placenamesCastleleiny
Caisleán Laighnigh
Known locally as Castleiney, Castleleiny has a long educational history and a nineteenth-century church with an elaborate interior.
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
- Caisleán Laighnigh · Irish · main form · validated name
- Castleleiny · English · main form
- Castleiney · English · main form · local name
Place & story
From pay-schools to a national school
Castleiney had four pay-schools in 1846, according to the national school’s history. By 1854 its two remaining school buildings lacked teachers. A national school opened in 1858 during the ministry of parish priest John Cooney. A replacement building followed in 1948, and the old school became a community hall. The newer school was extended and upgraded in 2008. [2]
Saint John the Baptist
The Catholic Church of Saint John the Baptist was built in 1830. It has a cross-shaped plan, with entrance porches projecting from the transepts and a limestone bell-cote on the east gable. Pointed windows and stained glass light the nave and transepts. Inside, an ornate reredos frames the altar with columns, pilasters and decorative plasterwork; the timber ceiling has recessed panels and a decorative rose at the crossing. [3]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Castleleiny. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- History — Castleiney National School · Castleiney National School
- Catholic Church of Saint John the Baptist, Gorteendangan, Castleleiny, record 22402920 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2012-02-13. How this page was prepared.