Descriptive Gazetteer Entry for KILCUMMIN

KILCUMMIN, a parish, in the barony of MAGONIHY, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 4 ½ miles (N. E.) from Killarney, on the roads from that town to Castleisland and Millstreet; containing 6637 inhabitants, and comprising 36,958 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, including 422 acres not titheable. A considerable portion consists of mountain pasture, bog, and coarse arable land. The soil is in general heavy; but in consequence of an abundant supply of lime, the state of agriculture has of late been much improved. The quarry at Carrigdulkeen, isolated in the midst of an extensive district of mountain and bog, produces a fine blue limestone, equally adapted for building and manure, and is worked to a considerable extent, there being no other within a circuit of several miles. A court is occasionally held at Five-mile-bridge, by the Earl of Kenmare's seneschal, for the manors of Ross and Molahiffe, at which debts not exceeding 40s. late currency are recoverable. The seats are Shanagh House, the residence of Mr. H. O'Sullivan; and Rathmore, the property of D. Cronin, Esq., now occupied by a society of monks of the order of La Trappe, a branch from the parent establishment at Mount Melleray, in the county of Waterford. The parish is in the diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe: the rectory is impropriate in the Earl of Donoughmore, and the vicarage forms part of the union of Killarney. The tithes amount to £526. 9. 4 ¼., of which £304. 18. 7. is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar. In the R. C. arrangements this parish is divided into East and West Kilcummin: the former, with the greater part of the adjoining parish of Nohoval-daly, forms the district of Knocknacoppel; and the latter forms a separate district, of which the chapel is situated at Kilcummin. In the district of Knocknacoppel are the chapel of that name, a large plain building; Griorguillea chapel, recently rebuilt; and that of Knocknagree, in Nohoval-daly: there is also a chapel attached to the establishment at Rathmore open to the public. In a public school at Inch, and two others in the parish, about 380 children are educated. To each of these schools the Earl of Kenmare contributes an annual donation; and the late Mr. Cronin, of the Park, near Killarney, recently bequeathed £30 per annum for the establishment and support of a school in each of the parishes of Kilcummin and Nohoval-daly. On the southern confines of the parish are two remarkable mountains, which from their peculiar shape are called "the Paps," forming striking features in the mountain scenery on the road from Killarney to Cork. At their base is an ancient fort or rath, near which is a holy well resorted to by numbers of the peasantry on May-day. The ruins of the old church are situated on an eminence commanding an extensive prospect. The late Lord Barrymore was interred here.


(Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837); Transcription © Derek Rowlinson, 2005-10. Reproduced from LibraryIreland. We are deeply grateful to LibraryIreland for allowing us to use their transcription.)

Linked entities:
Feature Description: "a parish"   (ADL Feature Type: "countries, 4th order divisions")
Administrative units: Kilcummin IrlPar       Magunihy IrlBarony       Kerry IrlC
Place: Kilcummin

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