Notes on the Parish of Aghamore by John P. Jordan (R.I.P).
The Parish of Aghamore is situated at the north eastern corner of the Archdiocese of Tuam. This corner is formed by the junction of the dioce-sis of Tuam, Achonry and Elphin. The parish church stands in the village of Aghamore, about six miles north of Ballyhaunis. The terrain is hilly - the church is about 500 feet above sea level - and from many of the hills very extensive views may be obtained. Eastward, the great cen-tral plain stretches away to the Shannon, and the hills of Roscom-mon and Longford may be seen clearly. Westward, the plain contin-ues to the shores of Clew Bay, and it may well be that St. Patrick got his first view of "The Reek", from one of the hills in the centre of the parish. Northward, the view stretches away to the Ox Mountains and away beyond to Knocknaree and its Miscaun Maeve, while the outline of romantic Benbulben may be clearly seen on any clear day. To the South are the hills of Bekan, and Cnoc Meadhbh curves against the sky, and in the dim distance one gets glimpses of the Connemara Mountains. The Partry Mountains limit the view on the South West, as also do the Nephin Mountains on the North West.
Aghamore parish, with the neighbouring parishes Bekan, Knock, and Annagh, formed, in times gone by, the territory of "Ciarraidhe Locha na n-Airne", a territory known to the Normans and Anglo-Irish as the barony of Bellahawnes. This territory forms the principal watershed of Connaught. Aghamore Parish is the Northern part of this territory. It lies partly in the basin of the Shannon and mostly in the basin of the Moy. The Gleoir river rises in the parish and forms its South-Eastern, Southern, and Western boundaries. The Trimogue flowing West and Anaderrig Buí flowing East form the Northern boundary. The Trimogue joins the Gleoir and on to the Moy; while the Anaderrig Buí, later in its course known as the Lung, joins the Boyle river and on to the lordly Shannon.
The parish is about nine miles at its greatest length, with an average width of about four miles. The best of the land may be called only fair, but by careful husbandry, hard work, and migration of many to England during the summer months, the people, on the whole, make a comfortable living. The outskirts of the parish contain large tracts of bog and marsh. In the valley of the Gleoir are Loch Caheer, Island Lake, and Mannin Lake. The Trimogue drains the Cloughwally Lake, Loch Coghlan, and Crinnaun, while the water of Lough Roe and Urlar Lake flow away to the Shannon. Island Lake and Mannin Lake must at one time have been joined as one. The old levels may be traced around the lake and were many feet higher than at present. Drainage divided the lake into two, the Eastern one being named Island Lake and the other Mannin Lake, while the old name Loch na n-Airne, the "Lake of the Sloes", was forgotten.
As remarked previously, Aghamore, Bekan, Ballyhaunis, and Knock formed the territory of "Ciarraidhe Locha na n-Airne." The Ciarraidhe were said to be descended from Ciar, son of Meadhbh Queen of Connaught, and Fergus Mac Riogh, one of the Red Branch Knights of Ulster. The Ciarraidhe first settled in Munster but one of them Coirbri Mac Conaire, with all his tribe, were driven out, and he came to Connaught where Aedh Eachach Tirmaharna was King. Coirbri had a celebrated daughter whom Aedh wished to marry, but she refused till a good portion was given to her father. Aedh promised to give as much land as Coirbri walked around in a day. Coirbri walked around the land held by the Ciarraidhe Airne, the Ciarraidh Airteach and the Ciarraidhe of Mágh Aí.
