OOLLA, or ULLOE, a parish, in the barony of
COONAGH, county of LIMERICK, and province of MUNSTER,
7½ miles (N. W.) from Tipperary, on the new line
of road to Limerick; containing 2735 inhabitants, of
which number, 192 are in the village. James, Earl of
Kildare, Deputy Governor of Ireland, in 1497, took Ballyneety
castle, and destroyed the fortress. In 1691,
Gen. Sarsfield surprised this castle in the night, blew it
up, and destroyed all the cannon destined for the siege
of Limerick, together with the ammunition, stores, &c.,
which had been brought hither, at an enormous expense,
by Wm, III.) who afterwards partially repaired
the castle. The parish is situated on the borders of
the counties of Tipperary and Limerick: the land is
tolerably good, and is chiefly meadow and pasture, about
a fifth only being under tillage. The substratum is
limestone of very superior quality, though not in
much use for manure. The village consists of 35 houses,
mostly small, but well built; it has much improved
since the formation of the new road: there is a constabulary
police station. Newtown-Ellard is the ancient
seat of the Lloyd family; and Castle Lloyd is the
handsome residence of T. Lloyd, Esq. The living is a
vicarage, in the diocese of Emly, and in the patronage
of the Crown, during the legal incapacity of the Earl of
Kenmare; the rectory is impropriate in Edw. Deane
Freeman, Esq. There are two excellent glebes, comprising
together 35¾ acres. The parishioners attend the
church of Cullen, the curate of which performs the occasional
duties of the parish: divine service is also
performed in Castle Lloyd, and in the spacious parochial
school-house, which is principally supported by
the Lloyd family and others, and in which are about 50
children. Near it stands the R. C. chapel, a large old
edifice. The remains of Ballyneety castle present a stately
heap of ruins, with here and there a wall nearly entire.
The ruins of the church, and of Oolla castle, stand
close to the R. C. chapel. In 1825, some large and
perfect antlers of the elk were discovered; and, in 1828,
a brazen trumpet, and spear and arrow heads of bronze
were found, which are now in the museum of Trinity
College, Dublin.