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Brief Parish History & Geographical Location
Athea is situated about 4 miles west of the town of Newcastlewest and the village nestles under the hills of the Dromada ridge. Athea was an isolated and under developed area until the 1830s when the road from Glin to Abbeyfeale was built. As the village of Athea grew, so did its prominence.
According to Samuel Lewis, Athea was part of the civil parish of Rathronan, which also contains some of the parish of Ardagh on the eastern side of the division. During the penal times, the Catholic parish took the name of Athea and dropped the medieval name Rathronan.
Rathronan gets its name from Ráth Ronáin,
which means "the Rath of Ronan". Athea was sometimes referred to
as Templeathea. Athea is translated into Irish as Áth an tSléibhe
which means "the fort of the High Moorland".
The present church was built in 1832 and is dedicated to St Bartholomew. According to a plaque on the left-hand side of the church, it was erected in 1832, reorganised, enlarged and dedicated to God in 1862. A plaque on the right hand side of the church states that it was restored in 1986-1987 by Thomas O'Donnell, PP. Patrick Kelly PP rededicated it on 18th of October 1987. There is a Calvary scene to the right in front of the church, while there is a grotto to Mary to the left.
In July 1999, President McAleese planted a cedar tree in the church grounds in memory of Fr Sean O'Hanlon, who introduced the organisation GROW to the country while he was a curate in the parish from 1971 until 1977. GROW helps people who suffer from depression.
There is a stained glass window in the left transept of the church to the Blessed Virgin. In the right transept of the church, there is a stained glass window to St Patrick. There is a statue to Mary on the left of the altar and on the right is a statue of the Sacred Heart. There is a shrine to the Legion of Mary in the right porch of the church.
There is a stained glass window on the left of the nave of the church, which depicts St Bartholomew and St Ita. This window was donated in memory of Thomas and Catherine McCoy by their daughter Kitty. The stained glass window on the right of the nave depicts a church and a cross, and bears the words 'Faith of Our Fathers'. Beneath the window is a plaque, which reads "Pray for Dr Philip McGrath, his wife Mary and brother Jimmie."
Buried within the church is:
John Ryan
PP Athea
Died 1870
Aged 81
Buried in the grounds of the church are:
Thomas O'Donnell
PP 1983 - 1987
Died 6th May 1987
Thomas Canon Cussen
PP 1965 - 1982
Died 19th December 1982
T. Connolly
PP 1935 - 1949
Died 7th March 1949
C. Moriarty
PP 1949 - 1965
Died January 12th 1965
Maurice R. Woulfe
PP Old Fallings, Wolverhampton 1924-1962
Late of Cratloe, Athea
Died November 24th 1962
W. O'Shea
PP for six years
Died 12th January 1924
W. Fenton
PP for six years
Died 5th August 1930
Sean O'Hanlon M.S.C., C.C.
Athea 1971-1978
Died February 8th 1978
There was also a thatched church in Athea village from 1750 until 1832 when the present church was opened for worship. A plaque was erected at the lane way to the site to signify the area. There is a record from the returns of a W. Blood, who was a Hearth-money collector for 1784 in Rathronan, that there was a Mass House in Athea. It is quite possible that he was referring to the thatched church.
According to Westropp, there was a chapel in Rathronan in 1291 called the Chapel of Maurice, which was part of a dispute between the dioceses of Lismore and Cashel in 1260. The modern Church of Ireland church was built on the site in 1827.
There was also a church at Mount Temple in 1645, the present
day townland of Templeathea. The church may have been called "de Monte
Maledictionis" and was locally called the "church of the mountain".
A graveyard adjoins the church ruin. Locals often refer to it as Templeathea
church ruin.
There are three graveyards in the parish of Athea. The new graveyard in Athea
is located near the Con Colbert Memorial Hall.
The oldest graveyard in the parish is beside the old church in Templeathea. This graveyard is still in use and the oldest headstone that we came across is in memory of Timothy McCoy who died on December 9th, 1796 at the age of 65. There are three tombs in the graveyard; two belong to the Woulfe family while the other belongs to the Danaher family. The graveyard is well maintained.
