Kildysart, officially Killadysert (), is a large village in

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

, Ireland and a

civil Civil may refer to: *Civility, orderly behavior and politeness *Civic virtue, the cultivation of habits important for the success of a society *Civil (journalism) ''The Colorado Sun'' is an online news outlet based in Denver, Colorado. It lau ...

and Roman Catholic parish by the same name that surrounds the village.

Location

The parish lies on the east border of the barony of

Clonderalaw Clonderalaw () is an historical Barony (Ireland), barony in County Clare, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Baronies are geographical divisions of land that are in turn is divided into civil parishes in Ireland, civil parishes. Legal context Baro ...

. It is and covers . It includes islands in the Fergus and

Shannon Estuary The Shannon Estuary in Ireland () is a large estuary where the River Shannon flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The estuary has Limerick City at its head and its seaward limits are marked by Loop Head to the north and Kerry Head to the south. Th ...

, land along the western seaboard of the Fergus estuary and moor-covered uplands. The main island is

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the material accepted as officially written by an author or an ascribed author * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western canon, th ...

; other islands are Inishmacowney, Inishloe, Coney and Inishtubrid. Inland are the lakes of Gortglass—depth between 2 and 16 meters deep. The Catholic parish is part of the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe The Diocese of Killaloe ( ; ) is a Latin diocese of the Catholic Church in mid-western Ireland, one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Cashel and Emly. The cathedral church of the diocese is the Cathedral of Ss Peter a ...

. The village of Kildysart/Killadysert is on the north bank of the

on the R473 coastal route between

Ennis Ennis ( , meaning 'island' or 'river meadow') is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in Cou ...

and

Kilrush Kilrush () is a coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is also the name of a civil parish and an ecclesiastical parish in Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. It is located near the mouth of the River Shannon in the south-west of the county. ...

. The parish contains the following

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

s: Ballyleaan, Ballynacragga, Ballyvohane, Blean, Booltydoolan, Cahiracon, Canon Island, Cappanavarnoge, Cloonkett, Cloonsnaghta, Cloonulla, Coney Island, Cooga, Coolteengowan, Craghera, Crossderry, Crovraghan, Derrylea, Effernan, Glenconaun Beg, Glenconaun More, Gortnacurra, Gortnahaha, Gortnavreaghaun, Inishcorker, Inishloe, Inichmacowney, Inishtubbrid, Killadysert, Lackannashinnagh, Liscormick, Lisnafaha, Lissyvurriheen, Rusheen and Shannacool.

History

A monastery is said to have been founded on Low Island by

Saint Senan In Christian belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness, likeness, or closeness to God. However, the use of the term ''saint'' depends on the context and denomination. In Anglican, Oriental Ortho ...

of Iniscattery, before

Saint Patrick Saint Patrick (; or ; ) was a fifth-century Romano-British culture, Romano-British Christian missionary and Archbishop of Armagh, bishop in Gaelic Ireland, Ireland. Known as the "Apostle of Ireland", he is the primary patron saint of Irelan ...

came into

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

. Saint Moronoc is said to have had a cell here at the time of Senan's death, called "the Penitentiary of Inisluaidhe". There were many Danish forts and tumuli in the parish. The Moland Report of 1703 said of "Kildizert" that it "has on it ye ruins of an old church and several cabins." The ruins of the old church still remained in the burial-ground near the shore as of 1837. In 1831, the population was 4,501, and in 1841 it was 5,130 in 753 houses. In 1834, there were 4,802 Catholics and 32 Protestants. In 1837, the village contained about 60 houses, irregularly built. A steamboat passed daily on the way to or from Limerick. An application had also been made to the Board of Public Works to improve the Quay near Kildysart, from which pigs, corn, butter and agricultural produce were sent to Limerick in boats; and building material, groceries and other essentials were brought back in return.

Today

Kildysart has two minimarkets, hardware shops, a mobile bank, pharmacist, clinic, veterinary clinic, credit union, garage, community centre, four pubs and the Quay Marina. It has the parish church, St Michael's and St John Bosco Community College.St John Bosco Community College website
accessed 26 March 2015. Kildysart is known for its fishing, both in the estuary and in the local lakes. Gortglass, Clonshnacta and Effernan, close to the village, are trout fishing lakes only. Only members of the local angling club are allowed to fish in them. Visitors can charter a boat for fishing in the Shannon Estuary or for trips to the islands. The estuary holds fish such as conger, skate, dogfish, pollock, flounder, tope and Thorn Back Ray, all of which can also be caught off Cahercon Pier, which is open to the public and is about from Kildysart.

References

{{Civil parishes of County Clare Towns and villages in County Clare Parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe

Location

History

Today

See also

References