TOMGRANEY, or TOMGRENEI, a parish, in the
barony of TULLA, county of CLARE, and province of
MUNSTER; containing, with the post-town of Scariff,
and the village of Tomgraney,, 5568 inhabitants, of which
number, 400 are in the village. An abbey was founded
here in the earliest age of Christianity in Ireland, and
nourished for many centuries: in 886 and 994 it was
plundered. The church and steeple were rebuilt in 964
by the venerable Cormac O'Killeen, abbot of this house
as well as that of Roscommon, and both abbot and
bishop of Clonmacnois. In 1027 the steeple is said to
have been again rebuilt by the great Brien Boroimhe,
but in 1084 the abbey was reduced to ashes by O'Rourke
of Breffny, who was, however, overtaken and slain by
the men of this county. In 1164 it was again destroyed,
and after being rebuilt was plundered about the year
1170. The only ancient ecclesiastical building now
existing is the parish church, which is in the Norman
style of architecture. The parish is situated on the
river and bay of Scariff, opening into Lough Derg on
the Shannon, and on the new line of road from Killaloe
to Portumna, constructed chiefly along the shores of
the lough. It comprises 7779 statute acres; the land
is in general excellent, and the soil in the vicinity of
Scariff consists of limestone shale; limestone and granite
abound, and there is a considerable portion of reclaimable
bog: the state of agriculture has been much
improved. Great facility of communication with Dublin
and Limerick is afforded by the vessels of the Inland
Steam Navigation Company, which ply daily between
those places. Fairs are held at the village on March
17th, May 17th, June 2nd, and Oct. 10th; and petty
sessions on alternate Fridays: a court for the manor of
Raheens is also held there once a fortnight. The seats
are Raheens, that of the Rev. Thos. B. Brady, abounding
with fine timber and well stocked with deer; Drewsborough
House, of Fras. Drew, Esq.; Ballyvannon House,
of Lord Dunboyne; and Shannon View, of M.Reddan,
Esq.; all commanding most interesting views of Lough
Derg and the surrounding scenery. The living is a rectory,
in the diocese of Killaloe, held from time immemorial with
one-third part of therectory of Kilballyhone, together
constituting the corps of the prebend of Tomgraney, in
the patronage of the Rev. Thos. B. Brady, the present incumbent.
The tithes amount to £415. 7. 8½., and, including
the portion of Kilballyhone, to £498. 9. 3. The glebe
comprises 11a. 2r. 23p.; the glebe-house was built in l814,
when the late Board of First Fruits gave £100 and lent
£1500 for its erection. The ancient church, a small
building without a tower, has been lately repaired and
improved, the Ecclesiastical Commissioners having
granted £124 for that purpose. In the R. C. divisions
the south-western portion of the parish forms the head
of the district of Tomgraney, which also includes the
parish of Kilnoe; and the north-eastern portion forms
the head of the district of Scariff, which also comprises
the parish of Moynoe. In the former district are the
chapels of Tomgraney and Bodike, and in the latter,
those of Scariff and Knock-O'Grady: the chapel of
Bodike is in the parish of Kilnoe, and the three others
are in this parish. About 90 children are educated in
two private schools. At Tomgraney are the remains of
an old castle, and nearly in the centre of the village rises
a singularly shaped rock. Lead ore exists in the vicinity,
but it has not been worked; and at Ballymalone
is a chalybeate spring.