Catholic Churches in Killarney, County Kerry 1811/1829

Greg:

Hello again!

Not sure what sites you checked when looking into the history of the RC church in Killarney. Here is a site with a lot of info on the Cathedral and the town.  https://killarney.ie/listing/st-marys-cathedral-2/

I also looked at the 1837 Lewis Topographical Dictionary entry (see bold below) for Killarney and there was a chapel in the town at that time. Not sure if it was located where the Cathedral is located on New St.  You can e-mail the parish and see if they can tell you where the chapel was located.  http://www.killarneyparish.com/

Roger McDonnell

In the R. C. divisions the parish is partly in the union or district of Glenflesk, but chiefly forms the head of a district, comprising also the greater portion of Aghadoe ; the chapel, a spacious edifice of plain exterior but handsomely fitted up, is in the town ; and the chapel belonging to the nunnery is open to the public on Sunday mornings : there is also a chapel of ease at Fossa, in the parish of Aghadoe. A place of worship for Wesleyan Methodists has been lately erected in the town. About 50 children are taught in the parochial school, which was built and is supported by subscription ; 400 boys in the school under the superintendence of the R. C. Clergyman, for which a spacious building was erected at an expense of £400, by the late Dr. Sughrue, R. C. bishop ; and more than 300 girls in the school annexed to the nunnery : the two last are liberally aided by the Earl and Countess of Kenmare, by whom also the children are partially clothed and apprenticed. The college school, formerly founded by Dr. Sughrue for the education of young men for the R. C. priesthood, is now a private classical school ; and the rent, £50 per ann., is appropriated to charitable purposes : there is also another private school of about 50 children in the parish. A fever hospital and a dispensary are supported for the relief of the poor, the former is adapted to the reception of 50 patients, and has a ward attached to it for surgical cases ; and an almshouse for aged women has been established and is supported by the Countess of Kenmare. At Lissavigeen, about 2- miles east of the town, is an ancient fort, or rath, called the Druids' Circle, consisting of a circular embankment about 35 feet in diameter, within which is a circle of seven upright stones, about 4 feet high ; and about the distance of 36 feet from the embankment are two upright stones of much larger dimensions, about seven feet apart. A very curious relic of antiquity, in form resembling a kettledrum, was found some years since in a bog near Muckross ; it is of bronze, about two feet in diameter, and on being struck emits a deep-toned, hollow sound, resembling that of the Indian gong ; it is deposited in the library of Charlemont House, Dublin. A smaller one, which was found near it, was broken in attempting to raise it. The wild, romantic, and rocky mountain pass called the Gap of Dunloe, together with the castle of that name, is described in the article on Knockane ; and the ruins of the ancient cathedral, the ancient round tower, and the Bishop's chair, are noticed in the article on Aghadoe. Several of the O'Donoghues, ancient Irish chieftains or princes, were interred in Muckross abbey, of whom the most powerful were the O'Donoghues of Ross, and the O'Donoghues of the Glens.

Dear Roger,

   Thank you, as always, for the quick reply and for your very thorough suggestions regarding the Catholic Churches in Killarney circa 1827. I had researched the Diocese of Kerry web sites, as well as the Saint Mary's/Killarney Cathedral webpages, which brought me to the question of where an earlier Catholic Church might have been situated. Great thanks, as well, for citing the 1837 Lewis Topgraphical Dictionary. I had looked at that source while researching the Catholic Churches in Cill Na Marta pre-1839, when Saint Lachtain's was built. It turns out the earlier Catholic Church, where our Golden ancestors were baptized and married, existed in a spot no more than a stone's throw from Saint Lachtain's. The site served as the Parish Church from 1805-1859, after which a couple of Parish churches were merged. That Catholic Church building is now a pub called An Crois.

 As you can see, we have a few places to visit in that area when we travel to Ireland (for the first time) come September 2021.

Again, many thanks for all of your continuing help.

Hope all is well.

Greg Thornton