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The History and Topography of the County of Clare by James Frost

Part II. History of Thomond
Chapter 28

The Journal of Thomas Dineley, 1681

 

 

Quin

The Ruins of Quin-Abby
The Ruins of Quin-Abby lately harbouring
some Friers of the order of St. Francis

Quin Town is twelve miles from Limerick, six from Six-mile-bridge, 4 from Rallahine Castle in the road to Galloway. It hath nothing worth the note of a Traveller but the ruines of an Abbey, which I sketcht off on the other leafe.

There are two faires a year, which in times past were famous for quarrelling of two families of numerous ofspring hereabouts, viz., the Molounys and Macnamarras, in which 8 persons, Ulster men, were kill’d and buried in one hole. It is storied also that at the drinking of a small barrell of sack, that the Ulster men being absent often, and thought to go out to leake between every other glass: It seems they went out to drinke Usque bath, Aqua vitæ so call’d, yey sayd to warme their stomachs which they thought would be overcooled with the sack, so accustomed they are to extraordinary hott liquors more than any people I ever heard of.

The faires of Quin are of black Cattle, as Cows, Oxen, &c., which are so called here.

The Abbey [32] was anciently of the Order of St. Francis; here are seen the ancient Vaults & Burial places of the Mac Namarras [33] & the Molounys, and hither they are brought if they dye in the Kingdom to be interred with their Ancestors.

On the South side on ye Floor of the Abbatial Church of Quin-Barony is seen this monument.[34]

Ancient Tomb of Rinenia
 
On the Rt hand of the Altar at the East end of the Abby Church of Quin is seen this monument of black marble of the Molounys.[35] Family very ancient.

[Here is given a drawing of a mural monument, still extant, and here erroneously attributed to the Molouny family. It is the Mac Namara monument, as proved by its inscription: the drawing shows a table monument surmounted by three trefoil-headed niches, over which is an entablature supported by four pilasters.]

Opposite to the last Monument are seen the Remaines of that belonging to the ancient Family of the MacNamarras.[36]
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