MOYACOMB, or CLONEGAL, a parish, partly in
the barony of SHILLELAGH, county of WICKLOW,
partly in that of SCARAWALSH, county of WEXFORD, but
chiefly in that of ST-MULLINS, county of CARLOW, and
province of LEINSTER, on the road from Tullow to
Newtownbarry, and on the river Perry; containing
with the post-town of Clonegal and the village of Johnstown,
(both separately described) 4877 inhabitants.
It comprises 28,204 statute acres, as applotted under
the tithe act, of which 9347½ are in Wicklow, 9287½ in
Wexford, and 9569 in Carlow. The portion in the
county of Wexford includes the estate of Abbeydown,
containing 452 plantation acres, which has been tithefree
from time immemorial, and is considered extraparochial.
The soil is varied, and there are some
patches of bog: the state of agriculture is gradually
improving. A slate quarry has been lately opened on
Gibbet hill, near Johnstown. Several fairs held at
Clonegal are mentioned under that head; it is also a
station of the constabulary police, and contains an old
castellated mansion of the Esmonde family. The living
is a rectory, in the diocese of Ferns, and in the patronage
of the La Touche family: the tithes amount to
£850. The church, in the town of Clonegal, is a good
modern building, erected in 1819, for which the late
Board of First Fruits granted a loan of £1300; and
the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted
£186 for its repair. In the R. C. divisions the parish
is chiefly in the diocese of Kildare and Leighlin, and,
together with the parish of Barragh, constitutes the
union or district of Clonegal, containing the chapels of
Clonegal and Kildavin; the remainder of the parish is
in the diocese of Dublin, forming part of the union or
district of Arklow, and containing the chapel of Ballyfad,
near Johnstown. There is a meeting-house for
Methodists at Clonegal. In the parochial school, supported
by the rector, and in the national school at Clonegal,
about 210 children are educated; and there are
about 30 children in a private school. At Abbeydown
are the remains of an ancient religious house, of which
no account is extant.