All the Ciarraidhe were ruled by the O'Ceirin, who had his stronghold in Aghamore parish. Where this stronghold is situated is not now known, it was probably in Aghamore townland where the graveyard now is, or in Kilgarriff townland at Lisnadine. In Mannin and Island Lakes there are many crannógs, and all over the parish there are forts and remains underground dwellings, showing that the place was thickly populated from earliest times. On the brink of Mannin Lake, near its Western end, there is a ruin of an old castle. This ruin is called the "Bake House" by the people of the locality, but nobody can give a reason for the name. It may have been a stronghold of the O'Ceirin, who continued to hold sway well into the 13th century, notwithstanding the infiltration of the Normans. Little is known of the manner of life of the Ciarraidhe, who inhabited Aghamore and neighbouring parishes after the coming of Christianity. They probably pursued their quiet, pastoral life paying their yearly tribute to the King of Connaught. 'This tribute was 100 cows, 100 oxen, 60 hogs, and 60 red cloaks. The power of the O'Ceirin in Aghamore would seem to have been broken finally when Mahon, son of Cearnaigh O'Cairin, was killed in battle with the English in 1266.
Coming of St. Patrick
On the northern side of Mannin Lake is the Blessed Well, Tobar Chronain, a spring of beautiful clear water. In the adjoining field there is a ruin in a small enclosure, which is now used as a children's burial ground. This ruin is all that is left of the first church established by St. Patrick, in the diocese of Tuam. The church is called Kilcronain. Who this Cronáin was, neither tradition nor written history tells, but his name lives on in the name of the Church and Well. The following is Tireachan's account of St. Patrick's coming to Aghamore as found in the Book of Armagh.
"Patrick came from the country of Arthice to Drummit Cerigi and to Nairniú Toiscuirt to Aileach Esrachtae, and the heathens saw him with eight or nine men with tablets in their hands written in the Mosaic fashion, and they cried out against them that they should kill the saints, and said 'They have swords in their hands to kill men. By day they looked like wood with them, but we think them iron swords for shedding blood.' The crowd wanted to do harm to the saints, but a merciful man was among them, Hercaith by name, of the race of Nothí, father of Feradach. He believed in the God of Patrick, and Patrick baptised him and his son Feradach, and he offered his son to Patrick. And he went with Patrick to study with 30 years. Patrick ordained him in the city of Rome, and gave him a new name, Sachell, and wrote for him a book of psalms which I have seen."
This Sachell became a bishop, and had his church at Baslic near the present village of Castleplunkett, Co. Roscommon. The country of Arthice is around Ballaghaderreen, and Drummit Cerigí is in the parish of Tibohine, in the diocese of Elphin, and is three miles from the nearest part of the parish of Aghamore. Nairní Tuisceart is, of course, Aghamore Parish. Where is Aileach Esrachtae? It may be the stone fort which now surrounds the graveyard in Aghamore townland, where, according to tradition, St. Patrick founded a second church in this parish. Later on in his account Tirechan gives another - "And he went to Drummit Cerrigí and found two men, the sons of one man fighting together after the death of their father who was a coppersmith of the race of Cerrigi . . . and they wished to divide the inheritance, and the wood of contention which is called cuam amongst the heathens has been placed, and they drew their two--edged swords, their hands raised and feet apart one brother ready to strike the other all of which was done on the ground after the wage of the duel." (These two according to the Tripartite Life of St. Patrick, are Bibar and Lochru sons of Tamanchenn. The name of Bibar is preserved in Diseart Bibar an old monastic site in Crossbeg townland in Aghamore) - "He went through the wastes of Ceirigi into the Northern plain that is Nairniú, and found St. Iarnasc under an elm tree, with his son Locharnach and wrote elements for him with eight or twelve men and founded a Church for him and made him abbott." That is all that is written in the old accounts but tradition takes him across the wastes of Cerrigí which still lie between Aghamore Parish and Dromod (to give it its modern English spelling), to enter at Kilbrogan, thence to Corheen (Díseart Bibar) in Crossbeg townland and from there to Carrowneden where he met St. Iamasc.
