Clareabbey ( ga, Mainistir an Chláir) is a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

in County Clare, Ireland, named after the former Augustinian monastery of Clare Abbey. The main settlement in the town of

Clarecastle Clarecastle (''An Clár'' or ) is a village just south of Ennis in County Clare, Ireland. From 2008 to 2016 the village saw a significant population increase due to its proximity to Ennis, Shannon, and Limerick. Name The town is named after t ...

Location

Clareabbey lies in the barony of Islands. It is south of

Ennis Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...

, and contains the town of Clarecastle (or simply Clare). The parish lies on the

River Fergus The River Fergus ( ga, An Forghas) is a river within the Shannon River Basin which flows in County Clare, Ireland. The river begins at Lough Fergus in north Clare and flows into the Shannon Estuary. The source is at Lough Fergus in the townland ...

, on the road from Ennis to

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

. The parish in 1637 covered , mostly used for pasturage. It is long and up to wide. The Fergus bisects the parish, and is bridged at Clare. The land is generally very fertile, part alluvial and part limestone. The parish contains the

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...

s of Ballaghafadda (East), Ballaghafadda (West), Ballybeg, Ballyveskil, Ballyvonnavaun, Barntick, Buncraggy, Carrowgar, Carrownanelly, Clareabbey, Clare Commons, Clarehill, Creggaunnahilla, Derreen, Feagh, Islandavanna Lower (Intake), Islandavanna Upper (Intake), Islandmagrath, Killow, Knockanimana, Lissan East, Lissan West, Manusmore and Skehanagh.

History

The parish was the seat of the Augustinian Clare Abbey, which Donald O’Brien, King of Limerick, founded in 1195. After the suppression of the monastery in 1543 the parish lands were given to the barons of Ibrackan by King

Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...

. In 1620 it became the property of the

Earl of Thomond Earl of Thomond was an hereditary title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created twice for the O'Brien dynasty which is an ancient Irish sept native to north Munster. History and background First creation Under the Crown of Ireland Act 1542, Ki ...

. According to Thomas Moland, writing in 1703, A Protestant church with a square tower was erected in 1813. As of 1837 two fairs were still held at Clare each year. There were 3,280 inhabitants in 1841 in 516 houses, almost all Catholics. The parish was part of the

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

district of Clare, which also contained the parish of Killone. Each parish had a chapel.

References

Citations Sources * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Clareabbey Civil parishes of County Clare