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SAGGARD, or TASSAGGARD, a parish, in the barony of NEWCASTLE, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 1 mile (E. by S.) from Rathcoole, on the roads leading from Dublin to Blessington and Naas; containing 1673 inhabitants, of which number, 266 are in the village. This parish comprises 4260 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act; the surface is mountainous, but the lower grounds are in good cultivation; limestone is quarried, and the mountains abound with peat. The principal seats are Saggard House, the residence of P. Smith, Esq.; Kingswood, of Mrs. Walsh; and Ashtree Cottage, of J. Wade, Esq., where the Saggard hounds are kept. The village is pleasantly situated near the Tallaght hills, and contains 71 houses, neatly built. The manufacture of paper is carried on in mills belonging to Mr. McDonnell, at Swift's Brook, where was formerly a residence of Dean Swift. Fairs are held on Corpus Christi day, Oct. 10th, and Nov. 8th. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Dublin, and in the patronage of the Archbishop, partly appropriate to the deanery of St. Patrick's, Dublin, and partly constituting the corps of the prebend of Saggard in the cathedral of St. Patrick. The tithes amount to £250, of which £110 is payable to the dean, and the remainder to the prebendary. The church has long been in ruins, and the parishioners attend the church of Rathcoole; the churchyard is still used as a burial-place. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, comprising also the parishes of Newcastle and Rathcoole, and part of the parish of Tallaght. There are chapels at Saggard and Newcastle; on the west side of the former is a monument of marble to the Rev. A. Hart, P. P., and dean of Maynooth, with his effigy in bass relief. About 100 children are taught in a public school near the village. A monastery is said to have been founded here by St. Mosacre, who flourished about the middle of the 7th century, of which there is no further record; perhaps it was destroyed in 1131, when this place was ravaged by the septs of the Byrnes and O'Tooles.

SAINTFIELD, or TONAGHNIEVE, a post-town and parish, in the barony of UPPER CASTLEREAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 9 miles (N. W.) from Downpatrick, and 78 1/2 (N. by E.) from Dublin, at the termination of the mail coach road branching from Dromore, by way of Ballinahinch; containing 7154 inhabitants, of which number, 1053 are in the town, which consists of one long street, intersected by a shorter one, comprising 213 houses, the greater number of which are built of stone and slated. At this place the first battle was fought in the north of Ireland during the disturbances of 1798, on June 9th, when the York Fencibles were beaten back and retreated to Cumber. The proprietor and lord of the manor, N. Price, Esq., improved the town in 1802, when he erected a large market-house and hotel, since which time Saintfield has been rapidly improving, and is now one of the most flourishing towns in the county. According to the Ordnance survey, the parish comprises 13,333 3/4 statute acres, 280 of which are roads and waste, and 118 bog; the land is good and nearly all arable. The weaving of fine linen cloth, cotton cords, and hosiery, gives employment to a great number of the working classes at their own houses. Here is a chief constabulary police station; a manor court is held every third Saturday in the court-house, at which debts to the amount of £10 are recoverable; petty sessions are also held in the court-house on alternate Tuesdays. Mr. Price gave premiums for the encouragement of a market and fairs, so that they rank amongst the best in the North of Ireland; the market is held every Monday, and the fairs take place on Jan. 26th, the second Thursday (O. S.) in Feb. and March, the third Thursday in April and May, June 26th, July 30th, Aug. 26th, the third Thursday in Sept., Oct. 26th, the third Thursday in Nov., and the Thursday after Christmas. The principal seats are Saintfield House, the elegant residence of N. Price, Esq., situated on elevated ground near the town, of which it commands a fine view; Mill House, of J. McBurney, Esq.; and the glebe-house, of the Rev. H. H. Wolseley; and there are several excellent farm-houses.

The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Down, and in the alternate patronage of the Earl of Carrick and Viscount Bangor: the rectory is impropriate in the proprietors of the soil. The tithes amount to £612. 2. 2., of which £175 is payable to Viscount Bangor, £147. 1. 4. to N. Price, Esq., £9. 4. 7 1/2. to Lord Dufferin, and £280. 16. 2 1/2. to the vicar. The glebe comprises 20 1/4 acres, valued at £25. 6. 3. per ann.; the glebe-house is a large and handsome building, erected in 1750 at the expense of the then incumbent. The church, in the town, is a large and elegant structure in the early English style, with a square tower, and is in good repair. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, comprising this parish and that of Killinchy, in each of which is a chapel. The parochial school in the town was built by N. Price, Esq., and endowed by him with an acre of land; there is a female school built by subscription and partially supported by the vicar; and there are 9 other public schools, in all of which are about 560 children; 11 private schools, in which are also about 560 children; and 11 Sunday schools. Hutcheson, the author of a work on Moral Philosophy, was a native of this parish.

SALEEN.-- See BINGHAMSTOWN.

SALLINS, a village, partly in the parish of OSBERSTOWN, but chiefly in that of BODENSTOWN, barony of NORTH NASS, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER, 1 1/2 mile (N. W.) from Naas; containing 419 inhabitants. It is situated on the Grand Canal and is the third stage for the canal-packets plying from Dublin; it is also a constabulary police station.

SALTEE ISLANDS, in the barony of BARGY, county of WEXFORD, and province of LEINSTER. These islands, consisting of the Great and Little Saltee, are situated in St. George's Channel, off the coast of the parish of Kilmore, in lat. 52° 8' 30" (N.), and lon. 6° 41' (W.); they are extra-parochial. The Great Saltee is four miles from the shore at the village of Crossfarnogue, and three leagues (W. 1/2 S.) from the Black rock; it is of an elliptical form, about one mile in length and half a mile broad, and comprises about 130 acres, of which about one-third is under tillage and the remainder in pasture; and from the abundance of sea-weed found on its shores, it is rendered peculiarly fertile. It is the property of H. K. G. Morgan, Esq., of Johnstown Castle, from whom it is rented by a farmer, whose family and labourers, about 20 persons, constitute its population. The island is amply supplied with water from several springs, and is frequented by a great variety of wild fowl that breed here during the summer months; it is consequently much visited by shooting parties. A detachment of two men from the coast-guard station at Crossfarnogue is stationed here. The vestiges of numerous houses indicate that the island was formerly thickly inhabited; on the eastern extremity, still called the Abbey point, are the ruins of a building supposed to have been a religious house. Stafford, the governor of Wexford, who is said to have betrayed that town to Cromwell, retreated hither and built a cottage which still bears his name. Bagnal Harvey, Commander-in-Chief, and Colclough, a general of the insurgent forces during the disturbances of 1798, who had taken refuge here after their defeat, were discovered in a cave and made prisoners. The Little Saltee island is about 2 1/2 miles from the shore, with which it is connected by a narrow ridge of shingle, called St. Patrick's bridge, about two-thirds of which are dry at low water; it contains about 80 acres and is inhabited by a family consisting of three persons. The channel between the two islands is from four to five fathoms deep. Off the north-west point of the Great Saltee a vessel may anchor in five or six fathoms. The Coningmore rock, always above water, lies a mile and a half (S. by W.) from its south-west point; and about a mile (S. W. by W.) from it is the Coningbeg rock, which appears at half ebb. Outside of these rocks is placed a light-ship having two lanterns, at an elevation of 25 feet above the sea at high water mark, displaying a bright light visible at the distance of nine nautical miles in clear weather. On part of the narrow ridge between the Little Saltee and the mainland, called St. Patrick's Bridge, are from seven to ten feet at low water; and on the west side of it is the small fishing harbour of Crossfarnogue. From these islands to Hook Tower, a distance of five leagues, the intermediate space is a large bay with a continual in-draught and heavy sea setting in towards the shore, and dangerous from rocks and shallows, known only to persons well acquainted with this coast. Numerous vessels have been wrecked here: should a vessel get too far into this bay, it is impossible to beat out, and there is no place of refuge except Fethard, which, though it has a small pier, can afford no shelter, from the shallowness of its water and its exposed situation.

SALTERSTOWN, a parish, in the barony of FERRARD, county of LOUTH, and province of LEINSTER, 4 miles (N. E.) from Dunleer; containing 354 inhabitants, of which number, 93 are in the hamlet. It is situated on the bay of Dundalk, and comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 1047 3/4 statute acres, the greater part of which is excellent land. A lead and copper mine was formerly worked here. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Armagh, forming part of the union of Dunany; the lands are tithe-free, having formerly belonged to the abbey of Mellifont. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the district of Dysart and Clonmore.

SALT MILLS, a village, in the parish of TINTERN, barony of SHELBURNE, county of WEXFORD, and province of LEINSTER, 2 1/2 miles (N.) from Fethard; containing 206 inhabitants. The village of Tintern, which was contiguous to the abbey of that name, the property of Caesar Colclough, Esq., was taken down within the last 20 years, and rebuilt upon the townland of Salt Mills, by which name it is now more generally known. It is situated on the western side of an inlet of the sea, called Bannow bay, and in 1831 contained 29 houses and cottages, all neatly white-washed, and several of them painted and ornamented in front with small gardens. The female inhabitants are mostly employed in straw-platting and bonnet-making, which are carried on to some extent; and some of the males are employed in fishing. A school for boys and a dispensary are entirely supported by Mr. Colclough.

SANDFORD, a village, in the parish of ST. PETER, barony of UPPERCROSS, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 1 1/2 mile (S.) from the General Post-Office, on the road to Enniskerry: the population is returned with the parish. The name of this place is derived from the circumstance of Lord Mount-Sandford having, in 1826, erected and endowed an episcopal chapel, under the provisions of an act of the 11th and 12th of Geo. III. Though not possessed of any property in the neighbourhood, sympathising with a large population destitute of any place of worship for Protestants, his lordship liberally expended about £5000 in building a church, parsonage, and school-houses, besides securing an endowment of £50 per annum to the chaplain. These buildings occupy a very interesting site: the church is fitted up in a chaste and simple style, and is capable of accommodating 900 people; 300 sittings are free: the rent of the remainder, in addition to the endowment, forms the maintenance of the clergyman. The salaries of clerk, organist, school-master, &c., are paid by collections among the congregation; so that this chapelry has never been any charge on the parish. The founder vested the right of appointment to the chaplaincy in four clergymen and one layman, as trustees, with power to fill up vacancies in their number. Each school contains about 60 children of each sex, one-half of whom are Roman Catholics: there is a lending library attached to the establishment.

SANDYCOVE, a village, in the parish of RINGRONE, barony of KINSALE, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 1 1/2 mile (S.) from Kinsale; containing 104 inhabitants. The village stands at the head of the little cove or bay from which it derives its name. Close adjoining is the parish church of Ringrone; near which are the ruins of Ringrone castle, built by De Courcy, in the reign of Rich. II., the history of which, as connected with that powerful and noble family, is exceedingly interesting: it continues in the possession of their descendants, the Lords Kingsale, who take from it also the title of Baron.

SANDYFORD, a village, in the parish of TULLY, barony of HALF-RATHDOWN, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 5 miles (S.) of Dublin, on the old road to Enniskerry; the population is returned with the parish. This is the head of the R. C. union or district of Sandyford and Glancullen, comprising the parishes of Kilternan and Kilgobbin, and portions of those of Tullow, Rathmichael, Stillorgan, Kill, and Taney: the chapel is a spacious building, which, though commenced 20 years since, is not yet finished; attached is a good residence for the priest: another chapel is at Glancullen, in the parish of Kilternan. There is a school in connection with the new Board of Education.

SANDYMOUNT, a large and populous village, in that part of the parish of ST. MARY, DONNYBROOK, which is within the county of the city of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 2 miles (S. E. by E.) from the General Post-Office, to which it has a twopenny post: the population is returned with the parish. It is on the southern coast of the bay of Dublin, and is much resorted to in summer for sea-bathing, for which its fine sandy beach presents every facility. The village is very pretty and contains many good houses forming a square. in the centre of which is an ornamental grass-plot surrounded by iron railings: there are numerous pretty villas on the strand, for the convenience of summer visiters, whence a new road to Merrion has lately been made along the shore. The principal seats are Lakelands, the residence of Mrs. Williamson, situated in grounds tastefully laid out and commanding fine sea and mountain views; Wilfield House, of N. Anderson, Esq.; Sandymount Castle, of R. Corbet, Esq.; and Sandymount Park, of Capt. W. Dillon, whence is obtained a fine view of the bay of Dublin, with the hill of Howth, Ireland's Eye, Lambay island, the South Wall and the Pigeon House. In the village there are a parochial school, erected in 1833, and supported by subscriptions, and a female school, built and supported by the Misses Hepenstall, aided by £100 from the Lord-Lieutenant's fund. A loan fund and a Bible Association were established here in 1832; there are also a savings -bank and a lending library. A branch of the Sisters of Charity, from Stanhope-street, Dublin, established themselves in Sandymount Avenue about five years since; the inmates consist of a superioress and five nuns, who instruct about 80 children: a neat chapel attached is open to the public.

