Clara, County Kilkenny facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Clara
Clárach
|
|
|---|---|
|
Townland / Parish
|
|
|
|
 Clara
Location in Ireland
|
|
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Kilkenny |
| Time zone | UTC+0 |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-1 |
Clara (which means plain or district in Irish) is a small area in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is known as both a townland and a parish. A townland is a very old way of dividing up land in Ireland. A parish is a local area, often linked to a church. Clara has both a Catholic parish and a civil parish.
Contents
What is Clara?
Clara is a place with about 1,000 people living there. It is located about 7 kilometers (about 4 miles) east of Kilkenny city.
Clara as a Civil Parish
A civil parish is a traditional way to divide land for official records. Clara civil parish includes several smaller areas called townlands. These include Ballynamona, Baunmore, Churchclara, Clara Upper, Clarabricken, and others.
Clara as a Catholic Parish
The Catholic parish of Clara is part of the Diocese of Ossory. It was formed around 1852 from an older parish called Gowran. This church parish covers the civil parishes of Clara, Blackrath (upper and lower), St. Martin's, and Tiscoffin.
Important Places and People
The main church in Clara is called Saint Colman's church. Saint Colman is thought to be the special saint of Clara. Interestingly, this church is actually in Rathgarvan townland, not Churchclara. The remains of the old Clara church are found in Churchclara.
Saint Colman is a very common name for saints in Ireland. Many old books list hundreds of saints with this name. Sometimes, there can be a little confusion between saints named Colman and those named Columbanus.
Clara is also home to Clara Castle. This is a five-story tower house. It was built in the 1400s by the Shortall family. It is a cool example of old Irish buildings.
Sports in Clara
Clara is well-known for its sports, especially GAA games. The local club is called Clara GAA. This club has helped many talented hurlers become famous. Hurling is a fast-paced Irish sport played with sticks and a ball.
Some famous hurlers from Clara include Jim Langton, Paddy Prendergast, Lester Ryan, and Harry Ryan. A big moment for the team was in 1986. That year, they won their first Senior Hurling Championship. They won it again in 2013.
Images for kids
-
Old Church Clara ruins
