A barony on the coast of co. Clare, Munster. It is bounded, on
the north, by Corcomroe; on the east, by Inchiquin, Islands, and Clonderalaw; on
the south, by Moyarta; and on the west, by the Atlantic. Its greatest length
south-south-westward is 15 miles; its greatest breadth, in the opposite
direction, is 8; and its area is 57,028 acres, 8 perches, of which 598 acres, 1
rood, 9 perches are water. The southern part is almost all bog; and the northern
part is a mixture of very deteriorated argillaceous arable land with pastoral
uplands and very improveable moorish hills. On the north-east boundary is Mount
Callan; and off the coast are Mutton and Enniskerry Islands. The chief marine
indentation is Doonbeg bay; and while nearly all the coast is bold and
iron-bound, some portions of it exhibit highly-imposing scenery. This barony
contains part of the parish of Kilmacduane, and the whole of the parishes of
Kilfarboy, Killard, and Kilmurray, the town of Miltown-Malbay, and the villages
of Doonbeg, Kilmurray, and Mullagh. Pop., in 1831, 20,451; in 1841, 25,186.
Houses 3,912. Families employed chiefly in agriculture, 3,411; in manufactures
and trade, 668; in other pursuits, 243. Males at and above 5 years of age who
could read and write, 3,267; who could read but not write, 864; who could
neither read nor write, 6,810. Females at and above 5 years of age who could
read and write, 1,092; who could read but not write, 885; who could neither read
nor write, 8,888. Ibrickane is partly in the Poor-law union of Ennistymon, and
partly in that of Kilrush. The total number of tenements valued is 2,697; and of
these, 1,397 were valued under £5, - 801, under £10, - 265, under £15, - 94,
under £20, - 60, under £25, - 21, under £30, - 25, under £40, - 12, under £50,
- and 22, at and above, £50.
The
Parliamentary Gazeteer of Ireland, 1845
Courtesy of Clare Local Studies Project
A parish, in the barony of Ibrickane, county of Clare, and
province of Munster, 5 miles (S. S. W.) from Ennistymon, on the western coast ;
containing, with the post-town of Miltown-Malbay, 6389 inhabitants. It was
anciently called Kilfobrick, from the monastery of that name, founded in 741, of
which Cormac, who died in 837, is said to have been bishop, but of which no
traces now remain. In the reign of Elizabeth, part of the Spanish Armada was
wrecked on this coast, at a place which has since been called "Spanish
Point." The parish comprises 11,637 statute acres, as applotted under the
tithe act, a considerable portion of which consists of mountain pasture and bog
; sea-weed, which abounds, is in general use for manure, but the state of
agriculture is rather backward. Mount Callan, which forms a conspicuous
land-mark, is chiefly in this parish : in one of its hollows is Loughnamina,
noted for its fine trout. Indications of coal and ironstone appear in several
places; slate is found at Freagh ; and at Bellard, near Miltown, stone of
superior quality is quarried for building. At Freagh is a station of the
coast-guard, having also a detachment at Liscannor. The gentlemen’s seats are
Miltown House, the residence of T. H. Morony, Esq. ; Merville Lodge, of J.
Carroll, Esq. ; Seaview, of F. G. Morony, Esq. ; Westpark, of J. Morony, Esq. ;
and Spanish Point, of J. Costello, Esq., M. D. : and there are several neat
lodges in the vicinity of Miltown-Malbay (which see) for the accommodation of
the numerous visiters who frequent that fashionable watering-place during the
summer. The parish is in the diocese of Killaloe : the rectory forms part of the
union of Kildysart ; and the vicarage was episcopally united, in 1801, to that
of Kilmihill or Kilmichael, together constituting the union of Kilfarboy, in the
gift of the Bishop. The tithes amount to £553. 16. 11., of which £315 is
payable to the rector and the remainder to the vicar ; those of the vicarial
union amount to £312. 13. 10. The church, at Miltown, is a small plain edifice
with a square tower, built in 1802, towards which £500 was granted by the late
Board of First Fruits : it is about to be repaired, the Ecclesiastical
Commissioners having lately granted £104 for that purpose. The glebe-house was
erected in 1813, for which a gift of £337 and a loan of £79 were granted by
the late Board : the glebe comprises about eight acres. In the R. C. divisions
this parish forms part of the union or district of Miltown, which also comprises
the parish of Kilmurry-Ibrickane, and contains two chapels, situated
respectively at Miltown and Mullogh : the former is about to be rebuilt on a
larger scale. There are two public schools, one of which is partly supported by
the parishioners, and the other by the R. C. clergyman, and in which about 140
children are educated ; there are also five private schools, in which are about
230 children. On the shores of this parish are several springs of a chalybeate
nature, but not much used for medicinal purposes. At Freagh are the ruins of the
castle of that name, and there are several ancient raths or forts. At the side
of Loughnamina, on Mount Callan, a very large and remarkable sepulchral stone of
great antiquity was discovered, about 1784 ; it bears an inscription, in the
ancient Ogham character, having the peculiarity of being read in five different
ways, to the memory of the chief Conan, whose death is alluded to in one of the
legends of the 8th century (ascribed to Ossian), as having taken place the year
before the battle of Gabhra, which was fought in 296. From the hard texture of
the stone the inscription, when discovered, was perfectly legible. On the south
side of the mountain is a large cromlech, or druidical altar, nearly perfect,
supposed to have been dedicated to the sun, and popularly called Darby and
Grane’s Bed; and near it are two smaller ones, and the remains of a stone rath,
in which part of a covered way is still visible.
