Newmarket-on-Fergus 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 ...

. It is centred on

Newmarket-on-Fergus Newmarket-on-Fergus, historically known as Corracatlin (), is a town in County Clare, Ireland. It is 13 kilometres from Ennis, 8 kilometres from Shannon Airport, and 24 kilometres from Limerick. History The English rendering of the name 'Newm ...

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 Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

Origins

The church in Ireland was originally organized around monasteries. Diocesan organisation was instituted in 1111 AD by the

Synod of Ráth Breasail The Synod of Ráth Breasail (also known as Rathbreasail) (Irish: ''Sionad Ráth Bhreasail'') was an Irish Catholic church council which took place in Ireland in 1111. It marked the transition of the Irish church from a monastic to a diocesan and pa ...

. The first known list of parishes for the diocese of Killaloe dates to 1303; it includes seven parishes that constitute the present parish of Newmarket-on-Fergus. These were:

Kilnasoolagh Kilnasoolagh ( ga, Cill Átha na Súileach) is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland, and a townland within that parish. Church records mention the parish in 1256. Location In 1845 the parish lay on the west border of the barony of Lower Bun ...

, Tuamfinlough,

Bunratty Bunratty (, meaning "end of the Raite") is a village in County Clare, Ireland, near Bunratty Castle. It is connected by the N18 road to Limerick and Galway. The Raite river defines the parish's eastern boundary and flows into the Shannon Estua ...

Drumline Marching percussion instruments are instruments specially designed to be played while moving. This is achieved by attaching the drum(s) to a special harness (also called a carrier or rack) worn by the drummer, although not all marching bands us ...

Clonloghan Clonloghan ( ga, Cluain Lócháin) is a civil parish of County Clare, Ireland, located by road northwest of Limerick, just north of Shannon. Geography The civil parish of Clonloghan lies in the barony of Bunratty Lower. It is in the southern ...

Kilconry Kilconry ( ga, Cill Chomhraí) is a civil parish of County Clare, Ireland, located about northwest of Limerick, west of Shannon on the estuary of the River Shannon. The main village in the area is Ballycalla/Ballcally and it contains the Sha ...

and

Kilmaleery Kilmaleery ( ga, Cill Mhaoilfhithrigh) is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It is part of the Catholic parish of Newmarket-on-Fergus. Location The parish lies on the western border of the barony of Bunratty Lower. It is southwest of N ...

. Tuamfinlough (now Fenloe) is the oldest known settlement in the region of Newmarket. It was the site of a monastery founded early in the 6th century by Saint

Luchtigern Luchtigern ( la, Luctigernus) was an early Christian leader who was active in Ireland in the 6th century, and has been recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church. Life According to ''The Martyrology of Donegal'' Luchtigern's mother was Brigh, ...

. The monastery was sacked by

Turlough O'Brien Turlough O'Brien is a Gaelic football manager. He managed Carlow between 2014 and 2020. In the 2018 National Football League, O'Brien led the team out of Division 4. This was their first promotion in more than three decades. In the 2018 L ...

in 1054. Bunratty had a large population in the 13th century, protected by the Normans, and probably the other churches were subordinate to Bunratty, apart from Fenloe. Kilnasoolagh became an independent parish in 1463 through a papal mandate. Drumline church dates back at least to the 8th century. Clonloghan church may date to the 10th century. Kilconry church dates to the 15th century, but is named after a 6th-century female saint. Kilmaleery may be named after a local chieftain. These churches were all closed during the

Penal Law Criminal law is the body of law that relates to crime. It prescribes conduct perceived as threatening, harmful, or otherwise endangering to the property, health, safety, and moral welfare of people inclusive of one's self. Most criminal law i ...

period.

History

During the chaotic period that followed the "

Glorious Revolution The Glorious Revolution; gd, Rèabhlaid Ghlòrmhor; cy, Chwyldro Gogoneddus , also known as the ''Glorieuze Overtocht'' or ''Glorious Crossing'' in the Netherlands, is the sequence of events leading to the deposition of King James II and ...

" of 1688, two priests served the area, one in Kilnasoolagh and Tuamfinlough, and the other in the five parishes of Bunratty, Drumline, Clonloghan, Kilconry and Kilmaleery. At this time laws strongly discouraged the Catholic religion. James O’Shaughnessy was appointed parish priest of the five parishes in 1776, and when James O’Halloran died in 1782 he was given charge of the other two. The penal laws were eased that year, but due to the shortage of priests, the consolidated structure was retained. Three churches replaced the original seven, sited within walking distance of the congregations. The parish retained this scope until 1967, when the parish of St Senan's Shannon was split off.

Churches

There are three church buildings in the parish: * "Our Lady of the Rosary", Newmarket on Fergus, is a modern church that was dedicated in 1971 by Bishop Michael Harty, replacing the 1802 church. It has seven gables in memory of the original seven parishes. * "Our Lady of the Wells" in Clonmoney (Bunratty parish) dates to around 1829 and was enlarged in 1986–87. * "St. Conaires" in Carrigerry (Kilconry parish) was opened in 1842, replacing a thatched church that was destroyed by a storm on 6 January 1839.

References

Citations Sources * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Newmarket-on-Fergus Parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe Religion in County Clare