Library Forum

Hi Sheila, you have answered this question for me sometime in the past, but as we cannot currently search for past topics, I am hoping you will respond again. In your transcriptions of the parish records, the term Fineborensi occurs occasionally - is it a general term meaning not of the parish, or does it refer to the name of an exact parish?

kind regards, Kerry

Hi Kerry

“Fenaborensi” means “from the Diocese of Fenabore (Kilfenora)”. The diocese of Fenabore is referred to in The Annals of Kilfenora or Ye Citie of the Crosses by Charles Ffrench Blake-Forster (see the History page on the clarelibrary site): http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... /index.htm

The ancient diocese of Fenabore was annexed to the archdiocese of Tuam in 1660 (https://www.bartleby.com/210/6/112.html), but Fenabore continued to be used by the Kilnaboy-Rath priest* as the Latin for Kilfenora.

*Father Murphy opened the Rath-Kilnaboy marriage register on 27th January 1818. For more on this “indomitable pastor” see this posting by Murf: http://www.ourlibrary.ca/phpbb2/viewtop ... f=1&t=6988

Sheila

Thank you Sheila - Fr Murphy certainly appears in many of my extended family records. The newspaper item about him is very interesting.

regards, Kerry

Hi Kerry

As you are interested in the Diocese of Finebora, I want to draw your attention to the article by Luke McInerney, which he donated to clarelibrary last month (August 2019): 'A List of the Freeholders of Kilfenora Diocese in 1601' :http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclar ... olders.pdf
In that article you will see a reference to “Cathair Findabrach” and to “Cill Findabrac” (the ‘d’ would have been silent). This “Findabrac” is the root of the word “Finebora” (the Latinised form of the name, I imagine).
I think it is a very interesting article. It’s a bit difficult in places for the general reader, but there’s a lot that's very clear and I found it very helpful in understanding how the anglicization of County Clare began to make progress.

Sheila

Thank you Sheila - it is indeed a very interesting and useful article. Kind regards, Kerry