SANTRY, or SANTREFF, a parish, in the barony of COOLOCK, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (N.) from Dublin, on the road to Swords; containing 1159 inhabitants, of which number, 125 are in the village. In 1641 the village was burnt, and great devastation committed in the parish, by a detachment from the parliamentarian forces stationed at Dublin, which had been sent against a party of royalists that had taken post here. The parish comprises 4525 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act: the land is of good quality, chiefly in meadow and pasture; that which is under tillage is fertile, and the system of agriculture is improving. Nearly adjoining the village is Santry House, the seat of Sir Compton Domville, Bart., proprietor of the parish, a stately mansion of brick, containing many spacious apartments ornamented with numerous family portraits, a valuable collection of historical and scriptural paintings by the best masters, and many valuable specimens of the fine arts: the demesne, comprising more than 140 acres, is tastefully laid out in gardens and pleasure-grounds, richly embellished with timber, and commanding some beautiful scenery and some extensive mountain and sea views. There are numerous other seats and villas in the parish, of which the principal are Belcamp House, the residence of C. S. Hawthorne, Esq., a handsome mansion, situated in finely disposed grounds and commanding some rich views; Woodlands, of Col. A. Thomson, C. B., built by Dean Jackson, cotemporary with Dean Swift, who was a frequent inmate here; Belcamp, of Sir H. M. J. W. Jervis, Bart., an elegant villa beautifully situated; Santry Lodge, of J. Martin, Esq.; Belcamp, of Mrs. Chamley; Woodford, of F. W. Edwards, Esq.; Woodlawn, of Capt. Logan; and Collinstown, of L. Brangan, Esq. The village is pleasantly situated on the road to Swords; it contains 25 houses, neatly built, and derives much interest from the adjoining demesne of Santry House: near it is a station of the city police. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Dublin, and in the patronage of the Crown, in which one-half of the rectorial tithes is impropriate; the other half is annexed to the vicarage. The tithes amount to £462, of which £200 is payable to the Crown, and £262 to the vicar. The glebe-house was built on a glebe of one acre in 1829, at an expense of £1300, towards which the late Board of First Fruits contributed a gift of £200 and a loan of £600; the remainder was defrayed by the Rev. Dennis Browne, the present incumbent. The church, towards the repair of which the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have granted £264, is a plain neat edifice, rebuilt in 1709, and contains the tombs of many of the Barry and Domville families, successive proprietors of the estate. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union of Clontarf; there is a chapel at Ballyman. The charter school under the Incorporated Society is endowed with land by R. H. L. Gardiner; the house, towards which Primate Boulter contributed £400, is a spacious building, situated on the road to Drogheda: in this school about 30 children are clothed, maintained, and educated, and when of age are placed out as apprentices; and about 50 children are taught in two other public schools.

SAUL, a parish, in the barony of LECALE, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 1 3/4 mile (N. E.) from Downpatrick: containing 2119 inhabitants. St. Patrick is said to have founded here an abbey for Canons Regular, and to have constituted his disciple, St. Dunnius, or Modun, abbot thereof: the patron day is May 29th. The founder died here March 17th, 493, in the 120th year of his age, and was interred with great solemnity at Downpatrick. Some years since, the ruins of this establishment were very extensive, but now only a fragment remains. The parish is situated on the south-western branch of Strangford Lough, and comprises, according to the Ordnance survey (including islands and a detached portion), 5272 1/2 statute acres, of which 2119 are under tillage, the remainder in pasture. Walsh's-town Castle, the residence of R. Foster Anderson, Esq., is one of many built by De Courcy on the conquest of Ulster, and of twenty-seven around Strangford Lough, this is the only one now inhabited; the ancestors of the present possessor having occupied it ever since the reign of Chas. I. The living was formerly a perpetual cure and part of the deanery of Down, from which, by order of council in 1834, under the Church Temporalities' Act, it was separated, and constituted a distinct rectory, in the diocese of Down and patronage of the Crown: the tithes amount to £386. 6. The glebe comprises 6a. 0r. 20p., valued at £30. 12. 6. per ann.; the glebe-house was built by aid of a gift of £450, and a loan of £50, in 1816, from the late Board of First Fruits. By the order in council the three detached townlands, and the tithes of Whitehill, Ballynarry, and Ballynagarrick were disunited from this parish and annexed to the adjoining parish of Ballyculter, and the clerical duties of those townlands were annexed to the adjoining parish of Kilclief, to which were also annexed the townland and tithes of Ballywoodan, separated from the parish of Saul. In lieu of such severance the townland and tithes of Ballystokes, severed from Bailee parish, and those of Raholfe and Ballintleave from Ballyculter parish, were annexed to Saul, the clerical duties of the two last-named townlands remaining annexed to Ballyculter. The church, erected about 1770, is a large plain building, without tower or spire, occupying part of the site of the abbey; the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £375 for its repair. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church. There are two schools, aided by annual donations from Dean Plunket and Lady Harriet Forde, in which about 240 children are educated: about 70 are taught in a private school, and there are three Sunday schools. Mrs. Conway bequeathed a rent-charge of £3. 7. 6. per ann. to the poor of this parish; and Judge Ward gave a rent-charge of 16s. per ann. for ever out of the Castle Ward estate. Near Walsh's-town Castle stood the church of St. Mary, by some supposed to have been parochial, but it seems most probable that it was for the use of the garrison; on levelling the churchyard a few years since, coins of the reigns of Hen. I. and II., Robert Bruce, and Rich. III., were discovered.

SCADDANSTOWN, county of TIPPERARY.-- See JOHNSTOWN (ST.)

SCALP, county of DUBLIN.-- See KILTERNAN.

SCALP, or CASTLETON, a village, in the parish of ARDRAHAN, barony of DUNKELLIN, county of GALWAY, and province of CONNAUGHT, 7 miles (S. S. W.) from Loughrea, on the road to Gort; the population is returned with the parish. Here is a chalybeate spa, which was used some years since with advantage.

SCARIFF, a post-town, in the parish of TOMGRANEY, barony of TULLA, county of CLARE, and province of MUNSTER, 8 miles (N. W. by N.) from Killaloe, and 94 3/4 (W. by S.) from Dublin, on the road from Killaloe to Williamstown and Portumna; containing 761 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Scariff, which flows into the picturesque bay of the same name, opening into Lough Derg on the Shannon, and might he easily made navigable from the bay to Lough Grady, about a mile above the town: the river is here crossed by a bridge of three arches. This is a pleasing little town, occupying an ascent from the river, and consisting chiefly of one main street: in 1831 it contained 120 houses, some of which are neatly built. An excellent new and level road, which has been lately constructed between Killaloe and Williamstown, chiefly along the shores of Lough Derg, passes through the town. Here are extensive oil and flour-mills, and a considerable number of coarse hats are manufactured in the immediate vicinity. Fairs are held monthly. A smelting furnace for iron was formerly in full work here. In the R. C. divisions it gives name to a union or district, comprising the north-eastern part of the parish of Tomgraney, and the entire parish of Moynoe, and containing the chapels of Scariff and Knock O'Grady. During the disturbances, in 1831, an encampment was formed on Shene hill, in the vicinity, which was occupied for two months by a party of the military.

SCARIFF ISLAND, in the parish of KILCROHANE, barony of DUNKERRON, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 2 1/2 miles (S. W.) from Hogs' Head, which forms the southern side of Ballinaskelligs' bay, and about the same distance (W.) from Lambs' Head, on the shore of Derrynane, on the south-western coast: it is the larger of the two called the Hog Islands, and together with the smaller one called Dinish, is held by Daniel O'Connell, Esq., M. P., from the Earl of Cork. It is inhabited by only one family, employed in the care of the cattle, sheep, &c., fed on the island. The depth of water close to these islands is 28 fathoms, and between them and Lambs' Head are several smaller ones. On the summit of Scariff are the vestiges of an ancient hermitage, or cell, which are now covered by a mound of earth and stones raised by the Trigonometrical Surveyors of Ireland. There are also some slight vestiges of a church and burial-ground on the eastern side of the island; and in another place, those of a mill, near which runs a stream of very pure water.

SCARTAGLIN, a village, in the parish of CASTLE ISLAND, barony of TRUGHENACKMY, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 4 3/4 miles from Castle Island, containing 313 inhabitants. It is situated on the new line of road recently constructed by Government, extending from Castle Island through King-William's-Town to Roskeen bridge, in the county of Cork. It crosses the Brown Flesk river near the village over a neat stone bridge; and it is in contemplation to open a road connecting this line with one lately formed by Col. Drummond and C. Fairfield, Esq., through the adjoining parish of Ballincuslane, as far as the village of Ardnagrath. Here is a R. C. chapel belonging to the district of Castle Island, in which a school is held under the patronage of the R. C. clergyman.

SCARVAGH, a village (formerly a market-town), in the parish of AGHADERG, barony of UPPER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 2 miles (N. W.) from Loughbrickland, on the road to Tanderagee; containing 220 inhabitants. During the civil war of 1641, this place was the scene of many sanguinary struggles: it finally fell into the hands of Gen. Monk, who erected a castle on the summit of a gentle eminence to command the pass, where a garrison was kept for several years. Here the army of Wm. III., under Duke Schomberg, first rendezvoused after landing in Ireland, the camp extending in two lines from Loughbrickland to Scarvagh pass and to Pointz pass; a venerable oak in Scarvagh demesne is still shewn as that under which the royal tent was pitched. In 1783 a battle was fought at Lisnagade fort, between the "Hearts of Steel," and the "Break-of-day Boys," when several of the former were killed. The village, containing about 50 well-built houses, was founded about 1746 by the late John Reilly, Esq., who obtained a charter for a market and fairs. It is situated on the canal between Newry and Lough Neagh, having a small dock and quayage for lighters; a considerable trade is carried on, particularly in coal and turf, supplying a populous neighbourhood and numerous bleach mills and manfactories with fuel. The market has long been discontinued; but fairs are still held on March 21st, June 19th, Sept. 5th and Nov. 14th, and are well attended. Scarvagh House is the seat of J. Lushington Reilly, Esq.; Union Lodge, of Wm. Fivey, Esq.; and Lisnagade House, of E. H. Trevor, Esq.: the two former are situated in extensive demesnes, on which is some very fine timber; the last is on a lofty eminence, close to the ancient fort from which it is named. Here is a beautiful lake called Loughshark; and not far distant was one more extensive, called Loughadian, which was drained in 1760 by W. Fivey, Esq.; part of it is cultivated, and the remainder is bog. Here is a male and female school, erected and supported by Mr. Reilly, and also a neat and commodious meeting-house for Seceders. In the vicinity are numerous vestiges of antiquity, which appear to have had some connection with the passes through the bogs, lakes, and forests, which formerly abounded here, although this is now one of the most fertile and beautiful districts in the North of Ireland. In the demesne of Scarvagh is the "Danes' Cast," by the native inhabitants known by the name of Gleann na muck duibhe, or "the glen of the black pig;" it is principally composed of earth, and resembles the Roman wall in Scotland, and Offa's dyke in North Wales; its course is nearly north and south: in some places it consists of a single foss and rampart, in others the rampart is divided by a deep foss, which gives the appearance of a double foss and rampart. It is supposed to extend from Lough Neagh to the sea, near Dundalk, but it is no where so well preserved and unbroken as in this neighbourhood: it traverses southward through the demesne of Union Lodge, where it is a single rampart and foss, the rampart being here faced with stone, and it so continues to the reclaimed ground of Loughadian; northward it extends towards the fort of Lisnagade, terminating at a stream that forms the boundary between the townlands of Scarvagh and Lisnagade. Lisnagade, or "the fort of a hundred," is one of the most extensive and best-preserved of its kind: it consists of treble ramparts and intrenchments; the entrance is from the east, leading into an extensive circular enclosure, whence are obtained prospects of the entire country for many miles around, and a great number of forts or raths are seen, from which circumstance it is supposed this fort took its name, being the chief or centre of a hundred others: the fosses on every side are very deep, and it is remarkable that they are all paved at the bottom with rounded pebbles set in clay. In cleaning the fosses, in 1832, Mr. Trevor found a great many silver coins, a brass cauldron, spear-heads, and other relics of antiquity. Great numbers of arrow and spear-heads of flint, stone and brass celts, and other military weapons, have been found in almost every part of the "Cast." In 1807 the head and antlers of an enormous elk were found, which are carefully preserved at Scarvagh House: several others were found in the bog marl near Union Lodge; and in draining Loughadian, part of a tiara of gold, brazen swords, skeans, and spear-heads, were discovered, all of which are in the possession of W. Fivey, Esq., of Union Lodge. The greater portion of the ancient castle or tower yet exists at Pointz Pass; some fragments of that at Scarvagh are still seen above the village, and in the centre of Lisnagade fort are the remains of another of the same kind; the floor was discovered entire in 1832, constructed of baked tiles.

