Clonlara

This article is about the village in County Clare. For the American school of that name, see Clonlara School.

"Cloonlara" redirects here. For the racehorse, see Cloonlara (horse).

Clonlara, officially Cloonlara (from Irish Cluain Lára),^[2] is a village in County Clare, Ireland, and a Roman Catholic parish of the same name.

Clonlara Cluain Lára
Village
Roman Catholic church at Clonlara
Clonlara Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°43′N 8°33′W
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	County Clare
Elevation	31 m (102 ft)
Population  (2016)[1]	713
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid Reference	R625638

Village and amenities

Clonlara is in the east of County Clare in the civil parish of Kiltonanlea or Doonass, barony of Tulla Lower.^[3] It lies between the River Shannon to the east and the Clare hills to the west and north.^[4] Clonlara village is on the road between Killaloe and Limerick, 8 km north-east of the centre of Limerick city. In 1841 there were 219 people in 31 houses.^[3] The village lies beside the head-race canal that deliver water to power the Ardnacrusha power plant a few kilometres to the southwest.^[5]

Clonlara has an equestrian centre and a Gaelic Athletic Association club, Clonlara GAA.^[6][7]

Religion

The village is part of Clonlara (Doonas and Truagh) parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe, and the Church of Ireland parish of Kiltenanlea. The parish has two churches:^[8] Mary, the Mother of God (Truagh) and St Senan's (Clonlara), both Roman Catholic. Kiltenanlea's Protestant church (Church of Ireland) is no longer a functioning parish church, but is used for weddings and seasonal carol services.^[9]

In 1956 in Clonlara, a group of people were reputedly prompted by a local Catholic curate to physically assault two Jehovah's Witnesses and to burn the literature which they had been trying to distribute. Several people were charged for involvement in the "Clonlara affair". While Taoiseach John A. Costello reportedly "responded to a protest from Bishop Joseph Rodgers of Killaloe" by writing that he "appreciated 'the just indignation aroused among the clergy and the people by the activities of the Jehovah’s Witnesses'",^[10] he also "insisted that the law had to be upheld".^[11]

Notable people

See also: Category:People from Clonlara

• Marcus Horan, Irish rugby union player^[12]
• Colm Honan and Darach Honan, hurlers
• Jan O'Sullivan, Labour Party Teachta Dála (TD) and former Minister for Education^[13]

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

1. "Sapmap Area: Settlements Clonlara". Census 2016. Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
2. "Cluain Lára/Cloonlara". logainm.ie. Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
3. "Cloonlara". Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland. 1845. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
4. "About Us". Scoil Seanáin Naofa, Clonlara. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
5. "Clonlara, Clare, Ireland". Google Maps. Google Maps. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
6. "Clonlara GAA website". Archived from the original on 30 September 2012.
7. "Clonlara Equestrian Centre website". clonlaraequestrian.com. Archived from the original on 22 July 2012.
8. "Clonlara (Doonas and Truagh)". Diocese of Killaloe. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 30 March 2014.
9. "The List Of Church Of Ireland Parish Registers" (PDF). www.ireland.anglican.org. Archived from the original (PDF) on 15 June 2017. Retrieved 13 January 2022.^{[failed verification]}
10. Dwyer, Ryle. "Church pays the price for its history of sectarianism and blind arrogance". archives.tcm.ie. Archived from the original on 25 February 2011.
11. Whyte, Barry (16 July 2017). ""For him, the end times are not to be feared, but welcomed. "Jehovah's Witnesses are not," he says. "In fact, it excites us.""". The Sunday Business Post. p. 16. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
12. "Horan vows to battle on for club and country". independent.ie. 29 January 2010. Retrieved 12 March 2023.
13. "Profile: Minister for Education Jan O'Sullivan". universitytimes.ie. 11 July 2014. Retrieved 12 March 2023.