Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/423

Rh KILDANGAN. 415 KILDARE. a-Cavrach and Inersay. The par. is 15 miles long _ broad, and contains the vil. of Port-Ellen. The surface is hilly, and includes four lochs within its limits. The principal features along the coast are M'Arture's Head, Ardmore Point, Lough Knock, Lagavuline Har- bour, Lowdinas Bay, and the Hull of Oo. This par. is in the preab. of Isliiy and Jura, and synod of Argyle, in the patron, of the crown. The minister has a stipend of 158. The church was erected in 1824. There are besides a government church and a Free church, also several schools, but not parochial. The castle called Dun-naohmaig, belonging to the Macdonalds, in Islay, is in ruins. There are remains of two Danish forts, and of three or four churches. Here is a monument to the memory of a 4Irs. Campbell, also two pillar tovjers near Lough Knock, called the Two Sisters; and at Kil- naughten are two pillar crosses. KILDANGAN, a par. in the bar. of Offaly West, co. Kildare, prov. of Leinstcr, Ireland, 4 miles 8.W. of Kildare. It is 1 mile long by half a mile broad, and extends along the E. bank of the river Barrow. The living is a rect. in the dioc. of Kildare, val. with Nurney, 152, in the patron, of the bishop. The Roman Catholic chapel is united to those of Nurney and Honastereven. There are ruins of an ancient castle formerly belonging to the Fitzgerald family. KILDARE, an inland co. in the prov. of Leinster, Ireland. It lies between 52 50' and 53 25' N. lat., and between 6 27' and 7 10' W. long. It is 40 miles in ' length from N. to S., and 27 in breadth from E. to W. Its boundaries are co. Heath on the N., cos. Dublin and Wicklow on the E., co. Carlow on the S., and Queen's County, King's County, and Westmeath on the W. It covers an area of 653 square miles, or 418,436 acres, of which 356,787 are arable lands, 51,854 are not cultivated, 8,288 are in plantation, 1,017 are under water, and 490 are occupied by the sites of towns. The general cha- racter of the surface is flat. The principal rising grounds are the Rathcoole hills, which form the western skirts of the Dublin mountains. At the S. end of the Bog of Allen are the Red Hill, Dunmurry Hill, Grange Hill, and the hill of Allen. S. of this point the surface maintains an unbroken level till it reaches the spurs of the Wicklow mountains on the S.E., which divide the southern part of the county into two parts, on the E. declining to the river Lifl'ey, and on the W. to the Barrow. N. of the Dunmurry range a portion of the at Bog of Allen extends over some 36,000 acres. Royal canal passes along the N. border of the county, and sometimes enters the county of Heath. The Grand canal crosses the entire county, sending ofl branches to Naas, Hilltown, and Athy, where it joins the Barrow river. This river enters on the W. side of Kildare, and takes a southerly course, passing Honaster- even, to the S.W. boundary of the county. The Feagile, lackwood, Finnery, Griese, and Leer are tributaries to the Barrow. The river Liifey enters Kildare on the eastern border, and first takes a westerly course, and afterwards flows N.N.E. to Leixlip. The Horrel, Rye, and several small rivulets are tributaries to this river within the county. The river Boyne has its source in Kildare, near the western boundary, and passes out into the county of Heath. About 20 square miles of the J; granite- district of Wicklow and Carlow occupy a on of the S.E. extremity of this county. A strip histoso rock, about 5 miles in breadth, stretches tin: extern frontier. The hill of Allen and the iurry hills arc chiefly composed of greenstone, ipliyry, and crystalline greenstone, containing horn- !i; and felspar. In the other parts of the county tho iling rock is mountain limestone, but so much em- (1 in bog as . to be little available for agricultural ,ios. There are appearances of copper at Dun-, Hill. Owing to the vast expanse of bog within the county, the climate is found to be more moist than v other inland county of Ireland. Dense and is hang over the N.W. district almost without 1 ii. The system of agriculture, is rapidly im- proving, though in many places it is still very imperfectly carried