St. Patrick's mission in Ireland bore sound fruit, for many small churches,
sprang up within the parish. Whether these were founded in St. Patrick's time,
or immediately after, we do not know, but there were three churches to pay tithes
in the taxation of 1306; Diseart Bibar, Kilcronain, and Aghamore. The tithes
were: Diseart Bibar, £1; Kilcronain, 10/; Aghamore, 6/8. In addition to
these three there were others: at Kilbrogan, in Healy's land; the Cilleen in
Cloongoonagh townland; the Caldragha in Boleyboy; the Caldragha in Baile na
Clougha; Kilbunagha in Coolnaha townland; and another in Bruff. All these are
now children's burial grounds. Unbaptised children only are nowadays buried
in them, but some years ago it was quite usual to bury baptized children in
them. In the burial ground in Cloongoonagh, there is a grave of a child of 12
years marked by a tombstone. All signs of the burial ground in Kilbrogan are
now obliterated, but the owners call the field "The Little Burial Ground".
Diseart Bipar, "Bipar's retreat", is in Crossbeg townland. It is not
now used as a burial ground, but there are mounds which look like graves, and
there is no tradition that it was ever used as a burial ground. It is said that
the Dominicans had a small foundation here before the Mac Costelloe of Castlemore
founded Urlar Abbey for them in 1434. There is, at the place, the foundation
of a small building now covered over by stones picked from adjoining fields.
The building was probably a small church. There is a large stone at the place
with a depression in it like a small Holy Water Font, a bullán. There
is a similar Bullán at the Caldraigh at Coolnaha. The Caldragh at Coolnaha
is called Kilbunagha, and there is a well beside it called Tobar Tána,
but it is not venerated as a blessed well.
Between the Caldragh in Coolnaha and Kilcronain, there is traceable, in places,
an old road which used to be known as "Póirse an tSagairt".
Where it can be traced, it is very narrow, scarcely wide enough for a horse
to walk on. Such a road must have connected all the churches of the parish;
certainly one connected the old church at Kilcronain and Aghamore. Portions
of it are traceable still at the Kilcronain end and at Aghamore. Tillage operations,
and reclamation of mountain land, have destroyed all traces of it in between.
No old Carrowneden man would admit that it was a road. Here would be his explanation
of it; .
"The people of this district misbehaved themselves in some way, and St.
Patrick up in Heaven was so angry with them that St. Crónain's church
left its site, and tore a way for itself in the ground, and never stopped 'til
it landed where the graveyard now is in Aghamore. The people heard the mighty
noise, and next morning, their church was gone. The track it made remains in
places to this day."
It would be useless to point out to him that the foundation of a church is still there at Carrowneden, and that the church ruins at Aghamore village are much bigger than Kilcronain. He heard it from his grandfather, and that is the last word. Tobar Chronáin in Carrowneden is a place of pilgrimage on Garland Sunday. During the past thirty years, it was gradually dying out, as railway and motor travel helped the pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick to eclipse it. It was revived and encouraged by the parish priest V.Rev. Ml. Canon Carney. He got the well enclosed and caused a beautiful statue of St. Patrick to be erected as a thanksgiving for the preservation of our country from the horrors of the Second World War. If there were churches at the Caldragh in Boleyboy, Ballinaclough, and Bruff, no traces of them now remain. Tradition has it that St. Patrick was in Boleyboy, and in Carton North there is a large flat stone which has the tracks of St. Patrick's knees on it, so the people say. In O'Donovan's letters there is -reference to a standing stone in a field nearby, but no trace of it now remains.
The Invasions
It is said that the O'Céirín of Loch na n-Airne, with a picked body of men, helped Brian Ború at Clontarf. This would seem strange, as his "overlord", the king of Connaught, held aloof, not approving of Brian's method of attaining the high-kingship of Ireland.
The Norman Invasions
Henry II appears to have granted the territory of Loch na n-Airne to one Barry ancestor of the Kildare and Desmond Geraldines, but he handed his claim to Jocylen De Angulo - known by the name of Gaisdelbh, hence Mac Gaisdelbh, taken by his descendants to 'Gaelicize' their name. Gaisdelbh soon after the invasion established himself at Airteach and conquered the O'Garas of Sliabh Loo, the territory immediately North of Aghamore parish, but separated from it by a chain of lakes - chief of which are Urlar and Loch Ruadh - and by impassable bog and marsh.
