Pallaskenry

Pallaskenry (Irish: Pailís Chaonraí) is a village in County Limerick, Ireland.[1] Pallaskenry derives its name from Kenry Castle (the palisaded castle at Kenry), nowadays known as Shanpallas Castle.[Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, p455, Lewis]. It was one of the principal ancient castles of County Limerick. [The Journal of The Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland, Volume 37, p25]. Kenry Castle was the original property of Russells as part of the territories or Ardcanny and Chapelrussell (incl. Pallas itself) which was acquired by the first Knight of Glin, Sir John fitz John. It was later in the possession of Henry Fitzgerald, grandson of the first Knight in 1330 and served as an important sub-manor of the Earls of Desmond right through to 1652.[2] The village is located about 24 km (15 mi) west of Limerick city close to the River Shannon estuary. The town is reached by travelling about five kilometres (~3 miles) north off the N69 National Route that runs west from the city. Pallaskenry is a satellite town of Limerick city, many of its inhabitants work in the city but many also work in Shannon Town, County Clare (north across the estuary), and Askeaton, a town further west of Pallaskenry.

Pallaskenry Pailís Chaonraí
Village
Main St
Pallaskenry Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°38′40″N 08°52′03″W
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	County Limerick
Population  (2011)
• Total	664
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (IST (WEST))

A pier on the Shannon Estuary is located a couple of kilometres further north of the town, at Ringmoylan. This point is almost directly across the estuary from Shannon Town, and offers a good view of aeroplanes landing and taking off at Shannon Airport.

Education

Pallaskenry has a primary school (St. Mary's) with 168 students, a secondary school (Salesian Secondary College, formerly Copsewood College, with approximately 702 students), and a Pre-School (Kiddies Corner) located in the community centre. Author Darren Shan attended Copsewood College, and has lived close to the village most of his life. He opened the Primary School's new school library in June 2008. He read a paragraph of 'Cirque De Freak' and some of the children dressed up as characters from his books. Copsewood also is home to Pallaskenry Agricultural College.

Sport

Pallaskenry GAA Club is one of the oldest GAA clubs in Limerick founded in 1906.[3]

History

There are several castles in the area, including Cullam Castle, Ballyculhane Castle, Kenry Castle and Dromore Castle. Dromore Castle is unusual in that it was built late in the 19th century in the style of a fairytale castle.

There have been a number of archaeological finds in the area, including the Shannongrove Collar which was found at a depth of 12 feet in a bog on lands granted to Phineas Bury during Cromwellian plantations. A bone crucifix was found in the 1950s at Dog's Island, the boggy ground between Dromore Lake and a very small lake east of it. A carved early-medieval head was found at Kenry Castle.

Services

On main street Pallaskenry there is a Chinese restaurant and takeaway, a chip shop, a hairdresser, a café, a barber and two local shops. There is also a funeral home. The non retail services include a 150-year-old church and a post office.

Population

The population in the 2011 census was listed as being 664 people. This had increased from 469 people twenty years earlier. [4]

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

1. "Placenames Database of Ireland". Dublin City University. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
2. The Knights of Glin:Seven Centuries of Change, p71, ISBN 9780-9530373-3-9
3. "History". Pallaskenry GAA Club. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
4. "Pallaskenry". Retrieved 30 November 2014.