EXPLORING PARISHES
The ancient parish of Doon lay in the Baronies of Owenybeg,
Coonagh and Kilnemanagh. Baronies were the ancient division of territory in
Ireland before the Norman Invasion. Each barony was ruled by a different Clan,
from which it usually derived its name.
The barony of Owney was divided into Owneytire and Owneybeg. Owneytire
comprised land around the present parish of Newport, while Owneybeg took in
Abington, Cappamore and North Doon. The name Owney is reputed to derive from a
daughter of Eochlaidh, King of Munster in the 3rd Century A.D. This at first was
part of the territory of Eli O'Carroll and was later ruled by the O'Donegan
clan. In the twelfth century Turlough O'Brien, descendant of Brian Boru led a
raid into this area, dislodged the O'Donegans and granted the lands of Owney to
the O'Maolrians (O'Mulryans, who came from Carlow). These remained in possession
of the lands until the Cromwellion Plantation. Hence, the popularity of the name
"Ryan" in the area to the present day.
South Doon, Castletown and Pallasgreen were in the Barony of Coonagh.
This land was ruled by the sept UI Chuanach. In the old manuscripts Doon is
referred to as Dunogonach or Dun UiChuanach, meaning fortification in the land
of Coonagh. The Barony of Kilnamanagh included what today is roughly the
Tipperary part of the parish of Doon. Townslands such as Commanaline, Foildarg,
Croghmorky and Glengar were in Kilnamanagh. The dominant family here being
O'Dwyers, the most famous of whom was centuries later, an officer in Sarsfield's
army, who with the flight of the Wild Geese became Commander in Chief of the
Austrian army, a Count of the Austrian Empire and defended Belgrade against the
Turks. He was John O'Dwyer, who is much better remembered as "Scan O'Duibhir a
Ghleanna" in the famous Irish poem. It is suggested that this poem was written
by that romantic figure Eamon A'Chnoic, who also fought with Sarsfield and was a
relative of the O'Dwyers of Kilnamanagh.
The origin of the name Doon, or in Irish, Dun Bleisce has for long been a
subject of speculation. The first part Dun means fortification and a glance at
an Ordnance Survey map shows eight ring forts in the area. The early settlers
needed to protect themselves against their enemies, both human and animal. They
built dwellings enclosed in circular earthen mounds for protection called raths
or as we call them today ring forts. The original ring fort from which the name
Doon came can be seen, behind the Protestant Church, just outside the village.
The 'Bleisce part is more difficult.
I have come across three possible explanations. The first one is that the
name comes from a little stream, fleisc which flows through the village.
However, more colourful explanations are that Bleisc was a swine herder for a
local chieftain or the favourite, that Bleisc was "a woman of ill repute", a
harlot whose "dun" was a favourite haunt of the red-coats. However, it is
unlikely that the latter has much basis in truth.
Just four miles to the West of Doon, is the village of Cappamore. Unlike
Doon this village is of relatively recent origin. An Cheapach Mhor means the
large tillage plot, which is evidence of the land use in the last century. Today
the land is almost totally under pasture. The village, in the townsland of
Touragh stands roughly half way between the old centre of Tower Hill and the
once thriving village of Bilboa. The village evolved in the early 1800's. The
land, owned by an absentee landlord was sublet to thirty three tennants, who
formed the nucleus around which the village began to grow. Samuel Lewis in "A
History and Topography of Limerick City and County" tells of the village, around
1840, as having 711 inhabitants and "a spacious chapel in progress of erection".
A few miles further west is the village of Abington. Here on the banks of
the Mulkear stood a great Cistercian Abbey, one of the most important abbeys in
Munster: originally called Abbey Owney, it was founded in 1189 by Theobald
Fitzwalter Butler. He was a nephew of Thomas A Beckett, Archbishop of
Canterbury, who was executed by Henry II. It is said that in order to expiate
the execution King John, son of Henry, feeling guilty, granted large possessions
in Ormond to the Fitzwalter family. Theobald was granted the title "King's
Butler in Ireland" and the family became known as the Butlers of Ormond. Their
headquarters was Kilkenny Castle. It has been preserved to the present day and
is a fine example of Norman castle.
Theobald brought monks from the Abbey of Savignac in Normandy France to
Abington. The Abbot of Owney had the honour of being one of the Lord's Spiritual
and as such had a seat in the House of Lords. One of the charges against, Deputy
Lord Leonard Gray, who was executed in the reign of Henry VIII was that he
forced the Abbot of Owney to pay £40 to preserve the Abbey from ruin. The Abbey
flourished up to the time of the Reformation and from then on it went to ruin.
In the 17th century the ruins of the Abbey and its land was granted to the
Stepney family. The Stepney's demolished the Abbey and used the stone to build
Abington House. W.R. Le Fanu who wrote "70 Years of Irish Life", a fine account
of life in Ireland in the Nineteenth century was the son of the rector in
Abington and lived here all his life.
Castletown is in the present parish of Doon, but in the past it stood as
a parish in its own right. The parish took in the townslands of Carrigbeg,
Carrig Mor, Coolbawn, Coolnamona and Moanduff. Castletown got its name from a
castle, Coonagh Castle, built by Murrogh Mac Brien, a descendent of Brian Boru
in 1318. The castle, on the banks of a stream, Abhainn a Pha, was built of
limestone with a large keep and high tower. In the 17th century there was an
important livery here where Cromwell's men paid £18 for hay for their horses in
1651. Shortly after this the MacBriens were transplanted to County Clare. The
parish church stood a short distance from the castle. It is described in
O'Donovan's survey 1840's as "40 feet in length and 20 feet high and 2 to 3 feet
in thickness. The last gable contains a narrow window. The doorway is on the
South side about 10 feet from the West Gable. The building was never divided
into Nave and Choir. The West end fell before 1840. A small graveyard surrounds
the church".
Also in the Barony of Coonagh is Pallasgreen, the palace of Griain, a sun
goddess worshipped by the early celtic inhabitants. Cist graves found at
Corelish show that the area was inhabited as early as the year 2,000 B.C. Much
later we are told of the Battle of Sulchoi pass, near Pallas in 960. Mahon, son
of Cenneidigh and his young brother Brian (later to be renowned as Brian Boru)
led an Irish force that defeated the Danes. It is said that 2,000 Danes were put
to the sword on this day. Lenihan in his "History of Limerick", however, links
Sulchoi with the present area of Solohead, the scene of another famous incident
in 1919. However, an event occurred in Pallasgreen, millions of years earlier
still. The basalt rock which is found near Lynfield provides the evidence that a
volcano errupted here long before the man first inhabited the area.
And so we conclude our little trip around our comer of East Limerick.
Recounting the deeds of the past makes us aware of our heritage, inspires our
spirits and enriches our lives. And so it is good that so much of our history
lives on today in books and in records and in the ruins of the past.