. The Grand Canal, which passes close to the parish, facilitates the conveyance of corn and potatoes to the metropolis, from which manure is also obtained in abundance. The gentlemen's seats are Blackhall, that of P. Wolfe, Esq.; Castlesize, of I. Manders, Esq.; Little Rath, of Mr. R. Hall, occupying the site of an ancient intrenchment; and Sallins Lodge, near which stood the old castle of Sallins, the residence of Mr. S. Holt. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Kildare, with the perpetual curacy of Sherlockstown episcopally united, forming the union of Bodenstown, in the patronage of the Bishop; the rectory is impropriate in the Earl of Mayo. The tithes amount to £90, of which £60 is payable to the impropriator and £30 to the vicar; and the tithes of the entire benefice amount to £65. There is no church, but a grant was made for the erection of one by the late Board of First Fruits; the Protestant parishioners attend the church of Clane. There is also no glebe-house: the glebe comprises 8 acres. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Kill. There is a pay school of about 10 children. The celebrated Theobald Wolfe Tone was a native of this parish, and lies in the same grave with his father in the churchyard.
BOHERBEE, or BOHERBUI, a village, in the parish of KILMEEN, barony of DUHALLOW, county of CORK and province of MUNSTER, 5 miles (W.) from Kanturk: the population is returned with the parish. This place is situated on the new line of road recently constructed by Government, and leading from Roskeen-Bridge, through King-William's-town, to Castle-island. The village, from its advantageous situation on the road above mentioned, and also near the junction of the roads from Kanturk and Newmarket to Millstreet, promises to become a place of some importance. A police barrack has been lately erected by Mr. W. Allen, for the accommodation of the constabulary force stationed here; and the R. C. parochial chapel, a large slated building recently erected, is situated in the village.--See KILMEEN.
BOHERLAHAN.--See ARDMAYLE.
BOHILLANE, or BOHOLANE, a parish, in the barony of IMOKILLY, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 2 3/4 miles (E.) from Cloyne; containing 487 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from Ballycotton to Castlemartyr, and comprises 1848 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £959 per annum. The land in general is tolerably good, and the greater part is under an improved system of tillage: in some places the soil is light, and rests on a substratum of clay-slate; in others, stiff and compact, occasionally abounding with springs; and in some, loose and shivery, absorbing great quantities of moisture. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Cloyne, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £191. 10. 3 1/2. There is no church; the Protestant inhabitants resort for divine service either to Itermorrough or Cloyne. The ruins of the old church form a picturesque object: near them is a glebe of 12a. 2r. 36p., but there is no glebe-house. In the R. C. divisions this parish forms part of the union or district of Ballymacoda in Kilmacdonough.
BOHOE, a parish, partly in the barony of MAGHERABOY, but chiefly in that of CLANAWLEY, county of FERMANAGH, and province of ULSTER, 5 1/2 miles (W.) from Enniskillen; containing 2581 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from Enniskillen to Sligo, and comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 15,058 1/2 statute acres, of which 6151 1/4are in the barony of Magheraboy, and 8907 1/4in that of Clanawley. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Clogher, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £120. The church, a plain edifice, was erected by aid of a gift of £200 from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1777, and the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £157. 10. for its repair. There is no glebe-house; the glebe comprises 142 acres. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district, of Devenish or Derrygonelly, and also part of that of Innismacsaint; the chapel, an indifferent building, belongs to the union of Devenish. The parochial school is supported by an annual donation from the incumbent, aided by subscription; and affords instruction to about 50 boys and 30 girls; and there are four pay schools, in which are about 150 boys and 70 girls. The mountain of Belmore, in this parish, has an elevation of 1312, and that of Glenkeel 1223, feet above the level of the sea.
BOHOLA, or BUCHOLLA, a parish, in the barony of GALLEN, county of MAYO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 6 miles (S. by E.) from Foxford; containing 3658 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Gustien, and on the road from Swinford to Castlebar, and is principally under tillage; the mountain of Slieve Conn, which is within its limits, is cultivated to the very summit; there is some bog. The principal seats are Barley Hill, the residence of Bernard McManus, Esq.; Carragawn, of E. Deane, Esq.; and Rosslevin Castle, of H. Jordan, Esq. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Achonry, and is part of the union of Templemore; the rectory is impropriate in the representatives of the late Roger Palmer, Esq. The tithes amount to £374. 17. 8., of which one-half is payable to the impropriators, and the other to the vicar. The church is in ruins. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church, and contains a chapel. There are two hedge schools, in which about 190 boys and 80 girls are educated.
BOLIES, a village, in the parish of DULEEK, barony of UPPER DULEEK, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 2 miles (S. W.) from Duleek, on the mail coach road from Dublin, through Duleek, to Belfast; containing 30 houses and 159 inhabitants.
BOLINALEA, or BONELEA, a village, in the parish of RATHNEW, barony of NEWCASTLE, county of WICKLOW, and province of LEINSTER, adjoining the post-town of Ashford, and containing about 80 houses and 476 inhabitants. It is situated on the old road from Newtown-Mount-Kennedy by Cronroe, to Rathdrum; and is a place of great resort during the summer season, from its contiguity to some of the most varied and luxuriant scenery through which the river Vartrey flows, and with which the neighbouring district abounds. The fairs of Ashford are held at this village.--See RATHNEW.
BOLY, or GALVOLY, a parish, in the barony of ELIOGARTY, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 2 1/4miles (S. S. E.) from Thurles; containing 426 inhabitants. This parish, which is also called Galbooly, and is situated on a branch of the river Suir, comprises 1268 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £1012 per annum. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Cashel, and is part of the union of Borrisleigh and corps of the treasurership in the cathedral of Cashel; the rectory is impropriate in John Bagwell, Esq., a minor. The tithes amount to £110, which is equally divided between the impropriator and the treasurer. There is a pay school, in which are about 70 boys and 30 girls.
BONAFOBLE.--See MOVILLE.
BONLAHEY, or BUNLAHEY, a village, in that part of the parish of GRANARD which is in the barony of GRANARD, county of LONGFORD, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (W. N. W.) from Granard, on the road to Ballinamuck; containing 65 dwellings and 299 inhabitants. Fairs are held on the 16th of May, July 26th, Oct. 15th, and Dec. 12th.--See GRANARD.
BONMAHON, a maritime village, in the parish of BALLYLANEEN, barony of UPPERTHIRD, county of WATERFORD, and province of MUNSTER, 3 miles (S.) from Kilmacthomas; containing 972 inhabitants. This place is situated on the coast of St. George's channel, and derives its name from the river Mahon, which rises in the Cummeragh mountains, and here falls into the sea. It is much frequented as a watering-place during the summer, and contains several neat private residences and convenient lodging-houses for the accommodation of visitors; and in the immediate vicinity are numerous houses built for persons employed in the mines. The beach is well adapted for bathing, and the village might be made a place of fashionable resort; but the land being principally the property of the College of Physicians, who cannot grant leases for more than 31 years, very little improvement has been made. The surrounding scenery is very pleasing, and a wooden bridge over the Mahon adds much to its picturesque character. A new church, with a school-house adjoining, has been recently erected on the eastern side of the river, in the parish of Kilbarrymeadan; the school is supported by Lady Osborne. The valuable mines of this place and in the neighbourhood produce copper and lead, with a portion of silver; they have been worked from an early period, and veins have been opened in several parts and worked to a considerable extent. In 1745 a Company rented these mines from Lord Ranelagh for a term of 31 years, under an agreement to give to his lordship one-eighth part of all the ore obtained; and the works were carried on with spirit for eight or ten years. They were subsequently worked by Mr. Wyse, who employed 300 men; and, in 1811, the Earl of Ormonde renewed the enterprise with every prospect of success, but, after a very large expenditure, was induced to desist; they are at present under the management of the Irish Mining Company. The veins are found in some parts of the rock within a few feet of the surface, and none have been worked to a greater depth than 25 yards. Copper ore is observed in many places along the beach. The principal mines are on the property of the Marquess of Ormonde, on the lands belonging to the see of Waterford, and on those of Lady Osborne and J. Power O'Shee, Esq.--See BALLYLANEEN.
BONNECONLAN.--See KILGARVEY.
BONOWEN.--See BENOWEN.
BOOTERSTOWN, a parish, in the half-barony of RATHDOWN, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 3 1/4miles (S. E.) from Dublin; containing 2875 inhabitants. This place is situated on the road from Dublin to Kingstown and Bray, and on the southern coast of Dublin bay, the shores of which here assume a most interesting and beautifully picturesque appearance. On the opposite side are the finely wooded lands of Clontarf, the mountainous ridge of Howth connected with the main land by a low sandy isthmus, and the islands of Ireland's Eye and Lambay. Of the other side the land swells into the romantic hill of Mount Anville, with slopes richly wooded and embellished with numerous handsome seats, and to the east are the projecting high grounds of the Blackrock covered to the water's edge with trees. The parish comprises 450 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £1589 per annum; the substratum is chiefly limestone and limestone gravel. Of the numerous handsome seats and villas, many of which are delightfully situated in highly embellished demesnes, commanding beautiful views of the bay of Dublin and of the mountains, the principal are Seamount, that of the Rt. Hon. J. Doherty, Chief Justice of the Court of Common Pleas; Sans Souci, of the late R. Roe, Esq.; Willow Park, of J. Ferrier, Esq.; Colognes, of I. M. D'Olier, Esq.; Rosemount, of C. Smith, Esq.; Rockville, of W. Murphy, Esq.; Sion Hill, of H. Lanauze, Esq.; Rockville House, of C. Hope, Esq.; Hermitage, of W. F. Mostyn, Esq.; Clareville, of Sir Ross Mahon, Bart.; Lota, of O'Gorman Mahon, Esq.; Chesterfield, of the Rev. W. Betty; Belleview, of J. Gillman, Esq.; Church View, of H. Higinbotham, Esq.; Arbutus Lodge, of W. Cullen, Esq.; South Hill, of A. Beytagh, Esq.; Mount Merrion, of H. Staines, Esq.; Woodview, of Lady Waller; Marino, of the Rev. R. H. Nixon; Brook Lawn, of J. McCulIagh, Esq.; Grace-ville, of J. Woods, Esq.; Albion Cottage, of J. C. Bacon, Esq.; Baymount, of Capt. Cockburn; Mereview, of T. Clinch, Esq.; Woodbine Cottage, of Capt. McNaghton; and Waltham, of A. Ormsby, Esq. The village, with those of Williamstown and Blackrock, nearly forms a continuous extent of town; and within the parish are the avenues of Merrion, Cross, Sydney and Williamstown, in each of which are rows of neat houses, with numerous detached villas. This place is much frequented during the summer season on account of its facilities for sea-bathing and its fine strand of smooth sand; numerous lodging-houses have been prepared for the accommodation of visiters; and a cross embankment communicating with the railway, which is carried on an embankment through the sea in front of the town, at a short distance from high water mark, has been constructed for their convenience. The twopenny post has three deliveries daily from the metropolis, and a constant and rapid communication with the city is maintained by the railway and by cars, which ply in both directions.
The living is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Dublin, erected out of the parish of Donnybrook by act of council in 1821, and in the patronage of the Archdeacon of Dublin; the rectory forms part of the corps of the archdeaconry. The tithes amount to £65. 0. 2., the whole of which is payable to the archdeacon, who allows the perpetual curate £16 per annum; the curacy was also endowed by the late Earl of Pembroke with £1000, since invested in ground rents now producing £73. 16. 10. The church is a handsome structure, in the later English style, with a square embattled tower with crocketed pinnacles at the angles, and surmounted by a lofty spire; the walls are strengthened with buttresses terminating in pinnacles, and crowned with an embattled parapet. It was erected in 1824, on a piece of ground given by the late Earl of Pembroke in Cross Avenue, at an expense of £5000, of which sum, £2700 was a gift from the late Board of First Fruits; and contains neat monuments to James Digges Latouche and Richard Verschoyle, Esqrs. In the R. C. divisions this parish forms the head of a union or district including also parts of the parishes of Donnybrook, Kill, Monkstown, Rathfarnham, Stillorgan, and Taney. The chapel is a spacious and handsome edifice, erected at the sole expense of the late Earl Fitzwilliam; there are also chapels at Blackrock and Dundrum. A neat parochial school-house, with apartments for a master and mistress, was built in 1826, near the church, at an expense of £600, defrayed by subscription; and an infants' school was built adjoining the former in 1833, in which is kept a parochial lending library; these schools are supported by subscription and collections at charity sermons. In connection with the R. C. chapel is a girls' school, to which Mrs. Verschoyle contributes £20 per annum. Here is a dispensary; and a Dorcas Society is supported by subscription and collections at charity sermons.
BORDWELL, a parish, in the barony of UPPER OSSORY, QUEEN'S county, and province of LEINSTER, 2 3/4 miles (N. E.) from Rathdowney; containing 869 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from Abbeyleix to Templemore, and comprises 2549 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. The state of agriculture is improving; there is a small quantity of bog; and limestone is quarried in the parish. The principal seats are Grantstown, the residence of R. Vicars, Esq.; Coolfin, of T. Roe, Esq.; and Fernville, of-- Palmer, Esq. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Ossory, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £137. 10. The church is in ruins, and divine service is performed in the school-house. There is neither glebe-house nor glebe. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Aghavoe; the chapel is a large building. The parochial school is supported by subscription, aided by annual donations from Lord Lorton, the rector, Mr. Roe, and others; and at Fox Rock is a National school; in these schools are about 50 boys and 30 girls. At Grantstown and at Kilbredy are the ruins of old castles.
BORRIS, or BORRIS-IDRONE, a village, in the parish of CLONAGOOSE, barony of IDRONE EAST, county of CARLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (S. E.) from Goresbridge; containing 671 inhabitants. This place is situated near the river Barrow, on the road from Carlow to Ross: it has a patent for a market on Friday, which is not held, and a penny post to Goresbridge. Borris House, the noble seat of the late T. Kavanagh, Esq., is situated in an extensive and richly wooded demesne, and commands fine views terminated on the south-east by the imposing range of the Blackstairs mountains. This mansion, which externally exhibits the appearance of an English baronial residence of the 16th century, while every advantage of convenience and splendour is secured within, has been for ages the chief residence of the posterity of Donald Kavanagh, natural son of Mac Murrough, last King of Leinster, whose name and authority he subsequently assumed. In 1642, being garrisoned by the parliamentarians, it was besieged by the Irish, and with difficulty the garrison was relieved and reinforced by Sir C. Coote. In the disturbances of 1798 it sustained two attacks; first, on May 24th, when the insurgents were repulsed by Capt. Kavanagh's yeomanry corps, with the loss of 50 killed and wounded; and afterwards on June 12th, from a detachment sent against it from Vinegar Hill, on which occasion it was defended with great bravery by a party of the Donegal militia, who compelled the assailants, after burning the out-offices and destroying some houses in Borris, to retire with considerable loss. At Kilcamney, in the vicinity, an action was also fought, in which the insurgents were routed with the loss of their stores by the king's forces under Sir C. Asgill. Petty sessions are held here every alternate Thursday, and road sessions occasionally: the court-house was lately erected by Mr. Kavanagh. This is a chief constabulary police station; and there is a small barrack for the accommodation of about 30 men. Fairs for cattle, sheep, pigs, &c., are held on Jan. 1st, Feb. 5th, May 1st, July 2nd, Aug. 15th, Oct. 4th, and Nov. 14th, and four more fairs have been lately obtained; that in July is a considerable fair for wool. Attached to Borris House is a very handsome private chapel, erected by the late Mr. Kavanagh, and open to the inhabitants. In the R. C. divisions this place is the head of a union or district comprising parts of the parishes of Clonagoose, Ullard (county of Kilkenny), St. Mullins, and Ballyellin, and the whole of that of Kiltennel: the parochial chapel is a handsome edifice, lately built at an expense of £2000. There is a school, in which 150 boys and 90 girls are taught: the school-house is a commodious building, erected and fitted up by local contributions amounting to £274. 5. 6., and a grant of £97. 5. 6. from the National Board. A dispensary is maintained in the customary manner; and there is an institution called the Borris Benevolent Society, established about eight years, to which the payment of one shilling monthly entitles each member, in case of sickness, to a weekly allowance of 5s. for the first three months, and of 2s. 6d. afterwards so long as he shall continue sick. At Borris House is preserved the "Figeen," a curious ornament of silver and tin, found on the demesne; and an ancient horn and a casket, called the Liath-Mersicith, esteemed among the most valuable curiosities in the museum of Trinity College, Dublin, are relics which formerly belonged to the Kavanaghs.--See CLONAGOOSE.