The only approach to Aghamore and Narney was by the way of the sand-hills of Kilkelly, Esker and Cloughwally. Apparently it was here that Philip, son of Gaisdealbh attacked the O'Ceirin and forced him back, for we find him with a bridge-head established at Raith in 1265, in which year he built the Castle of Raith -later known as 'Rath-na-gCupán'. Next year he defeated O'Ceirin and Mahon Mac Ceatharnaigh . - who was killed.
Raith Castle, viewing from the south side; Raith Castle, viewing from the north side (looking in the direction of Aghamore).
The ruins of Raith Castle still stand in the townland of Raith about two and a half miles from Kilkelly and six miles from Ballyhaunis. It was in the style of the usual Norman Keep, with a moat. The remains of the moat may still be seen on the Western side. Additions were made at various times and early in the 17th century it must have been an imposing structure judging by the remains. From here the Gaisdealbh extended his conquest and succeeded in gaining possession of the whole of Northern Narney, that is Aghamore parish. He established the additional strongholds of Mannin and Annagh. This Annagh is on the Northern side of the Gleoir river and is Annagh Iarnasc, and was until recent times, part of Aghamore diocesan parish. It definitely is not the Annagh from which the present parish of Annagh takes its name. That Annagh is now called Churchpark in Annagh parish. There was also a manor house of the Gaisdealbh family in Coogue (presently in Knock parish, but formerly with Kilgarrif in Aghamore diocesan parish). Philip Mac Costello had a son, Jordan Duff, whose family settled in the various manor houses and castle in the parishes of Aghamore, Annagh, Bekan and Knock. The descendants of Jordan Duff Mac Costelloe later became Mac Jordans. The family of Jordan Duff built the Abbey of St. Mary's, Ballyhaunis for the Augustinians in 1348, and one of the family, Fr. Fulgenius Jordan, was martyred in 1682 at Ballyhaunis.
The coming of the Mac Costelloe to Ciarraighe Airne began a troubled period of about 350 years. The Mac Dermotts were always at enmity with the Mac Costelloes and Mac Jordans, and various Annals contain accounts of raids and petty wars between the various branches of the family in which many of the Mac Jordans of Raith were slain.
The land of the Mac Costelloes i.e. the Barony of Costelloe, were according to Sir Nicholas Mally, nominally handed over by the Mac Costello in 1580 to Theobald Dillon. Theobald Dillon was son of John Dillon of Kilkenny West in Co. Westmeath. Although a Catholic, he appears to be in the good graces of Queen Elizabeth, as he was made a Viscount for his services.
He granted the land to Mac Costelloe. John Mac Costelloe however sold his lands and castle to Dillon in 1586, with the exception of Raith Castle and some land around it. The following castles and manor houses were surrendered: Mannin Castle, Coogue Manor House, Island Castle, Tulrahan Castle, Annagh House and Caislean na Dranncaddha, near Ballyhaunis. Raith Castle remained in the hands of the Mac Jordans, but the lands were gradually confiscated until only a small portion of the estate was left, and the castle fell into disrepair. The descendants of the family still retain a small holding about the Castle ruins. The Castle was known as Rath-na- gCupan, tradition says it got its name from the number of silver drinking cups. When a detachment of Cromwellian soldiers were passing by, they decided to set fire to the castle. The leader, hearing of the cups, offered to spare the castle if a cup of wine was given to each of his soldiers. The cups were brought, filled with wine, and there was -one for each and one more. Thus the castle was spared for the time, but when the soldiers returned to plunder the place, a maid from the castle carried the silver away when she saw the soldiers coming and buried it somewhere in the neighbourhood and it was never found since.