SCHEAMS ISLANDS, in the parish of AUGHADOWN, Eastern Division of the barony of WEST CARBERY, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 6 miles (S. W.) from Skibbereen; containing 37 inhabitants. These are two islands situated in Roaring-water bay, and are distinguished by their position, East and West, the former comprising about 60, and the latter 34 statute acres. On the western isle, which is the more fertile of the two, are the remains of an ancient church or chapel.

SCILLY, a village, in the parish of RINCURRAN, barony of KINSALE, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, forming a suburb to the town of Kinsale; containing 814 inhabitants. It is situated on the harbour of Kinsale, and occupies the summit and side of a gentle eminence forming a peninsula projecting into the, harbour. In 1831 it contained 124 houses, since which period it has rapidly increased, and now contains nearly 200 houses, including a number of neat and commodious villas and lodges, erected for the accommodation of the numerous visiters resorting hither during the bathing season. It is so closely connected with Kinsale that it is generally considered as a part of that town. An extensive and lucrative fishery, affording employment to a large portion of the inhabitants, is carried on here. Immediately above the village are the barracks of Kinsale.

SCOTSHOUSE, a village, in the parish of CURRIN, barony of DARTRY, county of MONAGHAN, and province of ULSTER, 5 1/2 miles (N. W.) from Cootehill, on the road from Clones to Stradone: the population is returned with the parish. It is a station of the constabulary police, and contains the parochial church and R. C. chapel. Near the village is Hilton, the handsome seat of Col. Madden.

SCRABBY, or BALLIMACKELLENNY, a post-town and parish, in the barony of TULLOGHONOHO, county of CAVAN, and province of ULSTER, 15 miles (S. W. by S.) from Cavan, and 70 (N. N. W.) from Dublin; containing 2668 inhabitants, of which number, 183 are in the town. This small town, which in 1831 contained 40 houses, consists chiefly of one street extending along the road from Arvagh to Granard; it has a sub-post-office to Crossdoney, and fairs are held on Feb. 10th, May 12th, Aug. 1st, and Dec. 12th. The parish comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 6661 statute acres, of which 1182 are in Lough Gowna; the land is of indifferent quality. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ardagh, forming part of the union of Granard: the rectory is in dispute. The tithes amount to £157. 16. 11., of which £87. 13. 10. is payable to the vicar; the remainder is rectorial. The church adjoins the town.

SCRYNE, county of WEXFORD.-- See SKREEN.

SCULLABOGUE, county of WEXFORD. -- See NEWBAWN.

SCULLOGESTOWN.-- See HORTLAND.

SCURLOGSTOWN, or SCURLOCKSTOWN, a parish, in the barony of LOWER DEECE, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 1 1/2 mile (E. S. E.) from Trim, on the road to Dublin, and on the river Boyne; containing 328 inhabitants. This place derives its name from William de Scurlog, who erected a castle here about 1180: the ruins of this structure exhibit a square keep of large proportions and massive strength, with circular towers at the angles, and a few apertures for the admission of light. The parish comprises 2484 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act; the land is chiefly arable. It is a curacy, in the diocese of Meath, forming part of the union of Trim: the rectory is impropriate in Joseph Ashe, Esq. The tithes amount to £159. 0. 4 1/2., of which £135. 0. 4 1/2. is payable to the impropriator, and £24 to the curate. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the union or district of Dunsany and Kilmessan. There are fragments of an ancient church, consisting of two rude circular arches.

SCURLOGSTOWN, a village, in the parish of BURRY, barony of UPPER KELLS, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 2 1/4 miles (S. W.) from Kells, on the road to Clonmellon; containing 32 houses and 181 inhabitants.

SEAFORDE, a village, in the parish of LOUGHIN-ISLAND, barony of KINELEARTY, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, 1 mile (N.) from Clough, on the roads leading respectively from Downpatrick to Newry, and from Dundrum to Ballynahinch: the population is returned with the parish. This village, which was anciently called Neaghen, is small but very handsomely built, consisting of one principal street, from the centre of which a smaller street branches off at right angles. At its northern extremity is a very handsome gateway of freestone, consisting of a centre and two side openings; and near it is a chaste Grecian lodge of freestone, forming an entrance into the extensive demesne of Seaforde, the handsome seat of Col. M. Forde; the mansion, which is situated in the centre of the parish, was destroyed by fire in 1816, and rebuilt in 1819 in a style of sumptuous elegance; the demesne, which is finely undulated, comprises 1060 acres, richly planted and embellished with a large and picturesque lake. The manor of Seaforde extends over the whole of the parish, with the exception only of the townland of Clough; and a court is held every three weeks before the seneschal, in which debts to the amount of £2 are recoverable: petty sessions are also held on alternate Tuesdays, and fairs on March 7th, June 9th, Sept 4th, and Dec. 6th. The parish church, a handsome edifice, is situated in the village; and there is a place of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Seceding Synod, of the second class. There are also six handsome alms-houses, erected in 1828 by Col. Forde, who endowed them with £60 per ann. for six aged widows; and some schools, the particulars of which are stated in the article on Loughin-Island, which see.

SEAGOE, or SEGOE, a parish, in the barony of ONEILLAND EAST, county of ARMAGH, and province of ULSTER, 1 mile (N. N. E.) from Portadown, extending along the river Bann, and intersected by the great roads leading from Armagh to Belfast, and from Portadown to Banbridge; containing 9736 inhabitants. This place, which is said to have derived its name from Seagh-Gabha, "the smith's seat," was allotted to Nial Gabha, one of the sons of the great O'Nial. It is traditionally said that, in 836, a battle was fought here, in which Blacar, a Danish chief, ancestor of the family of Blacker, defeated Ail, or O'Nial, and his sept; and the place, adjoining Carrick demesne, is pointed out, called Lis-na-grilly, signifying "the fort of the dagger," where there are still faint traces of a circular intrenchment. The parish is bounded on the west by the river Bann, along which it extends for about 4 1/2 miles: it contains three manorial districts, subdivided into 47 townlands, comprising, according to the Ordnance survey, 10,982 1/4 statute acres: 1236 1/2 are in Lough Neagh, and 495 in the river Bann; the rest are chiefly arable, though, along the banks of the river, there is an extensive tract of low meadow and pasture ground, which is inundated about Christmas, and the water does not disappear till March, when it leaves behind a light deposit of mud, enriching the soil and producing nutritious, though coarse, herbage: there is very little bog. Agriculture is considerably improved; the crops are corn, flax, and potatoes; onions are cultivated to a great extent. The fuel used is turf, cut and saved in the months of July and August, great quantities of which are conveyed up the Bann from the large bogs in Moyntaghs. The trade is principally confined to the produce of the land, and a considerable quantity of butter, which finds a market in Portadown; though there is scarcely a house or family which is not, in one way or other, connected with the linen trade, of which there are extensive manufacturers throughout the parish. On the townland of Balteagh and Kilfergan there is a quarry, the stone of which has been discovered to be highly valuable as marble, and for lithography, for which it is said to equal the best German stone; and at Killycomain a superior hard blue stone is found. On the hill of Drumlin, in the southern angle of the parish, are fine pits of gravel, particularly adapted for roads and walks. The surface of the parish is a gentle undulation of hill and dale; the highest point is the hill of Drumclogher, whence is obtained a full view of the parish and the rich scenery on the banks of the Bann, Lough Neagh, and the Mourne mountains; the river, here navigable for vessels of 60 tons, cannot be surpassed for its majestic appearance as it winds beautifully along the western boundary. It was crossed at Portadown by a bridge of seven arches, built in 1764, but which having given way in several places, a new bridge is now in progress of erection, at an expense to the county of £8000; it will be a very fine building of three arches, each more than 50 feet in span. The parish is well intersected with roads, there being also a new line of road between Armagh and Belfast, which is carried through it for nearly three miles, besides several minor roads communicating with the county of Down. The farm-houses exhibit much appearance of comfort, particularly those on the Carrick estate, which are remarkable for their neatness. Manorial courts are held, in Kernan, for the estate of Viscount Mandeville; Carrowbrack, for that of Col. Blacker; and the Derry, for that of C. Brownlow, Esq.: the respective seneschals hold their courts every three weeks, for the recovery of debts under 40s., and courts leet are held once in the year. The principal gentlemen's seats are Seagoe House, the residence of the Venerable Archdeacon Saurin; and Carrick, of Lieut. Col. Blacker., a large edifice, built in 1692, but much improved since that time: the gardens and pleasure grounds retain many specimens of the taste of that age; in the sheep-walk of the demesne, on the summit of a low ridge or knoll is a curious excavation of an elliptic form, about 80 yards in circumference, sloping gradually inwards on all sides with great regularity; whether intended as a place of justice, or worship, there is no tradition; in the demesne are numerous fine old oaks, and well-grown beech and ash. Silverwood House is the seat of T. Cuppage, Esq.

The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Dromore, forming the corps of the archdeaconry, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes (chiefly of corn and hay) amount to £330, and the glebe comprises 500 acres, valued at £652. 7. 7. per ann., making the gross income of the archdeacon £982. 7. 7. The glebe-house is a commodious residence contiguous to the church; the latter is a large handsome edifice in the early English style, with a square tower, built at an entire cost of £2200, of which £1000 was a loan from the late Board of First Fruits; the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £319 for its repair: the interior is fitted up in a very superior manner. In the R. C. divisions the parish is united with that of Moyntaghs; there are two chapels, at Derrymacash and Bluestone. At Edenderry, which forms a suburb to Portadown, there is a meeting-house for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, of the third class. There is also a place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists at Bluestone; and a dispensary has recently been established. There are male and female schools at Balteagh and Bluestone, with houses for the master and mistress, chiefly supported by Lord and Lady Mandeville, and conducted on the principles of the Moral Agency System, with a lending library attached to each: the loan and clothing fund of Tanderagee, and the dispensary of Portadown, are connected with these schools, and open to the free use of parents and children. There are also schools at Levaghery and Hacknahay, the former built by Col. Blacker, the latter considerably aided by Mrs. Cope; other schools are aided by annual donations from Archdeacon Saurin and Col. Blacker, and a girls' school at Carrick is superintended by Mrs. Blacker: in all these schools about 550 children are taught. There are also two private schools, in which about 180 children are educated; and a very extensive Sunday school at Bluestone. Near the spot where the battle was fought, in which O'Nial was defeated, several brazen swords and spear-heads of superior workmanship have been dug up; two nearly perfect are in the possession of the Earl of Charleville, to whom they were presented by Col. Blacker, who has in his possession a curious battle-hammer head of stone, found in the same place, the handle composed of osier withes, much resembling a smith's punch of the present day, which, from its elasticity, must have been a deadly weapon in close combat.

SEAPATRICK, a parish, partly in the barony of LOWER IVEAGH, but chiefly in that of UPPER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, and province of ULSTER, on the river Bann, and on the mail coach road from Newry to Belfast; containing, with the post-town of Banbridge, 7584 inhabitants. This parish comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 7582 1/2 statute acres, of which (with detached portions) 3141 are in Lower and 4441 1/2 in Upper Iveagh; the whole is rich land in a high state of cultivation. On its border is Lenaderg Cottage, the residence of T. Weir, Esq., built by his ancestor, in 1645, as an asylum for the officers of the royal army. Its connection with the flourishing town of Banbridge has rendered the parish highly important as a seat of the linen manufacture: here are numerous bleach-greens, linen manufactories, yarn-mills, and depots, with the various other branches connected therewith, which for extent and importance are not excelled in any part of the kingdom; this is mainly attributable to the river Bann intersecting the parish. Upon part of the glebe, extensive manufactories, depots, and handsome houses have been built by F. W. Hayes, Esq. Among the most remarkable gentlemen's seats may be enumerated Millmount, the residence of R. Hayes, Esq.; Brookfield, of Brice Smyth, Esq.; Huntley Glen, of Hugh Dunbar, Esq.; Seapatrick House, of F. W. Hayes, Esq.; Ballyvalley, of the Rev. J. Davis; Ballievy House, of G. and T. Crawford, Esqs.; Edenderry, of W. A. Stewart, Esq.; Banview, of G. Little, Esq.; the residence of F. Welsh, Esq.; and the glebe-house, of the Rev. D. Dickenson.