BORRIS, QUEEN'S county. -- See MARYBOROUGH.
BORRIS- IN -OSSORY. -- See BURROS- IN-OSSORY.
BORRISLEIGH, or TWO-MILE BURRIS, a parish, in the barony of ELIOGARTY, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 3 1/2 miles (S. S. E.) from Thurles; containing, with the town of Littleton, 3020 inhabitants. This parish is situated at the junction of the roads leading respectively from Johnstown to Cashel, and from Killenaule and Thurles to New Birmingham; it comprises 7988 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £5702 per annum. Within its limits is a small portion of the Bog of Allen, and the river Liscaveen forms a boundary between it and the parish of Ballymoreen. The village, which is small, is the property of Sir Hugh Nugent O'Reilly, and is only remarkable for the ruins of a church and castle, and the remains of a Danish fort, all within a few yards of each other. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Cashel, united from a period prior to any known record to the vicarages of Boly or Galvoly and Drom, and to the chapelry of Leogh, together constituting the union of Borrisleigh and the corps of the treasurership in the cathedral of Cashel, in the patronage of the Archbishop: the tithes amount to £600, and of the benefice to £738. 1. 6 1/2. The church is a handsome edifice, partly in the later English style, and was enlarged by aid of a loan of £1000 from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1820; and another loan of £923 was granted for its repair in 1828. There is a glebe-house, with a glebe of 30 acres, the latter subject to a rent; in the parish of Drom is also a glebe of 42a. 1r. 19p., statute measure, leased at £30. 9. 3., with a renewal fine of £6.10. per annum. In the R. C. divisions this parish forms part of the union or district of Moykarkey. The parochial school is supported by the rector, who contributes £20 per annum; and another school is maintained by private subscription. In these schools about 90 boys and 50 girls are instructed; and there are three pay schools, in which are about 100 boys and 80 girls.--See LITTLETON.
BORRISMORE, a townland, in the parish of URLINGFORD, barony of GALMOY, county of KILKENNY, and province of LEINSTER, 4 miles (W. by N.) from Freshford: the population is returned with the parish. This place anciently formed part of the possessions of the abbey of Jerpoint: it contains 2037 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, for which the composition amounts to £83. 2. 5. per annum, appropriate to the benefice of Burnchurch, in the diocese of Ossory.
BORRIS-O'-KANE.--See BURRIS-O'-KANE.
BOTHON.--See BUTTEVANT.
BOURNEY, or BOURCHIN, a parish, in the barony of IKERRIN, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 4 1/2 miles (S. E.) from Roscrea; containing 4061 inhabitants This parish is situated between the mail coach road from Dublin to Limerick, and the public road from Roscrea to Templemore; and comprises more than 9700 statute acres. The rivers Nore and Suir have their rise here in the side of the mountain of Benduff, their respective sources not being more than half a mile distant from each other; the Nore pursues nearly a direct course through this parish and Corbally into Burros-in-Ossory; the Suir forms the southern boundary of the parish. Dangan Lodge is the seat of J. Middleton, Esq.; Derrylahan, of J. Mason, Esq.; Mount Fresco, of Horatio Lloyd, Esq.; and Lorn Park, of G. Roe, Esq. Here is a station of the constabulary police. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Killaloe, to which the rectory and vicarage of Burrisnefarney were united by act of council, forming the union of Bourney, in the patronage of the Bishop; the rectory is impropriate in the Marquess of Ormonde. The tithes amount to £550, of which £350 is payable to the impropriator, and £200 to the vicar; and the gross tithes of the union payable to the incumbent amount to £384. 12. 4. The church is a plain building, for the repairs of which the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £246. 8. 9. The glebe-house was built by aid of a gift of £350 and a loan of £450, in 1814, from the late Board of First Fruits: the glebe comprises about six acres in four detached portions in this parish. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, which comprises also the parishes of Burrisnefarney and Corbally, and contains four chapels, all neat buildings, of which the principal is situated at Clonakenny, in this parish. There is a place of worship for the Society of Friends at Knockbally Meagher. The parochial schools afford instruction to about 40 boys and 40 girls; and there are also four private pay schools, in which are about 170 children. At Boulebane, Bawnmadrum, and Clonakenny are considerable remains of ancient castles; the first two are situated on an eminence very near each other.
BOVEVAGH, a parish, in the barony of KENAUGHT, county of LONDONDERRY, and province of ULSTER, 2 miles (N.) from Dungiven; containing 5552 inhabitants. At this place, anciently called Boith-Medhbha, a monastery was founded in 557 by St. Columb, of which Aidan, nephew of St. Patrick, was the first abbot. This establishment was situated on the western bank of the river Roe, and continued to flourish for some years, but was plundered and destroyed by the Danes, and was never afterwards rebuilt. The parish is intersected by two roads, one on each side of the river, leading from Dungiven to Newtownlimavady; and, according to the Ordnance survey, comprises 18,596 statute acres. The land is generally fertile, but the soil is very variable, passing through all the gradations from light sand to stiff clay and marl: on the banks of the river it is gravelly and remarkably productive. The system of agriculture is greatly improved; there is scarcely any mountain or waste land, and the bogs are mostly worked out and reclaimed. The geological features of the parish are highly interesting: the strata are laid open to view in the river and the several streams; the most valuable of those hitherto worked is the freestone, which is found in several parts, and of which the principal quarry is at Ballyhargan. From this quarry was procured the stone used in building the palace of Ballyscullion, the magnificent portico of which was removed to St. George's church, at Belfast; the stone found here is easily worked, but hardens by exposure to the air, and is of very good colour. Indications of manganese are also observable, and the beautiful pebbles called Dungiven crystals are frequently found. The weaving of linen cloth is carried on in many of the farm-houses and cottages. There are several seats, the principal of which are Streth House, the residence of Mrs. Edwards; Ballyhargan, of W. Osborne, Esq.; Ardenariff, of W. Douglas, Esq.; and Camnish House, of the Rev. Mr. Kidd.
The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Derry, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £580. The church is a large and handsome edifice, in the later English style, with a lofty square tower crowned with pinnacles; it was erected in 1823, by aid of a gift of £300 from the late Board of First Fruits, and is situated on the west bank of the Roe, about a quarter of a mile from the site of the old church, which had fallen to decay some years previously. The glebe-house, a large and well-built residence, is situated on the east bank of the river: the glebe comprises 79 acres of fertile land. In the R. C. divisions this parish forms part of the union or district of Banagher, and contains two chapels, one at Derrylane, where service is performed every alternate Sunday, and the other at Ballymoney. There is a place of worship at. Camnish for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, of the second class. The male and female parochial school at Burnfoot is aided by an annual donation from the rector, and was endowed with half an acre of land by Mr. Edwards; the school-house, a good building of stone, was erected at an expense of £110, of which £50 was granted from the lord-lieutenant's fund, and the remainder raised by subscription. At Drumneesy is a male and female school, aided by the rector, who also contributes to the support of an infants' school at Bovevagh. In these schools are about 260 children; and there are six private schools, in which are about 280 children, and five Sunday schools. Near the old church is an artificial cave, 82 yards in length, with several galleries branching from it in different directions. About a mile northeast of the church is an upright stone, near which, according to tradition, a battle was fought, but which may probably be part of a cromlech, as there are other stones and vestiges of a druidical circle near the spot.
BOW, or BOA, ISLAND, partly in the parish of TEMPLECARNE, and partly in that of DRUMKEERAN, barony of LURG, county of FERMANAGH, and province of ULSTER, 2 miles (S.) from Pettigo; containing 382 inhabitants. This island, situated in the upper portion of the lower Lough Erne, comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 1342 statute acres, of which nearly 787 are in Drumkeeran, and the remainder in the parish of Templecarne. The land is good, and the island is divided into a number of small farms varying from two to forty acres. There is a fine quarry of freestone. In the townland of Caldragh is a burial-ground.
BOYANAGH, a parish, partly in the barony of , but chiefly in that of HALF-BALLYMOE, county of GALWAY, and province of CONNAUGHT, 6 3/4 miles (E. by N.) from Dunmore; containing 4861 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from Dunmore to Castlerea, and comprises 13,840 statute acres, a large extent of which is waste land and bog. Here are two oatmeal-mills, and limestone is abundant. Springfield is the seat of W. McDermot, Esq.; Ashfield, of I. Kelly, Esq.; Clondoyle, of B. Kelly, Esq.; and Lakeview, of I. O'Flyn, Esq. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Tuam, and is part of the union of Kilkerrin; the rectory forms part of the union and corps of the deanery of Tuam: the tithes amount to £185, of which £120 is payable to the dean, and £65 to the incumbent. The church is in ruins, but the ground is still used for burials. In the R. C. divisions it is the head of a union or district, also called Glanamada, comprising the parishes of Boyanagh and Templetogher; there is a chapel in each, of which that of Boyanagh is situated at Kelnalag. A school, in which about 80 boys and 10 girls are taught, is supported by Lord Fitzgerald; and there are three private pay schools, in which are about 280 boys and 50 girls.
BOYLE, a corporate, market, and post-town, and a parish, in the barony of BOYLE, county of ROSCOMMON, and province of CONNAUGHT, 19 1/4miles (S. S. E.) from Sligo, and 84 1/2 miles (W. N. W.) from Dublin; containing 12,597 inhabitants, of which number, 3433 are in the town. This place had its origin in the foundation of a religious establishment, in 1148, at Grelacdinach, which, after several removals, was finally settled here in 1161, by Maurice O'Dubhay, the third in succession to Peter Mordha, its first, abbot, who was promoted to the see of Clonfert, and was drowned in the Shannon in 1171. The abbey, which was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin, was founded for brethren of the Cistertian order of St. Bernard, and as a dependency of the great abbey of Mellifont, in the county of Louth. In 1197, Cornelius Mac Dermot, King of Moylurg (which included the greater part, if not the whole, of the barony of Boyle), died here in the habit of the order, and was interred within the precincts of the abbey. The English forces, commanded by the lords-justices Maurice Fitzgerald and Mac William, in 1235, encamped within the walls of the monastery, seized upon every thing belonging to it, and stripped the monks of their habits, to punish them for their endeavours to assist the King of Connaught. It was pillaged by Rory O'More, in 1315, but continued to flourish till the dissolution, and in 1569 was given by Queen Elizabeth to Patrick Cusacke, of Gerrardstown, in the county of Meath, by whom, or by a lay proprietor who afterwards succeeded him, it was forfeited. In 1589 it was granted to William Usher, on a lease of 21 years, at a rent of £14. 16. 4. per annum; and in 1595 it was besieged by the Earl of Tyrone with an army of 2300 Scottish Highlanders and Irish. In the 2nd, 4th, and 9th years of the reign of James I., inquisitions were made to ascertain its possessions; and in 1603 it was given to Sir John King, ancestor of the present Earl of Kingston and Viscount Lorton, which grant was, about 15 years afterwards, confirmed by another, which conferred also the privilege of holding courts leet and baron.
The town, which is the largest in the northern part of the county, and one of the principal within its limits, is situated on the river Boyle, which flows from Lough Gara into Lough Key, and on the mail coach road to Sligo. It is divided into two parts by the river, towards which the ground slopes precipitously on both sides; the older part extends up the acclivity on the north side, and the more modern portion stretches in a direction parallel with the north-west bank of the river, above the bridge; the most recent and improved part is on the south side of the bridge, ascending the hill and forming a crescent on its summit. The old bridge, an inconvenient structure, which connected these parts of the town, and on which was a statue of William III., has been taken down and replaced by a handsome structure of three arches, 100 feet long and 42 feet wide; the span of the principal arch is 30 feet, and the lightness and beauty of the design add greatly to the appearance of the town; it was erected at an expense of £500, one half of which was paid by the county and the other by Lord Lorton. Another bridge of a single arch, 50 feet in span, was thrown across the river in 1817; and below it there is a third, of five small arches. The old mansion of the Kingston family has been converted into infantry barracks for 12 officers and 260 non-commissioned officers and privates, with stabling for 5 horses and an hospital for 30 invalids. The principal street is on the line of approach from the new bridge to the barracks; the houses are built generally of limestone, but sandstone is used in some of the public buildings. On the erection of a new sessions-house, the old building was given up to Lord Lorton, and on the site of it a handsome lecture-room has been built, partly from a bequest by the late Rev. J. Gouldsbury, and partly by his lordship; in the back part of the building are the savings' bank, the charitable loan fund, the infants' school, and the dispensary. This town is the commercial centre of the extensive agricultural district which surrounds it, and carries on a considerable trade with Drumsna and Sligo. A market and fairs were granted to John Bingley and John King in 1604, prior to which date scarcely any notice occurs of the town. The staple articles are corn and butter: of the former very little is sold in the town, the greater part or nearly the whole being sent to Sligo; the butter market is on Monday, when great quantities are sold in firkins for exportation; yarn is also sold in large quantities to the purchasers who attend from the north for that purpose on the principal market day, which is Saturday; the sale of frieze and flannel has of late very much diminished. The market for provisions is held in an enclosure on the north west side of the bridge, formed at the expense of Lord Lorton about the year 1826, and is well supplied, not only with fish from the rivers and lakes, but also with sea-fish in abundance. Fairs are held on March 6th, April 3rd, May 9th and 30th, July 9th and 25th, Aug. 16th, Oct. 1st, and Nov. 25th. The only line of communication is the mail coach road from Dublin to Sligo, and all the trade of the town is conducted by land carriage. Here is a chief station of the constabulary police, for whose accommodation a barrack, with a handsome residence for the chief officer, has been erected near the abbey, at the expense of Lord Lorton.
The borough was incorporated by charter of the 11th of Jas. I. (1613), and a new charter was granted in the 4th of Jas. II., but as it was never acted on the former is the governing charter. The corporation is styled "the Borough-Master, Free Burgesses, and Commonalty of the Borough of Boyle," and consists of a borough-master, twelve other free burgesses, and an indefinite number of commonalty; of which the last-named body is not now recognised in practice. The borough-master is chosen annually from and by the free burgesses, but his duties are very limited, and he exercises little practical power; the free burgesses are also chosen, as vacancies occur, by the members of their own body, and hold office for life, but are removable for misconduct; and the charter empowers the corporation to appoint two serjeants-at-mace, but at present there is only a town-serjeant. They have also the power of creating a guild of merchants, of which there is now no trace, and of making by-laws. The borough, of which the limits include the town and a small district immediately surrounding it, returned two members to the Irish parliament, who were elected by the borough-master and free burgesses; and on its disfranchisement at the time of the Union, the £15,000 granted in compensation for the loss of that privilege was paid to Lord Lorton, as executor of his father, the late Earl of Kingston, to whom the borough belonged. The charter granted a court of record to be held every Tuesday, with civil jurisdiction to the amount of five marks, in which the borough-master is judge; but the business done being inconsiderable, it is not usually held oftener than about once in a month. According to practice the jurisdiction is exercised in cases of which the cause of action either arises within the borough, or where it arises without and there are goods of the defendant within the borough: the process is by attachment on oath made by the plaintiff. Quarter sessions are held here every nine months, for the Boyle division of the county, which comprises also the towns of Castlerea and Strokestown, where they are likewise held every nine months; and petty sessions are held by the county magistrates every Monday. A seneschal's court is held in the town, having no jurisdiction within the borough, but over several baronies within the county, extending to the distance of many miles round the town. The new sessions-house, towards the erection of which Lord Lorton contributed £500, is situated on the slope of the hill on the south side of the river fronting the main street, and is built of sandstone. Connected with it is the district bridewell, containing a keeper's house and eight cells upon the improved plan of construction: the entire expense, amounting to £2400, was advanced by government, to be repaid by the county in instalments.