From an old stone in the market place in Aghamore village we learn that one Constantine Jordan and his wife Sabina occupied the castle in 1623. This stone was taken from the castle in 1838, when the market house was built. The Dillons settled many families - most of them related to themselves - on the Mac Jordan lands. In Mannin and Coogue there were Dillons. The Mannin Dillons became extinct in the male line and by marriage the manor house and the lands with it passed to a Beytagh who also came from Westmeath. Similarly, later the Coogue portion was also held by a family named Davis. Annagh passed to a family named Tyrell also from Westmeath. The Western end of the parish of Aghamore was divided between Taafe and Mac Donnell. These will be referred to again when we consider the landlords of the parish.
Mannin House.
It was during the Norman invasion period that the parish almost as it exists
today was evolved. Knox, in his "Notes on the Diocese of Tuam", says
that almost every graveyard or Killen was about an old church. If this is true,
the parish of Aghamore was well served, but according to the Ecclesiastical
Taxation of 1306, the number had dwindled to three (Crossbeg, Annagh and Kilcronan
near Carrownegen). Disert bibar for the Rector who has three portions - one
pound, Vicar ten shillings. Enagheruck, Rector fifteen shillings, Vicar ten
shillings. Harcudemore one pound six shillings and eight pence. Disert bibar
is now called Corheen in Crossbeg townland, Enagheruck was Annagh Iarnasc, now
Kilcronan in Carrowneden townland. Harcudemore is Aghamore Church - the ruined
one there at present. Knox's account would lead us to think that Aghamore in
1306 was divided into the above three smaller parishes. He says that Sweetman
in his "Calendar of Documents relating to Ireland" gives the formula
for assessing the taxes: "The church of . . . . . . is assessed at so much
for the Rector who had half the income, so much for the Vicar who had one fourth,
and so much for the Archbishop or Bishop who had one fourth".
The next list of parishes of Tuam Archdiocese is from Bodkin's Visitation made
in 1558 or 1559, but in it there is no mention of Aghamore or the neighbouring
parishes. Knox attributes this omission to the fact that the Archdeaconry of
Tuam was vacant at the time and the list is of priests rather than parishes!
He assumes that the Archdeacon of Tuam who always held Knock may also at the
time hold Bekan, Annagh and Aghamore.
Later he quotes from a paper drawn up in 1574 which also omits Bekan, Annagh and Aghamore - was the archdeaconry vacant then also? Also in his quotation from a Taxation of Benefices for the fruits made in 1584-5, there is no account of the assessment of these parishes. May it not be that these parishes utterly disregarded the Archbishops appointed by Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. The place was so inaccessible in those days that no attempt was made to enforce English law within the territory occupied by these parishes.
Sir Robert Bingham and the Commission appointed by Queen Elizabeth I for the Composition of Connaught in 1587 says: "But we found that the Barony of Bellahawnesse in the County of Mayo, commonly called Mac Costelloe his country was omytted, for that the commissioners, as they alleged, could not conveniently take view thereof, through the hard travel and passage thither, by means of great bogges, woodes, mores and mountains, and other evill waies in, and to, the said baronie, so as no composition was taken therof. Albeit Sir Theobald Dillon, who inhabiteth the said landed himselfe and his tenants made suit unto the said commissioners to take view therof, to the end that he and the contrie there, might compound and yielde a yearly compensation unto her majesty both for the better reducing of the people there to servilitie, and that they might yielde obedience and know their dutie unto her Highness, which before they were very uncivil and barbarous, and the countrie there a verie receptacle of Scots and a harbour of other louse and evill people, through the strength and fastnesse therof …". There would be little chance of an Archbishop appointed by the Queen or a parish priest appointed by him from a people they considered louse and evil. Well one Sir Thomas Lestrange and other commissioners "took inquisition by jury of the said barony and found that it contained 297 or 252 portions or small quarters of land wherof in respect of the unfruitfulness, barreness and badness of the soil and the small quantity of arable land within the same, being for the most part woods, moors, mountains and unprofitable bog they put for of these quarters to one ordinary quarter of 120 acres".
