Place:Finuge, County Kerry, Republic of Ireland

source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Finuge is a village near Listowel in County Kerry, Ireland. Finuge is a traditional Irish crossroads village with a shop, a pub, Teach Siamsa and a G.A.A. pitch. Sheehan's Thatched House located at Finuge Cross is regarded as one of the oldest surviving authentic thatched houses in Ireland. Conservation experts estimate it at least 300 years old.

The village's name is derived from Préachán, meaning crow.

History

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Around 1660, Finuge was planted by the Desmond Geraldines during the Cromwellian Plantation. At that time, Finuge village was situated near the bank of the River Feale. The land here was of excellent quality, so much so that the families were evicted and pushed south-east and re-located beside the "new road" that links Listowel and Lixnaw today.

About the time of the "Fenian Rising", Lord Listowel decided that he wanted this land and his agent Major Homes planned to shift the whole village and evict the locals further south-east to the northwest of the townland of Irremore. The house plots were marked out and the eviction about to take place, when the Agent Holmes died unexpectedly and the village as we know it today was saved.

There were three churches in Finuge at one time. In 1825 a new church was built at Irremore, it was renovated in 1961 and serves the people to the present day.

The big house in the district was "Ennismore House", it became the property of the Desmond Geraldines as a result of the Cromwellian Plantation. In later times George Hewson inherited it from the last of the Fitzgeralds.

"Finuge House", the ruins of which can be seen beside Finuge Bridge was owned by another Hewson family, not related to George. This family were always associated with "Harvest Home", an annual celebration at the end the harvest. The last record of such a gathering was 25 October 1877, when sixty men and women sat down to dinner.

Ringforts were features of the parish, with excellent examples on the farms of Quinlans and McElligotts of Coolnaleen, Galvin's and Whelan's of Finuge, but sad to relate these no longer exist.

Finuge is not just the name of a townland, it is also the name of a civil parish that stretched from the townlands of Dysert to Ballinruddery. The townlands in the civil parish of Finuge including Bealkilla, Kilcrean, Knockamoohane, Ballinruddery, Garryantanavalla, Ballygrennan, Moyassa, Knockanassig and Grogeen. There are no remains of a church in Finuge today, but there is a large burial ground.

Research Tips

The Purcell family have resided in Knockamoohane for at least 6 generations. John A. Purcell, son of James Purcell and Catherine O'Keeffe, owned a farm there. Still in the family. Charles Purcell, son of James above owned a farm in Ballinruddery, also still in the family. James Purcell above was a son of James Purcell and Maria Bourke. Catherine O'Keeffe above was thought to have been from Moyassa. Earliest known Purcell was Charles Purcell, died in 1813--age 90. He was also from Finuge, perhaps Grogeen or Knockamoohane. The area is now known as Woodford.