Clongesh

Longford

Clongesh

CLONGESH, or CLOONGISH, a parish, partly in the barony and county of LONGFORD, and province of LEINSTER, containing with the post-town of Newtown-Forbes, 6736 inhabitants.

This parish is situated on the road from Longford town to Carrick-on-Shannon, and on the rivers Camlin and Shannon; it contains 9616 statute acres of which about 900 are woodland, 6800 arable and pasture, and the remainder waste and bog. Limestone quarries are worked for building and burning. A court for the manor of Castle-Forbes is held occasionally: and petty sessions are held at Newtown-Forbes every alternate Tuesday.

The principal seats in the parish are Castle-Forbes, the residence of the Earl of Granard; Brianstown, of Thomas Gordon Auchmuty, Esq., representative of that Ilk, in Fife, North Britain; Lismoy of the Rev. J. Mitchell ; Lisbrack cottage, of Verschoyle Crawford, Esq.; Monalagan Cottage, of Dr. Forbes Crawford ; and Hermitage of T. H. Ellis, Esq.

Castle Forbes was besieged by the Irish troops for some weeks, in the parliamentary war of 1641, and its defenders were obliged to capitulate for want of supplies.

The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Ardagh, united to part of the vicarage of Kiloe, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the tithes amount to £461. 10s. 9d. The glebe-house was built in 1810, by aid of a gift of £100, and a loan of £650, from the late Board of First Fruits: the glebe comprises 50 acres, and is contiguous to the church. The church, situated at Newtown-Forbes, is supposed to have been originally built by the British settlers, about 1694 ; it has been rebuilt by aid of a gift of £830 from the late Board of First Fruits in 1829: There is also a church on St. Anne's Hill in that part of Killoe parish which is united with this parish.

The Roman Catholic parish is co-extensive with that of the Established Church: the chapel is at Newtown-Forbes, where there is also a place of worship for Methodists.

At Lisnabo is a free school for both sexes, founded and endowed by the Rev. J. Mitchell of Lismoy, who has charged his estate with an annuity of £50 for its support; the school house is an excellent slated building, with apartments for the master and mistress, and cost £700. A school is aided by the rector and diocesan fund, and there are four pay schools: in these about 600 children are educated.

There are a few Danish raths, and the ruins of two churches. Part of the parish is called Scot's Quarter, a Scottish colony having settled here in the beginning of the reign of Jas. I.