The parish, which is also called Assylin, comprises 10,139 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. The lands are chiefly under tillage, and the system of agriculture is improved; there is little woodland, except on the demesnes of the resident gentry; about 1010 acres are bog and waste land. Limestone and freestone are found in abundance, and there are also some quarries of a species of marble; it is said that coal exists on the Curlew mountains, and that there were formerly iron-works on the river. Rockingham House, the superb residence of Viscount Lorton, is beautifully situated about two miles from the town, and on the south-east side of Lough Key: the building is of Grecian Ionic architecture, with a noble portico of six columns, on each side of which the facade is decorated with as many of the same order; on the north is a colonnade of six Ionic columns, and on the east is an entrance through an orangery: the grounds are tastefully laid out, and there are four grand entrance lodges leading into the demesne, which comprises about 2000 statute acres, richly planted. On the northern bank of the river, close to the town, is Frybrook, the seat of H. Fry, Esq.; and near the abbey is Abbeyview, now occupied by the agent of Lord Lorton. On the south side of the river is Tangier, the seat of Capt. Caleb Robertson; and about two miles west of the town is Knockadoo, the handsome residence of Owen Lloyd, Esq. Near Knockadoo is Ballymore, the residence of the Rev. J. Elwood; and about a mile to the east is Mount Erris, the seat of Capt. Duckworth, commanding some fine views of Lough Key and the adjacent mountains. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Elphin, to which the vicarages of Taunagh, Kilmacallane, Drumcollum, Kilross, Aughanagh, Ballynakill, and Ballysumaghan, were episcopally united in 1802, which eight parishes constitute the union of Boyle, in the patronage of the Bishop; the rectory is impropriate in Viscount Lorton. The tithes amount to £313. 16. 10., of which £166. 3. is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar; and the tithes for the whole benefice, including the rectorial tithes of four of the above-named parishes, which form the corps of a prebend held by the vicar, to £638. 6. l 1/2. There are three churches in the union, situated respectively at Boyle, Ballysumaghan, and Kilmacallane: the church at Boyle serves for the town and parish; that at Ballysumaghan serves also for the parishes of Kilross and Ballynakill; and that at Kilmacallane for the parishes of Taunagh and Drumcollum. The church of Boyle, situated near the old park, is a spacious building, for the repair of which the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have granted £182; it was erected by aid of a loan of £1000 from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1818. The glebe-house was built by aid of a gift of £100 from the same Board, in 1805. There are two glebes; one in this parish, comprising 20 1/2 acres, and one in Kilmacallane of 18a. 3r. 34p. Arrangements have been made for forming this union into three benefices on its next avoidance. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, comprising the parishes of Boyle and Kilbrine; there are two chapels in the town; and there are also places of worship for Wesleyan Methodists and Baptists. There are six public schools, of which a large girls' school and an infants' school are supported by Lady Lorton: in these about 350 boys and 330 girls receive instruction; there are also four Sunday schools and ten private schools, in which are 460 boys and 380 girls. A charitable loan society was established in 1824, under the patronage of Lord and Lady Lorton, by which about £90 is weekly distributed to the poor in small loans, to be repaid by instalments with a trifling interest; a dispensary is supported in the customary manner, and another is maintained by Lord Lorton, for the poor on the Rockingham estate and its vicinity.
The ivy-clad remains of the ancient abbey are situated near the river, and not far distant from the new bridge; they consist of vestiges of the conventual buildings, dispersed in the grounds of Capt. Robertson's seat, and of the principal part of the church, of which the nave, choir, and transepts, with the lofty and massive central tower, are in good preservation; the nave, 131 feet long and 25 feet wide, is separated from the aisles by a noble range of massive circular arches, supported partly by circular and clustered columns, with richly ornamented bases and capitals of various designs, between which are enriched corbels, from which sprang the arches of the groined roof; the wall of the south aisle is wanting, and the pillars stand exposed; some of the clerestory windows are partly remaining, though concealed by the thick ivy that crowns the irregular summit of the range; the central tower is supported on four massive columns, 48 feet high, of which the bases, formerly concealed by accumulated earth, have been cleared by Capt. Robertson, and are beautifully ornamented with various sculptured designs; of the arches, three are circular and the fourth pointed; the east window of the choir is of the triple lancet form; and the prevailing style of this once magnificent church is of the later Norman passing into the early English: within the walls is a tomb of the King family. To the north of the town is the low ridge of the Curlew mountains, over which are scattered numerous white cottages; and on which Sir Conyers Clifford, governor of Connaught in the reign of Elizabeth, was intercepted by O'Rourke, one of the petty chieftains of the district, his detachment routed, and himself slain. At Ardcarne, three miles to the east of the town, commence the plains of Boyle, extending ten miles in length and four in breadth, consisting of elevated limestone, with an undulating surface of rich pasture lands noted for fattening oxen and sheep. About a mile from the town, up the north bank of the river, on a knoll terminating abruptly, are the remains, of the old church of Assylin, or Isselyn, which, from the extent of the ruined walls, appears to have been a very spacious building; around it is a large cemetery, which is still used as a place of sepulture by the inhabitants of the town. Below this spot the river rushes over the rocks with great impetuosity. At a small distance was a ford, formerly called Athdalaragh and now Ardagh, where was anciently an abbey of Canons Regular, which became the seat of a bishoprick, over which St. Comgallan presided in the time of St. Patrick; the abbey existed till 1201. On the right side of the road to Lough Gara is one of the largest cromlechs in Ireland; the table stone, which has a considerable inclination, is 15 feet long and 11 feet wide, and was formerly supported on five upright pillars, of which one has been removed.
BOYSTOWN, or BALTIBOYS, a parish, in the barony of LOWER TALBOTSTOWN, county of WICKLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (S.) from Blessington; containing 3235 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the Liffey and King's rivers, and comprises, with the chapelries of Granabeg and Kilbeg, about 20,000 statute acres, of which nearly two-thirds are mountain, and the remainder is chiefly pasture land, with a small portion under tillage. The system of agriculture is improving; there is an extensive tract of bog, called Ballynahown, near Blackditches. At Baltiboys is a good quarry of slate, which was formerly worked to advantage, but is at present discontinued; and there are quarries of granite at Ballyknocken, which are still in operation. The surrounding scenery is bold and mountainous, and there are several gentlemen's seats, among which are Tulfarris, the seat of R. Hornidge, Esq., which was partly burnt by the insurgents in 1798; Baltiboys, of Lieut.-Col. Smith, who has recently erected a handsome mansion on the demesne, which commands some fine and extensive views; Humphreystown, of W. Cotton, Esq., the demesne of which is tastefully laid out and planted; Willmount. of W. Dunbavin, Esq., commanding an extensive view of the surrounding country; and Stormount, of W. Brown, Esq., from which also is a fine view, including the mansion and demesne of Russborough. There are also two shooting lodges, one at Kilbeg, belonging to W. Brady, Esq., and one at Marfield, the property of Robert La Touche, Esq. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Dublin, and is part of the union of St. Mary Blessington, or Burgage; the rectory is appropriate to the corps of the treasurership in the cathedral church of St. Patrick, Dublin. The tithes amount to £181. 10., of which £110 is payable to the treasurer, and the remainder to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions it is included in the union or district of Blackditches, which comprises the whole of this parish and a part of Blessington; there are chapels at Blackditches and in the small village of Lacken, both of which are in this parish. A school-house, with apartments for a master and mistress, was built at the expense of Lieut.-Col. Smyth; there are eight hedge schools, in which are about 145 boys and 114 girls. There is an ancient cemetery at Baltiboys, and another at Templepooda.
BOYTONRATH, or LAGINSTOWN, a parish, in the barony of MIDDLETHIRD, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER; containing 331 inhabitants. It comprises only 935 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act; and is a rectory, in the diocese of Cashel, entirely appropriate to the vicars choral of the cathedral church of St. Patrick, Cashel, who pay a stipend of £2. 15. 4 1/2. per ann. to the clergyman of the adjoining parish for the performance of occasional duties: the tithes amount to £35. There are two pay schools, in which about 80 boys and 40 girls are taught.
BRABAN.--See PREBAN.
BRACKHILL, a village, in the parish of KILCOLEMAN, barony of TRUGHENACKMY, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 1 mile (N. E.) from Milltown: the population is returned with the parish. It is situated on the road from Milltown to Castlemaine, of which latter it may be considered a suburb, being connected with it by Castlemaine bridge.
BRACKLINTOWN, a village, in the parish of CLONBERN, half-barony of BALLYMOE, county of GALWAY, and province of CONNAUGHT; containing 41 inhabitants.
BRANACH ISLES.--See ARRAN.
BRANDON.--See CLOGHANE.
BRANNICKSTOWN, a parish, in the barony of NAAS, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER, adjoining the post-town of Kilcullen, and containing 272 inhabitants. This parish comprises 800 statute acres, 72 of which are plantations in gentlemen's demesnes, 19 are artificial water, about 10 are waste, 19 are bog, and the remainder arable and pasture land in nearly equal portions; the bog is well adapted for grazing in the summer and autumn. It forms part of the impropriate or perpetual curacy of Kilcullen, in the diocese of Dublin.
BRAY, a market and post-town, and a parish, in the half-barony of RATHDOWN, county of WICKLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 14 miles (N.) from Wicklow (by the sea road), and 10 (S. E. by S.) from Dublin; containing 3509 inhabitants, of which number, 2590 are in the town. This place derives its name, originally Bre or Bree, signifying a "hill " or "headland," from the precipitous promontory of clay slate and quartz, called Bray Head, which rises immediately on the south of the town to an elevation of 807 feet above the level of the sea, and from the singular indentation of its summit forms a well-known landmark to mariners. The manor, or lordship, of Bray, with all the territories of the O'Tooles, was granted, in 1173, by Richard de Clare, Earl of Pembroke, lord-deputy, to Walter de Riddlesford, one of the earliest of the Norman adventurers, to be held of the Crown by three knights' service, to be performed at Dublin. This grant, together with the seigniory of Castledermot and extensive privileges, was confirmed to him by John, Lord of Ireland, who subsequently granted him an annual fair to be held at Bray, with free warren and other privileges. Among the earliest notices of this place is the record of a grant of a burgage, with a portion of arable land, to the abbey of St. Thomas, near Dublin, by the same Walter de Riddlesford, whose estates, on failure of male issue, were at his death divided between two coheiresses; and in 1215 the abbot of St. Thomas obtained a grant of all the lands held by Walter de Riddlesford in fee, in the town of Bray, at a yearly rent of 3 and a fine of 60 marks. The town was frequently assailed by the mountain septs of the O'Byrnes and O'Tooles, to whose territories it was contiguous, and who, on the 16th of April, 1316, destroyed the castle; but they were on the same day attacked and defeated by Edmond Le Boteler. A fierce conflict took place near the town, in 1402, between these septs and the citizens of Dublin, headed by John Drake, their provost, on which occasion, according to Ware and Camden, 4000, but according to Hervey de Marlbrigge, 400 of the former were slain. At the dissolution of the religious houses, the possessions of the abbey of St. Thomas were granted to Sir Thomas Brabazon, whose descendant, the Earl of Meath, is the present proprietor in fee of the greater part of the town.
The town is situated on the Dargle or Bray river, which here forms a boundary between the counties of Dublin and Wicklow, and after passing under an old bridge of five arches, connecting the portions of the town which lie on different sides of it, falls into the sea a little below this place. That part of the town which is on the Wicklow side of the river consists of one long street of irregularly built houses, at the head of which are two smaller streets, one branching off on the left, from which the lower road to Wicklow is continued over the hill of Windgates; and the other on the right along the road to the glen of the Downs, and together containing about 450 houses. That part which is in the county of Dublin is called Little Bray; it forms part of the parish of Old Connaught, and contains about 230 houses and cottages, and 1168 inhabitants. The houses in both are in general neatly built, and the town has a cheerful and interesting appearance; it is neither paved nor lighted, but the road is kept in good order. The surrounding scenery is exceedingly romantic, and combines with its short distance from Dublin to render this place a favourite resort during the summer season for seabathing. A number of thatched cottages of great neatness, and containing, exclusively of offices, from three to eight rooms each, have been appropriated to the accommodation of visiters, to whom they are let furnished at rents varying from £40 to £50 and more for the season. The hotel and posting-house, conducted by Mr. Quin, jun., is fitted up with every regard to the superior accommodation of families and visiters of the highest respectability; hot and cold sea water baths may be had at all hours without delay, and the house has long been a favourite resort of parties on excursions of pleasure, and of wedding parties to spend the day in festivity and in the enjoyment of the beauties of the surrounding scenery. A spacious gravel walk, half a mile in length and perfectly straight, has been made from the rear of the hotel through the private grounds to the sea, forming a beautiful promenade, and commanding fine views. On the Dublin side of the river a race-course has been formed and races are held annually.
The trade, exclusively of what is requisite for the supply of the town, consists principally in the importation of coal, timber, slates, and limestone, in which two vessels of 70 tons each, one of 50 tons, and one of 25 tons, belonging to the place, are regularly employed. There is a very extensive brewery, with a malting store, capable of producing 300 barrels weekly; and near the brewery is a large flour-mill. The small haven is very incommodious, having a bar at the entrance, and only eight feet of water at spring and five feet at neap tides: from a change in the channel of the river, an outer beach has been formed, which breaks in some degree the violence of the sea. A plan for its improvement was suggested by the late Mr. Nimmo, who proposed to construct a pier of about 30 perches in length at the mouth of the river; but it has not been carried into effect. The river abounds with excellent trout, which are taken in great quantities and sent to Dublin and different parts of the country, and even to London. The market is on Tuesday and Saturday, and is abundantly supplied with provisions of every kind of the best quality. Fairs for friezes are held on Jan. 12th, May 4th, Aug. 5th, and Nov. 12th, and are attended by all the Dublin dealers; and fairs for cattle are held on the 1st of March, May, and July, Aug. 15th, Sept. 20th, and Dec. 14th. A constabulary police force has been stationed here, and also in Little Bray, the old castle in the latter having been fitted up as a barrack. A coast-guard station has also been fixed here, forming one of the five that constitute the district of Kingstown, to which use a martello tower near the mouth of the river, in which four guns are mounted, has been appropriated. There is also a martello tower on the strand near Bray Head, occupied by a private of the artillery. Petty sessions for the division are held in the school-house in Little Bray, every alternate Saturday; and the Earl of Meath, as lord of the manor of Kindlestown, holds a court here by his seneschal every month. By an inquisition taken in the reign of Chas. I. it appears, from various records, that the town had been in times past incorporated and endowed with many privileges.
