Page:The National Gazetteer - A Topographical Dictionary of the British Islands, Volume 2.djvu/430

Rh KILKEE. 422 KILKENNY. KILKEE, or DOOGH, a seaport town and watering- place in the par. of Kilfearagh, bar. of Moyarta, CO. Clare, prov. of Munster, Ireland, 30 miles S.W. of Ennis, and 170 from Dublin. It is a bathing-place and fishing station situated on tho creek of Malbay. Since the introduction of steam-vessels this place has risen from the obscurity of a humble village to a flourishing town and watering-place, having, according to the census of 1861, a population of 2,031. It is a coastguard station and petty sessions town. It contains a newly erected church, Roman Catholic chapel, and dispensary, within the Kilrush Poor-law Union. The population consists of 1,898 Roman Catholics, 126 Established Church, and 7 Presbyterians. KILKEEDY, a par. in the bar. of Inchiquin, co. Clare, prov. of Munster, Ireland, 5 miles N.E. of Cor- rofin. Gort is its post town. The par. is 6 miles long by 1J mile broad. The surface is broken and rocky, with but a small proportion of useful land. It includes Lough Buneagh and several small pieces of water. Tho interior is traversed by the road from Cor- rofin to Gort. The living is a rect. in the dioc. of Killaloe, val. with Kilnaboy, 253, in the patron, of the bishop. The church was erected in 1793 by the late Board of First Fruits. There are two Roman Catholic chapels and a hedge-school. Roekvale, Derryo-wen, und Rockforest, are the principal seats. In the parish are ruins of several ancient castles. KILKEEDY, a par. in the bar. of Pubblebrien, co. Limerick, prov. of Munster, Ireland, 4 miles S.W. of Limerick. It contains tho principal part of the vil. of St. Patrick's Well. Clarina is its post town. The par. is 5 miles long by 1J mile broad. Tho surface stretches along the right bank of the river Maigue. The interior is crossed by the road from Limerick to Askeaton. The living is a rect. and vie. in the dioc. of Limerick, val. 769, in the patron, of the crown. The church was built in 1814 by a loan from the late Board of First Fruits. It has been subsequently enlarged. There are two united Roman Catholic chapels and six day schools in the parish. Elm Park is the seat of Lord Clarina. Tervoe and Cooper Hill are other seats. Car- rigagnnnell Castle, the stronghold of the O'Briens, the ancient heritors, stood on a rocky eminence overhanging the Shannon, and was blown up in 1689. KILKEEL, a par. and post town in the bar. of Mourne, co. Down, prov. of Ulster, Ireland, 24 miles S.W. of Downpatrick, and 66 N.E. of Dublin. The par. is nearly 1 1 miles in length and over 6 in breadth. The surface, whicn is very mountainous, extends between the coast and the Mourne mountains. The land is of indifferent quality. The road from Newry to Kilkeel follows the coast. The living is a rect. in the dioc. of Down, united with Kilcoo and Kilmegan. The church, built in 1815, is a Gothic building standing in the town. There are a Roman Catholic and two Presbyterian chapels, and one Moravian meeting- house. The free school, recently erected, stands in the town ; there are besides seventeen day schools and three Sunday-schools. Mourne Park is the seat of the Earl of Kilmorey. The town stands on a small stream called the Kilkeel. It is a place of little commercial importance, but numerous hands are employed in tho manufacture of muslin for houses in Glasgow and Belfast. It con- tains a court-house, and potty sessions are held once a month ; manor courts every third Friday. The dis- pensary is within the Kilkeel Poor-law Union, which lies wholly within the county of Down, and contains 10 electoral divisions, with 16 guardians. The poor- house has accommodation for 390 in-door paupers. Market day is Wednesday. Fairs are held on the first Wednesday in every month for pigs and sheep. KILKEEVAN, a par. in the bar. of Castlerea, co. Roscommon, prov. of Connaught, Ireland, containing the post town of Castlerea. The par. is 8 miles long by 5 broad. In the centre and W. the surface is wild and .boggy, including Lough Aelvyn. In the E. it is drained by the river Suck, and presents a more culti- vated appearance. The living is a vie. in the dioc. of