It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Dromore, and in the patronage of the Bishop; the rectory forms part of the union of Aghaderg and of the corps of the deanery of Dromore. The tithes amount to £390. 16. 4., of which £119. 11. 9. is payable to the vicar, and £271. 4. 7. to the dean. The glebe-house is a commodious old building: the glebe comprises 111 3/4 statute acres, valued at £155. 5. per annum. The church, a small building on the eastern shore of the Bann, was erected in 1698 upon the site of the ancient edifice, which had been destroyed in the war of 1641; being incapable of accommodating one-sixth of the population, a large church has been lately built near Banbridge, under the provisions of an order in council, obtained in 1834, at an estimated cost of £2890, of which £1500 was given by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners, £600 by the Marquess of Downshire (who also gave the site), and the remainder was raised by voluntary contributions. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Tullylish. Near Banbridge is a meeting-house for Presbyterians in connection with the Remonstrant Synod, of the first class; here is also a meeting-house in connection with the Synod of Ulster, of the third class, built in 1830; one in connection with the Seceding Synod, and a chapel each for the Wesleyan and Primitive Methodists. The parochial schools, with residences for the master and mistress, situated on the glebe, are endowed with an acre of land and supported by subscriptions Near Banbridge is a large male and female school-house, comprising a centre and wings, the former the residence of the master and mistress, and the latter the schools; it was built by subscription, to which the Marquess of Downshire contributed £90, and is endowed with an acre and a half of land and £50 per annum. There are also schools at Ballydown, Ballylough, and Banbridge. At Tullyconnaught is a large school-house, founded and endowed by Miss M. Mulligan, by will dated 1824, and built in 1829, at a cost of £150: the interest of the principal bequeathed having accumulated, it furnished a greater surplus than was expected, the interest of which, £15 per annum, is given to the master: it is in connection with the Board of National Education. There are also six private schools in the parish. On the Dromore road is a valuable chalybeate spring, similar in its properties to the waters of Aix-la-Chapelle, and efficacious in scurvy. Baron McClelland was born here, as was also his contemporary, Dr. Dickson, Bishop of Down and Connor.

SEIRKYRAN, or ST. KEIRAN, a parish, in the barony of BALLYBRIT, KING'S county, and province of LEINSTER, 4 miles (E. by S.) from Parsonstown, on the road to Kinnitty; containing 1484 inhabitants. This place derives its name from St. Kieran the elder, who in the earliest period of the Christian church, founded a monastery here, and is said also to have made it the seat of a small bishoprick. So early did he exercise his mission that he has been styled the father of the Irish saints. This establishment was repeatedly plundered by the Danes and other freebooters; and in 1052 the see of Seir-Kieran was removed to Aghaboe, and thence finally to Kilkenny. To this see the manor anciently belonged, and it was recovered to the bishops by trial of single combat in 1284. In succeeding ages a monastery, dedicated to St. Kieran, was founded here for Canons Regular of the order of St. Augustine, of which the ruins are still to be seen: the possessions of this monastery, at the dissolution, were granted to Sir William Taafe, and by him assigned to James, Earl of Roscommon. The parish comprises 6480 statute acres, of which 162 are woodland, 64 bog and waste, the remainder being arable and pasture. Limestone is found, and agriculture is improving. Oakely Park is the seat of -- Stoney, Esq.; and Grange House, of -- Harding, Esq. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ossory, and in the patronage of the Bishop; the rectory is impropriate in J. Curtis, Esq. The tithes amount to £162. 17. 5., of which £84. 9. 8. is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar: the glebe comprises 12 acres, and the glebe-house was built by a gift of £450 and a loan of £88, in 1814, from the late Board of First Fruits. The church stands on the site of the monastery, and is a very old building out of repair. The R. C, parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church, and contains two chapels, one at Clareen, and the other at Fancraft, both plain buildings in good repair. There are two private schools, in which about 120 children are educated. Ruins exist of the old fort of Ballybrit, once a place of some importance, and from which the barony has derived its name: at Drumoyle are the remains of a village Here is the holy well of St. Kieran.

SESKINAN, a parish, in the barony of DECIES-without-DRUM, county of WATERFORD, and province of MUNSTER, 5 3/4 miles (N.) from Dungarvan; containing 2732 inhabitants. It comprises 16,077 statute acres, of which the greater part consists of mountainous and boggy lands. At Ballynamult, on its western confines, is a small military barrack. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Lismore; the rectory forms the corps of the prebend of Seskinan in the cathedral of Lismore, with which the vicarage is held. The tithes amount to £335. 5. 2. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church, and contains two chapels. About 340 children are educated in five private schools.

SEVEN CHURCHES, KING'S county.-- See CLONMACNOIS.

SEVEN CHURCHES, county of WICKLOW.-- See GLENDALOUGH.

SHALLEE COUGHLAN, a village, in the parish of KILLOSCULLY, barony of OWNEY and ARRA, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 6 miles (E.) from Newport, on the old road from Dublin to Limerick; containing 138 inhabitants. On the high land in this vicinity a lead mine was formerly worked, and about seven tons of ore were raised containing silver in the proportion of 80 oz. to a ton.

SHALLON, a village, in the parish of KILSHARVAN, barony of LOWER DULEEK, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (S.) from Drogheda, on the road from Duleek to Nynch; containing 29 houses and 169 inhabitants.

SHANAGOLDEN, a post-town and parish, in the Shanid Division of the barony of LOWER CONNELLO, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER, 20 miles (W.) from Limerick, and 116 (W. S. W.) from Dublin, on the road from Rathkeale to Listowel; containing, in 1831, 3213 inhabitants, of which number, 847 were in the town, the population of which has since that time considerably increased. The parish comprises 3663 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act; about two-thirds are under cultivation, producing abundant crops of corn, potatoes, and clover, the rest being rough pasture: the land is remarkably fertile, particularly near the town, and in some places is tolerably well cultivated. The town consists of a long irregular street, comprising 150 houses, of which three only are slated, the remainder being thatched, and all are small and ill-built. It is a constabulary police station; and petty sessions are held on alternate Mondays. Fairs take place on the Wednesday after Trinity-Sunday, and on Sept. 4th, chiefly for cattle and pigs. A new line of road from the town joins the mail road on the banks of the Shannon, at Robertstown, opening a ready communication with the county of Kerry. The substratum in and around the town is limestone, of which blocks of a very large size are procured for cutting into gate-posts, pillars, slabs, &c., but are all sent away, as no attempt has been made to cut or work them on the spot. Black and grey marble of very superior quality are extensively found throughout the lower part of the parish, but are only worked for repairing the roads, or fencing the fields. The town and the surrounding lands are principally the property of the Rt. Hon. T. Spring Rice, Chancellor of the Exchequer, whose seat is about three miles distant. Close adjoining the town is Shanagolden House, the elegant residence of the Rev. G. Vincent; and the glebe-house, more than a mile distant from the church, is at present, occupied by J. Fitzgerald, Esq.

The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Limerick; the rectory forms the corps of the precentorship of the cathedral of Limerick, and the vicarage is in the patronage of the Precentor. The tithes amount to £200, one-third of which is payable to the vicar, and the remainder to the precentor. The glebe-house was erected by aid of a gift of £400 and a loan of £232, in 1813, from the late Board of First Fruits: the glebe comprises 11 1/2 acres, being composed of three portions, one near the church, another near the little village called Barracks, and the third where the glebe-house stands; the last was purchased by the same Board. The church is a large and handsome edifice, apparently very old; the chancel being in ruins, the nave was fitted up for divine service, having been roofed and a lofty square tower built, in 1815, by aid of a loan of £450 from the before-mentioned Board; the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £101 for its repair. In the R. C. divisions this parish is the head of a union or district, comprising the parishes of Shanagolden, Kilmoylan, and Robertstown; the chapel is a large plain edifice, situated on a hill to the east of the town. There are two mathematical male schools for adults, in which are about 25 pupils; and there are 4 private schools, in which are about 150 children. About a mile south from the town, in the parish of Kilmoylan, is Shanid castle, one of the most impregnable of those possessed by the Earls of Desmond, and from which they took their war cry of Shanid-a-boo: this castle, which gives name to a baronial division of the county, occupies the top of a steep hill, and is surrounded by a strong rampart and fosse. Not far distant is a very extensive circular fort, divided by earthworks into four compartments; but these subdivisions appear to be of later date than the original formation of the fort. A mile north from the town is Knockpatrick, said to be the highest land in the county, whence the surrounding country is seen stretching in extensive perspective, with the majestic course of the Shannon through its numerous windings to the sea. On the summit are the remains, held in great veneration, of an old church, supposed to have been consecrated by St. Patrick, whose chair is shewn in an adjoining field, composed of five rude unhewn stones; and not far distant is a well, dedicated to him, of which various legends are related: the side walls of this venerable edifice are nearly entire, though the east, and west gables have entirely disappeared, and the space of the western wall is occupied by a large and curious tomb belonging to the families of Bourke and Griffin. From this hill are extensive and interesting views, embracing the high grounds of the counties of Tipperary, Galway, Cork, and Kerry, with the rich lands of Clare and Limerick in the foreground, and the towns of Limerick and Ennis rising beyond the expanded waters of the Shannon.

SHANBALLYMORE, a village, in the parish of TEMPLEROAN, barony of FERMOY, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 4 miles (E. S. E.) from Doneraile, on the road to Rockmills; containing 415 inhabitants. This village, which sometimes gives name to the parish, contained, in 1831, 80 houses, mostly thatched; also one of the two R. C. chapels belonging to the district of Doneraile, a plain cruciform building. A patent exists for a fair, which is not held. Adjoining the village is Shanbally, the seat of Watkins Roberts, Esq. Here was formerly a castle, of which no vestiges are in existence.

SHANBOUGH, a parish, in the barony of IDA, county of KILKENNY, and province of MUNSTER, 3 1/2 miles (W.) from New Ross; containing 429 inhabitants, and comprising 1709 statute acres. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ossory, forming part of the union of Rossbercon: the rectory is impropriate in the corporation of Waterford. The tithes amount to £82. 19., of which two-thirds are payable to the corporation, and the remainder to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions also it is part of the union or district of Rossbercon.

SHANCOE, or SHANCOUGH, a parish, in the barony of TIRAGHKILL, comity of SLIGO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 9 miles (N. by E.) from Boyle, on the road from Sligo to Ballyfarnon; containing 1208 inhabitants. It is situated on the confines of the county of Leitrim, and comprises 8909 3/4 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, of which a large portion consists of mountain and bog; some of the land, however, is good; limestone abounds, and iron-ore is supposed to exist in the mountains. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Elphin, forming part of the union of Kilmactraney; the rectory is impropriate in Alex. Perceval, Esq. The tithes, amounting to £33. 4. 7 1/2., are payable in equal portions to the impropriator and vicar. In the R. C. divisions also the parish forms part of the union or district of Kilmactrany. A "Patron" is annually held on July 25th at St. James's Well.

SHANDRUM, a parish, in the barony of ORRERY and KILMORE, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 2 1/2 miles (S. W.) from Charleville, on the road to Newmarket; containing 4627 inhabitants. It comprises 13,363 1/2 statute acres, as rated for the county cess, and valued at £11,088 per annum. The land is mostly in pasture, and there are several large dairy farms; limestone is quarried for agricultural purposes, and part of the Red Bog is within the limits of the parish. A fair is held at the village of Shandrum on May 25th and one at Newtown on Sept. 25th, for general farming stock. The seats are Curriglass, the residence of Pierce Purcell Goold, Esq.; Shandrum House, of Wm. Allen, Esq.; Cherry Hill, of Geo. Harding, Esq.; and Newtown House, the property of Robt. Courtenay, Esq. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Cloyne, and in the patronage of the Bishop; the tithes amount to £804. 19. 10. There is no church, but divine service is regularly performed at the parochial school-house, which has been erected on the glebe, near the old burial-ground. In the R. C. divisions the parish is partly in the union or district of Ballyhea, but chiefly in that of Shandrum, and contains the chapels of Shandrum and Dromina, or Cooliline. In the parochial school, supported by the rector, and in seven private schools, about 420 children are educated. At Barna was formerly a castle, of which there is now scarcely a vestige.

SHANID.-- See SHANAGOLDEN.

SHANKILL, county of ANTRIM.-- See BELFAST.

SHANKILL, a parish, partly in the barony of LOWER IVEAGH, county of DOWN, but chiefly in that of ONEILLAND EAST, county of ARMAGH, and province of ULSTER, on the mail coach road from Belfast to Enniskillen; containing, with the post-town of Lurgan, 7758 inhabitants. This parish comprises, according to the Ordnance Survey, 6584 statute acres, of which 4931 1/2 are in the county of Armagh, and 1652 1/2 in Down; of these, 59 1/2 acres are in lakes at Lurgan, and 362 in Lough Neagh. The lands are of good quality and chiefly under tillage; the system of agriculture is greatly improved, and the parish is generally in an excellent state of cultivation; there are some quarries of whinstone, which is chiefly used for building, and for repairing the roads. The principal seat is Lurgan House, the splendid residence of the Rt. Hon. Charles Brownlow (proprietor of the parish), a spacious structure in the Elizabethan style, beautifully situated in a richly wooded demesne with two fine artificial lakes, and embellished with timber of luxuriant and stately growth; the approach is by a handsome lodge and gateway of corresponding character, the whole of freestone brought from Scotland. The other seats are Woodville, the residence of G. Greer, Esq.; Silverwood, of Thos. Cuppage, Esq.; and Grace Hall, of C. Douglas, Esq.: there are also numerous handsome residences in the town of Lurgan. The linen manufacture is carried on to a great extent throughout the parish, in connection with the large establishments in the town; and diapers, lawns, and cambricks of very superior quality are made in great quantities. The Lagan navigation from Belfast joins Lough Neagh in that part of the parish which extends into the county of Down. Fairs are held at Lurgan on Aug. 5th and 6th, and Nov. 22nd and 23rd. There is a chief constabulary police station, and manorial courts and petty sessions are held in that town, as noticed in the article on Lurgan, which see.