The parish abounds with interesting and strikingly diversified scenery, and is embellished with numerous seats and pleasing villas. Kilruddery, the splendid mansion of the Earl of Meath, situated about one mile south of the town, was erected in 1820, on the site of the old family house, from a design by Mr. Morrison. It is an elegant structure, in the later English style of architecture; the entrance is under an octangular tower crowned with a cupola in the centre of the north front, opening into a spacious hall, in which are tastefully displayed several suits of armour and various warlike instruments brought from foreign countries; the saloon, drawing and dining rooms, and other apartments are richly and tastefully embellished and furnished in a style of costly magnificence. The demesne, which comprises more than 900 acres, is richly wooded, and is bounded on one side by the little Sugar Loaf mountain, and on the other by the rugged heights of Bray Head; in the pleasure grounds is a circular sheet of water surrounded with a fine hedge of beech, 20 feet high, through which are several entrances; and not far from it is the theatre, a quadrangular area enclosed on three sides by tiers of seats, and in which plays were formerly acted. Shanganagh, the residence of Gen. Sir G. Cockburn, is described in the article on Rathmichael. Bray, Head, the seat of G. Putland, Esq., is finely situated near the foot of the promontory of that name, in a well-planted demesne of about 650 acres: the mansion is a chaste and elegant structure of the Tuscan order, with an embattled roof, from which are obtained extensive views of mountain scenery and of the sea; from the drawing-room antechamber is a noble conservatory of polygonal form, erected at an expense of £5000, and containing a fine collection of the most choice and rare exotics; the pleasure grounds and gardens are laid out with the greatest taste and kept in the finest order, presenting one of the principal attractions in this truly picturesque and much frequented part of the country. There are numerous handsome villas situated in grounds tastefully laid out and commanding very fine views: the principal are St. Valorie, the residence of the Hon. P. Cecil Crampton, third Justice of the Court of King's Bench; Springfield, of Alderman West; Fassarow House, of H. Crampton, Esq.; Old Court, of Major Edwards; Rich View, of Capt. Kettlewell; Fairy Hill, of P. W. Jackson, Esq.; Killarney Cottage, of -- O'Reily, Esq.; Vevey, of the Misses Weldon; New-Court, of Mrs. McMahon; Fairy Hill (Bray), of J. Quin, Esq.; Prospect Cottage, of C. Tandy, Esq.; Riversdale, of C. La Grange, Esq.; Le Valle, of Miss Draper; Fassarow Cottage, of Capt. Sitwell; Navarra, of Mrs. Brady; and Glenbrook, of J. H. Brush, Esq.
The living consists of a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Dublin and Glendalough; the rectory is in the patronage of the Crown; and the vicarage, which has been from time immemorial united to the vicarage of Old Connaught, is in the patronage of the Archbishop. The tithes of this parish amount to £230, and of Bray, Old Connaught, and Rathmichael (which last was separated from the union in 1826), to £430. The church, a plain building with a small spire, situated on the verge of an eminence overhanging the river, was erected in 1609, and enlarged, by aid of a loan of £1020 from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1818. There is no glebe-house: the glebe comprises nine statute acres of excellent land. In the R. C. divisions this parish is the head of a union or district, comprising also the parishes of Powerscourt, Kilmacanogue, and part of the parish of Delgany, and containing three chapels, situated respectively at Bray, Kilmacanogue, and Castletown: the chapel at Bray is a spacious and handsome edifice, erected in 1833, and embellished with an altar-piece presented by Gen. Sir G. Cockburn. There is a place of worship for Presbyterians. There are two national schools; and a school, in which more than 100 children are clothed and educated, is supported by Mrs. Putland: in these schools are about 120 boys and 220 girls. An infants' school, held in a spacious building erected in 1829 by the late Viscount Powerscourt, is supported by private contributions; and there are also three pay schools, in which are about 57 boys and 25 girls, and a Sunday school. A building, originally intended for a barrack, has been converted into an hospital for cholera and fever patients, with a dispensary, erected by a grant from the Association for the Suppression of Vice and individual subscriptions. In Little Bray is a neat range of building, erected by subscription, part of which is used as school-rooms, and part as a savings' bank for the parishes of Bray, Delgany, and Powerscourt. A provident society was established in the town in 1832; a loan society has been lately instituted; and a manufactory of flax and wool is supported entirely by Mr. and Mrs. Putland, in which more than 40 poor women are employed; the materials, when wove into linens and linseys, are distributed gratuitously among the poor of the neighbourhood. One-third of the produce of an estate in the county of Longford, bequeathed to the parishes of Bray, Delgany, and Powerscourt by F. Adair, Esq., and amounting to about £60 per annum to each, is distributed among the poor.
Besides the remains of the castle at Little Bray, there are the ruins of two others in the parish; one in the grounds of Old Court, consisting of a tower, with some fragments of the walls. Near these is a rude pyramidal block of granite, on which are some faint traces of ancient sculpture, which, from a print taken before it was so much mutilated, appears to have represented the sacrifice of a ram; on the top of it is a cavity apparently designed for the reception of a cross. The remains of the other castle, at Fassarow, which was demolished by Cromwell, are not in any way remarkable; coins of William have been found near them, on the road to Old Connaught, where is an ancient cross with a rudely sculptured representation of the Crucifixion. Under Bray Head are the ruins of an ancient chapel, 40 feet long and 18 feet wide; it is built in a north and south direction, with a circular-headed window at each end, and the doorway on the east side; and near the glebe land is an ancient burial-ground. On levelling a bank of sand near the sea, in 1835, to make an approach to the demesne of Mr. Putland, several human skeletons of large dimensions were discovered, lying regularly east and west, with a stone at the head and another at the feet of each, but which crumbled into dust on exposure to the air; several Roman coins of the Emperor Adrian were found at the same time, and are now in Mr. Putland's possession. There are medicinal springs in the grounds of Kilruddery and Old Court.
BREAFY, or BREAGHWEE, a parish, in the barony of CARRA, county of MAYO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 2 miles (S. E.) from Castlebar; containing 2315 inhabitants. This place is situated on the road from Castlebar to Clare, and is bounded by a very considerable river, called the Minola, which by its frequent inundations does more injury to the surrounding districts than any other in the county or province. From its contiguity to Castlebar it was the scene of much skirmishing, foraging, and plundering, while the French troops under Gen. Humbert had possession of that town, in 1798. The parish comprises 5000 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act: the land in cultivation is partly under tillage and partly in pasture, in nearly equal portions: there is a very considerable extent of bog, which might be reclaimed by draining. On the estate of Major Blake, of Fisher Hill, is a very fine quarry of stone, which is fit for buildings of the first order. Races are held generally in August, on a course within the parish. The principal gentlemen's seats are Breafy Lodge, the residence of Major Browne, who has made extensive improvements and plantations in the demesne; Windsor House, of Col. McAlpine; Fisher Hill, of Major Blake; Hawthorn Lodge, of C. O'Malley, Esq.; and Rocklands, of J. C. Larminie, Esq. It is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Tuam, and is part of the union of Castlebar: the tithes amount to £57. 15.11. In the R. C. divisions this is one of the three parishes that constitute the union or district of Aglish, or Castlebar; it contains a chapel, but no service is at present performed in it. A school at Lightfoot is supported by Mrs. O'Malley and J. Larminie, Esq.; and there are two others, in which are about 200 boys and 100 girls. There are some remains of a very ancient monastery.
BREDA.--See KNOCKBRIDE.
BREGOGUE, a parish, in the barony of ORRERY and KILMORE, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 1 mile (N. N. W.) from Buttevant; containing 450 inhabitants. This place, which is situated on the road from Buttevant to Liscarrol, is not known in civil matters as a parish, having for all such purposes merged into that of Buttevant. It comprises 1314 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, which are of good quality, and mostly under tillage, producing ample crops: there is an abundant supply of limestone for manure and for other uses. The gentlemen's seats are Dunbarry, the residence of T. Heffernan, Esq.; Currymount, of J. O'Leary, Esq.; and Bregogue Castle, of J. Rogers. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Cloyne, and is part of the union of Buttevant and Cahirduggan, formerly called the union of Bregogue; the rectory is impropriate in C. S. Oliver, Esq. The tithes amount to £150, payable in equal portions to the impropriator and the vicar. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Buttevant. There are some remains of the old castle incorporated into the dwelling-house of Mr. Rogers; also of the ancient church in the burial-ground.
BRICKENDOWN, a parish, in the barony of MIDDLETHIRD, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 2 1/2 miles (E.) from Cashel; containing 431 inhabitants. This parish is situated near the road from Cashel to Fethard, and contains a small village called Mocklershill: it comprises 1030 statute acres. Coleraine is the neat residence of -- Price, Esq.; and Meldrum, situated in a well-planted demesne, is in the occupation of the Rev. R. Lloyd. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Cashel, and in the patronage of the Archbishop: the tithes amount to £64. 12. 3 3/4. There is neither church, glebe-house, nor glebe.
BRIDECHURCH, a parish, in the barony of CLANE, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER, 1 1/2 mile (N. W. by N.) from Naas; containing 376 inhabitants. This parish is bounded on the east by the river Liffey, over which the Grand Canal is carried by the Leinster aqueduct, a handsome building of five arches, with a parapet ornamented with balustrades of stone, erected in 1783. It comprises 2143 statute acres of good land, of which a considerable portion is woodland, and the remainder arable and pasture. The land being chiefly in the occupation of gentlemen, is in an excellent state of cultivation: there is neither waste land nor bog; but the Grand Canal passing through it, affords every facility for the supply of fuel, and for the conveyance of goods. Landerstown is the handsome seat of the Rev. J. Digby. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Kildare, and is part of the union of Caragh: the tithes amount to £92. 2. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Caragh and Downings. There are some ruins of the ancient church.
BRIDESWELL, a hamlet, in the parish of KILCLOAN, barony of UPPER DEECE, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER; containing 8 dwellings and 48 inhabitants.
BRIDESWELL, a village, in the parish of CAMMA, barony of ATHLONE, county of ROSCOMMON, and province of CONNAUGHT, 5 1/2 miles (W. N. W.) from Athlone; containing 130 inhabitants. This place derives its name from a copious spring of very pure water, close to which is an ancient building, formerly a chapel, from which a doorway leads to the well, now converted into a bath. Over the doorway are an inscription and a coat of arms, from which it appears that this alteration was made by Sir Randal MacDonnell, the first Earl of Antrim, in 1625. The village is built around a level green, on which was formerly kept one of the most celebrated patron festivals, but, on account of its immoral tendency, it has been suppressed by the exertions of the R. C. clergy. A constabulary police force has been stationed here; and there is also a dispensary.--See CAMMA.
BRIDGETOWN, a parish, in the barony of FERMOY, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 1 mile (S.) from Castletown-Roche; containing 970 inhabitants. This place is situated on the river Blackwater, and near the road from Mallow to Fermoy: it derived its name from a bridge that formerly existed here, which is said to have been destroyed by Cromwell. A priory for canons of the congregation of St. Victor was founded here in the reign of John, by Alexander Fitz-Hugh Roche, and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin: it was liberally endowed by the founder, and supplied with monks from the priory of Newtown, in the county of Meath, and from the abbey of St. Thomas, near Dublin. Edw. I. confirmed the original endowment, which was greatly augmented by the Roche family; and in 1375, when Edw. III. issued his writ to the Bishops and commons, to elect persons to assist him and his council in the government of the kingdom, and in the prosecution of the war in which he was then engaged, Thomas, the prior of this house, was one of those deputed for that purpose. The extensive remains of the abbey are pleasantly situated at the confluence of the rivers Awbeg and Blackwater, here flowing through a rocky glen; they consist principally of parts of the church, and the refectory and cloisters may still be traced. On the south side of a chapel, near the site of the altar, under an arch of irregular construction, is a monument, supposed to be that of the founder, from an inverted armorial shield charged with one fish, but without any inscription; the present arms of the Roche family are three fishes. In a small chapel adjoining is a tomb, inscribed "Theobald Roche," with the date 1634; and in both chapels are several ancient and curiously sculptured gravestones. The parish comprises 3022 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £2071 per annum: about one-third of the land is coarse mountain pasture, forming part of the range called the Nagle mountains, on the south side of the river; the land under tillage is good, and produces abundant crops. The only seat is Clifford, the residence of T. Lloyd, Esq., pleasantly situated on the north bank of the Blackwater. Prior to the year 1835, the parish formed part of the union of Castletown-Roche, from which it was then separated and made a distinct benefice: it is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Cloyne, and in the patronage of the Bishop; the tithes amount to £180. In the R. C. divisions it still forms part of the union or district of Castletown-Roche.
BRIDGETOWN, a village, in the parish of MULRANKIN, barony of BARGY, county of WEXFORD, and province of LEINSTER, 7 miles (S. S. W.) from Wexford; containing 21 houses and 113 inhabitants. It is situated on a small river of the same name, which runs into the lough formed by the Burrow of Ballyteigue, and has a penny post to Wexford. Here are a constabulary police station, and a dispensary. The glebe-house of the union is situated within a short distance of the village.--See MULRANKIN.
BRIGHT, a parish, in the barony of LECALE, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 3 miles (S. by E.) from Downpatrick; containing 2030 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the road from Downpatrick to Killough, and comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 5544 1/4statute acres, of which 5503 are applotted under the tithe act. The land, with a trifling exception, is all in an excellent state of cultivation, and there is neither waste land nor bog. Oakley, the handsome residence of J. Birney, Esq., is situated in a fertile demesne of 168 acres, tastefully disposed and embellished with some of the finest timber in the county. The parish was formerly one of the six which constituted the union and the corps of the deanery of Down, from which it was separated by act of council in 1834, when, with the townland of Carradressy, which formerly belonged to Kilclief but was annexed to Bright by the same act, it was constituted a separate and distinct parish. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Down, and in the patronage of the Crown: the tithes amount to £583.18. 9. The church, a small edifice in the Grecian style, erected in 1745, is situated on the summit of an eminence, and is an excellent landmark for mariners: it contains an elegant monument to the memory of Lord Lecale. There is neither glebe-house nor glebe. In the R. C. divisions it is the head of a union or district, comprising also the parish of Rathmullen, and containing three chapels, situated respectively at Conierstown in Bright, and at Killough and Rossglass in Rathmullen. Here is a school of about 80 boys and 50 girls, for which a school-house in the churchyard was built by subscription; also a pay school, in which are about 20 boys and 20 girls. Near the church are the ruins of Bright castle; and about a mile and a quarter to the west are those of Castle Screen, built within the area of a Danish rath, near which are the remains of the ancient abbey of Erynagh, founded by Magnell Makenlefe, King of Ulster, Sept. 8th, 1126 or 1127. This abbey was garrisoned against De Courcy in 1177, who, for that reason, levelled it with the ground and transferred its possessions to the abbey of Inch, which he subsequently founded in the Isle of Inis Courcy, on the ruins of a pagan temple. A circle of upright stones and other Druidical remains are still existing near the spot.
BRIGOWN, a parish, in the barony of CONDONS and CLONGIBBONS, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, on the road from Fermoy to Cahir; containing, with the market and post-town of Mitchelstown, 9169 inhabitants. It comprises 14,502 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £12,101 per annum; 104 acres are woodland, 2726 mountain and bog, 83 roads and waste, and the remainder good arable and pasture land, principally under tillage. The soil is mostly a heavy loam; and the system of agriculture is in a state of progressive improvement. Limestone abounds in the parish: on the lands of Kilshanna are some fine quarries, which are worked for various purposes; some of this stone is susceptible of a high polish, and several handsome mantel-pieces have been made of it for Mitchelstown Castle, the spacious and superb castellated mansion of the Earl of Kingston, which adjoins Mitchelstown and is described under that head. A new line of road between Mitchelstown and Lismore, was opened in 1835, at the expense of the county. Ballinvillin, the property of the Earl of Kingston, and occasionally the residence of his lordship's agent, is pleasantly situated near the river Gradogue, commanding a fine view of the castle and demesne. The glebe-house, the residence of the Rev. R. H. Graves, D. D., is a handsome and commodious mansion, situated on a gentle eminence near the town.
The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Cloyne, constituting the corps of the prebend of Brigown in the cathedral of Cloyne, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £1000. The church was originally built in 1801 at the sole expense, of the late Countess of Kingston; it fell down in the year following, and was rebuilt by her ladyship in 1803; it again fell down in 1804, and was rebuilt in the following year. It was enlarged in 1830, by aid of a loan of £1300 from the late Board of First Fruits, and a gift of £500 from the Earl of Kingston towards the erection of the tower and spire, which are much admired for their beautiful proportions and elegant design. The glebe-house was completed by a gift of £100 and a loan of £1000, in 1807, from the same Board, in addition to an outlay of £1300 by the then incumbent, chargeable on his successor. The original glebe comprised 9 Irish acres, to which 12 more were added under a lease for ever from the late Countess of Kingston, at a rent of £4. 4. per acre. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, which is also called Mitchelstown, and comprises the parishes of Brigown and Marshalstown, and the hamlet of Ballinamona, in the parish of Kilbehenny. The chapel, a spacious and handsome cruciform structure, is situated in the town; the first stone was laid by the Earl of Kingston, who contributed £500 towards the expense of its erection. The parochial school occupies a site given by the noble family of King; and was built in 1827 by a grant from the lord-lieutenant's school fund. All children that apply for instruction are taught gratuitously, without distinction of religion; the master and mistress are supported by annual donations of £25 from that family and £15 from the rector, who also supplies coal and other requisites. A school kept in the old R. C. chapel is aided by a grant of £30 per annum from the National Board and collections at the chapel. In these are about 500 children; and there are also five pay schools, in which are about 190 children. The late Robert Crone, Esq., bequeathed £15 per annum to be distributed by the rector among the poor of the parish. On the lands of Kilshanna is a chalybeate spring, but not used for medicinal purposes. The college chapel is the burial-place of the Kingston family. The ruins of the old parish church are situated in the Mitchelstown demesne; and there are vestiges of a more ancient one near the glebe, said to have been founded by St. Finnahan. Here was also an ancient round tower, which is supposed to have fallen about the year 1720.--See MITCHELSTOWN.