This is how Sir Thomas Lestrange wrote to the Lord Deputy; .
"May it please your Honour, We have been aboute and overviewed Mac Costelloe
his countrie; and now at the gent's requeste for those whose cause we tooke
the paines, these are to certifie your Lordship, how we have found it, that
it is most barren amongst the most barren; which things being so, and yet standing
in so discomodious a place, yet can be hardlie brought about to be peopled with
civill inhabitants, except in respect of some extraordinary freedoms or immunitye
draw them thither…" The commission referred to the above, sat and
took evidence at Athleague in County Roscommon. In Knox's notes on the diocese
of Tuam he gives a list of incumbents of Tuam and Annaghdown in about 1591.
According to this list the Vicar of Aghamore (spelled Achiror) was John Mc Henry.
The Reformation made very little headway within the confines of the parish. The people of the landlord class 'planted' there by Lord Dillon were either Catholics or became Catholics soon after their arrival, and remained loyal to the Catholic faith. Tradition has it that the morals of some of them were not at all times of a very high standard, and they treated the people, among whom they lived, with scant respect. Apparently no serious effort was made to stamp out the Catholic religion in the parish till about the end of the 17th century. According to tradition, the parish church was destroyed by the soldiers of Cromwell. By this time there was only one church in the parish, and after its destruction Mass was offered at "Poll an Aifrinn", a quiet hollow about 300 yards East of the old church and later in a sandpit on "Cnoc an Aifrinn" a few hundred yards West of the old church ruin.
In "Poll an Aifrinn" there is a large heap of stones which was built up to form a rude altar for the offering of the Holy Sacrifice. There is a lively tradition that the last priest to say Mass at Poll an Aifrinn was a Father Kneafsey. His quiet retreat was betrayed by Seán a Sagart, and soldiers from Claremorris were sighted by the watchers one Sunday morning. They were making straight for the place and many of the people fled but the priest continued the Mass to the end, and escaped taking the Chalice and ass Equipment with him. He hid the Chalice somewhere between there and Cummer, and it has not been found since.
Mass was celebrated off and on at Cnoc an Aifrinn till 1793, and with the relaxation brought about by the Catholic Relief Act, a small stone hut was built to serve as a church in a field close by. The field is called "Pairc an Teampaill". Sometimes later a slightly more commodious building was procured in the village of Aghamore where the old market house stood, that is, between Glavey's public house and the Post Office. This building served as a parish church till the present parish church was built and consecrated in 1832. The latter church is a cruciform building standing in the townland of Killeen, separated by the main road from Aghamore townland, where the old church stood.
It is plainly built and has little pretence to architectural beauty or design. The windows are after the Gothic style and all are plain glass except two of stained glass presented some years ago by a parishioner - Martin Healy. The altar is of white and green marble, presented by the late V. Rev. John Canon Grealy P.P. Knock, a native of the parish. The sanctuary, and altar rails are also of marble, the latter were presented by William J. Waldron, father of the late Rev. John Waldron P.P. Keelogues, and of Rev. Paul Waldron, Maynooth Mission to China, both natives of the parish.
Of the original parish church there remains the East gable and the South Wall. It was probably built in the 8th or 9th century. In the East gable there is a window about 4 feet high and 10 inches wide. The only opening on the South wall is one narrow window. It is near the East gable and is splayed to throw light on the sanctuary. Near the window in the South wall is a round hole about half-way through the wall and slightly downwards. It narrows towards the end, giving the impression that it was made by embedding a very large cow's horn in the mortar.
An old story is told of this hole: "A man from the West dreamed three nights in succession that a horn of gold was hidden in the wall of the old church in Aghamore graveyard. He set out and duly reached the graveyard, searched in the place he had seen in his dream, and found the horn of gold which he carried away with him".
