Templeorm district - a historical sketch.
Mary O'Shea. (A Talk given on Monday 7th June 1999).
When using the term the district of Templeorum or Templeorum district, we are referring to the 17 townlands which comprise Templeorum Catholic parish. These are Templeorum, Ballynametagh, Ballypatrick, Brownmountain, Corbally, Jamestown, Mullinbeg, Oldcourt, Raheen, Tinnakilly (part of), Ballygown, Tobernabrone (part of), Dowling, Ashtown, Harristown, Kilmogue, Miltown and Garrygaug. All of these 17 townlands, except three, are in the civil parish of Fiddown. Harristown, Miltown and Garrygaug are in the civil parish of Muckalee along with Listrolin and Moonaveenaun, the latter two being part of the present Catholic parish of Mullinavat. Civil parishes are ecclesiastical administrative boundaries drawn up in the 12th century as part of general church reform.
The civil parish of Fiddown also includes townlands in Owning and Piltown Catholic parishes. In Owning the following townlands belong to Fiddown civil parish - Glenbower, a sub-division of Garryduff, and Kilmanahin. The following townlands from Piltown belong to Fiddown civil parish - Ardclone, Ballyglassoon, Banagher, Belline and Rogerstown, Brenar, Corloughlan, Fiddown, Gorthrush, Kildalton, Sandpits, Turkstown, parts of Tobernabrone and Tinnakilly.
The present day Roman Catholic parishes date largely from the 19th century and were drawn up on a pragmatic basis according to supply of clergy to population etc. The parish of Templeorum was joined with part of Mooncoin Catholic parish for a period in the Middle Ages until about 1690. The Vicar of Fiddown and perhaps a wandering friar tended to the spiritual needs of parishioners. Priests were not that plentiful, there was a lack of Irish seminaries, St. Kierans did not open until 1782 and Maynooth did not open until 1795. The Catholic population was composed mainly of poor peasants, so money was scarce.
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