There is a famine graveyard about a mile outside Athea on
the road to Listowel. The location of the graveyard can be identified by a
clump of furze bushes, which can be seen from the roadside. On Easter Sunday
2000, Fr. O'Leary and Canon Kelly held a mass at the graveyard at 6 o'clock
in the morning. Despite this early hour, around 300 people attended the mass.
The mass finished just as the sun was rising over the horizon.
Holy Wells
Danaher mentions two wells in the parish of Rathronan, now in Athea parish.
Tobar Mhíchíl is located in the townland of Gortnagross.
No devotions are made at the well and presently the well is used to supply
Athea with water.
The second well is in Templeathea West, close to the old cemetery, and is called Tobermurry. It is nicely maintained. Rounds are still made here on the 25th of March, 1st of May, 24th of June, 15th and 24th of August. In the past there was a pattern to St. Bartholemew on the 24th of August at this well but this tradition ended in the 1880s. The water is said to cure ailments of all kinds and rags are left as an offering.
Legends about the well are varied and interesting. The well moved when cursed, you would see a trout in the well when your wish was to be granted, and the water in the well would not boil. It is also claimed that the well sprang up on the spot where a woman died during the famine. A blind horse was brought to do the rounds of the well by his owner. The horse was cured and ironically the owner became blind. However, the most interesting legend concerns an unknown treasure that is buried near the well. A phantom bull guards the treasure. A plaque was erected by the women of the parish to three stalwarts of the well, Fr. P. Sampson C.S.S.P, Canon Cregan P.P. and Fr. J. O'Shea C.C. on the 15th of August 1914.
Danaher also mentions a well to St Bartholemew. This well was also in Templeathea West and its location was close to the site of the pre-1830 Mass House in Athea village.
There was a Mass Rock in the parish that was used as a place
of worship in the time of the Penal laws. A large cross was erected on the
feast of Corpus Christi in 1914 and it now marks the site. The cross is on
the lands of Tim Costello and overlooks the village of Athea.
Famous People
In the past Athea has produced athletes of renown. In particular two brothers
were of world class standard in the early years of the century. Dan Aherne
set a record for the Hop, Step and Jump (now called the Triple Jump) that
remained unbeaten for a number of years. His brother Tim was a sprinter and
hurdler but it was in the Hop, Step and Jump that he achieved his greatest
sporting moment by winning an Olympic Gold Medal in London in 1908.
Before the advent of the educational system that we know of today, hedge schools were the only way that people could get an education. Micheál Óg O'Longáin, whose father was a native of the area returned from his birthplace in Co. Cork to open a hedge school in Athea around the turn of the nineteenth century. The fee for each pupil was sixpence a quarter but Micheál Óg found it hard to receive payment and so in anger wrote a quatrain in Irish about his pupils. This is the English translation of the poem:
Miserable my business and poor and impoverished my calling
Teaching the young, and not well do they pay me
I promise ye, every immature youthful boor in the country
That 'twill be long before my likes comes among them again
The Con Colbert Memorial Hall in Athea is named after one of the leaders who
were executed after the Easter Rising of 1916. Colbert was born at Monalena
in Castlemahon but was brought up in Galeview House. Con was a member of the
I.R.B. (the Irish Republican Brotherhood) and captain of F Company, Fourth
Dublin Battalion. During the Rising, he commanded a garrison under the leadership
of Eamonn Cennant at Watkin's Brewery, Ardee Street and Jameson's Distillery.
For his role in the Rising, he was executed on May 8th 1916. President Erskine
Childers opened the Con Colbert Memorial Hall on January 20th, 1974.
On the fringes of the village, there is a large cross that was erected to
the memory of Thomas F. Goold. He was the only son of Archdeacon Goold and
his wife Caroline. He died in May 1861 at the age of 24. Thomas' grandfather
(who was also called Thomas) came to the area from Cork City. In 1817 he bought
the Athea estate from Lord Courtenay for £15,000. Thomas Goold died
at his daughter's home in Lissedell, Co. Sligo in 1846. His daughter Caroline
was married to Sir Ralph Gore Booth. They were the grandparents of Countess
Markievicz, who was the Minister for Labour in the first Dáil in 1919.
