CLONCURRY, a parish, partly in the barony of
EAST-OPHALY, but chiefly in that of IKEATHY and
OUGHTERANY, county of KILDARE, and province of
LEINSTER, 4 miles (W. N. W.) from Kilcock; containing
2299 inhabitants. A Carmelite friary, dedicated to
the Blessed Virgin, was founded here by John Roche,
in 1347, which, together with the village, was hurnt by
some of the Irish septs in 1405; it appears, however,
to have been restored, and continued to exist till the
Reformation, when it was granted to ‘William Dixon in
the 35th of Hen. VIII. The manor became the property
of the Aylmer family, whose ancient seat, the
castle, was defended for the parliament, in 1643, by Col.
Monk, who was at length obliged to abandon it for
want of provisions. From the Aylmer family the estate
was afterwards purchased by Sir Nicholas Lawless, subsequently
created Baron Cloncurry. During the disturbances
of 1798, a skirmish took place at the foot of
Ovidstown Hill, in this parish, between the king's troops
and a party of the insurgents who had effected their
escape from the county of Wexford. The parish, which
is situated on the road from Dublin to Galway, and on
the line of the Royal Canal, comprises 2449 statute
acres, as applotted under the tithe act. The land is
chiefly in pasture, and great numbers of cattle are fattened
for the Dublin and English markets; in that portion
of it which is under tillage the improved system of
agriculture is adopted; there are about 400 acres of
good bog. Ballinakill, the seat of T. Kearney, Esq.,
is a handsome modern house. It is a vicarage, in the
diocese of Kildare, and is part of the union of Kilcock;
the rectory is partly impropriate in the representatives
of the late Michael Aylmer, Esq., and the remainder
forms the corps of the deanery of the cathedral church
of St. Bridget, Kildare, the appointment to which is
elective by the chapter. The tithes amount to £476.8.2¾,,
of which £161. 8. 3. is payable to the dean, £105 to
the vicar, and the remainder to the impropriators. The
church is in ruins. In the R. C. divisions the parish also
forms part of the union or district of Kilcock. There
is a private school, in which are about 30 boys and 20
girls. There are some inconsiderable remains of the
ancient Carmelite friary. The title of Baron Cloncurry
was first conferred on Sir Nicholas Lawless, in 1789
and his descendant, the present Lord Cloncurry, was
raised to the English peerage in 1831.