placenamesFeohanagh
An Fheothanach
Feohanagh’s church and former school preserve the work of local builders and patrons, while its history also includes a deadly confrontation over tithes.
The name
A reliable full-name meaning has not been established here. The recorded Irish and English forms are given without an unsupported translation.
Recorded forms
- An Fheothanach · Irish · main form · validated name
- Feohanagh · English · main form
Place & story
Building Saint Mary’s
Saint Mary's Catholic church was built in 1833 through public subscription and voluntary labour. Lord Muskerry of Springfield supplied its site and much of the building material. The diocesan heritage project records later improvements: a tiled floor in 1890, a new roof in 1938 and renovation in 1978. The foundation inscription names the parish priest and curate who led the original building project. [2]
The church’s architectural details
The T-shaped church has a nave and two transepts, with small additional bays filling their junctions. A rose window marks the front, and limestone pinnacles and a bellcote rise above the gables. Inside, an ornamental plaster reredos forms a backdrop to the sanctuary, while a multicoloured marble font occupies a corner bay. These features show successive attention to the building's interior as well as its roadside appearance. [3]
The school of 1886
Feohanagh's former national school bears the date 1886. Archaeologist Enda O'Flaherty documented its two classrooms, paired gables, slate roof and surviving timber sash windows during his survey in 2016. He also recorded oil-burning stoves that had replaced classroom fireplaces. Historic mapping placed the school within a village that included a post office and smithy, connecting education with the other services once concentrated along the road. [4]
The tithe confrontation
In April 1834 Feohanagh became the scene of a violent dispute over tithe collection. The Reverend Thomas Locke, rector of Newcastle and Mahoonagh, arrived with police and soldiers to collect payments. A crowd gathered in opposition, and the forces opened fire. Gerard Curtin's local history, summarised by West Limerick Heritage, records five people killed and twenty injured in the confrontation. [5]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Feohanagh. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- FeohanaghChurch · Limerick Diocesan Heritage Project
- SaintMary’sCatholicChurch,21904501 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- FeohanaghNationalSchool,1March2016 · Enda O’Flaherty
- Feohanagh–Castlemahon · West Limerick Heritage,citing GerardCurtin,EveryFieldHadaName,pp77–80
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2018-08-07. How this page was prepared.