Achonry

Sligo

Achonry

ACHONRY, a parish and the head of a diocese, in the barony of LENEY, county of SLIGO, and province of CONNAUGHT, 6 miles (W. S.W.) from Ballymote; containing 15,481 inhabitants.

This place, anciently called Achad, Achad-Conair, and Achad-Chaoin, was granted about 530, by the chief of the territory of Luigny, to St. Finian, Bishop of Clonard, who founded an abbey here and placed over it his disciple St, Nathy, who was afterwards made Bishop of Achonry, In 1798, the French invaders marched from Castlebar through Tubbercurry, where a slight skirmish took place.

The parish is situated on the river Moy, and on the roads from Boyle to Ballina and from Sligo to Swinford; and comprises 40,500 statute acres, of which, 19,827 are applotted under the tithe act: about 24,300 acres are arable and pasture land, and 16,200 are mountain and bog, much of which the peasantry are reclaiming.The land is generally good, and the system of husbandry is improving: there are quarries of excellent limestone and granite.

The principal seats are Chaffpool, the property of J. Armstrong, Esq, ; Muckalta, of Jones Irwin, Esq,; Achonry, of T. Rice, Esq.; Roadstown, of D. O'Connor, Esq.; Corsalla, of D. O'Connor, Esq. ; Doornon, of H. Gray, Esq, ; and Carrounaleck, of J. Gray, Esq, Petty sessions are held at Tubbercurry every Thursday. There are also weekly markets at that place and Bellaghy ; and several fairs are held there and at Bellaghy and Curry.

The living is a rectory and vicarage, in the diocese of Achonry, with the rectory and vicarage of Cloonoghill and the rectories of Killoran and Kilvarnet united, together constituting the corps of the deanery of Achonry, which is in the patronage of the Crown. The tithes amount to £646. 3. 1; and the gross revenue of the deanery, or union, is £920 per annum, out of which the dean allows an annual stipend of £75 to the perpetual curate of Tubbercurry. The church is a plain edifice with a tower and spire, for rebuilding which the late Board of First Fruits, in1822, granted a loan of £1066. The glebe house was built by a gift of £100 and a loan of £1500 from the same Board: the glebe comprises 20 acres.

In the Roman Catholic divisions this parish forms the benefice of the dean, and is divided into three portions, called the Upper, Middle, and Lower Divisions; the first is Curry, in which there are two chapels, one at that place and the other at Moylough ; the second is Cloonacool, in which also are two chapels, one there and the other at Tubbercurry ; and the third is Mullinabriny, which has one chapel.

There are schools for both sexes at Chaffpool, Tubbercurry, Achonry, and Carrowmore : the first is partly supported by J. Armstrong, Esq., who also gave the school house.

The ruins of the old church are situated near the present edifice: there are also ruins of the abbey of Court, founded by O'Hara for Franciscan friars of the third order; of an old church and burial-place at Kilcummell; and of an ancient fortified residence at Castlelough, There is a mineral spring at Ballincurry.