Lakes
Any visitor to the parish, whether sportsman, naturalist or mere sightseer, cannot help but be impressed by its lakes of which there are almost 40, some remarkably remote ( e.g Blarnagh, Loughaun, others on the very roadside (e.g Attyquin, Ballygassan, Inchicronan and Doon. Access to most of them is readily available but the usual courtesies should be observed, i.e always ask permission, close all gates and avoid damaging fences. Most contain trout, eels or coarse fish, but there is remarkably little angling; what little is done is mainly by outsiders, which seems a pity, since trout of up to 9 lbs weight and pike of over 30 lbs are to be found in Inchicronan Lough alone. For those interested in the scenery, Doon Lough is the most impressive. Viewed from Ballinruan village on a summer’s day it might pass for a little piece of Killarney.
The best-known of all the lakes, though, is Inchicronan Lough, or “
The Island Lake,” as it is known locally. This is partly because
it is the largest of them all, partly because it has from early times
been a focus of parish life, as evidenced by the presence on its shores
of the remains of Inchicronan Abbey and of two castles. The Battle of
Inchicronan is also said to have been fought nearby in 1651 but its
exact location has never been pinpointed, But perhaps it is for the
“Island Lights” that not only this lake, But the very parish
itself is famous. A death-warning to certain families of the locality,
these small blue lights rise in the Island graveyard and make their
way across the lake and to the house of the fated person. Inevitably
a death follows. They have been seen as lately as the 1970s.
Few of the lakes contain any verified crannog’s, though some of
the islands in Inchicronan Lough are claimed to be such.
Of the remnants of the seven castles in the parish, only one, O’Brien’s castle, is of any interest architecturally today. But all of them, particularly at Carrahil and Inchicronan, have had vivid histories, especially in the 17th century, a time when Ireland was in political turmoil. Changes of ownership were frequent, often violent, as can be seen from the snatches that survive to us of the happenings of that time, e.g. together with Gilladuff O’ Shaughnessy and the Burkes of Kiltartan. A year earlier, during the 1641 rebellion, the English settlers of Inchicronan, Ruan and Kilkeedy has been forced to take refuge in this castle and it was the statements of some of these survivors that were later used by the Cromwellians to justify their harsh measures against the native Irish. By 1651 the castle was held for Parliament by a Colonel Ingoldsby and at this time Donogh Neylon, a Franciscan friar captured in Ennis, was hanged here. In 1653, no further recorded never imagine such stirring deeds to have taken place here.
Of nearly Carrahill castle only the foundations remain plus an intriguing submerged causeway to Eagle Island, which suggest that this latter may have been a crannóg, perhaps a place of final refuge for the occupants of the castle.
What remains of Doon castle today is scant: a few scattered stones. Last occupied by the Bulters of Bunnahow, it seems to have been demolished by them when they moved to Bunnahow house, and the stones used to build a hunting lodge near Doon graveyard. Who built Doon castle is unclear but it dated from the early 15th century and for the next two centuries changed hands frequently, being reported as in ruins by 1604. Renovated, it was owned by the Earl of Thomond in 1641 and in 1689 it was leased to James Butler who has been transplanted from Clonmel to Sranagalloon in 1657. In 1703 the Bulters consolidated their grip with a 99-year lease to Sir Toby and it remained a Bulter home until the completion of Ballyline House in the early 19th century. By then the family had established themselves not only as huge landowners but also as important functionaries in the administrative machinery of the county as a whole.
Built apparently by a Bishop O’ Brien in the mid-15th century,
its history over the next three centureis features many O’Briends
and Bulters as owners. It was garrisoned by the Comwellians in the 1650s
and the doughty Captain Sterne repaired it with timber cut locally.
At this time also, the native Irish were moved from within a radius
of one mile of its walls, as in the case of Inchicronan castle. By 1808
it was uninhabited and has been unoccupied since.
Visitors may look around with the priori permission of the owner. The
first few steps of the spiral staircase are missing, but it is not difficult
to get across the gap and the climb to the top is worthwhile. Features
worth seeing include a large cut-stone fireplace and the remnants of
interior plasterwork, as well as a large hole of the floors caused by
lightning earlier this century. From the battlements fine views of the
country round about can be had.
One has only to look at the Ordnance Survey 6” maps to realise that in Inchicronan and the adjacent parishes to the east (Clooney, Tulla Feakle, Kilnoe) there were formerly huge oak forests. The place-names with “Derry” in Westropp’s map of 1909 – most of which are in common use today – prove this: names like Derryhumma, Derryskeagh, Derrybeg, Derryfadda, Derryvet, Derrymore, Derryvoagh, Derryboy, Derrygarriff and many more. As far back as 1277 some of the McNamaras took shelter here from King Brian Ruadh and these great oak woods of Slieve Aughty survived well into Tudor times to provide refuge for defeated Irish clansmen and others anxious to avoid unwelcome attention. According to Westropp there were still roughly 700 acres of timber, between mature and young trees, remaining in 1655 and in spite of the ravages of the intervening years a 1981 Foras Forbartha report could state that in Derrymore and Derryhumma woods remnants of the natural oakwood were regenerating freely together with holly, birch and hazel.