BRINNY, a parish, partly in the Eastern Division of the barony of EAST CARBERY, and partly in the barony of KINNALEA, but chiefly in that of KINNALMEAKY, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 3 miles (N. E.) from Bandon; containing 1949 inhabitants. In the civil war of 1641 a running fight took place between a part of the garrison of Bandon and a body of insurgents, which terminated at Brinny bridge in the defeat of the latter, of whom 50 were killed. The parish is situated on the north road from Cork to Bandon, and comprises 7200 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. About two-thirds of the land are under tillage, and the remainder in pasture; the soil is good, and the system of agriculture is greatly improved; there is neither waste land nor bog. Good building stone, of which there are several quarries, and flags of excellent quality abound in the parish. The surrounding scenery is pleasingly diversified, and there are several handsome gentlemen's seats, the principal of which are Upton, the residence of the Rev. Somers Payne; Brinny House, of J. Nash, Esq.; Garryhankard, of T. Biggs, Esq.; Beechmount, of T. Hornebrook, Esq.; Brothersfort, of W. Whiting, Esq.; and Kilmore, of W. Popham, Esq. There are some extensive flour-mills near the bridge, and in the demesne of Upton is a police barrack. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Cork, with the rectory and vicarage of Knockavilly episcopally united in 1810, forming the union of Brinny, in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £405, of which £5 is payable to the dean of Cork and £400 to the rector; and the gross amount of tithe is £1025. The church was wholly rebuilt by aid of a loan of £300 from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1813; it is a neat edifice with a tower. Divine service is also performed in a licensed house at Knockavilly, and in a school-house in the summer evenings. The glebe contains only eight acres, and there is no glebe-house. In the R. C. divisions this is one of the five parishes constituting the union or district of Innishannon. The parochial school, in which are 27 boys and 18 girls, is supported principally by the rector, who also superintends a Sunday school; and a school of 58 boys and 30 girls is supported by subscription, aided by an annual donation of £3 from the parish priest.
BRITWAY, a parish, partly in the barony of KINNATALOON, But chiefly in that of BARRYMORE, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 5 1/2 miles (E. S. E.) from Rathcormac; containing 1098 inhabitants. It is bounded on the north by the river Bride, and comprises 3712 statute acres, of which 3568 are applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £2206 per annum. Of its entire surface there are 646 acres of mountain, capable of great improvement, and 380 acres of marshy land and exhausted bog, the whole of which is reclaimable. The land in cultivation consists of a light shallow soil, and the greater part is under tillage. Ballyvolane, the seat of Capt. Pyne, is a neat residence, situated in a well-wooded demesne. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Cloyne, and is part of the union of Ahern: the tithes amount to £281. 8. 0 1/4. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Castlelyons. The male and female schools for Britway and Ahern are near the latter place; and there is a hedge school in this parish, in which are about 50 boys and 20 girls.
BROADFORD, a post-town, in the parish of KILSEILY, barony of TULLA, county of CLARE, and province of MUNSTER, 8 miles (N.) from Limerick, and 94 miles (S. W. by W.) from Dublin; containing 71 houses and 383 inhabitants. It is picturesquely situated on the road from Killaloe to Ennis, at the foot of a range of hills extending to Lough Derg on the Shannon, and has a post-office dependent on that of Limerick; a constabulary police force is stationed here, and fairs are held on the 21st of June and the 21st of November. The parish church, a neat building with a square tower, is situated in the town; and a large and handsome R. C. chapel is now in course of erection on an eminence overlooking it. Here are the parochial school, (chiefly supported by the minister) and a public dispensary. This place is much visited by anglers and sportsmen: the neighbourhood affords excellent grouse shooting, and about a mile to the west is Doon lake, remarkable for the size of its pike, and abounding also with bream. In the vicinity are several gentlemen's seats and shooting-lodges, which are more particularly noticed in the article on Kilseily. There are some excellent quarries near the village, producing slate of superior quality.-- See KILSEILY.
BROADISLAND.--See TEMPLECORRAN.
BROADWAY, a village, in the parish of ST. IBERIUS, barony of FORTH, county of WEXFORD, and province of LEINSTER, 8 miles (S. S. E.) from Wexford; containing 160 inhabitants. It is situated at the northern extremity of Lady's Island lake, on the high road from Wexford to Carne, and till lately was a regular post town, but it is now only a sub-office to Wexford. Fairs are held on the Thursday after Trinity Sunday and on Oct. 18th. Here is a public dispensary. At Doyle's Cross, near the village, is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists; and near it is Broadway Cottage, the residence of Dr. Lindsay.--See IBERIUS (ST.).
BROOKBOROUGH, a post-town, in the parish of AUGHAVEA, barony of MAGHERASTEPHANA, county of FERMANAGH, and province of ULSTER, 13 miles (E.) from Enniskillen, and 75 1/4miles (N. W.) from Dublin; containing 83 houses and 480 inhabitants. This town is situated on the road from Lisnaskea to Five-mile-town, and is a chief constabulary police station. Fairs are held on the third Tuesday in every month, for the sale of cattle, sheep, and pigs, and of butter, cloth, and yarn; premiums are given every fair day to the largest purchasers and sellers, by a committee who have the management of the fairs. A manorial court is held occasionally, at which small debts are recoverable; and petty sessions are held every alternate Tuesday. Divine service, according to the form of the Established Church, is performed in a parochial school-house every Sunday evening; and there is a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists. Here is also a dispensary.
BROOKLODGE-- See BALLYLOOHERA.
BROSNA, a parish, in the barony of TRUGHENACKMY, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 10 miles (N. by E.) from Castleisland; containing 2168 inhabitants. It is situated on the small river Clydagh, and on the confines of the counties of Limerick and Cork, and comprises 18,013 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £2180 per annum. A large portion of the land consists of coarse mountain pasture and bog, the greater part of which might be reclaimed. A new line of road, about eight miles in length, is now in progress, at the expense of Col. Drummond and C. Fairfield, Esq., extending from the bridge over the Clydagh (an arch of 60 feet span), on the new road from Listowel to Newmarket, and passing through this and the adjoining parish of Ballincuslane to the village of Ardnagrath, on the old mountain road from Castleisland to Millstreet. It is in contemplation to extend this road to Scortaglin, to form a junction with the new Government road from Castleisland to King-William's-town, by which the surrounding country will be greatly improved. This place was occasionally the head-quarters of the Whiteboys, during the disturbances of 1822; but since the opening of the road from Listowel to Newmarket, the neighbourhood has enjoyed perfect tranquillity. In that part of the parish which borders on the counties of Limerick and Cork is a constabulary police station. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £175. There is neither church nor glebe-house; the glebe comprises 2 1/4acres. In the R. C. divisions this parish is the head of the union or district of Brosna or Knocknagashel, which comprises also parts of the adjoining parishes of Castleisland and Ballincuslane; the chapel is a thatched but commodious building, and during the summer months a school is held in it, under the superintendence of the parish priest; there is also a chapel at Knocknagashel, in the parish of Castleisland. There are two private schools, in which about 120 children are educated. Some slight vestiges of the ancient parish church may still be traced in the burial-ground.
BROUGHSHANE, a market and post-town, in the parish of RACAVAN, barony of LOWER ANTRIM, county of ANTRIM, and province of ULSTER, 28 3/4 miles (N .N. W.) from Belfast, and 109 miles (N.) from Dublin; containing 828 inhabitants. This town is pleasantly situated on the river Braid, at the termination of the mail coach road from Ballymena, to which it has a sub-post-office, and consists of one long street, containing about 180 houses indifferently built. In the neighbourhood are several gentlemen's seats; and at no great distance is Tullymore Lodge, finely situated on a stream tributary to the Braid. The market is on Tuesday, and is principally for butter and pork: fairs are held on June 17th and Sept. 3rd. A constabulary police force has been stationed here; and the manorial court of Buckna is held here every month, for the recovery of debts amounting to £20. The church of the union of Skerry, or the Braid, a neat edifice with a spire, is situated in the town; in which are also a place of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, and a dispensary. At Dumfare, in the vicinity, is a large mount of very imposing aspect.--See RACAVAN.
BROWN-MOUNTAIN, an extra-parochial district, in the barony of KELLS, county of KILKENNY, and province of LEINSTER; containing 25 inhabitants. This place is Crown land, and has never paid tithes; it is united with the impropriation of Tullahought, and the spiritual duties are performed by the curate of Kilmoganny.
BROWNSTOWN, a parish, in the barony of UPPER DULEEK, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 4 miles (E. by S.) from Navan; containing 487 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from Navan, through Ashbourne, to Dublin, and comprises 864 statute acres of arable and pasture land, with the exception of about 32 acres of waste and bog: the land is fertile and principally under tillage, and the system of agriculture is improving. There is a good limestone quarry; a valuable stratum of potters' clay has been discovered; and there are strong indications of the existence of copper ore, but no attempt to work it has hitherto been made. The only seat is Brownstown House, the property and formerly the residence of the Somerville family, and now being put into a state of repair. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Meath, entirely impropriate in Sir W. Meredyth Somerville, Bart.: the tithes amount to £73. There is no church or chapel, only an ancient burial-ground: the clerical duties of the parish are performed by the incumbent of the adjoining parishes forming the union of Kentstown. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Blacklion. There are two hedge schools, in which are about 34 boys and 24 girls.
BRUFF, a market and post-town, and a parish, in the barony of COSHMA, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER, 11 1/2 miles (S. S. E.) from Limerick, and 105 1/4(S. W.) from Dublin; containing 2932 inhabitants, of which number, 1772 are in the town. This appears to have been a place of importance at a very early period; a castle was built in the town and another at no great distance from it by the De Lacy family, in the reign of Hen. III. This family subsequently became tributary to the Fitzgeralds, and held the castle under the princes of Desmond, in all whose misfortunes they largely participated, especially during the reign of Elizabeth. On the 4th of April, 1600, a severe engagement took place here between Pierce De Lacy, governor of the castle, and some troops from the garrison of Kilmallock, under the command of Capt. Slingsby, in which the former was defeated with the loss of 300 men; and on the 18th of the same month the lord-president obtained possession of the castle, in which he placed a garrison of 140 men. In 1641 this place was the scene of a sanguinary battle between the English forces and the insurgents, in which the latter were victorious, and committed acts of great cruelty. In 1762 the Whiteboys assembled here in great numbers and committed outrages; and in 1786 they again visited the town, and on the 15th of July in that year, they burnt several houses and destroyed much valuable property. In 1793 a large body of the Defenders made a desperate effort to seize the town, but were repulsed by the 34th regiment of foot and many slain on both sides. In 1822 the Rockites assembled here in great numbers, and made an attempt to burn the church and several private houses, but were frustrated by the active and judicious exertions of the neighbouring gentry, aided by a large body of the military stationed in the town. The town, which, with the surrounding neighbourhood, was formerly the property of the Hartstonge family, and now forms part of the estate of the Earl of Limerick, is situated on the river Dawn, or Morning Star, and on the road from Limerick to Cork: it consists of one principal street and several smaller streets and lanes, and contains 314 houses. The market is on Friday; and fairs are held on May 24th, July 23rd, Oct. 18th, and Nov. 28th. A stipendiary magistrate resides at this place, which is a chief constabulary police station; and the quarter sessions are held here in January and June, and petty sessions every alternate Wednesday. The court-house is a large commodious building, and there is also a small but well-regulated bridewell.
The parish comprises 1264 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe composition act: the land is of the best quality, producing abundant crops, though the system of agriculture is by no means good; the greater portion is meadow and pasture land, all resting upon limestone, which is extensively quarried for building, repairing the roads, and for agricultural uses. The principal seats are Rockbarton, the elegant residence of Lord Guillamore, near the town; Caher, of Lieut.-Col. O'Grady; Kilballyowren, of the De Courcy O'Grady; Uregare House, of Mrs. Gubbins; Green Park, of R. Ivers, Esq.; and Miltown, of G. Gubbins, Esq. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Limerick, and in the patronage of the Bishop; the rectory is impropriate in the Earl of Kenmare. The tithes amount to £180, of which £120 is payable to the impropriator and £60 to the vicar. The church, a large edifice in the early English style, with a tower surmounted by a lofty octagonal spire of stone, contains an ancient monument of the Hartstonge family rather in a neglected condition: the chalice bears a curious inscription in Latin, recording its formation and the changes which it has undergone. The glebe-house, a neat little residence about half a mile from the town, is situated on an excellent glebe of 8 1/2 acres, for which the vicar pays a rent of £25. 6. 11. per annum. In the R. C. divisions this parish is the head of a union or district, comprising also the parishes of Tullybracky, Grange, Meanas, Manister, and part of the parishes of Uregare, Glenogra, and Dromin; and containing three chapels, situated respectively at Bruff, Grange, and Meanas. The first is a handsome building, in the early English style, erected in 1833; the interior is well arranged, and the altar, of scagliola marble, is embellished with a very beautiful painting of the three Marys, by J. Haverty, Esq., a native artist; the building was commenced by the late R. C. incumbent, the Very Rev. Dr. Ryan, and completed by the R. C. dean of Limerick, the present parish priest. The male and female parochial school, in which are 20 boys and 20 girls, is chiefly supported by the vicar, by whom it was instituted in 1831. There are two pay schools, in which are about 200 children, and a school for adults. A few fragments of the ancient castle are still remaining; and not far distant are the foundations of an ancient friary. To the north-west of the town are some traces of Templebodeen, or Templeen, said to have been erected by the Knights Templars in 1284; foundations of buildings are frequently discovered.
BRUHENNY.--See CHURCHTOWN, barony of ORRERY, county of CORK.
BRUIS, a parish, in the barony of CLANWILLIAM, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 3 miles (S. W.) from Tipperary; containing 1350 inhabitants. This parish contains Mount Bruis, the pleasant residence of Mrs. Doherty. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Emly, and forms part of the union and corps of the prebend of Lattin in the cathedral of Emly: the tithes amount to £150. In the R. C. divisions also the parish is included in the union or district of Lattin.
BRUMBRUSNA, a hamlet, in the parish of LENEY, barony of CORKAREE, county of WESTMEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 6 miles (N. N. W.) from Mullingar; containing 16 houses and 94 inhabitants. It is situated on Lough Hoyle, and on the mail coach road from Mullingar to Longford, and is surrounded by three lofty hills.
