KILDALKEY, a parish, in the barony of LUNE,
county of MEATH, and province of LEINSTER, 3 miles
(S. by E.) from Athboy, on the road from that place to
Kinnegad; containing 2931 inhabitants. About half
the parish is in tillage, and there are about 500 acres of
bog, and a good limestone quarry. The village contains
21 houses, and fairs are held there on Feb. 27th, May
14th, Aug. 9th, and Dec. 13th. The principal seats are
Carnisle, the residence of W. Allen, Esq.; Kildalkey
House, of the Rev. J. O'Connell; Rathcormuck, of T.
Potterton, Esq.; Ballinadrimny, of W. Thorogood, Esq.;
Balatalion, of T. Potterton, Esq.; Woodtown West, of
Miss Read; Clonbarron, of W. Nangle, Esq.; and Moyrath
Castle, of H. Potterton, Esq. This castle was built
in 1219, by Lord Geoffry de Montemarisco, and was
subsequently a seat of the Nugent family, but is now the
property of Henry Grattan, Esq. The parish is in the
diocese of Meath: the rectory is impropriate in Joseph
Ashe, Esq., and the vicarage forms part of the union of
Athboy; the tithes amount to £380, the whole of which
is payable to the impropriator. In the R. C. divisions
it is the head of a union or district, comprising also the
parishes of Killoghconnoghan and Castle-Rickard, and
containing two chapels, of which the chapel here is a
neat modern building. About 150 children are educated
in two public schools, to one of which the Earl of
Darnley gave an acre of land and £20 towards the erection
of a school-house, and J. Stack Murphy, Esq., subscribed
£20: that gentleman has also contributed £30
towards the erection of a school at Carnisle. The late
Mr. Hodgens, of Dublin, bequeathed £1000 for the
erection of almshouses, and £60 per annum for the inmates,
who must be natives of this parish; but they
have not yet been erected.