Tuamgraney (; archaically spelled ''Tomgraney, Tomgrenei''; ) is a village in eastern

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 118,81 ...

in the west of

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

and a civil parish by the same name. Situated a kilometre from the River Graney which flows into Lough Derg, it is an ancient settlement, noted for St Cronán's Church, said to be the oldest church in constant use in Ireland

Location

The parish is in the barony of Tulla Upper and contains the villages of

Scarriff Scarriff Central Statistics Office, Census 2002Population of Towns ordered by County and size, 1996 and 2002 or Scariff () is a large village in east County Clare, Ireland, situated in the midwest of Ireland. The town is on the West end of Loug ...

and Tomgraney. It is and covers . The parish is rugged, with heights ranging from above sea level. It contains the Scariff river from its headstreams through Lough O'Grady to its mouth in Scarriff bay, Lough Derg. The village of Tuamgraney lies in such close proximity to the town of Scarriff that today the two are often considered to be one single settlement. There is a holy well dedicated to St. Cronán in the Currakyle townland. The nearby castle of Tuamgraney is still in a good state of preservation.

History

According to legend, "Tuamgraney, or Tuam Greine, refers to both the mound of the sun and the tomb of Grian (

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

: '

Sun The Sun is the star at the center of the Solar System. It is a nearly perfect ball of hot plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core. The Sun radiates this energy mainly as light, ultraviolet, and infrared radi ...

'). It is part of the ancient territory of Ui Dhanghaile, which incorporated neighbouring Scariff (Maynoe), Tuamgraney, Inis Cealtra (Holy Island) and Clonrush. Its geographic location by Lough Derg combined with its rich visual heritage makes Tuamgraney a most attractive location on the

Lough Derg Way The Lough Derg Way is a long-distance trail in Ireland. It is long and begins in Limerick City and ends in Dromineer, County Tipperary. It is typically completed in three days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Tr ...

. Grian’s mound just outside the village marks the site of the first recorded suicide in Irish history. She ‘of the bright cheeks’ was a princess in pre-Christian Ireland, the daughter of a king who lived in the Sliabh Aughty mountains of East Clare. She was famous for her beauty but was of unnatural origin, ‘begotten by a human being on a sunbeam.’ Oh what imagination those ancients had! When told this she became depressed and drowned herself in a lake since called Lough Graney. Her body floated down the Graney River and was found near Lough Derg at a place known as Derrygraney – the wood of Grian. She was buried under a mound and the place became known as Tuamgraney or Tuam Greine, the tomb of Grian. Pillar stones today stand sentinel beside her mound. The Memorial Park honours those who fell during the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...

. Dr

Edward MacLysaght Edgeworth Lysaght, later Edward Anthony Edgeworth Lysaght, and from 1920 Edward MacLysaght ( ga, Éamonn Mac Giolla Iasachta; 6 November 1887 – 4 March 1986) was a genealogist of twentieth century Ireland. His numerous books on Irish surnames ...

, Ireland’s foremost family historian, is also commemorated there." Tuamgraney parish was founded by a saint named Cronán or Chronain, possibly the same Crónán Abbot and bishop who founded

Roscrea Roscrea () is a market town in County Tipperary, Ireland, which in 2016 had a population of 5,446. Roscrea is one of the oldest towns in Ireland, having developed around the 7th century monastery of Saint Crónán of Roscrea, parts of which rem ...

. The place is mentioned in the annals from as early as 735 AD. There was a

round tower A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with curtain walls. Castle towers can have a variety of different shapes and fu ...

, which was repaired by

Brian Boru Brian Boru ( mga, Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig; modern ga, Brian Bóramha; 23 April 1014) was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High King of Ireland, High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill and probably ended Viking invasion/domi ...

, and the castles of Tuamgraney and Scarriff. In 1560 both castles belonged to Edmond O'Grady. In 1633

Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork (13 October 1566 – 15 September 1643), also known as the Great Earl of Cork, was an English politician who served as Lord Treasurer of the Kingdom of Ireland. Lord Cork was an important figure in the continuing ...

, bought ten quarters of land north of the Graney River, including the castle and ironworks of Scarriff. These lands were combined with the old

Moynoe Moynoe ( ga, Maigh nEo) is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It is part of the Roman Catholic parish of Scarriff and Moynoe. Location Moynoe parish lies in the barony of Tulla Upper. It is northeast of Scariff. The parish is and cov ...

parish to form the Scariff parish. Today the village of Scarriff is in the Roman Catholic parish of Scariff and Moynoe, part of 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 ...

. The southern part of Tuamgraney parish was combined with the medieval parish of

Kilnoe Kilnoe ( ga, An Chill Nua) is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. It is a rural area, part of the Roman Catholic parish of Bodyke. Location Kilnoe parish lies in the barony of Tulla Upper, southwest of Scarriff. It is and covers . The ...

early in the 18th century to form the parish of Bodyke. The Roman Catholic parish of

Bodyke Bodyke (; ga, Lúbán Díge) is a village in County Clare, Ireland. It is located in eastern County Clare in the Catholic parish of Bodyke. During the 1880s, a series of evictions in the Bodyke area were widely publicised. Location and ameniti ...

encompasses Bodyke, Kilnoe and Tuamgraney, also in the Killaloe Diocese. The Ó Cillín family were

coarb A coarb, from the Old Irish ''comarbae'' (Modern Irish ''comharba'', Latin: ''hērēs''), meaning "heir" or "successor", was a distinctive office of the medieval church among the Gaels of Ireland and Scotland. In this period coarb appears intercha ...

s of Tuamgraney. The novelist

Edna O'Brien Josephine Edna O'Brien (born 15 December 1930) is an Irish novelist, memoirist, playwright, poet and short-story writer. Elected to Aosdána by her fellow artists, she was honoured with the title Saoi in 2015 and the "UK and Ireland Nobel" D ...

was born in Tuamgraney in 1930. Noted

genealogist Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kins ...

is buried at St. Cronan's Church.

Annalistic references

See

Annals of Inisfallen Annals ( la, annāles, from , "year") are a concise historical record in which events are arranged chronologically, year by year, although the term is also used loosely for any historical record. Scope The nature of the distinction between ann ...

(AI) * ''AI749 Kl. Death of Conchellach, abbot of Tuaim Gréine.'' * ''AI934.1 Kl. Repose of Rebachán son of Mothla, abbot of Tuaim Gréine and king of

Dál Cais The Dalcassians ( ga, Dál gCais ) are a Gaelic Irish clan, generally accepted by contemporary scholarship as being a branch of the Déisi Muman, that became very powerful in Ireland during the 10th century. Their genealogies claimed descent f ...

.'' * ''AI1003.8 Repose of Donngal son of Beoán, abbot of Tuaim Gréine.'' * ''AI1020.2 Muiredach Ua hAililléin, lector of Tuaim Gréine, rested in Christ.'' * ''AI1024.8 Niall Ua Cellaig, lector of Tuaim Gréine, rested in Christ.'' * ''AI1026.7 Conall Ua Cillíne, coarb of Crónán of Tuaim Gréine, fell asleep.''

References

External links

Clare County Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tuamgraney Towns and villages in County Clare Civil parishes of County Clare

Location

History

Annalistic references

See also

References

External links