AGHAVALLIN, or AGHAVALAH, a parish

AGHAVALLIN, or AGHAVALAH, a parish, in the barony of IRAGHTICONNOR, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER, 4 ½ miles (W. S. W.) from Tarbert; island containing, with the town of Ballylongford and the of Carrigue, 5688 inhabitants. This place anciently belonged to the O'Connors of Kerry, whose principal seat, Castle Carrig-a-foile, signifying in the Irish language "the rock of the chasm," was situated on the south-west side of the inlet between the main land and the small island of Carrigue, which is encircled by the river Shannon. This castle was defended on the land side by a double wall flanked with circular and square bastions, which are still remaining, and was fortified against Queen Elizabeth by O'Connor, who placed in it a garrison under the command of Julio, an Italian officer. The castle, with the entire barony, excepting only one estate, was forfeited by the O'Connors of Kerry, in 1666, and conferred by the act of settlement upon the Provost and Fellows of Trinity College, Dublin.

The parish is situated on the river Shannon, and within a mile and a half of the high road from Tralee to Limerick, and comprises 15,152 statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act. About one-third of it is good arable land, rather more than one-third of a coarser quality, and the remainder is mountain pasture and bog. Limestone for manure is brought from Askeaton by turf boats returning from Limerick; and sea manure is also extensively used. A species of brown stone of good quality is quarried for building. The principal seats are Kiletton, the residence of W. Hickey, Esq.; Litter, of G. Wren, Esq.; Rusheen, of F. Crosbie, Esq.; Rushy Park, the property of Godfrey Leonard, Esq., at present occupied by Terence O'Connor, Esq.; Ahanogran, the seat of J. O'Connor, Esq.; and Asdee, of Barry Collins, Esq. A steam-boat passes daily from Kilrush to Tarbert and Limerick, and vessels of 30 tons enter the creek for potatoes and turf, in which a considerable traffic is carried on. Dredging for oysters off the island of Carrigue, and fishing, employ several persons in the season.

The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe, to which those of Liseltin, Killehenny, Galey, Murhir, Kilnaughten, Disert, Finuge, Listowel, and Knockanure are united, constituting the union of Aghavallin, in the patronage of Anthony Stoughton, Esq., in whom the rectory is impropriate. The tithes amount to £304. 12. 2., of which £152. 6. 1. is payable to the impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar: the gross amount of tithes of the union payable to the incumbent is £774. 17. 11. The church, having been condemned, is about to be rebuilt by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners. There are churches at Liseltin, Kilnaughten, and Listowel. There are several glebes in the union, but all in the possession of the impropriator. In the R. C. divisions this parish is the head of the union or district of Ballylongford, also called Tarbert, which comprises the parishes of Aghavallin and Kilnaughten: a chapel has been recently erected at Asdee, as a chapel of ease to that at Ballylongford; and there is also a chapel at Tarbert, in the parish of Kilnaughten. A large and commodious school-house has been erected at Ballylongford: but the Protestant children of the parish attend a school at Sallow Glin, the demesne of Mr. Sandes, on the border of the adjoining parish; there are six pay schools.— See BALLYLONGFORD and CARRIGUE.