BRUREE, or BRUGHRIGH, a parish, partly in the barony of SMALL COUNTY, but chiefly in that of UPPER CONNELLO, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER, 4 miles (N. W.) from Charleville, on the direct line of road to Limerick; containing 4364 inhabitants, of which number, 451 are in the village. This place was distinguished at a very early period for a half-yearly meeting of the Irish bards, which, according to O'Halloran, was continued till the year 1746. The parish comprises 8530 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, of which the greater portion is pasture and meadow land connected with extensive dairy farms, and the remainder under tillage: the land is remarkably good, and the system of agriculture is improving. The river Maigue winds through a beautiful valley, of which the rich meadows on its banks slope gently to its margin: the meadows in the southern part of the parish are subject to frequent inundations from the overflowing of this river. The eastern portion of the parish consists entirely of limestone, which is extensively quarried for agricultural purposes and for the roads; but the grit is generally worked for building. The scenery is pleasingly varied, and in the parish are several handsome houses, of which the principal are Harding Grove, the residence of H. Harding, Esq.; Rockhill, of J. Cushin, Esq.; Bruree House, of R. Fetherston, Esq., J.P.; and Bruree Lodge, of J. Langton, Esq., J.P. The village, containing, in 1831, 87 houses, is a constabulary police station, and is much improving; several good houses have lately been built; here are also a boulting-mill, a grist-mill (used chiefly for oatmeal), and a manufactory for combing, carding, and spinning wool, and for napping and tucking the cloth, which is of great advantage to the population for many miles round. Fairs are held on May 9th, June 25th, Sept. 14th, and Nov. 25th, for cattle, sheep, pigs, and pedlery. A new road has recently been formed from Croom to Charleville through the western part of the parish, which will become the principal road between Limerick and Cork.
It is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Limerick; the rectory forms part of the union and corps of the deanery of Limerick, and the vicarage is in the patronage of the Dean. The tithes amount to £600. 4., of which two-thirds are payable to the dean and the remainder to the vicar. The church is a neat edifice, in the early English style, with a square tower and octangular spire of hewn stone; it was built near the site of the old church, by aid of a gift of £800 from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1812. The glebe-house, which belongs to the vicarage, was built by a gift of £400 and a loan of £380 from the same Board, in 1813. Attached to the rectory is a glebe of 7a. 1r. 8p.; the glebe belonging to the vicarage comprises 15 acres. In the R. C. divisions this parish is the head of a union or district, called also Rockhill, which comprises the parishes of Bruree and Colemans-well, and contains three chapels, situated respectively in the village of Bruree, at Rockhill, and at Colemans-well. The parochial schools are situated on the rector's glebe, and endowed by the present dean with half an acre of land; and there are two pay schools, in which are about 100 boys and 60 girls. In the village are a dispensary, and a good building erected during the prevalence of the cholera, in 1832, and now used as a fever hospital. Here are the ruins of a strong fortress erected by the De Lacys, who formerly possessed the surrounding country: it consisted of three strong castles enclosed by a wall and ramparts more than 120 yards in circumference; two of the castles are remaining. Adjoining the church is a large and strong castle in a tolerably perfect state, erected by the Knights Templars in the 12th century. There are some remains of the small church of Cooleen,or Temple-Colman, now called Howardstown, built by the Knights Templars in 1287, and on the suppression of that order annexed to this parish.
BRUSNA, a village, in the parish of KILMURRY-ELY, barony of CLONLISK, KING'S county, and province of LEINSTER, 1 3/4 mile (E.) from Shinrone; containing 134 inhabitants. It is situated on the river of the same name, and is a station of the constabulary police. Here is a R. C. chapel.--See KILMURRY-ELY.
BRYANSFORD, a village, in the parish of KILCOO, barony of UPPER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 2 1/2 miles (S.) from Castlewellan; containing 185 inhabitants. This village, which is situated on the road from Newry to Newcastle, contains about 30 houses neatly built, chiefly in the Elizabethan style, the gardens in front of which give it a comfortable and rural appearance, and the surrounding scenery is agreeably diversified. Tollymore Park, the seat of the Earl of Roden, is a beautiful residence situated in extensive grounds embellished with some of the finest larch trees in the country; it is approached by three noble entrances, called respectively the barbican, the central, and the hilltown; the central entrance from the village is through a very lofty archway, and in the lodge is kept a book for entering the names of visiters; the grounds are always open to the public. There is a good inn and posting-house, with every accommodation for families. The parish church of Kilcoo, a spacious edifice with a lofty embattled tower, is situated in the village; and at a short distance to the north of it is a R. C. chapel, belonging to the union of Bryansford or Lower Kilcoo; it is a neat edifice in the later English style, erected in 1831 at an expense of £900, on a site given by the Earl of Roden. A school for boys, built in 1826, is supported by the same nobleman; and adjoining it is a circulating library also maintained by the Earl and gratuitously open to all the people of the village: there is a female school, built in 1822 and supported wholly by the Countess of Roden.--See KILCOO.
BUCHOLLA..--See BOHOLA.
BULGADINE, a parish, in the barony of COSTLEA, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER, 3 miles (N.) from Kilmallock; containing 1152 inhabitants. In the ecclesiastical divisions this is not known as a separate parish, being regarded as forming part of the parishes of Uregare, Kilbreedy-Major, and Athnassey: it comprises 3395 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. The occupiers of land in this neighbourhood are subjected to a penalty of £10 per acre if more than two acres out of every twenty are tilled; hence the meadows and pastures are very extensive, and are considered as the most fertile in the county. Near the village, which is very small, consisting only of a few thatched houses, is the ancient and neglected mansion of the family of Evans, now the property of Lord Carbery, which, though at present in a state of miserable dilapidation, was formerly one of the most magnificent residences in the province. In the R. C. divisions this place is partly in the union or district of Kilmallock; and partly in that of Athnassey or Ballinvana; it contains a chapel for this part of the union.
BULLANE, a parish, in the barony of ATHENRY, county of GALWAY, and province of CONNAUGHT, 4 1/2 miles (N.) from Loughrea; containing 551 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the road from Loughrea to Castle-Blakeney, and comprises 1283 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. It is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Clonfert, partly appropriate to the prebend of Annacalla, partly to the sacristy of the cathedral of Clonfert, and partly included in the union of Kilcolgan, in the diocese of Kilmacduagh. The tithes amount to £46, of which £23 is payable to the prebendary of Annacalla, £12 to the sacristan, and £11 to the incumbent of Kilcolgan. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the union or district of New Inn, and contains a chapel.
BULLOCK, BLOYKE, or BULLOG, a village, in the parish of MONKSTOWN, half-barony of RATHDOWN, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 6 3/4 miles S. E.) from Dublin: the population is returned with the parish. This place, which is now only a small fishing village, situated close to the southern shore of Dublin bay, was formerly defended by a castle of considerable extent. The period of its erection is unknown, though it is supposed to be co-eval with those of Dalkey; it is an octangular building, having but few windows and surmounted by a graduated parapet. Near it is a neat residence occupied by Capt. Hutchinson; and in the vicinity is Perrin Castle, the residence of Alderman Perrin, a handsome building in the castellated style, beautifully situated in grounds tastefully laid out and commanding some fine mountain and sea views. The Ballast Board of Dublin have a small quay here for shipping granite, with which this neighbourhood abounds. On blasting the rocks, a large quantity of silver coins was found a few years since. The fishery, at the commencement of the present century, employed several yawls in taking whiting, pollock, and herrings; at present there are about tea yawls belonging to the village.--See MONKSTOWN.
BUMBOA HALL, a small village, in the. parish of BALLYNURE, barony of UPPER TALBOTSTOWN, county of WICKLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (N.) from Baltinglass; containing 81 inhabitants. It is situated on the road from Baltinglass to Ballitore, and contains a good house called the Hall, the residence of Stephen Wilson, Esq. Near it are Ballynure and Grange-Con, the former the seat of H. Carroll, Esq., and the latter, till of late, the residence of H. Harrington, Esq. A peace preservation force is stationed in the village; and there is a neat R. C. chapel belonging to the union or district of Baltinglass, with a school adjoining it.--See BALLYNURE.
BUMLIN, or STROKESTOWN, a parish, in the barony and county of ROSCOMMON, and province of CONNAUGHT; containing, with the market and post-town of Strokestown, 4913 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the new mail coach road from Dublin to the West of Ireland, and comprises 4399 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act and valued at £4038 per annum. Part of Slievebawn mountain is situated within its limits, the summit of which towards the east commands a most extensive view. The land is chiefly under tillage; limestone abounds, and there are considerable tracts of bog. Castlenode is the seat of J. Morton, Esq. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Elphin, to which the vicarages of Kiltrustan and Lissonuffy were episcopally united in 1811, which three parishes form the union of Bumlin, in the patronage of the Bishop: the rectory is partly appropriate to the prebendary of Kilgoghlin in the cathedral church of Elphin, but chiefly impropriate in C. and R. Armstrong, Esqrs. The tithes amount to £285. 3. 9., of which £100.3. 5. is payable to the impropriators, £21 to the prebendary, and £164. 0. 4. to the vicar; and the gross vicarial tithes of the benefice amount to £533. 14. 7 1/2.; the annual income of the prebendary of Kilgoghlin is £310. 14. 2. The church, situated at Strokestown, is a handsome edifice with a spire, built in 1814 by aid of a loan of £2700 from the late Board of First Fruits. The glebe-house was also built by a gift of £337 and a loan of £150 from the same Board: the glebe comprises ten acres. In the R. C. divisions this parish is the head of a union or district, comprising also the parish of Kiltrustan, and containing three chapels, situated at Strokestown, Scramogue, and Kiltrustan, the two former in the parish of Bumlin. The parochial school, in which are about 50 children, is chiefly supported by the Vicar and by private subscriptions; there are also seven hedge schools, in which about 100 boys and 90 girls are taught. The late B. Mahon, Esq., bequeathed £800 late currency for the benefit of the poor of the three parishes forming the union.-- See STROKESTOWN.
BUNCLOADY.--See NEWTOWN-BARRY.
BUNCRANA, a market and post-town, in the parish of LOWER FAHAN, barony of ENNISHOWEN, county of DONEGAL, and province of ULSTER, 11 miles (N. N. W.) from Londonderry, and 129 1/2 miles (N. W. by N.) from Dublin; containing 1059 inhabitants. Though of some importance in the reign of Elizabeth, this place subsequently fell into great decay, but was restored and laid out in its present form by Sir John Vaughan, in 1717. The town is beautifully situated on the eastern shore of Lough Swilly, at the foot of the mountains of Ennishowen, and, from the romantic and picturesque beauty and salubrity of its position, has of late years become a bathing-place of considerable resort. It consists of three principal and several smaller streets, remarkably clean, and contains 248 houses, of which the greater number are large and well built of stone; the environs are adorned with several handsome houses, villas, and bathing-lodges. Buncrana Castle, close to the town, was the residence of the O'Donnells and O'Doghertys; but after the flight of O'Nial, O'Donnell, and other northern chieftains, in 1607, the territory escheated to the Crown. In the following year, Sir Cahir O'Dogherty, having rebelled against the English authority and carried on a sanguinary war for nearly six months, was defeated and taken prisoner by Sir Arthur Chichester, and was closely confined in this castle, which was shortly after granted to Sir Arthur: one of the towers, with the staircase of stone and the dungeon beneath, remains tolerably entire. A new castle, now the property and residence of Mrs. Todd, was built by Sir John Vaughan in 1717; it is approached by a very handsome bridge over the river, and in front are extensive gardens and terraces, all in excellent preservation. Lough Swilly here expands into an arm of the sea, bounded by mountains and rocks, of majestic character, and forming a capacious haven of easy access, suitable for vessels of any burden. On the south side of the entrance are the Swilly Rocks, about half a mile from the shore; on the west side, at Fannet Point, there is a lighthouse, with a fixed light of nine lamps, showing a deep red colour seaward and a bright light towards the lough. Two rivers empty themselves into the lough, one on each side of the town, after falling over several ledges of rock in their channels: in the northern, or, as it is commonly called, the Castle river, is an extensive and valuable salmon fishery; on the southern river are flax, oatmeal, and flour-mills. From its central situation the town has been chosen as the head-quarters of the artillery forces attached to the batteries on the Foyle and Swilly. At Naiads' Point is a battery, which is one of six erected on the threatened invasion of the French, with accommodation for one officer and 27 men, now under the care of a master-gunner and five men; and at Ballynary there is a coast-guard station. Considerable portions of the adjacent mountain district are being brought into cultivation: copper and lead ores are found, and slate of excellent quality abounds in these mountains, but has never been worked. In 1745 the linen manufacture was introduced by Col. Vaughan, and flourished for some time, and, in 1784, various branches of the cotton trade, particularly the weaving of velvets, fustians, corduroys, and plain cloth, to which the printing of cotton was added, but, although carried on with much spirit, it declined after his death. A manufactory for sail-cloth and ducking was afterwards established, and continued to flourish till the year 1830, when the premises were destroyed by fire. There are now in course of erection extensive mills and factories for weaving fine and coarse linens for the Manchester market, also a large flour-mill and fulling-mill nearly adjoining. Several vessels are engaged in fishing for soles, plaice, and turbot, which are taken off these shores in large quantities and of a superior kind, carried over land to Derry, and sent from that port by steam to Liverpool. Oysters of large size and good flavour are also taken in the lough. The markets are on Tuesday and Saturday, and in the winter season there is a large market on the last Friday in every month. Fairs are held on May 9th, July 27th, Sept. 8th, and Nov. 15th. General quarter sessions are held once, and road sessions six times, in the year; and petty sessions are held every alternate week. The court-house, a large and handsome building in the centre of the town, was erected at an expense of £1300 by the late Wm. Todd, Esq., and presented to the county on this being made a town for holding quarter sessions. A court for the manor of Buncrana is held on the first Monday in every month, for the recovery of debts under 40s. Here is a station of the constabulary police. The parochial church, situated in the town, is a neat edifice: it was built in 1804, considerably enlarged and improved in 1816, and, being still too small, is again about to be enlarged, for which the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £370. 6. 8. There are places of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, and for Primitive and Wesleyan Methodists. A large and handsome building for a school was erected by the trustees of Erasmus Smith's charity, by whom and the incumbent the school is supported; and at Cock Hill there is a national school. A dispensary is maintained in the customary manner.--See FAHAN (LOWER).
BUNDORAN, a village, in the parish of INNISMACSAINT, barony of TYRHUGH, county of DONEGAL, and province of ULSTER, 4 miles (S. W.) from Ballyshannon: the population is returned with the parish. This village, which consists of one street on the road from Ballyshannon to Sligo, is situated on Ballyshannon harbour, on the western coast, and on the confines of the county of Sligo: the coast is bold and rocky. It is a favourite place of resort for sea-bathing during the summer; several small but respectable houses have been built for the accommodation of visiters; and extensive hot and cold sea-water baths have been fitted up. There is a daily penny post to Ballyshannon and Sligo.
BUNGOWLA, a hamlet, in the parish and island of ARRANMORE, barony of ARRAN, county of GALWAY, and province of CONNAUGHT: the population is returned with the parish. It is situated at the western extremity of the island of Arranmore, in the entrance of the bay of Galway. Off the shore of this part of the island are the Branach Isles, six in number, three of which are rocks.
BUNNAWN, or BONANE, a parish, in the barony of GLANEROUGH, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 6 miles (S.) from Kenmare; containing 1158 inhabitants. This place, which is situated on the confines of the county of Cork, is not in the ecclesiastical divisions known as a separate parish, but considered as forming part of the parish of Kilcaskin, in the adjoining barony of Bere, county of Cork, and diocese of Ross. It is the property of the Marquess of Lansdowne, and consists chiefly of rocky mountain and bog; it is intersected by two old roads, both impassable for carriages; one running direct, by a wild rocky pass called the "Priest's Leap," to Bantry bay, and the other to Glengariff. A new road from Kenmare to Glengariff is now in progress, under the Board of Public Works, which will pass through the parish, over the range of mountains separating the counties of Cork and Kerry, and will in some places be carried to an elevation of 1000 feet above the level of the sea, affording great facilities for the improvement of this wild and mountainous district. At Dromfeaghny is an ancient burial-ground, in which are the ruins of an old church. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Kilcaskin, in the county of Cork, and diocese of Kerry; the chapel is at Deelis. A school-house is about to be built at Tulloha, at the joint expense of the Marquess of Lansdowne and the National Board of Education.