out. Up to the commencement of the present century the exhausting plan was everywhere adhered to. The principal crops raised are oats, wheat, potatoes, turnips, barley, rye, clover, &c. The soil is a rich stiff loam in the more fertile districts, but bog and rock in others. The fences are chiefly constructed of stone and turf. The farms range in size from 15 to 300 acres. The breeds of cattle and sheep are from introductions of the first class. Tho whole of tho county, excepting a small portion in the N., anciently belonged to tho kingdom of Leinster, and was divided into tho districts of Imail under the O'Tooles, Hy-Failge under the O'Connors, and Hy-Ceallcn under the Hackellys. In 1296 it was constituted a county, and John Fitzmaurico Fitzgerald was created Earl of Kildare in. 1316. In 1534, Gerald, the then earl, being summoned to England to answer certain charges, Ids sou stirred up a rebellion, and the lands were forfeited to tho crown. Tho lino was restored in a younger brother in 1552. The battle of Kilrush was fought in 1642, when a Roman Catholic army of 15,000 was defeated by the royalists under tho Earl of Ormonde. The population of the county in 1851 was 95,724, and in 1861, 90,946. It returns two members to parliament (ten before tho Union), and had a consti- tuency in 1859 of 3,143. It is governed by a lieutenant and custos rotulorum, vice-lieutenant, sheriff, and 14 deputies, with about 70 magistrates. It is in the Home circuit, tho assizea being held at Naas, and within tho south-eastern or Curragh military district. The military stations are at Athy, Naas, Newbridge, and tho Curragh encampment. Naas is tho chief police station, presiding over 45 others. Tho greater part of the inhabitants aro agriculturists, but some few are occupied in the paper, cotton, and woollen-mills. Tho corn trade is very extensive, and numerous mills aro in full operation. This co. is divided into 14 bars., viz. Carbury, Clane, Connell, Ikeathy and Oughterany, Kilcullen, Kilkea, Hoone, North and South Naas, Narragh, East and West Reban, East and West Offaly, and North and South Salt, which comprise 116 pars. Tho principal towns are Athy and Naas, where the assizes and sessions are held, Haynooth, Kildare, Kilcock, Honastoroven, Timoline, Rathangan, Leixlip, Kilcullen-Bridge, and Newbridge. The principal seats aro Carton, of tho Duke of Leinster ; Moore Abbey, of the Harquis of Drogheda; Bishop's Court, Earl Clonmel; Palmerstown, Earl Mayo ; Lyons House, Lord Cloncurry ; Bert House, Lord Downes ; Rusborough, Earl Hilltown ; Belan House, Lord Aldborough ; Carbery Castle, Viscount Harberton. The objects of interest to the antiquarian are Kildare cathedral and round tower, Castlc-Dennot Abbey, Newbridge Abbey, Naas monasteries ; stono crosses at Hoone, Castle-Dermot, and Old Kilcullen ; tho castles of Leixlip, Donadea, Kilkea, Castle-Dermot, Kil- dare, Rheban, Haynooth, Corrifig, Timolin, Ballytenguc, and Woodstock ; pillar stones at Harristown, Hullagh- mast, Punch's-town, Forenaught, and Kilgowan ; pillar towers at Kildare, Castlc-Dennot, Old Kilcullen, Ough- tcrard, and Taghadoe ; also earthworks, raths, moats, and tumuli, which aro numerous in all parts of tho county. Tho principal communications of the county, besides the canals already alluded to, aro the Great Southern and Western railway, which crosses it ; and tho roads from Kildaro to Newbridge, Naas, Clane, Colbridgo, Leixlip, Haynooth, Ballymore Eustace, and Blessington ; from Kildare to Kilrush, Alhy, Ballytoro, Timolin, Castlo- Dermot, and on to Carlow. KILDARE, a par., post and market town, in tho bars, of Connell and East Offaly, co. Kildare, prov. Leinster, Ireland, 31 miles from Dublin. It is a station on tho Carlow branch of the Great Southern and Western rail- way, and stands on the mail coach road to Limerick. Tho parish consists of a main body and a detached district ; the length of the former is 5 miles, and its greatest breadth 3 ; the length of tho latter is 2 miles, and its greatest breadth 1 mile. The most elevated ground is in the S. The living is a rect. in the dioc. of Kildare, in tlie patron, of the dean and chapter. Tho cathedral wo shall notice below. There aro two Roman Catholic