The church and graveyard stood in the centre of a large stone fort which is probably "Aileach Easracthae" of the old records. The fort is oval in shape and is situated on a steep hill overlooking the valley on which the Norman castle of Raith stands. An old road ran up the steep hill, entering the fort near its Eastern end, and left it again at its South Western end. This is probably the road of the priests which ran on to Kilcronan in Carrowneadan, and to Kilbunagha in Coolnaha.
At the Western end of the fort there is a raised rectangular mound, and on its centre is a peculiarly shaped stone cross standing on a roughly-built stone base. The arms of the cross may be said to suggest the idea of the Celtic Cross, as on the edges is a solid circle of stone. There was an inscription on the face of this circle, but weather, lichen, and many falls have obliterated all but a few letters which look like IOR. Tradition says that a cousin of St. Patrick was buried beneath this stone, and that it falls every time Ireland is at war with England.
The old graveyard was extended about 40 years ago and now extends to the public road and recently land was taken in a field across the road. Close by the graveyard is a height known as "Cnoc an t- Suíocháin" - the hill of the Seat. Was it here St. Patrick found Iarnasc seated with his son Loarn?
St. Loarn was the first priest of Aghamore parish. Two Saints Loarni are mentioned by Marian Gorman, the Martyrology of Donegal and the Martyrology of Tamalacht. They call one a Presbyter and say he is venerated in Aughamore on August 30th; they call the other St. Loarn a bishop, and the old records say he was a son of Darenca, a sister of St. Patrick. Did the people in course of time, confuse the two St. Loarns and make the St. Loam of Aghamore the nephew of St. Patrick?
St. Loarn's grave is said to be here in the oldest Christian burial place in the parish. So perhaps the Saint's body lies under this rectangular mound or likely somewhere within this oval fort where stands the ruin of the old Church in Aghamore graveyard. St. Loam's work was well done so what matter where his body rests. The small flock he first tended grew larger until the whole country round became Christian and Catholic and their descendants kept the faith in spite of persecution, threat and bribe in the terrible Penal days. There is no record of Protestantism or souperism ever getting a hold in the parish.
Of the priests who followed St. Loarn we have no record till the mention, in the list of 1591, of Fr. John Mc Henry. Knox says that most of the priests in that list are Roman Catholics. It is hardly likely, owing to the inaccessibility of the place that a Protestant minister was appointed.
Sometime in the 15th or 16th century Aghamore and Knock were amalgamated, and the next priest we hear of is Fr. Bernard O' Gara, who, according to Fr. Burke's "Priests of the Penal days", was parish priest of Knock and Aghamore in 1715. Fr. Bernard O' Gara became Archbishop of Tuam in 1740 and was consecrated in some secluded spot in the Connemara mountains. He was succeeded by a Fr. Morris, who in turn was succeeded by Fr. Kirwan.
It seems that Fr. Kirwan was appointed Parish Priest of the united parishes [Aghamore and Knock] in 1775. He had neither church nor house and spent many years on the run. He was arrested and tried.in Claremorris by Denis Browne (Soap the Rope) and condemned to death. Fr. Kirwan was very friendly with the Brownes of Kilmaine. Browne of Kilmaine was a noted duelist and, on hearing of Fr. Kirwan's plight, he rode at once to Claremorris and demanded his release from Denis Browne. The request was refused, and there upon Browne of Kilmaine openly insulted Denis Browne and challenged him to name his weapons. Denis was no duelist and dreaded a duel with so noted a duelist as his namesake, and to avoid it he released Fr. Kirwan. This happened about 1791 or 1792. Fr. Kirwan returned to the Aghamore and Knock district, and apparently resided for some time in Ballyhaunis, for in an account book in St. Mary's Augustinian Abbey there is an entry which says that in 1793 Fr. Kirwan gave the sum of the three pounds and ten shillings towards the erection of a horse stable.
Later than this he resided in a house in Cloughwally, near Kilkelly. Here
he died in 1797, and is buried in Aghamore. His grave is marked by a flat gravestone
which originally stood on four pillars, which in the course of time were broken.
