Parish of Kilmacreehy

1. Situation & Name; Old Church; Pointed niche popularly called St. Mainchin’s in S. wall of choir; Niche in N. wall surmounted by a mitred head popularly called Mac Crithe’s; Specimen of characters in an inscription on a stone at bottom of latter niche; Stone inscribed to the Chief McDonagh (1745) inserted in S. side of a vault attached to porch of Church; Mac Crithe’s Bed, a spot on the strand below the Church so called; Mac Crithe’s Well formerly in great repute for curing diseases of the eyes but now unfrequented.

2. Kileaspuglinnane Townland called in Annals of IV. Masters, Cill-Easbaig-Lonain, or Church of Bishop Lonain (i.e., Flannan, Patron of Killaloe Diocese); Burial ground from which it is named; Was made their route from Ennistymon to Kilfenora by a party of O’Donnell’s marauders in 1599; Well named after Bishop Lonan (Flannan) at which Stations are performed S.E. of burial ground; Kilconnell (burial place for children in) from which the Townland is named; Ard-Chill (the High Church) a burial place for children so called in Derreen S.; St. Bridget’s Well which has a stone with modern inscription placed over it in same Townland; Popularly called Dabhach-Brighde i.e., Bridget’s Keeve or Vat; “Patron” formerly held at Lehinch, transferred thither and held on Domhnach Crom-Dubh (the first Sunday in August); Caislean-na-Duimhche (Castle of the Sand Hills) old Castle of the O’Conors of Corcomroe so called; Its situation; Reference to it from Annals of IV. Masters; Revenue & mansion of Corcomroe granted to Torlogh O’Brien by a parliament held at Ennis in 1585; Tullamore & Polladooneen old Castles (sites of); Liscannor old Castle & mansion house attached, supposed to have belonged to the O’Conor’s of Corcomroe.

3. Mohar (Cliffs of) bounding this Parish on the N.W.; Mohar-Ui-Ruaidhin (the Ruined Rath, Lios or Caher of O’Ruaidhin) from which the cliffs are named; Stood formerly on the northern Cliff near Hag’s Head; Was broken up about 30 years ago to supply materials for building the Telegraph at the Hag; Michael Comyn’s Wild Irish Romance on this and two other remarkable localities in the neighbourhood, viz., Liscannor & Killstuitheen (Killstuiffeen); Eidhneach River; Creach-Oilean (Island of Plunder - Prey); Irish stanza supposed to have been addressed to the ruins of Mohar by some native poet; The Mohar supposed to have been the ruins of an O’Conor mansion; Killstuitheen (Killstuiffeen) a well-known reef of rocks running across the mouth of the bay; Believed by the people on the opposite coast to be the name of an ecclesiastical Town which stood on the land there but which was swallowed by an earthquake; Account of the earthquake from Annals of IV. Masters; True derivation of the name Killstuiffeen; Baile Phaidin mentioned in O’Donnell’s route in 1599, as a fortified place or Castle; Names of rocks etc. collected from fishermen in the Bay of Liscannor.

Other references to Kilmacrehy Parish in the Ordnance Survey letters:

• Caislean-na-Duimhche (Castle of the Sand Hills)

Notes