BARRYMORE.

QUANTITY AND QUALITY OF THE LAND, &c.

Total.

1783

No. XIII.

UNION OF

NOUGHAVAL AND CARRUNE,

(Diocese of Kilfenora, and County of Clare,)

BY THE REV. ROBERT GABBETT, LATE RECTOR,

I. Name of the Parish, Situation, Extent, &c.

THE ancient and modern names of these parishes Name: are Noughaval and Carrune. Both are situated in situation. the county of Clare, barony of Burren, and diocese of Kilfenora; they join each other, and are situated about from 9° 14' to 9° 28' west longitude, and from 52° 49' to 52° 55' north latitude. Noughaval is Boundaries bounded on the east by the parish of Carrune, on the west by that of Kilfenora, on the north by that of Rathbourney, on the south by that of Kilnaboy. Carrune parish is bounded on the east by the county of Galway, on the west by the parish of Noughaval, on the north by that of Kilcorney and Octmanna, and on the south by the parishes of Kilnaboy and Kilkeedy.

The extent of Noughaval is about three miles by Extent. two; that of Carrune is about six miles by three.

N N

Soil

Bog.

Roads.

Ruins.

Castle.

Raths.

In the former of these parishes, the proportion of tillage or meadow land is very small, the whole being mostly a limestone rocky pasture. Such parts as are capable of being tilled, produce potatoes, oats, and bere; there are about 15 acres of meadow land in it, and about 80 acres of pasturable mountain, The latter parish has a much less proportion of tillage, and no meadow land; almost the whole consists of extremely rocky pasture, all of a limestone soil, which answers well for sheep. There are about 80 acres of pasturable mountain in Noughaval, and about 20 acres of bog in the same parish.

II. Mines, Minerals, &c.

None.

III. Modern Buildings, &c.

One road passes through Nonghaval, from the vil lage of Carraffin to the Bay of Galway, and another through Carrune to and from the same places, with a road branching off from Noughaval through Car

rune.

IV. Ancient Buildings, &c.

In Noughaval are the ruins of an old church, connected with which is a glebe land, consisting of about twenty-seven acres, in five divisions; and, except about two acres, it consists entirely of rocky pasture. There is one castle, and the ruins of two more, and three of what are called Danish forts. In Carrune are the remains of three old churches, a small glebe of about one acre and a half, and the remains of two

old castles, and five of what are called Danish forts. There are no traditions current with respect to any of these.

V. Present & Former State of Population, Food, &c.

ment.

The parish of Noughaval contains about 50 in- Population habited houses or cabins, and about 295 inhabitants, of whom about 148 are males, 147 females, all Roman Catholics. Carrune contains about 118 inhabited houses, and about 719 inhabitants, of whom about 371 are males, and 348 females, all Roman Catholics; this number includes men, women, and children; Employtheir occupations are farming, labour and herding. Most of the land in these parishes being pasture, is tenanted by persons residing in other parts of the county, consequently herding constitutes the employment of a considerable number of the inhabitants; but there are some comfortable wealthy resident farmers with the exception of these, the inhabitants are in general poor and indifferently dressed, and always live on potatoes and milk. They are in gene- Food, ral healthy, but the writer has not heard of any ex- Health. traordinary instances of longevity.

VI. The Genius & Disposition of the Poorer Classes,&c.

The inhabitants in general appear to be industrious Language. and well-disposed. The language used by the people in general is the Irish. There are no particular customs, patrons, or patron days, nor have any traditions of a local nature been handed down, which might serve to throw light on the manners or habits of the people here.