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Westropp — On the ChurcJies of County Clare. 117 



cTiurclies to that of the Peel Towers is very instructive and note- 

 worthy.^ There are also some curions survivals, such as semicircular 

 splays, angular heads, interlacings and triquetras, and lintelled doors, 

 "which recall the earlier buildings of the tenth century. Turlough 

 MacMahon, chief of Corcovaskin, aided by his wife More, daughter of 

 O'Brien, restored twelve parish churches and built a monument for 

 himself in St. Mary's Church in Clonderalaw (probably Kilmurry 

 MacMahon), while his wife put up the beautiful canonied tomb in 

 Ennis Friary. He died in 1472.^ 



At last, in 1584, we get a list of the parishes much as they exist 

 on the present maps of Clare. Five new parish churches seem to 

 have been added — Kiltenayn (Kiltinanlea), Kilaspule (if not Killa- 

 spuglonane, a Kilourg Lonane appearing on same list), Owghtory 

 (Oughtdarra), Kilvedane (Kilvoydane, near Corofin), and Ross, now 

 figui'e as parish churches — but the list is neither authoritative nor 

 accurate. This is not the case with the reports made in the following 

 reigns : the Visitations of 1615, 1621, and 1633. The first is 

 literally " written within and without with woe," few, indeed, of the 

 churches being in any sort of repair. These may be noted as bearing 

 on our present Survey. " Church and chancel in repair'''' : (1), Feakle 

 (shingled well) ; Kiltinanlea, TuUoghe, Inchicronan ("in repairing"), 

 Clonloghan, Kilmaley, Eath, Kilnamona (reasonable repair); Clondagad, 

 Xilledisert (in repairing) ; Killofin, Kilmurry, Clonderlaw (reasonable 

 repair); Killard, " Killamiu'e " (Killimer), Killmichill, Kilmurry- 

 Ibricane, Kilfarboy. '"'• ChanceV only in repair : Tomfinloh, Disert. 

 " ChanceV only ruinous: Killuran; twenty in all. Roofless, hd otherivise 

 entire : Kilnoe, Killokennedy (roof unthatched) ; Kilmorinagall, 

 Kilmacduan, Kilballihone, Moefartah. Unrepaired : Kilkeady and 

 Killfieraghe. Stated to be ruins ; Clonlea (old walls only) ; Moynoe, 

 Iniscaltra, Quyn, Clonee, Dury, Killraghtas, Killtoolaghe, Killina- 

 finlaghe (Kilfintinan), Kilmallery, Kilconry, Tnlsdadrum (no church, 

 no inhabitants), Killeneboy, Killchrist and Kilfeddan. Those not 

 otherwise specified were probably in no better condition. 



In Kilfenora the Cathedral was being " covered" out of the tithes 

 of Killeny and Kiltoraghe. In short, in the whole of that diocese 

 there was not a single church in repair, and that after twelve years of 

 peace. JSTochwall and Killonoghan are stated to be " all down," but 



1 Compare illustrations in Proc. R.I. A., Ser. in., vol. v., p. 348. 



- Bruodinus, " Propugnaculum Catholicss veritatis," citing mannscripts extant 

 in Clonderlaw Castle in 1640. The old Latin Pedigree in Ulster office supports 

 these statements. 