The "sorrowing and grateful tenantry" of the area erected the cross
in 1863. The cross was restored in 1979 by the descendants of the Goold family
and the local Youth Club.
| English Name | Irish Name | Meaning |
| Athea Lower | Áth an tSléibhe | The fort of the mountain |
| Athea Upper | as above | |
| Clash North | An Chlais | The trench |
| Clash South | as above | |
| Cool East | An Chúil | The corner |
| Coole West | as above | |
| Crataloe East | An Chreatalach | A sallow wood |
| Cratloe West | as above | |
| Derreen Lower | An Doirín | The small thicket |
| Derreen Upper | as above | |
| Dromada | Drom Fhada | Long ridge |
| Glashapullagh | Glaise an Phollaigh | The stream of the place of holes |
| Glenagower | Gleann an Ghabhair | The glen of the Goat |
| Gortnagross | Gort na gCros | The field of the crosses |
| Keale North | An Caol | The narrow feature |
| Keale South | as above | |
| Knockdown | Cnoc Donn | Brown hill |
| Knockfinisk | Cnoc Finnisce | Hill of bright water |
| Knocknagornagh | Cnoc na gCoirneach | The hill of the clerics |
| Park | An Pháirc | The field |
| Rooskagh | Rúscach | Marshy place |
| Templeathea East | Teampaill an tSléibhe | The church of the mountain |
| Templeathea West | as above | |
| Tooradoo | Na Tuara Dubha | The black animal enclosures |
| Tooreendonnell | Tuairín Dónaill | The small animal enclosure of Dónall |
| Year | Parish Priest | Curate(s) |
| 1704 - ? | Cornelius O’Brien | |
| ? - 1763 | Maurice Dinneen | |
| 1763 - 1794 | Matthew Corbett | |
| 1794 - 1799 | Timothy Hallinan | |
| 1799 - 1804 | Patrick Ahern | |
| 1804 - 1812 | Edmond Hallinan | |
| 1812 - 1818 | Edmund O’Halloran | |
| 1818 - 1824 | James Cleary | |
| 1824 - 1836 | John Ryan | |
| 1837 | John Ryan | John Hogan |
| 1838 | John Ryan | Luke Hanrahan |
| 1839 | John Ryan | |
| 1840 | John Ryan | Patrick Scanlan |
| 1841 | John Ryan | |
| 1842 | John Ryan | |
| 1843 | John Ryan | Thomas Lynch |
| 1844 | John Ryan | Thomas Lynch |
| 1845 | John Ryan | Thomas Lynch |
| 1846 | John Ryan | Thomas Lynch |
| 1847 | John Ryan | Thomas Lynch |
| 1848 | John Ryan | James Walsh |
| 1849 | John Ryan | James Walsh |
| 1850 | John Ryan | James McCarthy |
| 1851 | John Ryan | James Lee |
| 1852 | John Ryan | Michael Ryan |
| 1853 | John Ryan | Michael Ryan |
| 1854 | John Ryan | Martin Ryan |
| 1855 | John Ryan | Martin Ryan |
| 1856 | John Ryan | Martin Ryan |
| 1857 | John Ryan | Martin Ryan |
| 1858 | John Ryan | Martin Ryan |
| 1859 | John Ryan | Martin Ryan |
| 1860 | John Ryan | Martin Ryan |
| 1861 | John Ryan | Martin Ryan |
| 1862 | John Ryan | Martin Ryan (Adm.) |
| 1863 | John Ryan | Martin Ryan (Adm.) |
| 1864 | John Ryan | Martin Ryan (Adm.) |
| 1865 | John Ryan | Martin Ryan (Adm.) |
| 1866 | John Ryan | Martin Ryan (Adm.) |
| 1867 | John Ryan | Martin Ryan (Adm.) |
| 1868 | John Ryan | Martin Ryan (Adm.) |
| 1869 | John Ryan | Martin Ryan (Adm.) |
| J. Greene D.D. | ||
| 1870 | John Ryan | Martin Ryan (Adm.) |
| J. Greene D.D. | ||
| 1871 | Martin Ryan | J. Greene D.D. |
| 1872 | Martin Ryan | J. Greene D.D. |
| 1873 | Martin Ryan | J. Greene D.D. |
| 1874 | Martin Ryan | J. Greene D.D. |
| 1875 | Martin Ryan | Stephen Danaher |
