BOURNEY, or BOURCHIN, a parish

BOURNEY, or BOURCHIN, a parish, in the barony of IKERRIN, county of TIPPERARY, and province of MUNSTER, 4 ½ miles (S. E.) from Roscrea; containing 4061 inhabitants This parish is situated between the mail coach road from Dublin to Limerick, and the public road from Roscrea to Templemore; and comprises more than 9700 statute acres. The rivers Nore and Suir have their rise here in the side of the mountain of Benduff, their respective sources not being more than half a mile distant from each other; the Nore pursues nearly a direct course through this parish and Corbally into Burros-in-Ossory; the Suir forms the southern boundary of the parish. Dangan Lodge is the seat of J. Middleton, Esq.; Derrylahan, of J. Mason, Esq.; Mount Fresco, of Horatio Lloyd, Esq.; and Lorn Park, of G. Roe, Esq. Here is a station of the constabulary police. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Killaloe, to which the rectory and vicarage of Burrisnefarney were united by act of council, forming the union of Bourney, in the patronage of the Bishop; the rectory is impropriate in the Marquess of Ormonde. The tithes amount to £550, of which £350 is payable to the impropriator, and £200 to the vicar; and the gross tithes of the union payable to the incumbent amount to £384. 12. 4.

The church is a plain building, for the repairs of which the Ecclesiastical Commissioners have recently granted £246. 8. 9. The glebe-house was built by aid of a gift of £350 and a loan of £450, in 1814, from the late Board of First Fruits: the glebe comprises about six acres in four detached portions in this parish. In the R. C. divisions the parish is the head of a union or district, which comprises also the parishes of Burrisnefarney and Corbally, and contains four chapels, all neat buildings, of which the principal is situated at Clonakenny, in this parish. There is a place of worship for the Society of Friends at Knockbally Meagher. The parochial schools afford instruction to about 40 boys and 40 girls; and there are also four private pay schools, in which are about 170 children. At Boulebane, Bawnmadrum, and Clonakenny are considerable remains of ancient castles; the first two are situated on an eminence very near each other.