CLONMACNOISE

In 1868, the parish of Clonmacnoise contained the following places:

"CLONMACNOISE, (or The Seven Churches), a parish in the barony of Garrycastle, in King's County, province of Leinster, Ireland, 5 miles N.W. of Ferbane. It is situated on the banks of the Shannon, and contains the village of Shannon Bridge. The surface is chiefly bog with limestone. In the middle of the 6th century St. Kieran founded an abbey here, which became a famed seat of learning and theology, and was subsequently made the head of a diocese, united to Meath in 1568. The living is a vicarage in the diocese of Meath, value£303, in the patronage of the bishop. The church contains several curious old monuments, and is still much venerated as a burial-place. In the vicinity are the magnificent ruins of the cathedral, with its ten affiliated churches, of the two round towers above 60 feet high, of the venerable abbey, and of the bishop's palace-all eloquently recalling the grandeur of this once famed seat of learning. A fair is held on the 9th September.

"SHANNON-BRIDGE, a post-office village in the parish of Clonmacnoise, barony of Garrycastle, King's County, province of Leinster, Ireland, 9 miles W. of Ferbane. It is situated on the river Shannon, at the bridge which connects the counties of Roscommon and King's County. The bridge has sixteen arches, with a battery and tower at the Roscommon end. There are a Roman Catholic chapel, school, and a police station."

[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868]
by Colin Hinson ©2018