placenamesKnockaderry
Cnoc an Doire
Knockaderry's fair-day history is joined by substantial village buildings, including St Munchin's church and the former Carnegie library.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Cnoc an Doire · Irish · main form · validated name
- Knockaderry · English · main form
Place & story
Livestock fairs in the village
Samuel Lewis counted 58 houses and 351 inhabitants in Knockaderry in 1837. The village stood on the road from Newcastle to Ballingarry and held fairs for cattle, sheep and pigs on Ascension Day, 9 September, 29 October and 19 December. His description also records a Catholic chapel and national school, alongside the nearby D'Arcy family seat at Knockaderry House. [2]
St Munchin’s on its elevated site
St Munchin's church was built in 1840, with a nave and projecting transepts. The architectural survey records a limestone bellcote above the entrance and timber balconies within the transepts, reached by stairs over confession booths. Its interior includes carved white marble and contrasting coloured marble panels in the altar and reredos. Decorative tiled floors and a mosaic tombstone add further evidence of investment in the church's fittings. [3]
Donations and rebuilding
The diocesan heritage account identifies Costelloes of Kilmallock as makers of the marble altar. William Power of Chesterfield and his sister Anastasia gave the altar, rails and gates in memory of their family in 1897. A major renovation in 1908–09 raised the walls and renewed the roof. The account also records the later removal of the altar rails in 1972. [4]
The hall and former Carnegie library
Beside the church stands the hall and library dated 1917, identified by the architectural inventory as the former Knockaderry Carnegie Library. Its original single-storey front has projecting entrance porches, pediments and decorative pilasters. A stone date plaque marks the building's foundation period. Later extensions, including a larger rear hall, record the enlargement of this community building while the earlier front retained its distinctive slate roof and ornament. [5]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Limerick
- Barony
- Glenquin
- Civil parish
- Clonelty
- Within
- Knockaderry
- Coordinates
- 52.47153, -8.97135 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 1414146 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Knockaderry. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Knockaderry, Upper Connello, Limerick · Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, 1837
- Saint Munchin’s Catholic Church, 21903701 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- Knockaderry-Cloncagh: Knockaderry Church · Limerick Diocesan Heritage Project
- Knockaderry Hall and Library, 21903702 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2017-12-01. How this page was prepared.