The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Dromore, and in the patronage of the bishop: the tithes amount to £210. 16. The glebe-house, a handsome edifice, occupied by the Rev. Edw. Kent, was built in 1821, at an expense of £1384. 12. 3 3/4., of which £92. 6. 1 3/4. was a gift, and £969. 14. 7 1/2. a loan from the late Board of First Fruits; and the glebe comprises 170 statute acres, valued at £325 per annum. The church, situated in the town of Lurgan, a handsome Grecian edifice with a lofty tower and octagonal spire, was built in 1712 and enlarged and repaired in 1828, for which purpose the late Board of First Fruits granted a loan of £800, and the Rt. Hon. C. Brownlow gave £100; it has recently been further repaired by a grant of £282 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners: the congregation averages 600. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, comprising also parts of the parishes of Donaghcloney and Maralin: the chapel, a handsome edifice in the later English style, is situated in the town. There are places of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Synod of Ulster, of the second class, for the Society of Friends, and for Wesleyan and other Methodists. About 500 children are taught in five public schools, of which the parochial male and female schools are in connection with the trustees of Erasmus Smith's charity, who allow a salary of £20 to the master and £14 to the mistress; in the former are 120 boys and in the latter 100 girls, who are also clothed by a collection made at a charity sermon, and the incidental expenses of firing, &c., are defrayed by a subscription from the resident gentry. There are seven private schools, in which are about 230 children; and five Sunday schools. A mendicity society and a voluntary poor fund have been established, towards the support of which Mr. Brownlow contributes annually £100; and there are various other charities for the relief of the poor, to which Mr. Brownlow also contributes. The Rt. Hon. William Brownlow, ancestor of the present proprietor, and for more than 30 years a distinguished member of the Irish House of Commons till the Union, was a native of this place.

SHANKILL, or ST. KILL, a parish, in the barony of GOWRAN, county of KILKENNY, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (S. W.) from Bagnalstown, on the mail road to Kilkenny; containing 2313 inhabitants. At Kellymount and Shankill are some of the principal flag-stone quarries in the county, the produce of which is chiefly sent by the Barrow navigation to Dublin, Waterford, and other places, and generally sold under the name of Carlow flags: limestone is also quarried, and a considerable quantity of stone, coal and culm are obtained at Bornafea: light turf is procured on the hills. The seats are Shankill Castle, the handsome residence of Jas. Kearney Aylward, Esq.; and Kellymount, the residence of Mr. C. Wynne. There is a station of the constabulary police within the limits of the parish. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Leighlin, and in the gift of the Crown: the tithes amount to £434. The church, towards the erection of which, in 1811, the late Board of First Fruits contributed a gift of £800, is a plain but neat edifice. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Grange Silvae, and has a chapel in the village of Paulstown, which is partly in this parish, and partly in that of Kilmocahill. In the national school at Bornafea, and in a school for females aided by subscription, about 240 children are educated; there is also a private school, in which are about 70 boys.

SHANKILL, a parish, in the barony and county of ROSCOMMON, and province of CONNAUGHT, 2 miles (S. W.) from Elphin, on the road from Boyle to Roscommon; containing 2669 inhabitants. It comprises 4238 statute acres of land, in general good, and chiefly in pasture; there is a large portion of bog, some of which has been reclaimed, and the remainder is easily reclaimable. Limestone gravel exists in abundance, and within the limits of the parish are some quarries of excellent limestone. At Mantua is the great turlough of that name, the waters of which cover in winter an extent of about 500 acres, which in summer afford rich pasturage: the water is supplied by a subterraneous channel from a source about half a mile distant. The seats are Mantua, the residence of O. D. J. Grace, Esq., surrounded by a well-planted and highly improved demesne; and Cherryfield, of G. Mills, Esq. The parish is in the diocese of Elphin: the rectory is united to those of Kilmacumsey, Kilcorkey, Kilcola, and Creeve, together constituting the corps of the precentorship of Elphin, in the gift of the Bishop; the vicarage forms part of the union of Ardclare. The tithes, amounting to £92. 6. 2., are payable in equal portions to the rector and the vicar; and the entire tithes of the rectorial benefice amount to £207. 15. 5.: the precentor's lands comprise 102 1/2 statute acres, situated near the town of Elphin, and let on lease at £55. 7. 83. per annum. The church is in ruins. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Elphin, and has a chapel at Ballyrody. In a school supported by O. D. J. Grace, Esq., and in a private school, about 90 children are educated.

SHANLESS.-- See SHENLISH.

SHANNON-BRIDGE, a village, in the parish of CLONMACNOIS, barony of GARRYCASTLE, KING'S county, and province of LEINSTER, 8 miles (S.) from Athlone; containing 559 inhabitants. It is situated on the river Shannon, and derives its name and origin from a bridge which here crosses the river and connects King's county with that of Roscommon. The bridge is a handsome structure of stone, 140 yards in length; it consists of sixteen arches, exclusive of two over a parallel canal, the roadway being level throughout. At the western or Roscommon end is a tower and battery forming a tete-du-pont, with an artillery barrack for 2 officers and 44 men, and a magazine annexed. On a rising ground in the vicinity is an advanced redoubt. The village is a station of the constabulary police, and contains one of the two R. C. chapels belonging to the district, and the parochial school.

SHANNON-HARBOUR, a village, in the parish of GALLEN, barony of GARRYCASTLE, KING'S county, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (W.) from Cloghan; containing 199 inhabitants. It is situated at the junction of the Grand Canal with the river Shannon, and near the Upper Brosna river, which falls into the Shannon a little above it. Here is one of the stations of the Inland Steam-Navigation Company, from which, on the arrival of the canal packet-boat from Dublin, a steamer starts for Portumna, Killaloe, and Limerick. In the village, which in 1831 contained 33 houses, is a station of the constabulary police.

SHANRAHAN, a parish, in the barony of IFFA and OFFA WEST, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, on the mail road from Clonmel to Cork; containing, with the post-town of Clogheen, 7002 inhabitants. It comprises 13,946 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. Within its limits is Shanbally Castle, the splendid mansion of Viscount Lismore, erected by Mr. Nash, of London: the demesne, which comprises 820 acres, is finely wooded, and, being situated in a valley between the Galtee and Waterford mountains, is surrounded by scenery of a grand and imposing character. His lordship has lately erected a lodge in a situation of much beauty in a glen of the Galtees, and surrounded it with a plantation of about 150 acres; the agricultural improvements carried on under his own inspection afford employment to a considerable number of persons. Rehill, the residence of Wm. Fennell, Esq., is also in this parish. A manor court is occasionally held at that place. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Lismore, episcopally united, in 1774, to that of Templetenny, and in the gift of the Crown: the rectory is impropriate in Lord Lismore and Caesar Sutton, Esq. The tithes amount to £665, of which £415 is payable to the impropriators, and the remainder to the vicar; there is a glebe of 3a. 1r. 20p. The gross value of the benefice, including the glebe, is £434. 12. 3. The church is a neat modern edifice of hewn stone, towards the erection of which the late Board of First Fruits granted a loan of £1000, in 1819. In the R. C. divisions the parish, under the name of Clogheen, is co-extensive with that of the Established Church, and contains the chapels of Clogheen and Burncourt, or Shanbally Cross. At Burncourt are the ruins of a fine old castellated mansion, originally erected by one of the barons of Ikerrin, and besieged and taken by a party of Cromwell's army: it was enclosed in a bawn or court of considerable extent, surrounded by a high wall, and with its tall gables and chimneys still forms a striking object. At Shanrahan is the burial-place of the O'Callaghan family, of which Lord Lismore is the head. Quin, the celebrated actor, is said to have been a native of this parish.

SHEANNA, a small village, in the parish of RATHDRUM, barony of BALLINACOR, county of WICKLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 5 miles (W. by S.) from Rathdrum, on the road to Tinahely; containing 15 houses and 95 inhabitants.

SHEFFIN, a parish, in the barony of GALMOY, county of KILKENNY, and province of LEINSTER; containing 798 inhabitants, and comprising 2452 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £2302 per annum. It is in the diocese of Ossory; the rectory is appropriate to the Dean and Chapter of the cathedral of Kilkenny, and the vicarage forms part of the union of Freshford, and corps of the prebend of Aghoure. The tithes amount to £134. 11. 9 1/2. of which £89. 14. 6 1/2. is payable to the lessee of the appropriators and the remainder to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the union or district of Lisdowney. About 100 children are educated in two private schools.

SHENLISH, or SHANLESS, a parish, in the barony of ARDEE, county of LOUTH, and province of LEINSTER, 1 mile (S. W.) from Ardee, on the road to Kells and Navan; containing 501 inhabitants. It is situated on the confines of the county of Meath, and comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 2038 1/4 statute acres, of which 217 are under water; the land is in general of good quality, and chiefly under tillage. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Armagh, forming part of the union of Ardee: the rectory is impropriate in Viscount Ferrard, to whom the tithes, amounting to £82. 10., are entirely payable. In the R. C. divisions also it forms part of the union or district of Ardee.

SHERCOCK, or KILLAN, a parish, in the barony of CLONKEE, county of CAVAN, and province of ULSTER, 5 miles (N. W.) from Carrickmacross, on the road from Kingscourt to Cootehill; containing 4845 inhabitants. It comprises, according to the Ordnance survey, 8221 statute acres: the land, in general good, is chiefly under tillage, producing crops of oats, potatoes and flax. On the townland of Glasleck, about two miles south of the village and contiguous to the Bailieborough road, appears a thick stratum of coal of a very sulphureous quality, also iron ore, but neither is worked: here are several quarries of good building stone. The village, which comprises 82 houses, has a penny post to Carrickmacross, and is a constabulary police station; a manorial court is occasionally held here, for the recovery of debts under 40s., and petty sessions on alternate Thursdays. There is a market for flax, poultry, and pigs every Wednesday; and a corn market every Saturday: and fairs, where horses, cows, sheep, asses, and goats are exposed for sale, take place on the second Wednesday of every month. The weaving of coarse linen was formerly carried on here to a great extent, but of late years it has considerably diminished. Lough Sillan, or Swillan, is a fine sheet of water, some miles in circumference, and surrounded by picturesque hills formerly clothed with wood: on the north its shores are planted, and on the south the ground is elevated and covered with corn fields, the view of the whole being bounded by high hills. The gentlemen's seats are Shenan, the residence of E. Wilson, Esq.; Northlands, of Dean Adams; and the Glebe-house, of the Rev. F. Fitzpatrick.

The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Kilmore, and in the patronage of the Bishop; the tithes amount to £193. 16. 11. The glebe-house was erected by aid of a gift of £100 and a loan of £900 from the late Board of First Fruits, in 1819; the glebe comprises 292 3/4 acres, valued at £406 per annum. The church adds much to the appearance of the village; it was built about 50 years since, and a tower has been recently added to it. In the R. C. divisions the parish is united to 48 townlands of Bailieborough parish, being the ancient parish of Killan, by which name it is still called in the R. C. church: the chapel is at Kilcrossbawn. The parish school is nearly supported by the Incumbent, who lately built the school-house, in which about 60 children are taught; another is supported by Mr. Singleton, at Kilcrossbawn; and there are also four private schools, in which are about 330 children, and two Sunday schools. This is the birthplace of the Rt. Hon. Richard Brinsley Sheridan, whose family resided here.

SHERKIN-- See INNISHERKIN.

SHERLOCKSTOWN, a parish, in the barony of NORTH NAAS, county of KILDARE, and province of LEINSTER, 2 miles (S. E.) from Clane, on the road to Celbridge; containing 52 inhabitants. It is situated on the Grand Canal, and contains Sherlockstown House, the handsome modern mansion of W. R. Sherlock, Esq., and Prospect, belonging to the same family. It is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Kildare, forming part of the union of Bodenstown: the tithes amount to £35. In the R. C. divisions it is part of the union or district of Kill and Lyons.