BUNRATTY, a post-town, and parish, in the barony of BUNRATTY, county of CLARE, and province of MUNSTER, 6 miles (W. by N.) from Limerick, and 100 miles (W. S. W.) from Dublin; containing 1300 inhabitants. This place is situated on the mail coach road from Limerick to Ennis, and on the northern shore of the river Shannon. The castle was erected in 1277, by the De Clares, and was subsequently the residence of the Earls of Thomond; it was besieged in 1305, but not taken; and the small town adjacent to it was burned in 1314. The castle was either enlarged or rebuilt by Sir Thomas de Clare, in 1597, and is still the largest in the county. Till within the last few years it was the residence of T. de Clare Studdert, Esq., who has erected a handsome modern mansion in the demesne, and the old castle is now used as a constabulary police barrack. It is a lofty and massive quadrangular structure, with a tower at each angle; the upper parts of the towers at each end of the quadrangle are connected by an arch; it still retains its old baronial hall unaltered, and, till deserted by the family, displayed a spacious and lofty banqueting-room; the outworks and appendages were of great extent, as is evident from the vestiges that may still be traced. A handsome bridge of one arch was built over the river Ougarnee, by Mr. Studdert, who also constructed near it a commodious quay, which is about to be enlarged; boats of large size can come up to it. Considerable quantities of sea manure are landed here for the supply of the neighbourhood, and turf is brought from Kilrush. In the Shannon near this place are several islands, one of which, called Quay Island, is inhabited by only one family: the anchorage off this island, called Bunratty Roads, is considered to be the best in the Shannon, and here the West India vessels discharge their cargoes for Limerick. Off Clonmoney is another island, called Saints' Island, containing about 50 statute acres of the richest land, and inhabited by two families. Fairs are held here on Feb. 3rd, the second Tuesday before Easter, June 3rd, July 19th, and Oct. 20th, for cattle, pigs, and sheep. A seneschal's court for the manor of Bunratty is occasionally held, in which debts not exceeding £10 late currency may be recovered.
The parish comprises 2649 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and mostly in pasture; those parts bordering on the Shannon afford rich grazing land. Bunratty Castle, the seat of T. de Clare Studdert, Esq., is pleasantly situated within the ancient demesne, and commands fine views of the Shannon and of an extensive tract of country: the mansion is spacious and of modern design, and the demesne is embellished with fine timber of stately growth. Immediately adjoining the village is Bunratty, the residence of Mrs. Paliser, in the rear of which are the ruins of an old church, the walls of which are in good preservation. The other seats are Clonmoney, that of D. Canny, Esq., and Woodpark, of M. Dalton, Esq. It is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Killaloe; the rectory forms part of the union of Tomfinlogh or Traddery, in the patronage of the Earl of Egremont; and the vicarage part of the union of Kilfinaghty. The tithes amount to £150, of which £100 is payable to the rector, and £50 to the vicar. The church of the union is at Six-mile-bridge, in that parish. The glebe-house is situated on a glebe of 11 acres in this parish, subject to a rent of £21. 10. per annum late currency. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Newmarket, and is held with several others by the administrator of the R. C. Bishop of Killaloe; the chapel is a commodious modern building. There is a small school under the superintendence of the vicar, in which are about 20 children; and at Clonmoney is a school under the direction of the R. C. clergyman. There is also a private school, in which about 65 children are educated.
BUOLICK, or BAOLICK, a parish, in the barony of SLIEVARDAGH, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 2 1/2 miles (N. E.) from New Birmingham; containing 2271 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the confines of the county of Kilkenny, and on the road from Johnstown to Killenaule: it is skirted on the west by the bog of Alien, and comprises 6355 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £5120 per annum. A considerable quantity of coal is obtained here, and works are now being opened on the estate of Mark Byrne, Esq. Littlefield is the property of E. Cooke, Esq., who occasionally resides here. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Cashel, and in the patronage of the Archbishop: it is at present held by the treasurer of the cathedral church of St. Patrick, Cashel, but forms no part of the endowment of that dignity: the tithes amount to £420. There is neither church, glebe, nor glebe-house; some remains of the old church yet exist, covered with ivy; the inhabitants resort to Burris church. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, called Gurtnahoe, comprising also the parishes of Kilcooley and Fennor, and containing two chapels, situated at Gurtnahoe in Buolick, and at New Birmingham in Kilcooley: the former is a spacious building, in digging the foundations for which many human bones were discovered, supposed to be those of the slain in a battle said to have been fought at Ballysloe by the kings of Leinster and Munster. Three national schools are situated at Ballysloe, Clonimiclan, and Gurtnahoe, in which are about 180 boys and 100 girls. There are considerable remains of an old castle, which appears to have been of great strength; it was the residence of the family of Butler, Viscounts Ikerrin, and is now the property of R. La Touche, Esq., who has a considerable estate in the parish. Here are also two large Danish forts.
BURGAGE.--See BLESSINGTON.
BURGESS, or BURGESS-BEG, a parish, in the barony of OWNEY and ARRA, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 65 miles (S. W.) from Nenagh; containing 3570 inhabitants. It is situated on the mail coach road from Dublin to Limerick, and comprises 4749 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £4002 per annum. About 97 acres are mountain and bog; the remainder is good arable land. It is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Killaloe, and forms part of the union of Castletown-Arra: the tithes amount to £276. 18. 5 1/2. In the R. C. divisions it is included in the union or district of Youghal-Arra, and contains a modern chapel on the townland of Ballywilliam. There are three private pay schools, in which about 160 boys and 90 girls are taught. Some remains of the church yet exist, with a monument on which is inscribed "Donato O'Brien de Gort-more."
BURNCHURCH, or KILTRANEEN, a parish, partly in the barony of GALMOY, but chiefly in that of SHILLELOGHER, county of KILKENNY, and province of LEINSTER, 4 miles (S. S. W.) from Kilkenny; containing 1450 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the road from Kilkenny to Carrick-on-Suir, and comprises 5373 statute acres: it is principally under an improved system of tillage; there is plenty of limestone, used chiefly for burning into lime. Farmley, the seat of R. Flood, Esq., is situated in a well-planted demesne, and was the residence of the Rt. Hon. Henry Flood, one of the most distinguished members of the Irish House of Commons, who died here in 1791, and was interred in the parish church. This place has a patent for fairs, but none are held. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ossory, to which the vicarages of Danesfort, Kilfeara, Abbey-Jerpoint, West-Jerpoint, Ballylinch, and Grangeleggan or Grangeclovan, and the denominations of Dunbell, Grange-Kilree, Woollen-Grange, Blackrath-Grange, Garran, Mocktown or Rathbin, Ardera, Lismatigue, and Plebestown have been immemorially united and were consolidated by act of council in 1678, forming the union of Burnchurch, which is in the alternate patronage of the Crown and the Bishop; the rectory is appropriate to the vicars choral of the cathedral of Christchurch, Dublin: the tithes of the parish amount to £320. 12. 6. payable in moieties to the vicars choral and the vicar. The church is a neat edifice with a steeple, built by aid of a loan of £600, in 1810, from the late Board of First Fruits. The glebe-house was built by a gift of £100 and a loan of £1500, in 1815, from the same Board: the glebe comprises 20 acres. In the R. C. divisions the parish is included in the four several unions or districts of Danesfort, Freshford, Moncoin, and Ballyhale. The parochial school is supported by the incumbent; and there is a private school, in which are about 70 boys and 30 girls; also a Sunday school. Near the church is a fine old castle in a good state of preservation.
BURREN, or BURRIN, a village and post-town, in the parish of ABBEY, barony of BURREN, county of CLARE, and province of MUNSTER, 18 miles (N. by W.) from Ennis, and 115 3/4 miles (W. by S.) from Dublin: containing 23 houses and 147 inhabitants. This place is situated on the road from Ballyvaughan to Curranroe Bridge, and about a quarter of a mile from the small harbour of Burren, now called New Quay, from the construction of a quay within the last few years, a little to the east of the former, of which there are still some remains: it is a constabulary police station. A court is held every six weeks by the seneschal of the manor, in which small debts are recoverable. The harbour is frequented by 30 hookers of "about 12 tons' and 150 yawls of 3 tons' burden each, engaged in the fishery, which affords employment to about 500 men. Large quantities of corn, butter, sheep, and pigs, are shipped here; and such is the convenience of the harbour, that in hard weather 100 sail of small craft have taken refuge in it at a time. The coast is noted for its oysters, which are in high repute for their superior flavour and quality; the great oyster bed, called the Burren Red bank, and the harbour, are more particularly described in the account of the parish of Abbey, which see.
BURRISCARRA, a parish, in the barony of CARRA, county of MAYO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 5 3/4 miles (N. N. W.) from Hollymount; containing 1535 inhabitants. This place was distinguished at a very early period for its monastery of Carmelites or White friars, which Pope John XXIII. gave to Eremites of the Augustinian order in 1412; it existed till the general dissolution, and there are still some small remains of the ancient buildings, which appear to have been extensive and of elegant character. The parish is situated upon Lough Carra, and within a mile and a half of the road from Castlebar to Dublin: it comprises 4510 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act; the land is of a light sandy quality; there is but a small quantity of bog. The principal seats are Moore Hall, that of G. Moore, Esq., beautifully situated on Lough Carra, in an extensive demesne richly planted; Tower Hill, of Major Blake; Carnacon, of J. McDonnell, Esq.; Clogher, of Crean Lynch, Esq.; and Castlecarra, of T. Lynch, Esq. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Tuam, episcopally united for more than 65 years to the rectories and vicarages of Ballyhane and Ballyovey, together forming the union of Burriscarra, in the patronage of the Archbishop: the tithes amount to £65, and of the whole benefice to £368. 14. 9 1/2 The church of the union is in Ballyhane; there is neither glebe-house nor glebe. In the R. C. divisions this parish forms part of the union or district of Ballintobber: the chapel, a good cruciform building, erected in 1835 at an expense of £2000, and decorated with a painting of the crucifixion, is situated at Carnacon. A school of 60 boys and 20 girls is held in the chapel. There are some remains of a nunnery, and a very fine mineral spring.
BURRISHOOLE, a parish, in the barony of BURRISHOOLE, county of MAYO, and province of CONNAUGHT; containing, with the market and post-town of Newport-Pratt, 11,761 inhabitants. This place, from a bull of Pope Innocent VIII., dated February 9th, 1486, appears to have been distinguished as the seat of a monastery for friars of the Dominican order, founded by Richard de Bourke, Lord Mac William Oughter, head of the Turlough family, and dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. The monastery was granted to Nicholas Weston, who assigned it to Theobald, Viscount Costello-Galen; there are still some remains. The parish is situated on the north-east shore of Clew bay, and on the high road from Castlebar to Achill island: it comprises 12,550 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. The lands are chiefly under tillage; and many of the islands in Clew bay, which are within the parish, afford good pasturage for sheep. There is a large tract of mountain and bog, about two-thirds of which are reclaimable. Salt-works were formerly carried on here. The principal inhabited islands are Mynishmore, Inish-na-crusna, Inish-cougha, Inishurken, Inishtubride, and Inishturk. There are two large lakes in the parish, called Lough Feagh and Lough Furnace; and on the narrow neck of land between these are the ruins of an old smelting furnace; there is also another at the old abbey. The river of Burrishoole, on which is an excellent salmon fishery, has its source in these lakes. The principal seats are Newport House, that of Sir R. Annesley O'Donell, Bart.; Newfield, of J. McLoughlin, Esq.; Seamount, of Connell O'Donnell, Esq.; Tymore, of J. T. S. Stuart, Esq.; Newfort, of J. Hilles, Esq.; and Abbeyville, of J. McDonnell, Esq. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Tuam, and in the patronage of the Archbishop: the tithes amount to £350. The church is a neat plain structure, for the repairs of which the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £338. 9. 3. The glebe-house was built by aid of a gift of £400 and a loan of £360, in 1819, from the late Board of First Fruits: the glebe comprises 5la. 3r. 26p. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church, and contains two chapels, one at Newport-Pratt and the other at Newfield, both good slated buildings. There is a place of worship for Primitive Methodists, open each alternate Wednesday and Friday; and a Presbyterian minister attends occasionally and performs divine service in the parish school-house. There are twelve public schools in the parish; that at Trienbeg is aided by an annual donation from the Marquess of Sligo, and a school-house at Newport-Pratt was erected at the expense of the Rev. Jas. Hughes, P. P. In these schools are about 1300 children; and in a hedge school at Carrig-a-neady are about 20 children. There are the remains of a castle, formerly belonging to the O'Malley family; also several Druidical caves, many of which contain large rooms arched over with flags. A patron is held here on St. Dominick's day, the 4th of August. --See NEWPORT-PRATT.
BURRISNEFARNEY, a parish, partly in the barony of IKERRIN, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, but chiefly in the barony of CLONLISK, KING'S county, and province of LEINSTER, 1 1/2 mile (W.) from Moneygall; containing 269 inhabitants. This parish is situated near the high road from Dublin to Limerick, which runs on the north-west, and is bounded on the south-east by the Devil's Bit range of mountains, near which the little river Allitrim has its source, which separates the parish from that of Aghnameadle on the west, and abounds with fine trout. It comprises 4138 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £3438 per annum, exclusive of waste. The land is good, and, being chiefly in the hands of gentlemen, is much improved and in grass; there is very little bog, not more than sufficient to supply the inhabitants with fuel. The gentlemen's seats are Loughton, formerly the residence of T. Ryder Pepper, Esq., and now of Lieut.-Gen. Lord Bloomfield, who is making extensive additions and improvements to the house and demesne; Thorn Vale, of George Garvey, Esq.; Barnagrotty, of J. Tydd Abbott, Esq.; White Ville, of R. White, Esq.; and Larch Vale, the neat residence of the Rev. W. Gresson. It is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Killaloe, united by act of council to the vicarage of Bourney or Bourchin: the tithes amount to £184. 12. 3 1/2. The church is a neat modern building, with a metal roof, situated contiguous to the Loughton demesne, and erected under the patronage of T. R. Pepper, Esq., to whose memory it contains a handsome marble tablet.
In the R. C. divisions, also, it forms part of the union or district of Bourney. The parochial school, on the Laughton demesne, was founded and is partly supported by a donation of £20 per annum from Mrs. Pepper, sister of Lord Bloomfield and widow of T. R. Pepper, Esq.; about 50 girls are taught in it. The Rev. Kennedy O'Kennedy, late rector of the union, bequeathed £500 to the poor of this parish and Bourney, to be disposed of for their benefit at the discretion of the rector and churchwardens; but no part of it has yet been received. A parochial relief fund now exists, founded on the plan of the Rev. Dr. Chalmers. There are some remains of an old castle on the Loughton demesne.
BURRIS-O'-KANE, or BURROS-O'-KEANE, a post-town and parish, in the barony of LOWER ORMOND, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 12 3/4 miles (W. by N.) from Roscrea, and 7l 3/4 miles (W. S. W.) from Dublin; containing 2635 inhabitants. This town is situated on the road from Nenagh to Portumna and Banagher, and of late years has undergone much improvement; many new houses have been built, and others are in contemplation. Fairs are held on the 26th of April, June, and September, and on Dec. 15th. Petty sessions are held every Saturday; and here is a chief station of the constabulary police. There is a bridewell, comprising two small cells, a day room, and a cell for females, but it is on a confined plan and in a bad situation. The land is principally under an improving system of tillage: there is a considerable extent of bog, in detached portions. In the townland of Tumbricane is a quarry of limestone of superior quality, which is mostly used for tombstones and building. The principal seats are Arran Hill, the property of the Marquess of Ormonde, but in the occupation of T. G. Stoney, Esq.; Greyfort, the property of -- Saunders, Esq.; Killavalla, the seat of R. Johnston Stoney, Esq.; and Bushey Park, of T. Towers, Esq. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Killaloe, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £185. 2. 4 3/4. The church is a plain structure, built by aid of a loan of £500 from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1812, and for the repairs of which the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £631. 17. 2, The glebe-house was built at the same time, by a gift of £400 and a loan of £300 from the Board: the glebe comprises 11 3/4 acres. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, which comprises also the parishes of Eglish and Ballingarry, and contains a chapel in each parish; that of Burris-O'Kane, now in course of erection, will be a commodious and handsome building. The parochial schools are aided by the rector; and there are a free school and two schools aided by private subscription. About 140 boys and 90 girls are taught in these ' schools; and there are two private pay schools, in which are about 30 of each sex. A fever hospital and dispensary are maintained in the usual manner. There are considerable remains of a square tower castle, called Tumbricane, which appears to have been of great strength.