| 1876 | Martin Ryan | Stephen Danaher |
| 1877 | Martin Ryan | Stephen Danaher |
| 1878 | Martin Ryan | Patrick Condon |
| 1879 | Martin Ryan | Patrick Condon |
| 1880 | Martin Ryan | Patrick Condon |
| William Downes (Adm.) | ||
| 1881 | Martin Ryan | Patrick Condon |
| William Downes (Adm.) | ||
| 1882 | Martin Ryan | Patrick Condon |
| William Downes (Adm.) | ||
| 1883 | Martin Ryan | Patrick Condon |
| William Downes (Adm.) | ||
| 1884 | Martin Ryan | Patrick Condon |
| William Downes (Adm.) | ||
| 1885 | Martin Ryan | Patrick Condon |
| William Downes (Adm.) | ||
| 1886 | Martin Ryan | Patrick Condon |
| William Downes (Adm.) | ||
| 1887 | Martin Ryan | William Downes (Adm.) |
| Timothy Curtin | ||
| 1888 | Martin Ryan | J. Glesson |
| John Breen | ||
| 1889 | William Downes | John Breen |
| 1890 | William Downes | John Breen |
| 1891 | William Downes | John Breen |
| 1892 | William Downes | John Breen |
| 1893 | William Downes | John Breen |
| 1894 | William Downes | John Breen |
| 1895 | George Quain | John Breen |
| 1896 | George Quain | John Breen |
| 1897 | George Quain | John Breen |
| 1898 | George Quain | Robert Ambrose |
| 1899 | George Quain | David Hanly |
| 1900 | George Quain | David Hanly |
| 1901 | George Quain | David Hanly |
| 1902 | George Quain | David Hanly |
| 1903 | George Quain | David Hanly |
| 1904 | George Quain | David Hanly |
| 1905 | George Quain | David Hanly |
| 1906 | George Quain | Patrick Riordan |
| 1907 | George Quain | Patrick Riordan |
| 1908 | James Cregan | Patrick Riordan |
| 1909 | James Cregan | James Carroll |
| 1910 | James Cregan | James Carroll |
| 1911 | James Cregan | James Carroll |
| 1912 | James Cregan | James Carroll |
| 1913 | Canon James Cregan | Jeremiah O’Shea |
| 1914 | Canon James Cregan | Jeremiah O’Shea |
| 1915 | Canon James Cregan | Jeremiah O’Shea |
| 1916 | Canon James Cregan | Jeremiah O’Shea |
| 1917 | Canon James Cregan | Jeremiah O’Shea |
| 1918 | Canon James Cregan | David O’Riordan |
| 1919 | William O’Shea | David O’Riordan |
| 1920 | William O’Shea | David O’Riordan |
| 1921 | William O’Shea | David O’Riordan |
| 1922 | William O’Shea | David O’Riordan |
| 1923 | William O’Shea | David O’Riordan |
| 1924 | William O’Shea | David O’Riordan |
| 1925 | William Fenton | P. O’Callaghan |
| 1926 | William Fenton | P. O’Callaghan |
| 1927 | William Fenton | Patrick Finn |
| 1928 | William Fenton | Patrick Finn |
| 1929 | William Fenton | Daniel Costello |
| 1930 | William Fenton | Daniel Costello |
| 1931 | John Rea | Daniel Costello |
| 1932 | John Rea | John McCarthy |
| 1933 | John Rea | John McCarthy |
| 1934 | John Rea | John McCarthy |
| 1935 | John Rea | John McCarthy |
| 1936 | Thomas Connolly | John McCarthy |
| 1937 | Thomas Connolly | John Chawke |
| 1938 | Thomas Connolly | John Chawke |
| 1939 | Thomas Connolly | Joseph Moran |
| 1940 | Thomas Connolly | John Connors |
| 1941 | Thomas Connolly | John Connors |
| 1942 | Thomas Connolly | John Connors |
| 1943 | Thomas Connolly | John Connors |
| 1944 | Thomas Connolly | William O’Connell |
| 1945 | Thomas Connolly | Joseph O’Beirne |
| 1946 | Thomas Connolly | Joseph O’Beirne |
| 1947 | Thomas Connolly | Joseph O’Beirne |
