|
Kilrush, coast parish and market town
(Wednesdays and Saturdays), Moyarta barony, South West county
Clare, Ireland, 4½ miles southwest of Kilkee ; acreage
15,658. The surface is flat, with some rich soil along the Shannon,
but consists chiefly of bog land, much of it now reclaimed and
under tillage. The district was once forest-land, and fine
specimens of Irish yew, oak, and fir have been found in the bogs.
The parish church was erected in 1820 ; near it are the ruins of an
ancient church. There are Protestant, Presbyterian, and Methodist
churches, and a Roman Catholic chapel, erected in 1840. Kilrush has
flourishing schools conducted by the Christian Brothers, and a
large and handsome convent with primary and industrial schools for
girls. A fever hospital was erected shortly after the cholera
epidemic of 1832. During that outbreak Charles Lever was stationed
in Kilrush as medical officer under the Board of Health. There is a
market-house erected by the Vandeleur family, a well-paved market
square, intersected from east to west by a spacious street, from
which other thoroughfares branch off, and several substantial
buildings, and the town has good hotel accommodation. Kilrush is a
place of considerable trade, has a thriving fishery, and a large
export of turf fuel, a vast bog (containing originally 24,000 acres
of turbary) extending north of the town almost to the shore of the
Atlantic. There are quarries of excellent flagstone, and
building-stone and sand are plentiful in the neighbourhood of the
town. Kilrush has a saw-mill and a large roller flour-mill, and had
formerly local manufactures of flannels, friezes, and coarse linen.
There is a monthly fair, with special fairs in May and October, and
a petty sessions court is held twice weekly. A horse fair recently
established is a great success, and there is an annual agricultural
show. Kilrush is a rising place, and is the only seaport of any
importance in county Clare. It stands at the head of a small
natural harbour, capable only of admitting small vessels at high
water, but 1 mile south a good pier was constructed in 1842, which
has since had successive improvements. There is a convenient
steamer communication with Limerick, and Kilrush is frequented by
tourists. At St. Senan's Lough, on the south-eastern boundary of
the parish, are three ruined churches. There are several holy wells
in the parish. Leadmore House is a seat.
Population (parish) : 6,563.
Population (market town) : 4,095.
|
![[home]](/i3/graphics/i3.gif)
Kilrush - WCR
LROY4255
