Noughaval (Westmeath portions)

NOGHEVAL, or NOUGHOVAL, a parish, partly in the barony of ABBEYSHRUEL, county of LONGFORD, but chiefly in that of KILKENNY-WEST, county of WESTMEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 6 miles (W. N. W.) from Ballymore, on the road from Athlone to Ballymahon; containing 4154 inhabitants. It is bounded on the west by Lough Ree, and the navigable river Inny flows through its northern portion. A monastery of Dominican friars was founded at Ardnacraney, in the 14th century, by Robert Dillon, of Drumraney. Several battles were fought here between the Irish and the Danes. The parish comprises 11,520 statute acres, of which 11,371 are applotted under the tithe act: agriculture is improving; the land is chiefly under pasture, with some bog, extending along the confines of Longford county to the shores of Lough Ree, the islets of Inchbofin and Inisturk in which belong to this parish. The soil rests on limestone; and quarries of a species of red marble have been opened on the lands of Cartron: there are several corn-mills on the Inny. The gentlemen's seats are Littleton Lodge, the residence of W. Lennox Napier, Esq.; Longfield, of J. Langstaff, Esq.; Ardnacrany, of J. T. Madden, Esq.; Noghaville, of W. Dawson, Esq.; Lessaquille, of Harding Fetherstone, Esq.; Annville, of S. Longworth, Esq.; Clonkeen, of E. Coffy, Esq.: and in that part which is in the county of Longford are Cartron, the residence of J. Wright, Esq.; and Rathmore, of R. C. Barbor, Esq.

It is a rectory, in the diocese of Meath, entirely impropriate in the Bishop: the tithes amount to £450, payable to the bishop's lessee. In the R. C. divisions it forms part of the union or district of Drumraney, and contains a chapel at Tung. There are seven private schools, in which about 314 children are educated. Ruins of a church stand on the lands of Noghaville, and of an ancient castle at Lisduffe. Old coins are frequently being dug up here.

from Lewis's Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, 1837.