Doora, County Clare

Template:Short description Template:Use dmy dates Template:Template other Doora (Template:LangxTemplate:Sfn) is a village and civil parish in County Clare, Ireland, just to the east of the town of Ennis.

Name

In Irish the word Dúr means "water", and Dúire means "of water", so the name means the parish of the water or bog.Template:Sfn

Location

The parish is on the western border of the barony of Bunratty Upper, just east of the town of Ennis. It is and covers . The land includes bog, upland pasture and farmland. It is drained by the River Quin, which runs southwest into the River Fergus. The population in 1841 was 2,365 in 370 houses.Template:Sfn While the original eponymous hamlet decayed, a new village developed around Doora Church.

Antiquities

The history of Saint Brecan of Arran says he founded a church in Daclais that is named after him. According to James Frost the townland of Kilbreckan holds the ruined church of Carrantemple, a very old building, which may be this church.Template:Sfn In fact Carntemple lies in the adjacent townland of Noughaval.Template:Sfn Doora Church may have been founded by Saint Brecan around 500 AD.Template:Sfn If Brecan was the founder, as tradition states, it would have been one of the first central mission churches in Clare.Template:Sfn An 1842 map notes that the church was in ruins and shows it about southwest of what was then the hamlet of Doora, in the west of the townland of Ballaghboy. It was about east of the River Fergus, opposite the town of Ennis.Template:Sfn There is also a ruined church named Kellavella.Template:Sfn Two holy wells in the parish are dedicated to Saint Breccan.Template:Sfn

The parish has the remains of two castles. Ballyhannon Castle was the property of William Neylan in 1580. Renamed Castlefergus, it was still well preserved in 1893.Template:Sfn The castle has since been restored and may be rented.Template:Sfn The other castle, Clonmore, was completely ruined by the end of the 19th century.Template:Sfn As of 1845 the principal hamlets were Dowry and Ballaghboy. The parish name at that time was variously spelled Doora, Dowry, or Dowrie.Template:Sfn

A notable native of the parish was Michael Considine of Castletown townland, who composed the famous folk song Spancil Hill in the early 1870s.

Sports

The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club, St Josephs Doora-Barefield GAA, has its grounds in the parish with three playing pitches in the Gurteen townland ().Template:Sfn

Catholic parish

In 1837 the parish was united in the Catholic church with the parish of Kilraghtis.Template:Sfn Doora today is in the Catholic parish of Doora-Barefield, also called Doora and Kilraghtis, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe.

Townlands

The parish contains the townlands of Ardsollus, Ballaghboy, Ballyglass, Ballyortla (North), Ballyortla (South), Ballyvonnavaun, Bunnow, Castlefergus, Castletown, Cloonawee, Cloonmore, Corebeg, Creggaun, Deerpark, Dooneen, Drim, Drumdoolaghty, Finanagh, Gaurus, Gortataggart, Gorteen, Kilbreckan, Kilfeilim, Killawinna, Knockanean, Knockaskibbole, Knockhogan, Monanoe, Moyriesk and Noughaval.Template:Sfn

The townlands of Castlefergus and Ardsollus are isolated from the rest of the parish, a small distance to the south.Template:Sfn The town of Ennis includes the townlands of Ballaghboy, Bunnow, Gaurus, and Knockanean.Template:Sfn

• Junction of country road with R469, Ennis
  Junction of country road with R469, Ennis
• Junction of N85 with M18 - View of the M18 to North from the N85
  Junction of N85 with M18 - View of the M18 to North from the N85
• Reedbed in the townland of Kilbreckan
  Reedbed in the townland of Kilbreckan
• L4104 road near Finanagh
  L4104 road near Finanagh