Kilmihil Parish: its Origins and Scraps of its History by Patrick Gaynor PP

Introduction to the Web Edition and notice of COPYRIGHT:

This text is taken from a manuscript draft written by Father Pat Gaynor during his term as parish Priest of Kilmihil between 1941 and 1949. The COPYRIGHT in the text belongs to Mr Eamonn Gaynor and OaC are grateful to him for permission to reproduce it on this website. The original manuscript is preserved in the National Library of Ireland under the reference number M.S. 19826 and a second copy is believed to be in private possession.

REV. PATRICK GAYNOR 1887 – 1949.
Patrick Gaynor was born in Tyone, Nenagh, Co Tipperary in 1887. He was educated at both the Christian Brothers, Nenagh and St. Flannans, Ennis. He was ordained to the priesthood at Maynooth in 1911.

Fr. Gaynor served first in Glasgow and there is an account of his time there amongst his memoirs (not reproduced here).

From 1914 onwards Fr. Gaynor served in the Killaloe Diocese – in Mullagh, Co Clare, 1919-22; in Birr, Co Ofally, 1922–37; in Inagh and Kilnamona , Co Clare 1937–41 and as Parish Priest in Kilmihil, Co. Clare 1941-49. He died 8th December 1949.

Fr. Gaynor wrote a number of articles on the early history of Clare, which were published in the journal ‘Molua’. These were: Kilnamona, Called Kinelbuith A.D. 500-1725(1941);. Inagh, prior to its Union with Kilnamona (1942); Malachy O’Quealy’s Ancestral Clan and its Place of Origin (1943); Father Roger Normoyle’s Monument- Inagh A.D. 1642 (1944) and Our Unique Deanery: Corcabaiscinn A.D. 1200-1604.(1948).

Father Gaynor also wrote the booklet The Faith and Morals of Sinn Féin, a copy of which is also contained in the National Library file.

Fr. Gaynor was involved, as a member of the Executive Council and Standing Committee of Sinn Fein and his substantial memoirs of this period have been published by his nephew Eamonn Gaynor in a book called Memoirs of a Tipperary Family – The Gaynors of Tyone 1887-2000. For further details of this book click here

The text reproduced here is exactly (I hope!) as left by Fr. Gaynor, although some sections of the most recent history are not included here, as yet. He may have intended to publish it at some time and would have cleaned it up for publication but as I cannot predict what, if any, changes he would have made, I have reproduced it exactly as he left it. The original text was hand-written into a bound cash book with many postscript notes in the margins. These notes are inserted, here into the main text, as best I could.

The text has been typed and prepared for the internet by Donal De Barra.

CONTENTS:
PART 1
A.D 500 – 1200.
1. The People of Kilmihil in Olden Times.
2. St Senan, Founder of the Church in Kilmihil.

PART 2.
Kilmihil in Medieval Times (A.D. 1200 – 1750)
1. Kilmihil is made a Parish (A.D. 1200),
2. Holy Places in Kilmihil – Churches,
3. Holy Places in Kilmihil - Holy Wells.
4. Kilmihil Parish in the Penal Days (the general situation , A.D. 1600 – 1750).
5. Priests and Parsons in Kilmihil ( A.D. 1600 – 1750) With some notes on adjacent parishes.
6. Brief Notes on Other Parishes in Corcabaiscinn

PART 3.
Kilmihil in Modern Times.
1. The Period of the Mass House. (A.D. 1750 – 1834)
2. The Modern Church in Kilmihil – its erection.- Not reproduced here.
3. The Modern Church in Kilmihil – later improvements. - Not reproduced here.
4. Priests of Kilmihil (A.D. 1800 – 1945)- Not Reproduced here.
5. The People of Kilmihil (A.D. 1945 – 48) - Not reproduced here
6. Place-names in Kilmihil.
7. Notes on the Parochial House, The Parish Schools and the Parish Registers and Chalices.- NOT reproduced here
8. Kilmihil A.D 1949 - ? - Not reproduced here

PART 4.
Sinn Fein Days. All of this section is reproduced by Eamonn Gaynor in his book Memoirs of a Tipperary family – The Gaynors of Tyone. Which is available in bookshops or from http://www.geographypublications.com

PART 5.
The Crotty Schism in Birr, A.D 1826. Fr. Gaynor devotes 25 pages to this. They are not reproduced here.