Drumcreehy

Drumcreehy
Droim Críche
Parish

Drumcreehy
Coordinates: 53°06′54″N 9°08′59″W / 53.115099°N 9.149644°WCoordinates: 53°06′54″N 9°08′59″W / 53.115099°N 9.149644°W
Country Ireland
Province Munster
County County Clare, County Limerick
Time zone WET (UTC+0)
 • Summer (DST) IST (WEST) (UTC-1)

Drumcreehy or Dromcreehy (Irish: Droim Críche[1]) is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It contains the village of Ballyvaughan.

Location

The name "Drumcreehy" comes from the situation of the original parish church on a hillside in the territory of Crioch Maille.[2] The parish is in the north of the barony of Burren on Ballyvaughan bay, on the south shore of Galway Bay. It is 10.5 miles (16.9 km) northwest of Corofin. The parish is 4 by 2 miles (6.4 by 3.2 km) and covers 6,285 acres (2,543 ha). The land is rocky and mountainous, and mostly unsuitable for farming. It rises to 1,023 feet (312 m) above sea level at Cappanavalla mountain on the western boundary.[3]

Antiquities and history

There are many stone ringforts and caves in varying condition in the parish. As of 1897 the old church of Drumcreehy was partly ruined, surrounded by a large cemetery.[2] There are the remains of a religious house on the lands called "The Bishop’s Quarter", but there are no records of the establishment.[4]

There are the remains of four castles in the parish. Ballyvaghane (Baile-Ui-Beachain) stood on the edge of the small harbor in the village. It has now almost entirely disappeared. Muckinish Noe, on the bay of Pouldoody, was badly damaged. Shan Muckinish was repaired around 1836, and as of 1897 was habitable. Newtown Castle is in a very good state of repair. All four castles were owned by an O’Loghlen in 1580.[2] Newton castle consists of a round tower on a square base. It was inhabited in 1837.[4]

A battle was fought in 1317 beside Lough Rask which is near Ballyvaghan.[2]

In 1834 there was neither church, chapel nor school in the parish. Villages in 1845 were Ballyvaughan, Ballyconree, Ballinacraggy and Loughrask. In 1841 the population was 2,331 in 362 houses, mostly living along the coastline.[3]

Townlands

Townlands are Acres, Ballycahill, Ballyconry, Ballyvaughan, Bishopsquarter, Dangan, Killoghil, Knocknagroagh, Lisnanard, Loughrask, Muckinish East, Muckinish West, Newtown and Tonarussa.[5]

References

Citations

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