Kilkee ( ga, Cill Chaoi), formerly Kilfearagh, ( ga, Cill Fhiarach) is a

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest, often termed a parish priest, who might be assisted by one or m ...

in the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe The Diocese of Killaloe ( ; ga, Deoise Chill Dalua) is a Roman Catholic diocese in mid-western Ireland, one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and Emly. The cathedral church of the diocese is the Cathedral of S ...

located in

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...

, Ireland. It lies on the

Loop Head Loop Head (), is a headland on the north side of the mouth of the River Shannon, in County Clare in the west of Ireland. Loop Head is marked by a prominent lighthouse. The opposite headland on the south side of the Shannon is Kerry Head. The Sh ...

peninsula between the

Atlantic ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

and the

Shannon Estuary The Shannon Estuary ( gle, Inbhear na Sionainne) is a large estuary where the River Shannon flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The estuary has Limerick City at its head and its seaward limits are marked by Loop Head to the north and Kerry Head to th ...

. The main settlement is the resort town of

Kilkee Kilkee () is a small coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is in the parish of Kilkee, formerly Kilfearagh. Kilkee is midway between Kilrush and Doonbeg on the N67 road. The town is popular as a seaside resort. The horseshoe bay is pr ...

. The parish contains many ruins, some dating to the early days of Christianity in Ireland.

Location

Kilfearagh is named after a saint called Fiachrach, or Fiachra. There are several saints by that name in the Irish calendars. It is not known which is the patron of the parish. The parish is in the barony of

Moyarta Moyarta ( ga, Maigh Fhearta) is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It lies on the Loop Head peninsula between the Atlantic Ocean and the Shannon Estuary. The parish contains the villages of Carrigaholt and Doonaha. Location The parish of ...

, west of

Kilrush Kilrush () is a coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is also the name of a civil parish and an ecclesiastical parish in Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. It is located near the mouth of the River Shannon in the south-west of the county. ...

History

The old parishes of Kilfearagh and

Killard Doonbeg (Killard) ( ga, Cill Ard) is a civil parish on the Atlantic coast of County Clare in Ireland.Placenames Database ...

of the

were united by the late seventeenth century. In 1704 Daniel Gorman is recorded as parish priest of Kilfearagh and Killard. Kilfearagh was served by the mass house at Corbally Cross until 1831. That year a parish church was opened in the growing resort of Kilkee. In 1854 the combined parish was redivided into the parishes of Kilkee and Doonbeg, with roughly the same boundaries as the medieval Kilfearagh and Killard. The first church in Kilkee had a cruciform barn structure, with two octagonal towers framing the entrance. Furnishing and decorating the church was a slow process, and seating in the main aisle was not installed until 1885. After many delays, a new church in Kilkee with a modern design was completed in 1963, and the first church was torn down. Today the Catholic parish is served by the Church of the Immaculate Conception and St. Senan in Kilkee and by St. Flannan’s Church in Lisdeen.

Antiquities

The old church of Kilfearagh has been leveled to the ground, but the large cemetery that surrounds it remains. There is another graveyard in the townland of Kildimo, dedicated to a Saint Dioma, no longer used. A third, named Cill-na-mban-órtha or "church of the pious women", is in the townland of Bawnmore. Near this church there is a holy well with the same name. There was a Church of the Nuns in the townland of Killnagalliagh, founded by Saint Senán, but no traces remain. There is a small cemetery at Kilkee, which gives the town its name. The town contains a well dedicated to Saint Senán. About from Kilkee, on the edge of the cliff opposite Bishops Island, there is a holy well dedicated to Saint Caoidhe. Bishops Island has two small buildings, an oratory and cell, dating to the early days of Christianity in Ireland. There is a large fort or rath near Kilkee, said to have been built by the Danes. The parish today has graveyards at Baunmore, Emlagh, Farrihy, Kilfearagh and Kilnagalliagh.

Gallery

File:Kilkee Church altar.jpg, Altar of Kilkee Church File:Kilkee Church stained window.jpg, Stain window in Kilkee Church File:Lisdeen Church.jpg, Lisdeen Church File:Lisdeen Church altar.jpg, Altar of Lisdeen Church

References

Citations Sources * * * * * * * * * * * * {{Catholic parishes of County Clare Parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe