ABBEY, or INNISLONNAGH, or INNISLONAGHTY (Barony of Glenahiry)

From The Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland, 1844

ABBEY, or INNISLONNAGH, or INNISLONAGHTY, a parish, partly in the barony of Glenahiry, co. Waterford, and partly in that of Iffa and Offa East, co. Tipperary, Munster. The Tipperary section contains the villages of ABBEY and TOBERAHEENA. Area of the whole 9,378 acres; of the Glenahiry section, 2,970 acres; of the rural districts of the Tipperary section, 6,354 acres. Pop. of the whole, in 1831, 4,271; of the Gl. section, 1,256. Pop. of the whole, in 1841, 4,764; of the Gl. section, 1,499; of the rural districts of the Tip. section, 1,814. Houses in the Gl. section, 233; in the Tip. section, 511. The Waterford section seems sometimes to monopolize the name of Abbey; and the Tipperary section, that of Innislonnagh, or Innislonaghty. The two are mutually separated by the beautiful and majestic Suir. The entire parish is physically distributed into about one-tenth of hill, pasture, or mountainous ground, and about nine-tenths of arable and grazing land of a fine quality. Its name is derived from a monastic, or more properly a Culdean, establishment, alleged to have been founded by St. Mochoemoc, who died in 655. The building is said, but on very questionable authority, to have possessed singular beauty, and to have contained a chapel which was consecrated by St. Patrick. A holy well at the place possesses part of the same kind of fame which has been assigned to the fabric.--The village or town of ABBEY stands 2 1/2 miles west by south of Clonmel, and is inhabited principally by an agricultural population. Area 22 acres Pop., in 1831, 1,123; in 1841, 998. Houses 176.--This parish is a rectory in the dio. of Lismore; and, together with the rectory of Monksland, forms the benefice or union of Innislonaghty. Gross income £688 19s. 3 1/2d.; nett £593 0s. 2 1/2d. Patron, the Crown. The two parishes of the benefice are separated from each other by the intervening parishes of Rossmire, Feus, and Churchtown. A curate is employed for Monksland, at a stipend of £75. Abbey, or Innislonaghty parish-church was built in 1818, at the cost of £830 15s. 4 1/2d.; of which £553 16s. 11d. was a loan from the late board of First Fruits. Sittings 200. Monksland church, 20 miles distant, was built in 1832, by means of a gift of £900 from the late board. Sittings 200. A school-house in Monksland is also used for religious service in the Establishment. There is no other place of worship in the benefice. The parishioners of Abbey were reported, in 1834, to consist of 115 Churchmen, 4,270 Roman Catholics, 65 Presbyterians, and 9 other Protestant dissenters,--in all 4,459; and those of Monksland, to consist of 89 Churchmen and 1,020 Roman Catholics,--in all 1,109. The schools of Abbey, in 1834, were a day-school, aided by £10 and other allowances from the rector, and £5 from the Distillery company of the parish; a day-school, kept by the ladies of the Presentation Convent, and attended by 600 girls; and 3 hedge or day-schools, supported wholly by fees. See MONKSLAND.