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XX. 



THE CHURCHES OF COTJNTY CLAEE, Al^D THE ORIGIN" 

 OE THE ECCLESIASTICAL DIVISION'S IN THAT COUNTY. 

 By T. J. WESTEOPP, M.A. 



(Plates YIII. to XIII.) 



[Read June 25th, 1900.] 



In laying before this Academy an attempted survey of tte ancient 

 cliui'clies of a single county, it is hoped that the want of such raw 

 material for any solid work on the ecclesiology of Ireland may justify 

 the publication, and excuse the deficiencies, of the present essay. So 

 far as it extends, every care has been taken to secure accuracy, but the 

 subject is so extensive, covering over 200 sites,^ that it lies perilously 

 open to mistake in every dii-ection. Objection may also be made to 

 the fact that the county, rather than the diocese, has been adopted as 

 the limit ; this, however, is necessary to put the ecclesiastical survey 

 on even lines with the lists of other antiquities, and in the case of 

 Clare causes the less confusion that the see of Xilfenora exactly covers 

 the baronies of Burren and Corcomroe, while the Clare portion of the 

 bishopric of Elllaloe has so strong an identity in history and topo- 

 graphy, as to be treated as a separate division in the united diocese of 

 the Protestant episcopate. The only exception is a small portion with 

 the little church of Kibush, and the old parishes of KiUeely and 

 Kilquane, now given to certain chui'ches in the city of Limerick, and 

 even of these the two latter form part of county Clai-e. The question, 

 of church sites calls for a note — only those are included in which the 

 author has been able to find a record or definite tradition of the 

 existence of a chui'ch ; the mere existence of an apparent church-name 

 proves nothing, as the Eoll may be, and in many cases is, a reminis- 

 cence of " the wood," coill, not " church," cil, formerly on the site, or 



1 1 may divide these into 104 existing niins (of these I have examined 92), 

 13 mere foundations, 30 certain sites, and 38 doubtful builditigs and alleged sites, 

 43 possible sites in graveyards, and some 20 names from records, nearly 250 in 

 all. Well did our writers call the ruling race of Clare "the Dalcassians of the 

 Churches," for there was a chmch for every 10 forts in the district. 