SHILLELAGH, an ecclesiastical district, in the barony of SHILLELAGH, county of WICKLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (N. W.) from Carnew, on the road to Tullow, contiguous to the small river Derry: the population is returned with Carnew, out of which this district was formed in 1833; the village of Shillelagh contains 91 inhabitants. This district takes its name from the wood of Shillelagh, once the most celebrated forest in Ireland for the excellence of its oak, which was exported to different parts of Europe; and hence it is also said that Turlogh, king of Leinster, sent the oak for the roof of Westminster Hall to William Rufus. Agriculture has much improved here within the last few years, and the late Earl Fitzwilliam reclaimed an extensive tract of bog and waste land by draining and trenching, under the superintendence of Mr. Mill, from Scotland. Adjoining the village are extensive flour, carding, and bone mills, and a bleaching green. The villages of Coollattin and Coolboy are within the district, as is also the handsome seat of Coollattin Park, the property of Earl Fitzwilliam, and the residence of R. Chaloner, Esq., his lordship's agent; the mansion is very large, and situated in a fine park of about 400 acres, tastefully laid out and planted with a variety of forest trees. Hillbrook, pleasantly situated in a rich demesne embellished with fine timber, is the residence of J. Symes, Esq.; and Coolboy House, of J. Chauncey, Esq. The living is a perpetual curacy, in the diocese of Ferns, and in the patronage of the Rector of Carnew. The church, erected in 1834, is in a picturesque situation, and in the mixed Gothic style of architecture, with a tower embattled and surmounted with a spire; the interior is elegantly fitted up, and the whole is of hewn granite: the cost was £2500, of which sum the late Board of First Fruits gave £900, the remainder having been supplied by Earl Fitzwilliam, excepting a sum received for the sale of a few seats, the rest of the seats being free. In the R. C. divisions Shillelagh forms part of the union or district of Carnew and Crosspatrick. A male and female school is solely supported by Earl Fitzwilliam; the late earl erected a commodious building for the purpose, in which about 220 children of all religious persuasions are taught. Here is a lending library.

SHILVODAN, a grange, in the barony of UPPER TOOME, county of ANTRIM, and province of ULSTER, 4 1/2 miles (N.) from Antrim, on the road to Ballymena; comprising, according to the Ordnance survey, 3546 1/2 statute acres of land, partly consisting of mountain.

SHINRONE, a post-town and parish, in the barony of CLONLISK, KING'S county, and province of LEINSTER, 5 miles (W. by N.) from Roscrea, and 63 3/4 (S. W.) from Dublin; containing 2517 inhabitants, of which number, 1287 are in the town. This place was the scene of Some hostilities during the war of 1641: the old castle of Cangort, which was garrisoned for the king, made a vigorous defence against the parliamentarians, by whom it was besieged, till it was betrayed into the hands of its assailants, by whom it was burned. The town is well situated for trade in a fertile vale near the river Shannon, into which, near Banagher, falls the Lesser Brosna, that intersects the parish: it contains 243 houses, several of which are neatly built, and in the parish are many eligible spots for the establishment of factories. The inhabitants are principally employed in agriculture; the only trade is in flour, for which there are extensive mills at Keelogues, and two others on a smaller scale. The market is not regularly held; there are fairs, chiefly for stock, on July 9th and Nov. 21st. A constabulary police force is stationed in the town, and petty sessions are held every Tuesday.

The parish comprises 3847 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act: the land is of good quality; the greater portion is under tillage and based on a substratum of limestone; the system of agriculture is much improved, and there is an abundant supply of bog. The principal seats in the parishes forming the union are Cangort, the residence of G. Atkinson, Esq., a handsome mansion erected on the site of the ancient castle; Cangort Park, of W. Trench, Esq., a handsome modern mansion in a demesne embellished with some fine old timber; Glasshouse, of T. Spunner, Esq.; Milltown, the property of the same gentleman; Oakwood, of D. Smith, Esq.; Rutland, of C. H. Minchin, Esq.; Corolanty, of R. Hammersley, Esq.; Clareen, of H. Smith, Esq.; Derry, of A. P. Doolan, Esq.; Ballingor, of F. H. Toone, Esq.; Annaville, of J. Smith, Esq.; Bellfield, of J. Walker, Esq.; and Rathcahill, of B. F. White, Esq. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Killaloe, united by act of council in 1792, to the rectory and vicarage of Kilmurry-Ely and the rectory of Kilcomin, and in the patronage of the Bishop. The tithes amount to £193. 16. 11 1/4.; the glebe-house, towards the erection of which the late Board of First Fruits made a gift of £100, was built in 1794, and the glebe comprises 21 3/4 acres, exclusively of 54 3/4 acres in the other parishes of the union, and the tithes of the whole benefice amount to £583. 10. 9 1/2. The church, a handsome building, was erected in 1819, for which purpose the late Board of First Fruits granted a loan of £2300. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, comprising also the parish of Kilmurry-Ely; in each of these there is a chapel. There are also two places of worship for Wesleyan Methodists. About 230 children are taught in four public schools, of which one is partly supported by the rector and one by an annual donation of £25 from W. Trench, Esq.; and there are three private schools, in which are about 85 children. A poor's fund and a loan fund are supported by subscription; and there are also a dispensary and a fever hospital. On the demesne of Corolanty are the ruins of an old castle; and there are two chalybeate springs in the parish, not much frequented.

SHRONELL, or SHRONEHILL, a parish, in the barony of CLANWILLIAM, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 3 miles (S. W.) from Tipperary; containing 1006 inhabitants. This parish comprises 2747 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act; a portion is arable, but the greater part pasture. Ballinard is the residence of W. Chadwick, Esq.; Shronehill, of Clement Sadler, Esq.; Damerville, of Austin Cooper Chadwick, Esq.; and the glebe-house, of the Rev. M. Clarke. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Cashel, and in the patronage of the Archbishop: the tithes amount to £125; there are 5 acres of glebe, and a glebe-house. The church was built about 1808, and the tower by aid by a loan of £300, in 1818, from the late Board of First Fruits. There is a school-house, in which, however, no school is kept; it was partly built by the late Lady Caroline Damer, who also endowed it with an acre of land. Damer's Court was built, about a century since, by John Damer, Esq.; it afterwards passed to the Earl of Dorchester, then to Lady Caroline Damer, his daughter and sole heir, and is now the property of the Earl of Portarlington. The mansion, which was a large and magnificent building, was taken down in 1776, and little remains but the offices, which are in a state of dilapidation.

SHROWL. -See ABBEYSHRULE.

SHRUEL, or SHRULE, a parish, in the barony of RATHCLINE, county of LONGFORD, and province of LEINSTER; containing, with the post-town of Ballymahon, 3848 inhabitants. This parish, which derives its name, signifying "the bloody stream," from a battle fought here in 960 (which is noticed in the article on Ballymahon), is situated on the river Inny, which bounds it on the south, and comprises 3339a. 0r. 33p., as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £5226 per annum. The lands are generally of good quality; about three-fourths are under tillage, and the remainder low pasture or meadow; the soil is fertile and the system of agriculture improved. Limestone abounds and is quarried for agricultural purposes and for building; and at Terlicken are quarries of flag-stones of very good quality. In the immediate neighbourhood of Ballymahon, and throughout the parish, are numerous gentlemen's seats, of which the principal are Newcastle, the residence of the Dowager Countess of Ross; Ballymulvey, the property of the Shouldham family; Moigh, the seat of M. Shouldham, Esq.; Castlecore, of T. Hussey, Esq.; Drimnacor, of W. Sandys, Esq.; Crevagh, of R. Sandys, Esq.; Cartron, of J. Wright, Esq.; Rathmore, of R. C. Barbor, Esq.; Cloncallow, of W. T. Murray, Esq.; Doory Hall, of F. J. Jessop, Esq.; Rockfield, of J. Fetherston, Esq.; and Lisglassick, of J. R. Robinson, Esq. Spinning and weaving are carried on in several of the farm-houses; and near the bridge of Shruel, but in the parish of Nogheval, are flour-mills producing annually about 4000 barrels of flour. The small lake of Drum, which discharges its superfluous waters into the Inny, abounds with pike of large size but inferior quality. The Royal Canal passes through the parish.

The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ardagh, and in the patronage of the Bishop; the rectory is impropriate in the vicars choral of the cathedrals of Christ-church and St. Patrick, Dublin. The tithes amount to £318. 6. 7., of which £194. 10. 4 1/2. is payable to the impropriators, and £123. 16. 2 1/2. to the vicar. The glebe-house, towards the erection of which the late Board of First Fruits contributed a gift of £400 and a loan of £370, in 1813, is a good residence; and the glebe comprises 34 acres, valued at £45. 9. 85. per annum. The church, a handsome edifice, situated in Ballymahon, was enlarged in 1824, for which purpose the late Board of First Fruits granted a loan of £1140. In the R. C. divisions the parish, called also Ballymahon, and one of the bishop's parishes, is co-extensive with that of the Established Church; the chapel is a spacious and well-built edifice. About 150 children are taught in two public schools; and there are seven private schools, in which are about 230 children, and two Sunday schools. There are some remains of the ancient parish church at Shruel; the cemetery is still a favourite burial-place. In addition to the castles of Ballymahon and Castlecor, noticed in the article on the town, are the remains of the castle of Barnacor, apparently built to defend the pass of the river in co-operation with Lot's castle on the opposite bank. On the hill of Mullavorna was formerly a monastery, which was subsequently removed to Foighy. Several coins of Elizabeth and some of the base money of Jas. II. have been found here. On the townland of Cartronboy is a cavern containing several chambers, within the area of a Danish rath.

SHRUEL, a parish, in the barony of SLIEVEMARGUE, QUEEN'S county, and province of LEINSTER, 2 1/4 miles (N.) from Carlow; containing 183 inhabitants. This parish is situated on the river Barrow, which here separates it from the counties of Carlow and Kildare; it comprises 784 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. The castle was built in the reign of Elizabeth, soon after the reduction of Leix to English government, by Sir Robert Hartpoole, constable of Carlow castle, and governor of the Queen's county; his extensive possessions have since passed through female heirs into other families. The castle, once of some importance, is a massive pile, situated on the banks of the Barrow: it is now the residence of Hasting Herring Cooper, Esq. Hollymount, the seat of Wm. Fishbourne, Esq., is also in this parish. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Leighlin, forming part of the union of Slatey: the tithes amount to £46. 3. 1. In the R. C. divisions it is held with part of Killabin.

SHRULE, or SHRUEL, a parish, in the barony of KILMAINE, county of MAYO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 3 3/4 miles (N.) from Headford, on the road from Galway to Westport; containing 4167 inhabitants, of which number, 507 are in the village. This parish is situated on the river Blackwater, which running through the village separates the counties of Mayo and Galway: it comprises 8959 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. The land is of good quality, and chiefly under tillage; the system of agriculture is much improved, and the wheat produced here is considered to be the best in the county: the only waste land is bog, which might be easily reclaimed and converted into good pasture. Limestone of excellent quality is found in abundance, and quarried for agricultural purposes and for building. The principal seats are Dalgan Park, the residence of P. Kirwan, Esq., a spacious mansion of hewn limestone, in the Grecian style, with a noble hall supported on lofty Corinthian columns and lighted by a finely proportioned dome; Riverview, of M. J. Hunt, Esq.; Glen Corrib, of A. Brown, Esq; Shrule, of R. Golden, Esq.; Ballycurrin Castle, of P. Lynch, Esq.; and Houndswood, of M. D'Arcy, Esq. The village contains 86 houses, many of which are neatly built, and the salubrity of the climate is such as to render it a desirable residence for invalids. To the rear of Riverview is a hamlet called Gurtloygraph, in which are many instances of longevity. An extensive brewery is carried on, and there are large corn-mills, the property of R. Golden, Esq. A market for corn is held here every Thursday, which is abundantly supplied; and there are fairs on Easter-Monday, July 26th, and Nov. 11th. A constabulary police force is stationed in the village, and petty sessions are held on alternate Thursdays.

The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Tuam, and in the patronage of the Archbishop; the rectory forms part of the union or wardenship of Galway. The tithes amount to £264. 2. 8., of which £183. 17. 5. is payable to the Warden of Galway, and the remainder to the vicar. In the R. C. divisions the parish is in the diocese of Galway, and is co-extensive with that of the Established Church: the chapel is a neat edifice in the ancient English style, with a square tower, towards the erection of which £1300 was contributed by Mr. Kirwan, of Dalgan Park, who also gave the ground: it has a handsome marble altar-piece, presented by T. Martin, Esq. About five miles from Shrule is a Franciscan convent, endowed by the Lynch family with 30 acres of land, to which is attached a chapel. There are three private schools, in which are about 100 children. Some interesting remains of the old castle and of the ancient abbey of Shrule are still in existence. In the demesne of Ballycurrin are the remains of the castle of that name, in good preservation; the floors are still perfect, and it might easily be rendered habitable; from the summit are extensive views of Lough Corrib, Connemara, and the surrounding country.

SHYANE, a parish, in the barony of ELIOGARTY, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, containing 313 inhabitants, and comprising 902 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £674 per annum. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Cashel, forming part of the union of Thurles: the rectory is impropriate in N. Taylor and W. Downes, Esqrs.: the tithes amount to £44. 15., of which £13. 11. 6. is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar. About 50 children are educated in a private school.