BURRIS-O'-LEAGH, a post-town, in the parish of GLANKEEN, barony of KILNEMANAGH, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 36 1/4miles (N. N. W.) from Clonmel, and 72 3/4 miles (S. W.) from Dublin; containing 1340 inhabitants. This is a place of considerable antiquity; it is situated on the road from Thurles to Nenagh, and comprises 237 houses. An extensive distillery was formerly carried on here; there is a brewery; and at Fantane, in the vicinity, is another, both on a small scale. Fairs are held on June 9th, Aug. 6th, and Nov. 27th, which is a large fair for pigs. Petty sessions are held once a fortnight; and here is a chief station of the constabulary police. The parish church and a R. C. chapel are situated in the town. A school for the children of Roman Catholics is aided by a donation of £10 per annum from the parish priest; and there is a dispensary.--See GLANKEEN.
BURROS-in-OSSORY, a market and post-town, in the parish of AGHABOE, barony of UPPER OSSORY, QUEEN'S county, and province of LEINSTER, 13 miles (S. W. by W.) from Maryborough, and 53 miles (S. W. by W.) from Dublin; containing 770 inhabitants. This place was formerly of some importance: being bounded on the north by the river Nore, and encompassed on every other side by bogs, it formed the great pass to Munster; and for its defence the Fitzpatricks, proprietors of the district, at an early period built a castle, of which, as appears by his will, Sir Barnaby Fitzpatrick, second baron of Upper Ossory, was in possession in 1582. In 1600, Queen Elizabeth granted this place, among other possessions, to Florence Fitzpatrick and his son, which grant was confirmed by Jas. I. in 1611. The castle was, in 1641, besieged by Florence; and the garrison, consisting of Protestants of Upper Ossory, though enduring the greatest sufferings from want of provisions, refused to surrender, and kept possession of it till they were relieved by Sir C. Coote. In 1642, Bryan, the sixth baron, accompanied the insurgents to besiege this castle, which was subsequently granted to the Duke of Ormonde, and, with the townland of Burros, comprising 600 acres, is now part of the estate of the Duke of Buckingham. The town is situated on the mail coach road from Dublin to Limerick, and consists of one long street containing about 130 houses. It has a market; and fairs are held on Jan. 25th, March 21st, May 31st, June 24th, Aug. 15th, Oct. 11th, Nov. 21st, and Dec. 20th. A constabulary police force is stationed in the town; and the quarter sessions for the county are held in April and October, and petty sessions irregularly. Here is also a dispensary. Near the town, on the estate of the Earl of Mountrath, are some remains of the old castle of Ballaghmore, built by the Fitzpatricks, which, in 1647, was attacked by Capt. Hedges and the garrison of Burros, to whom it surrendered, and was partly dismantled; the captain, on his return, was intercepted, and before he reached his quarters lost several of his men. On Kyle hill, about two miles from the town, is a rude stone chair, called by the peasantry the "Fairy Chair," which was probably in former times a seat of judgment of the Brehons.--See AGHABOE.
BURRY, a parish, in the barony of UPPER KELLS, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 1 3/4 mile (S. W.) from Kells; containing 1027 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the road from Mullingar to Kells and Drogheda, and comprises 3339 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. The land, which is of great fertility, is almost equally divided between tillage and pasture, and the system of agriculture is in a highly improved state. There is a considerable tract of bog, which partly supplies the town of Kells with turf; and there are some quarries of limestone and greenstone.
Balrath, the seat of C. A. Nicholson, Esq., is a handsome residence, pleasantly situated in an extensive and well-wooded demesne, with a park well stocked with deer, and in which are some remains of the old church, with a burial-ground attached. The other seats are Springville, the residence of P. O'Reilly, Esq.; and Berford, of J. Dyas, Esq. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Meath, and is part of the union of Kells and corps of the archdeaconry of Meath: the tithes amount to £150 The glebe comprises 2r. 19p., valued at £1. 10. per annum. In the R. C. divisions, also, it forms part of the union or district of Kells. There are two daily pay schools, one at Drumbarrow and the other at Scurlogstown, in which are about 100 boys and 60 girls.
BURT, a parish, in the barony of ENNISHOWEN, county of DONEGAL, and province of ULSTER, 6 miles (N. W.) from Londonderry; containing 3765 inhabitants. This parish, which anciently formed part of the parish of Templemore, is situated on Lough Swilly, and comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 10,672 1/2 statute acres. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Derry, and in the patronage of the Dean, to whom the tithes are payable: the curate's stipend is £100 per annum late currency, of which £75 is paid by the dean, and the remainder is advanced from the augmentation funds of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. The church, a neat small edifice, was built about a century since. There is no glebe-house. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Iskahan, Burt, and Inch, and contains a chapel. There is also a place of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, of the first class. A parochial school, in which are about 40 boys and 4 girls, is supported by the Dean of Derry; and there are three pay schools, in which are about SO boys and 30 girls, and three Sunday schools. On the shore of Lough Swilly are the ruins of the castle of Burt, or Birt, erected by Sir Cahir O'Dogherty in the 15th century, consisting of a single tower, situated on a commanding eminence.
BUSHMILLS, a market and post-town, in that part of the parish of BILLY which is in the barony of CAREY, county of ANTRIM, and province of ULSTER, 6 1/4miles (N. E. by N.) from Coleraine, and 125 1/2 (N.) from Dublin; containing 108 houses and 507 inhabitants. This place is pleasantly situated near the mouth of the river Bush, from which it derives its name: it is neatly built, and is the general place of resort for parties visiting the Giant's Causeway, about two miles distant, for whose accommodation a large and handsome hotel has been erected by Sir F. W. Macnaghten, Bart., who, in 1827, established a weekly market here. A distillery is carried on, and is much celebrated for the quality of its whiskey, of which about 12,000 gallons are annually made and principally sent to England, Scotland, the West Indies, and America. There is a manufactory of spades, shovels, scythes, and sickles upon the river Bush; extensive paper-mills have been erected by F. D. Ward, Esq., for the supply of the home and Scottish markets, and near them are mills for flour and for dressing flax. The market is on Tuesday, and is well supplied with grain, linen yarn, pork, and provisions of all kinds; and fairs are held on Jan. 28th, March 28th, June 28th, July 21st, Oct. 21st, and Dec. 12th. Here is a constabulary police station; and the petty sessions for the district are held every fortnight. The court-house, a large and handsome building, recently erected by Sir F. W. Macnaghten, contains also apartments for the police, and some cells for the confinement of prisoners. The parish church of Dunluce is situated in the town; and there are also a place of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, and one for Methodists. A school has been established by the trustees of Erasmus Smith's charity, for the instruction of the children of parishioners, the master of which has a good house and two acres of land; there are also several schools in various parts of the parish. In the immediate neighbourhood is Bushmills House, the seat of Sir F. W. Macnaghten, Bart., who has made numerous improvements on his estate: the mansion is at present being rebuilt in a very splendid style, and with the grounds will form an interesting ornament to the place. In the bed of the river, near the bridge, are some small but beautiful basaltic columns fantastically curved.
BUTLERSBRIDGE, a village, in the parish of CASTLETERRA, barony of UPPER LOUGHTEE, county of CAVAN, and province of ULSTER, 3 miles (N. N. W.) from Cavan; containing about 40 houses and 211 inhabitants. It is pleasantly situated on the river Ballyhaise, and on the road from Cavan to Enniskillen, and has a fair on the second Monday in every month throughout the year. Here is a R. C. chapel of ease to those of Castleterra and Ballyhaise; and a daily penny post to Cavan and Belturbet has been established.
BUTLERSTOWN. -- See KILRONAN, county of WATERFORD.
BUTTEVANT, a post-town and parish (formerly an incorporated market-town), in the barony of ORRERY and KILMORE, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 22 miles (N. by W.) from Cork, and 121 3/4 (S. W.) from Dublin; containing 5535 inhabitants, of which number, 1536 are in the town. This parish, which is situated on the river Awbeg and on the road from Mallow to Charleville, was anciently called Bothon, and is said to have derived its present name from the exclamation Boutez en avant, "Push forward," used by David de Barry, its proprietor, to animate his men in a contest with the McCarthys, which was subsequently adopted as the family motto of the Earls of Barrymore, who derived their title of Viscount from this place. It appears to have attained considerable importance at an early period after the first invasion, from the notices of it which occur in ancient records still existing. On the 26th of September, 1234, a grant was made by Hen. III. to David de Barry of a market on Sunday, and a fair on the vigil and day of St. Luke the Evangelist and for six following days. In the 11th of Edw. II. (1317), a grant of release of £105 required of the commonalty of the town of "Botavant" by the exchequer, to be applied in enclosing it with walls, was made at the request of John Fitz-David de Barry, to whom the town belonged, and who was required to see that the money was duly employed in the same. In the 49th of Edw. III., another grant, dated Aug. 6th, 1375, was made to the "Provost and Commonalty of Botavaunt," ratifying a former grant of part of the "waste" of the town, with the north gate and customs there. A priory and a nunnery were founded here at an early period; the priory was restored in 1290, by David Oge Barry, Lord Buttevant, for Conventual Franciscans, and dedicated to St. Thomas the martyr; the nunnery was under the invocation of St. Owen, or St. John the Baptist, but there are no particulars of its foundation or order. During the war between the houses of York and Lancaster, the town suffered considerable devastation; and in 1568 the castle was taken by the Lord-Deputy Sydney. In 1641 the Irish army of the south assembled here under the command of Lord Mountgarret, and proceeded to Mallow: and early in the year 1643, Lord Inchiquin assembled his forces here, consisting of 4000 foot and 400 horse. The manor of Buttevant continued in the possession of the Barrymore family, and was sold by Richard, the last Earl, to the late John Anderson, Esq., of Fermoy: it was purchased, in 1831, by Lord Doneraile, the present proprietor.
The town is situated on the western bank of the river Awbeg, over which are two bridges, one on the old and the other on the modern road from Cork to Limerick: it consists principally of one main street extending along the mail coach road, and in 1831 contained 204 houses. Immediately adjoining, on the north-west, are the barracks, an extensive range of buildings, occupying a spacious enclosed area of nearly 23 statute acres, divided into two quadrangles by the central range, in which is an archway surmounted by a cupola and affording communication between them. Near Buttevant Castle is an extensive and substantial flour-mill, erected by Sir James Anderson and furnished with machinery of superior construction; it is capable of manufacturing 20,000 barrels of flour annually, but at present is not in operation. The market has been long discontinued; but fairs are held on March 27th, July 20th, Oct. 14th, and Nov. 20th, chiefly for cattle. The market-house is situated on the west side of an open square at the southern extremity of the town; the upper part is used as the courthouse. A constabulary police force is stationed here; a seneschal's court for the manor of Buttevant is occasionally held, in which debts, not exceeding 40s. late currency, are recoverable; and petty sessions are held every alternate Wednesday. Including Lisgriffin, the parish comprises 7543 statute acres: the land is of very good quality and principally under tillage; there is neither woodland nor waste, and but a small quantity of bog. Limestone abounds, and there is one quarry near the town of very superior quality, of a light grey colour and very fine grain, from which the stone for building the new R. C. chapel has been taken. Buttevant Castle, the residence of Sir J. Caleb Anderson, Bart., was originally called King John's Castle, and formed one of the angles of the ancient fortifications of the town; it was considerably enlarged and modernised by the late Mr. Anderson, and has lost much of its antique appearance; it is beautifully situated on a rocky eminence on the margin of the river, of which it commands a fine view; within the demesne is the church, the spire of which combining with other features of the scenery adds much to the beauty of the landscape. The other seats are Castle View, that of Barry Gregg, Esq.; Velvetstown, of T. Lucas Croft, Esq.; and Temple Mary, of J. O'Leary, Esq.: there are also several neat cottage residences. The river Awbeg, celebrated by Spenser under the appellation of the "Gentle Mulla," abounds with fine white trout.
The living is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Cloyne, episcopally united, at a period prior to any existing record, to the vicarages of Bregogue and Kilbroney, and to the perpetual curacy of Cahirduggan, together forming the union of Buttevant and Cahirduggan, formerly called the union of Bregogue, in the patronage of the Bishop; the rectory is impropriate in C. Silver Oliver, Esq. The tithes, amounting to £926. 10., are wholly payable to the impropriator. The curate is also chaplain of the barracks; and the tithes of the benefice amount to £139. 4. The church is a handsome structure in the later English style, with a square embattled tower surmounted by a finely proportioned spire: it is situated near the river and within the castle demesne, and was built in 1826, near the site of an ancient church, of which there are still some remains, and on the site of another of more recent date; the late Board of First Fruits granted a loan of £1600 for its erection: a handsome mural monument has been erected to the Rev. T. Walker, late minister of the parish. There is neither glebe-house nor glebe. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms the head of a union or district, which comprises also the parishes of Ballybeg, Bregogue, and Kilbroney, and contains the chapels of Buttevant and Lisgriffin, both in this parish. The new chapel at Buttevant, commenced in 1831, is now nearly completed; the estimated expense was £3000, of which £600 was granted on loan by the Board of Public Works, and the remainder raised by subscription, through the unwearied exertions of the Rev. C. Buckley, P.P., towards which Lord Doneraile contributed £30, and also presented the site. It is a very handsome structure of hewn limestone, in the later English style, consisting of a nave and transept, between which, on each side, rises a square embattled tower crowned with richly crocketed pinnacles; the walls are strengthened with buttresses at the angles and between the windows of the nave, terminating in crocketed pinnacles above an embattled parapet carried round the building; and the gables of the transept are surmounted by Maltese crosses, beneath which, on each side, is a cinquefoiled niche resting on a projecting corbel. The nave is lighted by a range of three windows of two lights ornamented in cinquefoil, with a quatre-foiled circle in the crown of the arch; and the transept is lighted at each end by a noble window of five lights, 26 feet high, and elaborately enriched with tracery: the tower on the east side was a detached watch-tower belonging to the abbey, erected by one of the Earls of Desmond for the protection of the brethren in times of violence, and incorporated with the present building. A parochial house will be built near it for the priest's residence; and part of the old chapel has been converted into a national school, in which are 240 boys. The parochial school, in which are 40 boys and 30 girls, is kept in a house rented by the Rev. Dr. Cotter and Col. Hill, and is supported by subscription, aided by an annual donation of £10 each from Lords Doneraile and Arden; there are also six private schools, in which are about 340 children. The fever hospital, which contains also a dispensary, is a substantial stone building near the river, capable of receiving 30 patients.
The ruins of the abbey are finely situated on the steep bank of the river Awbeg, and consist chiefly of the walls of the nave, chancel, and some portions of the domestic buildings; the upper part of the central tower, supported on arches of light and graceful elevation, fell down in 1814; the tomb of the founder, David de Barry, is supposed to be in the centre of the chancel, but is marked only by some broken stones which appear to have formed an enclosure. On the south side of the nave are the remains of a finely proportioned chapel, in which, and also in the nave and chancel, are numerous tombs and inscriptions to the memory of the Barrys, Fitzgeralds, Lombards, and others. Near the abbey are some vestiges of an ancient building supposed to have been the nunnery. Nearly in the centre of the town are the remains of Lombards' castle, a quadrangular building flanked at each angle by a square tower, one of which is nearly in a perfect state, and, with a portion of the castle, has been converted into a dwelling-house. At Lisgriffin are the ruins of an ancient castle of the family of Barry. Some remains of the old town walls may yet be traced; and in a burial-ground at Templemary are the ruins of an ancient church or chapel. The title of Viscount Buttevant, conferred on the Barry family in 1406, has been dormant since the death of the last Earl of Barrymore, but is now claimed by James Redmond Barry, Esq., of Glandore, in the county of Cork.
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