History of Cratloe Parish
The Irish for Cratloe is Creat Shaileóg, or Creath Saileág which means 'the rough land of the sallow trees' or 'the rough place where the sallies grow'. However, the original name is sometimes given as Croit Shliabh, which means a 'humped back mountain' The original parish name was Kilfintinan before it became known as Cratloe. There is no Irish saint listed as Fintinan and so it is believed that the parish name is derived from Cill Fionn tSeanain, which means 'the church of the fair Senan'. Due to the shortage of clergy in the mid-18th century, the priests in Kilfintinan took over part of the neighbouring parish of Killeely. Oak from Cratloe Woods was used to roof the Houses of Parliament at Westminster and the Royal Palace at Amsterdam
In the parish there is a number of castles, namely Cratloe Moyle, Cratloe More, Ballintlea (also known as Castle Quarter), Castle Donnell and Cratloe Keel. The MacNamara family built these castles between the 15th and 17th centuries. Cratloe Moyle has the largest ruin, but the ruins of Cratloekeel, Castle Donnell and Ballintlea castle are still in existence. There was a bleach field near Sixmilebridge where there was flax working and that there is a road between Sixmilebridge and Cratloe with a tollgate.
Local Townland Names
| English Name | Irish Name | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Ballinphunta | Baile an Phúnta | The town of pound |
| Ballintlea North | Baile an t-Sléibhe | The townland on the mountain side |
| Ballintlea South | as above | as above |
| Ballybroughan | Baile Bhuachalláin | The land on the face of the hill |
| Ballyliddan East | Baile Uí Liodáin | The town of Liddanes |
| Ballyliddan West | as above | as above |
| Ballyvoughallan | Baile an Bhuachallain | O'Rohallan's town |
| Ballymorris | Baile Mhuirgheasa | The town of Morris |
| Brickhill East | Cnoc na Brice | The hill of the Badgers |
| Brickhill West | as above | as above |
| Bunnabinna North | Both na Binne | The milk place on the mountain |
| Bunnabinna South | as above | as above |
| Calluragh | Burial Ground | - |
| Carrowmore | An Cheathrú Mhór | The big quarter of land |
| Carrownerribul | - | The tail of the quarter |
| Castlequarter | Ceathrú an Chaisleáin | The quarterland of the castle |
| Cratloe | Creath Shaileóg | The rough place where the sallies grow |
| Cratloe Keel | as above | A narrow strip |
| Cratloe Moyle | as above | The portion on the hill |
| Fortwilliam | - | - |
| Gallowshill | Cnoc na Croice | The hill of the gallows |
| Garrynacurra | Garadha an Chorraig | The garden in the soft swamp |
| Gortnanool | Gort na n-Abhall | The orchard |
| Heathmount | - | - |
| Island | An Oileán | The island |
| Knockroe | An Cnoc Rua | The red hill |
| Laghile | Leamchoill | Elm wood |
| Moyhill | Maethail | The marshy land |
| Portdrine | Port Droighean | The bank of the blackthorns |
Recent News
Mass Times
- Saturday Evenings Cratloe - 7:30pm
- Sundays Cratloe - 11:30am
Sixmilebridge - 10am - Eves of Holydays Sixmilebridge - 7:30pm
- Holydays Cratloe - 11:30am
- Weekdays (Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri) Cratloe - 9:30am
- First Fridays Cratloe - 9:30am Sixmilebridge - 10:30am