SILVERMINES, a village, in the parish of KILMORE, barony of UPPER ORMOND, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 4 miles (S.) from Nenagh; on the old road from Limerick to Dublin; containing 791 inhabitants. This place takes its name from some mines which were formerly worked here under the direction of Lord William Russell and Sir Charles Brooke, who held them from the Crown, previously to the parliamentary war in 1641, when the works were destroyed, and the miners, who were chiefly foreigners, were all massacred. The lead ore extracted from these mines was exceedingly pure, and contained a larger proportion of silver than any of the Irish ores, with the exception only of those of Bangor. The mines are now the property of Lord Dunally, whose seat, Kilboy, is within a mile of the village, and from whom they are held by an English company, by whom they have been recently brought into extensive operation. Machinery of every kind requisite to facilitate the various operations has been constructed, smelting-houses erected, and already several hundred men are employed by the company. The village contains 131 houses, several of which are neatly built. Fairs are held on May 1st, June 8th, Sept. 12th, and Oct. 25th, chiefly for farming stock. The parish church of Kilmore, a neat edifice with a spire nearly covered with ivy, ornamented with a beautifully painted window representing Faith, Hope, and Charity, and containing a monument to the late Lady Dunally, is situated in the village; in which are also a plain neat R. C. chapel, a dispensary, a charitable loan fund, and a poor's fund for the parishes of Kilmore and Dolla.

SINGLAND, county of LIMERICK. -- See PATRICK (ST.).

SIX-MILE-BRIDGE, a post-town, partly in the parish of KILFENTINAN, barony of BUNRATTY, but chiefly in that of KILFINAGHTY, barony of TULLA, county of CLARE, and province of MUNSTER, 8 miles (N. W. by W.) from Limerick, and 101 3/4 (W. S. W.) from Dublin, on the old mail road from Limerick to Ennis; containing 1491 inhabitants. This place is called in Irish Abhuinn O' Gearna, from the river Gearna or Ougarnee, on which it is situated: it was formerly of some note, and had a chapel or vicarial house belonging to the Dominican friars of St. Saviour, Limerick, of which no vestige now exists. The town, which is irregularly built, in 1831 contained 229 houses: although advantageously situated on the river Ougarnee, which flows into the Shannon at Bunratty, and is navigable thence for boats to within half a mile of the town, it has been long declining; its market, formerly held on Friday, is discontinued, and the market-house, once a handsome building, is now unroofed. A large mill, formerly used for grinding corn, and since used as a paper-mill, has lately been discontinued; as have some mills below the town for several years. A fair held on Dec. 5th for store and fat cattle is much frequented by provision merchants from Cork and Limerick. General sessions are held here in June; petty sessions occasionally on Tuesdays; and a seneschal's court usually once in six weeks, for the recovery of small debts. A constabulary police force is stationed in the town. The sessions-house is a commodious building, attached to which is a small but well regulated bridewell. Here are the church of the union of Bunratty, and the principal R. C. chapel of the district. The former is an old edifice, of which the tower, being considered insecure, was taken down a few years since, and for rebuilding it and repairing the church the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have lately granted £542. In the R. C. divisions Six-mile-bridge gives name to the union or district, comprising the parishes of Kilmurrynegaul, Kilfinaghty, and Finogh, and containing the chapels of Six-mile-bridge and Kilmurry; the former is a spacious modern building. The school-house near the chapel is a large building, erected by subscription about 10 years since; the classics are taught in this school, which is under the superintendence of the parish priest. A dispensary for the poor is open three days in the week.

SIX-MILE-CROSS, a village, in the parish of TERMONMAGUIRK, barony of OMAGH, county of TYRONE, and province of ULSTER, 8 miles (S. E.) from Omagh, on the road to Dungannon; containing 275 inhabitants. The parish church of Termon was erected here on establishing the village in 1634; it remained until the parish was divided, and the two churches of Termon and Clogherney were built. The village contains 65 meanly built houses, mostly thatched, in one small street, though some good houses have been lately built: it has a penny post to Omagh and Dungannon. A court for the manor of Fena is held here once a month, for the recovery of debts under 40s. The village, manor, and lands around are the property of the Earl of Belmore. A very handsome church has recently been erected, by aid of a grant of £900 from the late Board of First Fruits; it is a district church, embracing several townlands of the parish and some of Errigal contiguous. Here is a meeting-house for Presbyterians in connection with the Associate Synod; and a male and female school. The Lords Glenawley had formerly their chief residence here, a small fragment of the castle being still in existence.

SKEIRKE, a parish, in the barony of UPPER OSSORY, QUEEN'S county, and province of LEINSTER, 1 3/4 miles (S. S. W.) from Burros-in-Ossory, on the road to Templemore; containing 911 inhabitants. This parish comprises 1922 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act: the land is generally of good quality, and the greater portion is under tillage; the system of agriculture is improved, and there is neither waste land nor bog. The principal seats are Ballymellish, the residence of B. Thacker, Esq.; Skeirke Cottage, of R. Steele, Esq.; and the residence of the Rev. T. S. Monk. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ossory, and in the patronage of the Crown; the rectory is impropriate in the corporation of Kilkenny. The tithes amount to £135, of which £90 is payable to the impropriators, and the remainder to the vicar; the glebe comprises 188f acres. The church, towards the erection of which the late Board of First Fruits granted a loan of £500, in 1831, is a small neat edifice. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union of Rathdowney. About 90 children are taught in a public school, partly supported by the incumbent; and there is a private school, in which are about 60 children. There are some Druidical remains, situated on a high hill, and consisting of a circular area enclosed with a stone rampart, and surrounded with a fosse; in the centre of the area is a pyramidal stone, about six feet high, with fragments of several others; towards the eastern side are the remains of a cromlech, and towards the north is a high mound with a flat summit. There are also some ruins of the ancient castle of Garran.

SKELLIGS (THE), three islands in the parish of KILLEMLAGH, barony of IVERAGH, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, the principal of which, or the Great Skellig, is 8 miles (W. N. W. 1/4 N.) from Bolus Head, and 7 3/4 (W. S. W.) from Bray Head, in the island of Valentia. They form a range of lofty and widely detached masses of rock, extending in a west-southwesterly direction from Puffin island, an insulated rock forming the south-western extremity of the coast of Kerry. The first from the coast is a circular rock called the Lemon, which abounds with various kinds of fowl, and has an elevation considerably above high water mark; near it are two smaller rocks, which are dry at half ebb, but have 30 fathoms depth on the north side. About three miles further, in the same direction, is the middle or Little Skellig, consisting of a reddish kind of slate rising abruptly from the sea, and frequented by vast numbers of gannets, or Solan geese, and a great variety of other birds; the people of the mainland take these for their feathers, which are valuable as articles of trade, and also for food, which savours of fish and is eaten on fast days. About a league farther from the shore is the Great Skellig, in lat. 51° 49' (N.), and lon. 10° 32' 30" (W.); it is a stupendous mass of slate rock rising majestically from the sea, and at the height of 50 or 60 yards dividing into two pyramidal summits, of which the taller has an elevation of 1500 feet above high water mark. The middle region of the island forms a plain of about three acres, surrounded by precipitous elevations which overhang the waters that roar around their base; it affords some short but nutritious pasturage, and there are some indistinct traces of former cultivation. This spot, in the earlier ages of Christianity, was selected as a place of religious seclusion; there are still some remains of the abbey of St. Finian and of the cells of the monks who formerly lived here in the most austere solitude; the chapels or cells are built of stone dovetailed without mortar, and apparently in imitation of Roman architecture, with conical roofs of the same material. In 812 the Danish pirates plundered this little monastery, and the monks, unable to obtain supplies of provisions, died of famine. There are also the remains of two small wells, which with the chapels were dedicated to St. Michael. The island has only two coves, in which a landing can be effected; according to Keating and other Irish historians, Irr, one of the sons of Milesius, attempting to land here, was shipwrecked and buried in the island. Near the summit of the higher cliff is a projecting crag overhanging the sea, at the extremity of which is a rudely carved cross, which it was considered an act of the most determined devotion to kiss, and which appalling task was frequently enjoined as a penance upon pilgrims who visited the island for that purpose. This monastery became a cell to the abbey of St. Michael at Ballinskelligs bay, subsequently founded for monks of the order of St. Augustine, the ruins of which still form an interesting object on the shores of the mainland. The water at the base of the island is 90 fathoms deep, and abounds with a variety of fish. On the south side are two lighthouses at a distance of 650 feet from each other, distinguished by the names of the Upper and Lower Skellig rock lights; they exhibit fixed bright lights, at an elevation of 173 feet above the level of the sea at high water mark, bearing from each other N. by E. and S. by W., and are so arranged as to answer the purpose of leading lights to vessels sailing either north or south. The erection of these lighthouses has been the means of preventing much loss of life and property; scarcely a winter previously elapsed without frequent and fatal shipwrecks, which since their completion have been of rare occurrence. The light-keepers are sometimes cut off from all communication with the mainland for months together, and as there is no supply of wholesome water on the island, they suffer at those times the greatest privations: it requires a perfectly calm day and a very steady and skilful crew to effect a landing on the rock. The rugged sides of the higher peaks present immense masses of a rotten slaty substance, apparently decomposed by the electric fluid, and it is not improbable that there may have been a third peak, destroyed by the same means.

SKERRIES, a sea-port and fishing town, in the parish of HOLMPATRICK, barony of BALROTHERY, county of DUBLIN, and province of LEINSTER, 3 1/4 miles (S. E.) from Balbriggan; containing 2556 inhabitants. The town is situated on the eastern coast, and was the place at which Sir Henry Sydney landed, in 1575, when sent by Queen Elizabeth as Lord-Deputy of Ireland: it contains 528 houses, chiefly inhabited by persons employed in the fishery; and in the neighbourhood are several handsome villas. Previously to the withdrawing of the fishery bounties, the trade of this place was very considerable; at present only 46 boats of 40 tons, and carrying 7 men each, are employed in the fishery. Off the coast are the islands called the Skerries, within which is a broad beach of sand, dry at low water, extending from Shenex island, the most southern, to Red island, the most northern, and connected with the mainland by a causeway which, with a small pier on the north side, forms the harbour of Skerries. This harbour is the best on this part of the coast, having a good roadstead which is safe in southerly winds; the channel between Red island and Colt island is only fit for boats; but within St. Patrick's isle are from 3 to 4 fathoms of water. Tambour-work is carried on to a very considerable extent, affording employment to more than 700 persons. Fairs for cattle and pigs are held on April 28th and Aug. 10th, a constabulary police force is stationed in the town, and it is also a coast-guard station, being one of the nine that constitute the district of Swords. The parish church, a neat edifice, to which an embattled tower crowned with pinnacles was added, in 1819, by Hans Hamilton, Esq., adjoins the town; and there is also a R. C. chapel, erected in 1823, a spacious and handsome edifice. There are circulating libraries in connection with both. The parochial school-house, with apartments for the master and mistress, was erected at the expense of J. H. Hamilton, Esq., and is near the church, and the national schools are situated in the town, in which there is also a dispensary. On the Red island and on that of Shenex are martello towers; and on St. Patrick's isle are some remains of an ancient church.

SKERRY, SKIRRIE, or SQUIRRE, a parish, in the barony of LOWER ANTRIM, county of ANTRIM, and province of ULSTER, 3 miles (N. E.) from Ballymena, on the river Braid, and on the roads leading respectively from Glenarm and Larne to Ballymena; containing 4405 inhabitants. According to the Ordnance survey it comprises 26,176 statute acres. The surface is mountainous, and the soil varied; the lower lands are fertile and well cultivated, but in other places the ground is entirely neglected; there are large tracts of bog, producing abundance of fuel, and of waste and mountain land, affording rough pasturage. The principal seats are Knockboy, the residence of A. Davison, Esq.; Bushyfield, of the Rev. R. Stewart; Nowhead, of J. Logan, Esq.; White Hall, of J. White, Esq.; Tullymore, of the Hon. J. B. R. O'Neill; Glencairn, of the Rev. W. Crawford; and Claggan, the splendid hunting seat of Earl O'Neill. Coal and ironstone have been discovered, but neither has been yet worked; basalt of every description is obtained in abundance, and greenstone is found in some places. At Knockboy is an extensive mill for spinning linen yarn and flax, and the weaving of linen cloth is carried on in almost every house. An annual fair is held at Tullymore, on Nov. 17th, for cattle, horses pigs, and pedlery. The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Connor, united from time immemorial with the rectory of Racavan, and in the patronage of the Marquess of Donegal: the tithes amount to £399. 7. 8., and of the entire benefice, which is popularly called the union of the Braid, to £716. 3. 9. The ancient church has been long in ruins; the present, situated in the town of Broughshane, and which is the church of the union, is a small edifice in the Grecian style of architecture, with a handsome spire; it was erected by Charles, ancestor of the present Earl O'Neill, probably about the year 1765, on condition of the parishioners keeping it in repair; a gallery was added to it, and a vestry built at the expense of the parish in 1829. In the church is a beautiful marble font, the gift of the Rev. Mr. Craw-ford. In the R. C. divisions the parish, with Dunaghy, is called the parish of Glenravel. There is an excellent parochial school-house, in which also divine service is performed on alternate Sundays; and there are also schools at Ballycloghan, Correen, Knockboy, Tullymore, Longmore, and Ballymena, chiefly supported by the resident gentry. The late Alex. Davison, Esq., bequeathed £100 towards the education of poor children. The ruins of the ancient church, in which were interred many of the ancestors of Earl O'Neill, are situated on the summit of a conical hill, and form a conspicuous object for many miles round; and there are numerous forts, raths, and artificial caverns in the parish. It is said that small particles of gold have been found in the rills running from the hills where the greenstone is obtained; and in the valley of the river Artoags, near the bridge, are some fine basaltic columns of four, five, six, and seven sides, exactly like those of the Giants' causeway. Above the bridge, on the same stream, is a picturesque waterfall; and about a mile from Claggan is a curious cave, formed of large stones in appearance similar to those forming druidical monuments, from which the townland on which it is situated is supposed to have derived its name; several of the stones have been removed by the peasantry, and the plough has contributed to deface this monument of ancient times.