Elphin, val. with another, 466, in the patron, of th bishop. The church was erected in 1819 by means of! loan from the late Board of First Fruits. There are Roman Catholic chapel and several day schools. Clo nalis is the seat of The O'Connor Don, M.P. Dealfield is another residence. KILKELLANE. See KILCHIXANE, co. Limerick. KILKELLY, a vil. in the par. of Kilmovee, bar. i Costello, co. Mayo, prov. of Connaught, Ireland, 9 mile N.W. of Ballyhaunis. There is a remarkable echo ii the neighbourhood. KILKENNY, an inland co. in the prov. of Leinster, Ireland, bounded on the N. by Queen's County, on the E. by Carlow and Wexford, on the S. by Waterford, and on tho W. by Tipperary. Its greatest length N. and 8. is 46 miles, and greatest breadth FjICand W. 24. It comprises an area of 796 square miles, and contains a population, by the census of 1861, of 124,615. According to Ptolemy it was originally inhabited by the Brigantes and Cancoi, and it subsequently became part of the kingdom of Ossory. In 1247, when Leinster was divided among the daughters of William, Earl of Pembroke, Kilkenny was allotted to his third child, Isabella, and through her descended to the earls of Ormonde. Its early history was occupied in struggles between the houses of Ormonde and Desmonde. In the rebellion of 1641 Kil- kenny fell into the power of the Irish. At the accession of William III. most of the leading county families, the Graces, the Walshes, the Butlers, the O'Shears, &c., revolted, espousing the Jacobite cause, and suffered severely from various confiscations. Kilkenny returns three members to parliament, two for the county, which in 1859 had a constituency of 5,347, and one for its city, with a constituency of 585. The communication through the county is good. A mail-coach road runs from Dublin to Cashel, and another connecting the town of Kilkenny with Dublin, Waterford, and Clonmel. There are also a branch railway to Carlow from the Great Southern and Western line, continued to Kilkenny, and a line to Waterford. This county is chiefly in the diocese of Ossory, but a small part in that of Leighlin. It is divided, for purposes of civil jurisdiction, into ten baronies, viz. Callan, Crannagh, Fassadinin, Galmoy, Gowran, Ida, Iverk, Kells, Knocktopher, and Shille- logher, and contains 140 parishes. The chief rivers which irrigate this county are, the Nore, passing through the middle, tho Barrow on the E., the Suir on the S., also the Dinan, Munster, and Kings' -river. The three first-named rivers are navigable for a considerable dis- tance, and were formerly famoxis for salmon, but owing to tho mills on their banks, tho quantity has greatly decreased. The scenery of Kilkenny is more picturesque than grand. The soil being argillaceous, affords very good pasture ground, which adds greatly to the beauty of the scenery by the intensity of its verdure. Tho hills are of minor importance in the features of the county, being only the extension of the Wicklow group, forming the hills of Brandon, between the Barrow and the Nore, and finally terminate in the small elevations which unite towards the S. the mountains of Waterford. The chief I crops are, wheat, barley, and potatoes, nearly 470,102 acres out of the 509,732 which the county comprises being arable; of tho remainder 21,126 are uncultivated, j 13,899 in plantations, and 3,056 under water, besides about 1,549 in roads, towns, &c. Scientific farming has made considerable progress of late years, but there is room for manifest improvement in the culture of agri- cultural produce. Irrigation is but little attended to, and the land in tho hilly tracts, which by some slight care and attention would yield good crops, is neglected. I As regards cattle, tho native horses are generally active, and the breed of sheep and pigs has been greatly im- proved, though less care is paid to the rearing of these I animals than in the adjoining counties. Kilkenny is I very deficient in woods and plantations, of which there I are only 13,899 acres. Perhaps the banks of the Nore I are the only exceptions to this general want of timber. I This county is rich in coal. Its coal-fields may be csti- 1 mated at 6 miles in length by 5 in breadth, but the coal I