County Clare
A History and Topography by Samuel Lewis
Courtesy of Clare Local Studies Project
A small town in the parish of Kilfarboy, barony of Ibrikane,
co. Clare, Munster. It stands on the road from Ennistymon to Kilkee, 1¼ mile
east of the head of a cove of Malbay, 6 south-south-west of Lehinch, 8
south-west by south of Ennistymon, 8¾ north-north-east of Doonbeg, 14
north-north-east of Kilkee, 15 west of Ennis, and 127 west-south-west of Dublin.
The neighbouring sweep of coast, though not so bold and so continuously bluff as
the stretch from Doonbeg to Loop Head, presents several ranges of lofty cliffs
screened by low reefs of rocks, intersected or dissevered by sandy coves, and
often sublimely at war with the infuriated billows of the Atlantic. The
surrounding country is bleak and desolate, and consists of land of very
diversified quality, all susceptible of much improvement. The roads also are
bad; and the general economical interests of the district are broadly marred
with the mischiefs of absenteeism. Yet in spite of so many and great
disadvantages, Milltown-Malbay has become a favourite resort for summer
sea-bathers, and is in a highly prosperous condition. Previous to the close of
1837, no fewer than 204 very fine lodges had been built for the accommodation of
visitors. A large portion of the increase to the town, -however, including the
main group of the lodges, and what is called the Atlantic hotel, -really
constitute a new town, 1¼ mile west of the old one, and situated closely
adjacent to the shore; and a race course has been laid out immediately
south-east of the new town. The principal villas and lodges within 1½ mile of
either the old town or the new, are Prospect-lodge, Victoria-cottage, Millford-house
Knockatanvally-house, Ballinphonta, Illaun-house, Berry-lodge, Emlagh-house,
Quilty-house, Kildeema-house, Cahirrush-house, Cassino-lodge, Emmaville,
Carraghduff-house, Sandhurst-cottage, Loo-cottage, Sandfield-cottage, Seaview,
Billowville, Eyreville, Eller's-lodge, Baker's-lodge, Fara-house,
Littleton-lodge, Milltown-house, Woodbine-cottage, Goodland-cottage,
Wellington-cottage, Shepherd-hill-house, Westpark-house, Greenlawn, Cloonbony-house,
Merville-house, Carrickpatrick-house, Bellmount, Mount-prospect, and Freagh-castle.
Mr. Hely Dutton said, respecting Milltown-Malbay in 1808, "Milltown,
through the exertions of the proprietor, Mr. Morony, is likely to become one of
the best inhabited parts of the county. A few years since there was scarcely a
house but his own; but now there may be seen in every direction a great number
of neat lodges. Mr. Morony's gardens are amongst the best in the county; though
close to the shore of the Atlantic, they produce the greatest abundance of the
choicest kinds of fruits and vegetables; but any part of a tree, that rises
above the wall, is immediately destroyed. A very handsome church has been lately
built at Milltown; but, though it was ridiculed at first as too large, it is
found now to be much too small for the great accession of genteel inhabitants.
Mr Morony is now building at Spanish Point elegant and commodious hot and cold
baths, and a hotel, capable of containing upwards of sixty single beds, with
spacious assembly rooms, &c., &c. Races are often run here, as another
amusement for the lodgers. A great natural curiosity may be seen near Mr. Hare's
house, called the Puffing Hole; it spouts the water to a considerable height
with great force, and, when the sun shines, forms at each emission of the water
a beautiful iris." The church and the Roman Catholic chapel are situated at
respectively the south end and the north end of the old town. Fairs are held on
Feb. 1, March 9, May 4, June 20, Aug. 11, Sep. 10, Oct. 18, and Dec. 9. Courts
of petty-sessions are held on Thursdays. The Milltown-Malbay dispensary is
within the Ennistymon Poor-law union, serves for a district of 29,591 acres,
with a pop. of 14,822; and, in 1839-40, it expended £98 4s., and made 3,543
dispensations of medicine. In 1841, the Milltown-Malbay Loan Fund had a capital
of £668, circulated £3,413 in 1,564 loans, and cleared a nett profit of £21
9s. 6d. Area of the town, 32 acres. Pop., in 1831, 726; in 1841, 1,295. Houses
213. Families employed chiefly in agriculture, 70; in manufactures and trade,
164; in other pursuits, 40. Families dependent chiefly on property and
professions, 15; on the directing of labour, 148; on their own manual labour,
99; on means not specified, 12.
The
Parliamentary Gazeteer of Ireland, 1845
Courtesy of Clare Local Studies Proje
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/kilmurry_ibrickane1845.htm
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/miltown1845.htm
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/ibrickan_barony.htm
http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/mullagh1845.htm