SKIBBEREEN, a market and post-town, partly in the parish of ABBEYSTROWRY, but chiefly in that of CREAGH, Eastern Division of the barony of WEST CARBERY, county of CORK, and province of MUNSTER, 42 miles (S. W.) from Cork, on the mail road to Bantry, and 167 1/4 (S. W.) from Dublin; containing 4429 inhabitants. In 1691, an engagement took place in the vicinity between the forces of Jas. II. and Col. Becher, who commanded about 500 of the militia, when the former were put to flight, with the loss of 60 men and a large number of cattle. Three years afterwards, a party of 40 rapparees came into the town and plundered the custom-house, which belonged to the port of Baltimore, and killed two revenue officers. The town, from its situation in a wild, unenclosed part of the country, has frequently been the rendezvous of disaffected parties, but it has been much improved of late years, and is now a very flourishing place. It is situated on the southern bank of the river Ilen, and comprises seven streets; that part which extends into the parish of Abbeystrowry is called Bridgetown, and consists of three streets, one of which has been recently formed. The number of houses in the whole town is 1014, many of which, in the eastern part and in the parish of Creagh, are large and well built: the approaches have been much improved by the formation of new lines of road at each extremity.

This place had formerly a very considerable trade, arising from the manufacture of woollen cloth, linen, checks, and handkerchiefs, which has altogether declined: it is, however, very advantageously situated for trade in an extensive and improving district; the tide from the harbour of Baltimore flows up to the town, and the river is navigable for vessels of 200 tons' burden to Oldcourt, two miles below Skibbereen. In the town are capacious storehouses for corn, and a considerable quantity of flour is also exported from the mills of Mr. .J. Clark, on the bank of the Ilen, a quarter of a mile from the town. A porter brewery upon an extensive scale was established in 1809; it is the property of Daniel Mc Carthy, Esq., and is in full operation, many of the neighbouring towns being supplied from the establishment. The market days are Wednesday and Saturday, the former for the Bridgetown portion, and the latter, which is the principal market, for Staplestown. Milk and fuel are also exposed daily in the market-place for sale. The supply of provisions is very abundant, particularly fish and poultry: pigs and sheep are also sold in great numbers. The marketplace being small, and the market-house old and inconvenient, the articles brought for sale on the regular market-days are exposed in the public streets and in a place called the square. Fairs are held on May 14th, July 10th, Aug. 2nd, Oct. 12th, and Dec. 11th and 23rd; and petty sessions on Wednesdays. The sessions-house and bridewell is a large and handsome building in the Grecian style, occupying an elevated site near the entrance to the town from Cork. There is also an infantry barrack; and Skibbereen is the residence of the inspecting commander of the coast-guard stations of the district, of which it is the head, comprising those of Milkcove, Glandore, Castle-Townsend, Barlogue, Baltimore, Long Island, Crookhaven, Dunmanus, and Whitehorse, and extending from Sheep Head to Rosscarbery.

The parochial church of Abbeystrowry is situated in Bridgetown; it is a large edifice in the early English style, with a tower at the east end, erected in 1827, at an expense of £1200, towards which £900 was contributed by the late Board of First Fruits. The R. C. chapel, situated near the sessions-house, is a spacious and handsome edifice in the Grecian style, erected in 1826, at an expense of £3000: the interior is fitted up with great taste, and the altar, which is ornamented with a painting of the Crucifixion, is very chaste: it was built under the direction of the late Dr. Collins, R. C. Bishop of Ross, who resided here, and is the principal chapel of the union, to which Skibbereen gives name. There is also a Wesleyan Methodist chapel, a small but neat edifice. Parochial schools for boys and girls were erected near the church, in 1825, by the vicar; and an infants' school was built in 1835. There is also a Sunday school under the care of the Protestant clergyman. Near the R. C. chapel are large school-houses, built by the late Dr. Collins, which are supported by the National Board. A dispensary is maintained in the customary manner. There are numerous large and handsome houses near the town, the principal of which are noticed in the description of Abbeystrowry.

SKIRTS, or SKIRTS of URNEY, also called DERG, a parish, in the barony of OMAGH, county of TYRONE, and province of ULSTER, 8 miles (W.) from Newtown-Stewart, on the river Derg; containing, with the post-town of Castlederg, 3113 inhabitants. This parish, which in the ecclesiastical divisions is generally known as Derg, Derg-bridge, or Castlederg, was formerly considered to be included in the parishes of Urney and Ardstraw, but in 1812 the portion of the latter parish was claimed by its rector, and since that period the parish has been called the Skirts of Urney. It comprises 17 townlands, containing (together with the portion of Ardstraw before mentioned), according to the Ordnance survey, 14,286 statute acres. Petty sessions are held every second, and a court for the manor of Hastings every third, Saturday, at Castlederg, where also are held a monthly court for the manor of Ardstraw and a monthly fair. The living is a perpetual cure, in the diocese of Derry, and in the patronage of the Rector of Urney: the tithes of the 17 townlands, over which the cure extends, amount to £258. 9. 3. The glebe-house is a neat building, erected in 1795, at an expense of £200, of which £150 was a gift from the late Board of First Fruits; and there is a glebe of 30 Cunningham acres. The church is situated at Castlederg, which see. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the union or district of Urney: the chapel is at Castlederg; and there is a place of worship for Presbyterians in connection with the Seceding Synod. About 270 children are educated in the national schools at Castlederg, Ganvaghan, Kilclean, and Mount Bernard, of which the first and last are patronised by Sir R. Ferguson, Bart.: there are also three private schools, in which are about 130 children; and three Sunday schools.

SKORMAN.-- -See GRAYSTOWN.

SKREEN, or SKRYNE, a parish, in the barony of SKREEN, county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles (N.) from Dunshaughlin, on the roads from Dublin to Navan and from Drogheda to Summerhill; containing 1279 inhabitants. This parish was anciently called Scrinium Sancti Columbae, and appears to have derived that name from the shrine of St. Columb having been brought from England into Ireland, in 875, and deposited in the monastery here. The Danes twice plundered this religious establishment during the eleventh century, and it was likewise ravaged by the inhabitants of Teaffia in 1058 and in 1152. On the settlement of Meath by Hugh de Lacy, this place became the property of Adam de Feypo, who erected a castle here; his family founded and endowed a friary for eremites of the order of St. Augustine. In the reign of Rich. II., mention is made of the "Irish town of Skryne;" in that of Hen. IV. notice is taken of its hundred court as a borough, and of its burgage rents; and in the records of the 1st of Hen. VI., 1423, "the Provost and Commonalty of the town of Scryne are ordered to be at Trim with all their power for its defence;" though at present it is a place of but little consideration. The parish comprises 4235 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act: the lands are nearly equally pasture and arable, and the soil is of the best quality. Fairs are held on March 17th, June 20th, and Oct. 12th, for live stock, the last being a very large fair for sheep; all are well attended. Corbalton Hall, the elegant and spacious mansion of Elias Corbally, Esq., stands in a remarkably well-wooded demesne of about 1000 acres.

The living is a rectory, in the diocese of Meath, united by act of council, in 1677, to the rectory of Rathfeigh, the vicarage of Dowthstown, the impropriation of Kilcarn, and the chapelries of Templecarne and Lismullen, and in the patronage of the Crown; the tithes amount to £280, and the gross value of the benefice is £660. 1. 4. The glebe-house, situated in this parish, was built in 1813, at a cost of £1754, of which £100 was a gift and £900 a loan from the late Board of First Fruits, the residue having been supplied by the then incumbent. The glebes of the union comprise 26 acres, valued at £53. 8. 0. per annum. The church of the union is in Templecarne; it was built about 1809, by a gift of £500 and a loan of £500 from the same Board, and has lately been repaired by aid of £116, from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district comprising this parish and those of Taragh, Rathfeigh, Lismullen, Templekieran, and Macetown, and containing two chapels, at Skreen and Rathfeigh: the former is a handsome edifice, with a lofty steeple, opened in 1827; the interior is very neat, and has a painting over the altar: the building was erected by subscription, to which the principal contributors were E. Corbally and T. Maher (of Clonstown), Esqrs. The parochial school is aided by an annual donation from the rector, who gives a house and garden rent-free: a school at Ross is aided by an annual gift from Earl Ludlow; and a third school by a legacy of £10 per ann.: in these schools about 180 children are taught. A national school is in course of erection on part of the chapel-yard, the ground having been given on a 999 years' lease, at a nominal rent, by A. J. Dopping, Esq.; the building is spacious and well-constructed, and will include a residence for the master. The old castle has been enlarged and modernised, and is now occupied by a farmer. On an eminence, and conspicuous at a great distance, are considerable remains of the ancient church or monastery, consisting of the tower and shell of the building, with a burial-ground attached. Skryne gave the title of Baron (now extinct) to the family of Feypo.

SKREEN, or SKRINE, a parish, in the barony of TYRERAGH, county of SLIGO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 5 miles (E.) from Dromore-West, on the road from Sligo to Ballina, and on Ardnaglass harbour; containing 4567 inhabitants. This parish was anciently called Knock-na-moile, and was granted by Tipraid, Chief of Hy-Fiachrii, to St. Columb: it obtained its present name from a shrine of St. Adamnan erected here. From its contiguity to the shore of the Atlantic, great facility is afforded of obtaining valuable manure: agriculture is very bad, the peasantry being adverse to the adoption of any improvements, though the land is in itself good; there is some bog in the mountains. At Ardnaglass is a good limestone quarry, from which some of the hewn stone work of the new chapel at Ballina was procured; it bears the chisel well and takes a good polish. Petty sessions are held at Ardnaglass once a fortnight; and fairs for cattle on June 21st, Aug. 13th, Sept. 23rd, and Nov. 12th. Leckfield is the residence of Lewis G. Jones, Esq.; Seafort, of R. Wood, Esq.; and Tubberpatrick, of Jeremiah Jones, Esq. The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Killala, and in the patronage of the Archbishop of Tuam; the tithes amount to £480. The glebe-house was built in 1807 by the then incumbent, at a cost of £680; the glebe comprises 21 acres, valued at £52. 10. per annum. The church is a neat building with a square tower, and was erected in 1819, near the ruins of the former, by aid of a loan of £1200 from the late Board of First Fruits: the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have lately granted £180 for its repair. The R. C. parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church, and contains a chapel. On the glebe is a female school aided by the incumbent; a school at Farnaharpy is under the patronage of the Rev. T. Webber, who built the school-house; and there are four other public schools, in all which about 280 children are taught. There are also three private schools, in which are about 210 children. Tradition reports that once there were seven churches within the parish, and that there existed an establishment for religious instruction; there are appearances of the foundations of many buildings. The old castle of Ardnaglass, of which there are considerable remains, was originally the residence of the Odowds, a family then of great note, and was also in the possession of the Mac Swineys; it is now the property of J. Jones, Esq., whose ancestor came over with Oliver Cromwell. At Skreen is a very fine well, having over it a monument inscribed, "Eugenius McDonnail, vicarius hujus vile, M. F. F. 1591:" it is in excellent preservation.

SKREEN, or SKRYNE, a parish, partly in the barony of SHELMALIER, but chiefly in that of BALLAGHKEEN, county of WEXFORD, and province of LEINSTER, 5 miles (N. E.) from Wexford, on the coast road from Wexford to Oulart; containing 382 inhabitants. It comprises 977 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act; within its limits is Ballinroan Lodge, the property of R. S. Guinness, Esq. The inhabitants are partly employed in the herring fishery at Carracloe, in the adjoining parish of St. Margaret. It is an impropriate cure, in the diocese of Ferns, forming part of the union of Ardcolme; the rectory is impropriate in the Earl of Portsmouth. The tithes amount to £74. 4. 10. of which £40. 9. 3 1/2. is payable to the impropriator, and £33. 14. 6 1/2. to the curate; there is a glebe of 19 acres. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Castlebridge. The chapel is at the village of Skryne; and a residence for the R. C. curate has been built on the site of the old chapel. Here is a dispensary for the poor. About 60 children are educated in a private school.

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