| 1948 | Thomas Connolly | John Browne |
| 1949 | Thomas Connolly | John Browne |
| 1950 | Charles Moriarty | Michael O’Connor |
| 1951 | Charles Moriarty | Michael O’Connor |
| 1952 | Charles Moriarty | Michael O’Connor |
| 1953 | Charles Moriarty | Michael O’Connor |
| 1954 | Charles Moriarty | Michael O’Connor |
| 1955 | Charles Moriarty | Michael O’Connor |
| 1956 | Charles Moriarty | Michael O’Connor |
| 1957 | Charles Moriarty | Michael Doody |
| 1958 | Charles Moriarty | Michael Doody |
| 1959 | Charles Moriarty | Michael Doody |
| 1960 | Charles Moriarty | Michael Doody |
| 1961 | Charles Moriarty | Michael Doody |
| 1962 | Charles Moriarty | Martin Madigan |
| 1963 | Charles Moriarty | Martin Madigan |
| 1964 | Charles Moriarty | Martin Madigan |
| 1965 | Martin Madigan | |
| 1966 | Thomas Cussen | Martin Madigan |
| 1967 | Thomas Cussen | Martin Madigan |
| 1968 | Thomas Cussen | Martin Madigan |
| 1969 | Thomas Cussen | Dermot McCarthy |
| 1970 | Thomas Cussen | Dermot McCarthy |
| 1971 | Thomas Cussen | Dermot McCarthy |
| 1972 | Thomas Cussen | Seán O’Hanlon |
| 1973 | Thomas Cussen | Seán O’Hanlon |
| 1974 | Thomas Cussen | Seán O’Hanlon |
| 1975 | Thomas Cussen | Seán O’Hanlon |
| 1976 | Thomas Cussen | Seán O'Hanlon |
| 1977 | Thomas Cussen | Seán O’Hanlon |
| 1978 | Thomas Cussen | Seán O’Hanlon |
| 1979 | Thomas Cussen | Michael Irwin |
| 1980 | Thomas Cussen | James Costello |
| 1981 | Canon Thomas Cussen | James Costello |
| 1982 | Canon Thomas Cussen | James Costello |
| 1983 | Canon Thomas Cussen | James Costello |
| 1984 | Thomas O’Donnell | James Costello |
| 1985 | Thomas O’Donnell | James Costello |
| 1986 | Thomas O’Donnell | Andrew Keating |
| 1987 | Thomas O’Donnell | Michael Cussen |
| 1988 | Patrick Kelly | Michael Cussen |
| 1989 | Patrick Kelly | Michael Cussen |
| 1990 | Patrick Kelly | Michael Cussen |
| 1991 | Patrick Kelly | Michael Cussen |
| 1992 | Patrick Kelly | Michael Cussen |
| 1993 | Canon Patrick Kelly | Michael Cussen |
| 1994 | Canon Patrick Kelly | Michael Cussen |
| 1995 | Canon Patrick Kelly | Michael Cussen |
| 1996 | Canon Patrick Kelly | Timothy O’Leary |
| 1997 | Canon Patrick Kelly | Timothy O’Leary |
| 1998 | Canon Patrick Kelly | Timothy O’Leary |
| 1999 | Canon Patrick Kelly | Timothy O’Leary |
| 2000 | Canon Patrick Kelly | Timothy O'Leary |
| 2001 | Laurence Madden | Patrick Kelly, P.E. |
| 2002 | Laurence Madden | Patrick Kelly, P.E. |
| 2003 | Laurence Madden | Patrick Kelly, P.E. |
| 2004 | Laurence Madden | Patrick Canon Kelly, P.E. |
| 2005 | Laurence Madden | Patrick Canon Kelly, P.E. |
| 2006 | Laurence Madden | Patrick Canon Kelly, P.E. |
| 2007 | Laurence Madden | Patrick Canon Kelly, P.E. |
The list of Priests from 1704 to 1836 is compiled from information gained
in Begley's History of the Diocese of Limerick Vol. III page 598. The remaining
years are compiled from the Catholic Directories. Information contained in
a directory of any given year refers to what happened the previous year. For example
if a priest is recorded in the 1954 directory as being in a particular parish,
this would mean that he was actually there in 1953.
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