Knockainey

Knockainy Castle is a 15th or 16th century tower house
Saint John's Church (Church of Ireland) was deconsecrated in 1999

Knockainey or Knockainy (Irish: Cnoc Áine, meaning 'hill of Áine') is a civil parish and village in County Limerick, Ireland. It is in the historical barony of Smallcounty, between the towns of Hospital and Bruff.

There are a large number of archaeological sites in the area, including several on Knockainy Hill in the townland of Knockainy West. These remains, which include cursus, cairn, ring fort, standing stone and ring barrow sites, form part of a complex traditionally associated with the sun goddess Áine. A nearby clapper bridge, known as Clochán Áine, is also associated with Áine. Knockainy Castle is a 15th or 16th century tower house, associated by several sources with the O'Grady family, who were stewards to the Earls of Desmond.

The former Church of Ireland church in Knockainy, dedicated to Saint John, was built in the 19th century on the site of a much earlier ecclesiastical enclosure. The building's bell tower dates to the 17th century, and there is an O'Grady family plaque dating to the early 16th century. This church was deconsecrated in 1999 and is now used to host events. The local Catholic church, a more modern building, is located to the south. It forms part of the parish of Knockaney and Patrickswell in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly.

The local national (primary) school, Knockainey National School or Scoil Náisiúnta Cnoc Áine, had an enrollment of 181 pupils as of January 2024. The local Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club, Knockainey GAA, won the Limerick Intermediate Hurling Championship in 2001.

References

  1. ↑ "Cnoc Áine / Knockainy". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  2. 1 2 "Civil Parish of Knockainy, Co. Limerick". townlands.ie. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  3. 1 2 Lewis, Samuel, ed. (1837). "Aney". A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland. Dublin: Lewis.
  4. ↑ "St John's Church Knockainey". discoverireland.ie. Fáilte Ireland. Retrieved 19 March 2024. Knockainey [..is..] a small rural village midway between the towns of Bruff and Hospital
  5. ↑ Westropp, Thomas Johnson (1917). "The Ancient Sanctuaries of Knockainey and Clogher, County Limerick, and Their Goddesses". Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature. 34. Royal Irish Academy: 50–55. JSTOR 25504208.
  6. 1 2 Record of Monuments and Places - County Limerick. Dublin: National Monuments and Historic Properties Service. 1997.
  7. ↑ "Cnoc Áine". themodernantiquarian.com. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  8. ↑ Cotterell, Arthur (2007). The Encyclopedia of Mythology. Hermes House. p. 96. ISBN 1-84038-894-3.
  9. ↑ Condit, Tom; Coyne, Frank (2004). "Knockainy Hill — a ceremonial landscape in County Limerick". Archaeology Ireland. Wordwell Ltd. JSTOR 40792925.
  10. ↑ Crawford, Henry S. (June 1917). "Primitive Bridge or Causeway at Knockainey, Co. Limerick". The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 6. 7 (1). Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland: 82. JSTOR 25514487.
  11. ↑ Bradley, John; Halpin, Andrew; King, Heather A. (1989). The Urban Survey of Limerick. pp. 179–181. [Knockainy Castle also known as White Castle] This 15th/16th century four storeyed tower house is built of coursed limestone masonry
  12. ↑ Fitzgerald, Patrick (1826). The History, Topography and Antiquities, of the County and City of Limerick (Volume 1). p. 307. ISBN 9780343480547. Aney is a small village [..] and in the village is situated a small castle, built by the O'Gradys of Kilballyowen [..] It is situated on the west of Knockaney hill {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help)
  13. ↑ Westropp, Thomas Johnson (1906). "The Ancient Castles of the County of Limerick (Central and South-Eastern Baronies)". Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy: Archaeology, Culture, History, Literature. 26. Royal Irish Academy: 183. JSTOR 25502742. The White Castle, or Knockaney C [..] had three stories, the lowest vaulted [..] Tradition says it was built by the Earl's steward, Matthew O'Grady, while Desmond was abroad
  14. 1 2 "Saint John's Church (Knockainy), Knockainy, Limerick". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  15. 1 2 "History of St. John's Church". Knockainey Historical and Conservation Society. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  16. ↑ "Knockainey & St. John's Church". visitballyhoura.com. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  17. ↑ "Hospital / Knockainy" (PDF). Retrieved 19 March 2024 – via limerickcity.ie. There is a modern Catholic church to the south [of Knockainy COI Church]
  18. ↑ "Church Of Our Lady, Knockaney". cashel-emly.ie. Archdiocese of Cashel & Emly. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  19. ↑ "Knockainey National School, Limerick - Scoil Náisiúnta Cnoc Áine". knockaineyns.ie. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  20. ↑ "Directory page - Scoil Nais Cnoc Aine". gov.ie. Department of Education. 22 January 2024. Retrieved 19 March 2024.
  21. ↑ "Knockainey HC". clubinfo.ie. Retrieved 19 March 2024.

52°28′25″N 8°28′06″W / 52.4737°N 8.4682°W / 52.4737; -8.4682