Of the several actual and possible church sites in the
parish those most worth a visit today are St. Cronan’s parish
church, Inchicronan priory or “the abbey” as it is known
locally, and Kiltoola.
St. Cronan’s, on the village main street, near the railway bridge,
dates from the 1830s. It is a neat plain building interesting mainly
for its fine wooden altar-back and Greman stations of the cross, both
early 20th century.
Of Kiltoola there is little to say architecturally, since it is partly demolished, partly ivy-covered, but its situation in the townland of Carrowkeel More, near the river Fergus and Dromore Lake, is pleasant and peaceful. Inchicronan Abbey, though not easy of access, especially in wet weather, is, doubtless, the best-known ecclesiastical site in Crusheen parish and attracts historians, folklorists and casual browsers. It is situated at the end of the long peninsula which extends into Inchicronan Lake and consists of a heterogeneous group of buildings of different dates to which a graveyard, still in use, attaches. The transept arches and their delicate central pier are probably the most notable features, but a careful look about will reveal other details worth notice. For those interested in the paranormal it is the “Island Lights” that will provid most attraction to this place. The fame of these little blue lights, a death-warning to certain families of the parish whose burial place is the Island graveyard, is known internationally. Never a cause of terror, they have been seen by many, either on their way from the Island or hovering at the house of the family about to be bereaved. The most recent reported sighting was in the 1970s.
Four other holy sites of interest are the cillíns. In little
burial-places like these countywide were interred mainly unbaptised
children but also occasionally suicides and strangers. Some of those
in Inchicronan were last used as recently as the 1940s. The cillín
at Kilvoydan South is adjacent to a holy well, as is one recorded in
Ordnance Survey maps as Kilvilly. The very name Kilvilly suggests that
there was a sacred tree on the site. Whether the large beech tree now
growing there is a descendant of this bile it is not possible to say.
Hardly any of the 6 holy wells in the parish are resorted to nowadays for cures, though a lingering belief in their power persists. Formerly both animals and people were believed to benefit from visits to these sites and much local lore attaches to them. Their present rather neglected state is bound to improve as more and more people search for the personal in religious belief, and the fact that every one of these springs is probably as old as time itself will sooner or later draw back to them again.
As in most parishes in Ireland forts are numerous in Inchicronan
(over 40 according to some authorities). These former fortified dwelling-places
continued to be occupied until the 17th century and are usually situated
on rather high, dry, defensible sites, which often makes them quite
distinguishable even when overgrown, as very many of them are. The reason
that so few of them were, up to recently, damaged or destroyed was due
to their being associated with the fairies. No one who did injury to
such places would propser, it was believed, and stories aboundof people
who, through greed or stupidity, did so and paid the inevitable price
- physical or mental disablement or even death. Most forts contain a
souterrain, an underground passage used as a place of sanctuary in times
of attack or as a storage-place for perishable goods, but these have
mostly been filled in to prevent injury to cattle and horses. An example
of such, adjacent to the village may be seen near the railway and one
even more picturesque (Cloonalough Fort), though just outside the parish
bounds, overlooks Rathclooney Lake.
Only two are known in the parish, both uninscribed, one
at Carrownacloghy, after which the townland is said to be named, and
the other at Knockreddan. What their purpose was it is hardly possible
to say, though a story persists that the latter, south of Boscabel House,
marks the burial-place of a valuable horse owned by the Butlers of Castlecrine,
landlords of the area in the nineteenth century.
Such stones countrywide are notoriously difficult to date. They may
mark ancient boundaries, roadways, graves or the sites of notable events,
or may merely be scratching-posts for animals. It is best to view each
one individually then judge for oneself.
Dozens of these ancient cooking-sites have been discovered
recently within the parish and many others, no doubt, still await discovery.
Horseshoe-shaped in the main, they
occur where water was readily available and consist of a mound of burnt
stones surrounding a trough in which meat was cooked by immersing stones
heated in a nearby fire, thus boiling the water. Recent reconstructions
have proved that it was a most efficient means of cooking. Excellent
examples can be seen in the area around Knocknamucky.
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Among the most ancient survivals of human activity in the parish are those commemorating the dead. Of these monuments the best-known is Caheraphúca wedge-tomb, because of its accessibility and find condition. But those at Kilvoydan South and Knockmael East are also worth a visit. Unfortunately one of those in Knockmael no longer exists. It was destroyed during land reclamation in the 1980’s. A ring-barrow may be seen in the townland of Knockloaghan and a cist-grave in Sranagalloon townland. Neither is easy of access, so it is advisable to enquire for them locally.
