Clare Places: Parishes: Kilfarboy: Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland, 1845

Kilfarboy - anciently Kilforbrick

A parish on the coast of the barony of Ibrickane, Co. Clare, Munster. It contains the town of MILTOWN-MALBAY. Length, 5 miles; breadth, 4½; area, 13,981 acres, 1 rood, 32 perches, —of which 42 acres, 37 perches are water. Pop., in 1831, 6,389; in 1841, 7,498. Houses 1,166. Pop. of the rural districts, in 1831, 5,663; in 1841, 6,203. Houses 953. The coast is part of the bold marine rampart between the bays of Liscannor and Doonbeg, and contains the headland called Spanish Point; and the eastern border soars up to the summit of the monarch-height of Mount-Callan. The surface may be summarily described as an intermixture of bog, mountain, pasture-land, and arable ground. The boggy grounds, in consequence of the facility of obtaining sea-manure, are in progress of improvement. The coast and country immediately around Miltown-Malbay-and, of course, the parish of Kilfarboy in particular-are thus noticed by Mr. Fraser:— "This part of Malbay, though presenting several ranges of lofty cliffs, is not so bold and continuous as from Dunbeg to Loop Head. It is broken into low reefs of rocks and intervening sandy coves, into which the sea heavily beats. The country around Miltown, and along the coast towards Kilkee, wears a desolate aspect—not a seat is to be seen. The land is of a very mixed quality, yet is susceptible of much improvement. The roads are bad; and the greater part of the country belongs to non-resident proprietors, who seem regardless of everything but the collection of rent." A height on the east border has an altitude of 843 feet; Knockabullaunduff, a little east of the centre, has an altitude of 661 feet; and Aballaunduff, in the vicinity of the latter height, has an elevation of 536 feet. In the vicinity of Miltown-Malbay are the mansions of Seaview and Miltown, a number of private bathing lodges, and the ruins of Moy-castle. Archdall says, that the monastery of Kilfobrick was founded in 740, and that Cormar, bishop and scribe of Kilfobrick, died in 837. —This parish is a rectory, and a vicarage, in the dio. of Killaloe. The rectory is part of KILDYSERT. Rectorial tithe composition, £315. The vicarage is united to the vicarage of KILMIHILL, to constitute the benefice of Kilfarboy. Vicarial tithe composition, £238 16s. 11d.; glebe, £15 10s. Length of the benefice, 5 miles; breadth, 3½. Pop., in 1831, 10,183. Gross income, £334 11s.; nett, £292 9s. 5½ d. Patron, the diocesan. The church was built in 1805, by means of a gift of £553 16s. 11d. from the late Board of First Fruits. Sittings 130; attendance, from 60 to 150. The Kilfarboy Roman Catholic chapel has an attendance of 1,500; and, in the Roman Catholic parochial arrangement, is united to the chapel of Kilmurry-Ibrickane. There is a Roman Catholic chapel also in Kilmihill. In 1834, the Protestants of the parish amounted to 118, and the Roman Catholics to 6,637; the Protestants of the union to 130, and the Roman Catholics to 10,705; and 9 daily schools in the union—7 of which were in the parish, and one of these 7 aided with £5—a year from the Roman Catholic clergyman—had on their books 345 boys and 146 girls.

The Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland, 1845
Courtesy of Clare Local Studies Project