The grave was restored some years ago by V. Rev. Michael Canon Carney P.P. Aghamore.
On the gravestone is a representation of a chalice in low relief and under it,
an inscription. About this time, the parish priests began to live alternately
in Aghamore and Knock. Fr. Kirwan was succeeded in 1797 by Fr. Henry Burke,
who was parish priest till the late 1820's
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Biographical Note: John P. Jordan was born in Cummer, in the north eastern part
of the parish of Aghamore. After graduating from Coláiste Phádraig
and UCG, he taught for many years in St. Mary's Primary School, Aghamore. He
had a lifelong interest in local history and place names. This article contains
some of the material from his written notes.
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Extract from Achadh Mór: Rich in Christian Heritage by Austin Tighe (R.I.P.).
Inscription on Fr. Kirwin's gravestone, which is located close to the church (in ruins) in Aghamore old cemetery:
Pray for the soul of the Rev. Richard Kirwin, Chancellor and Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Tuam, Aghamore and Knock, P.P. of the united parishes, his learning was great, but his piety and zeal in the cause of his religion was full of wisdom and in the space of 29 years he never ceased to edify his flock both by his instructions and example. He departed this life on 29th day of June 1796 in the 63rd year of his ministry. Requiescat in pace.
During the span of his life the Catholics in Aghamore resisted the temptations to become Protestants. An old woman living in Yorkshire in 1927 told [Austin Tighe] about the ladies in fine clothes coming to the houses during the famine and offering a few potatoes to starving people on condition that they espoused the protestant religion.
Old Church with Chancellor's grave in foreground.
In the penal times the Church of England, claiming to be the true church,
claimed all tithes and benefits in the parishes as they had been in all centuries
before.
They might have taken the parish church if it had not been despoiled. They built
a church and rectory in what is now the Village of Aghamore. The church was
beside Glaveys with the doorway parallel to the roadway, it being in the gable
opposite Michael Rogers's house. The roof was taken off about the turn of the
19th and 20th centuries. The slates being put on Cloonfallagh schoolhouse. There
was a stone which might be called a canopy protruding from over the doorway.
It is buried in the vicinity. The window openings had semicircular arches. There
is not a trace of it to be seen. It was taken down and carted away about 1954.
Some of the stones in the building of it were said to have been taken from Raith
Castle. There was a stone in the northern gable which had been taken from Raith
Castle. The inscription in Latin commemorated the restoration to the Jordans
of the Castle in 1642. It had been confiscated by the Viceroy, John Perrot,
a man of about seven feet in stature and who was an illegitimate son of Henry
VIII. The Church of Ireland building was used as a courthouse for some time
after being used as a church, and later as a market house for business purposes.
As far back as I remember, it was a ruin and was referred to as the Market House.
There was no reference to its former use.
Besides the area of Aghamore as it is now in 1988, the Church of Ireland parish included the townlands of Annagh, Coogue, Liscat, Kilgarrif, Miltrane, Adrigoole, Barnagurry, Cloonahoulty, Derryclagh and Carrowbeg. The church and yard had an area of 20 perches. In many respects there the rector ruled. How many attended the services? How many were Protestants? How much land changed owners? How many soldiers and police were employed to keep "the wild ignorant Irish papists in civility"? They were used to assist at the evictions etc.
The Church of Ireland claimed and described Aghamore as a rectory and a vicarage. They collected the tithes and other emoluments. The rectory still stands in a dilapidated condition, some slates are missing. It has been and still is a farm building. There was a rector, Edmund Wax. Three acres of land adjoining it and is easy to trace. It has been used as a dwelling house, at least nine occasions by different families since the last rector. [The building in question was removed c.2000.]
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Biographical Note: Austin Tighe was born in 1909 and lived in his beloved Aghamore
for most of his long life. Like many people from the locality, he spent a number
of years in England before settling down and marrying in the 40's. An historian
and storyteller, he had a great devotion to the Church and a most positive outlook
on life.
Further Reading: