Feakle

"Paroiste na fiacaile" means parish of the tooth. A legend says that the tooth of Mochonna, the patron saint, fell out in this place, where he built his church.

Other theories are that the place is named after a church that was roofed with "fiathgail", a rough local grass, or that the name comes from "Fia-Choill", the wood of the deer.{{cite web|url=http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/feakle_village.htm|publisher=Clare County Library|title=Feakle Historical Background|access-date=2014-03-31|archive-date=3 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130103020148/http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare///places/feakle_village.htm|url-status=live}}

The village is in the Tulla Upper barony, {{convert|4.5|mi}} northwest of Scarriff on the road to Gort.

In 1837 it contained 8,844 inhabitants and covered about {{convert|30000|acre}}.{{cite book|url=http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/feacle1837.htm|title=County Clare: A History and Topography|year=1837|author=Samuel Lewis|chapter=Feacle|access-date=2014-03-31|archive-date=15 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140315084116/http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/feacle1837.htm|url-status=live}}

An 1845 description said "the surface consists of the loftiest, wildest, and most northerly of the western uplands of the county; and includes the southern declivities of the Slieve-Baghta mountains, and those offshoot ranges and masses which embosom Lough Graney, and stretch toward Lough O’Grady. The highest ground is on the west, and has an altitude of 1,312 feet."{{cite book|url=http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/feacle1845.htm|access-date=2014-03-31|title=Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland|year=1845|chapter=Feakle|archive-date=15 March 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140315084713/http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/feacle1845.htm|url-status=live}}

The parish of Feakle is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. Parish churches are St Joseph's in Kilclaren and St Mary's in Feakle.{{cite web|url=http://www.killaloediocese.ie/parish/feakle/church.html|title=Feakle|access-date=2014-03-31|publisher=Diocese of Killaloe|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524095639/http://www.killaloediocese.ie/parish/feakle/church.html|archive-date=2015-05-24|url-status=dead}}

The village population in 2006 was 122,{{Cite web |url=http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/census2006_Table_7_and_12.pdf |title=Census 2006 for Feakle, p. 140 |access-date=19 October 2010 |archive-date=25 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181225162110/https://www.cso.ie/en/census/ |url-status=live }} and 134 at the 2022 census. It neighbours Lough Derg and the towns of Tulla and Scarriff. Feakle is famous for its traditional music festival.

St. Mochonna is venerated as the patron saint of Feakle. The ancient ruins of his church were destroyed in the early 19th century.{{Cite web|title=Clare Places - Feakle: Historical Background|url=https://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/feakle_village.htm|access-date=2021-03-08|website=www.clarelibrary.ie|archive-date=11 February 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200211153008/http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/feakle_village.htm|url-status=live}}

Under the religious persecution of the Catholic Church in Ireland imposed by the Penal Laws, the Catholics of Feakle would travel in secret to a Mass rock located at a megalithic tomb in the nearby Ballycroum bog.{{cite web|url = https://independent.ie/life/travel/ireland/walk-of-the-week-ballycroum-loop-east-clare-26742113.html | title = Walk of the Week: Ballycroum Loop, East Clare | first = Christopher |last = Somerville | work = Irish Independent | date = 11 June 2011}}

On 12 December 1974 Irish Republican Army and Sinn Féin leaders met at Smith's Hotel, Feakle, with the leaders of the main Irish Protestant Christian denominations (Church of Ireland, Methodist, and Presbyterian) to discuss ways of resolving the Northern Ireland crisis. The Gardaí (Irish police) broke up the meeting. Although any wanted IRA men had already departed, the churchmen did pass on the list of Republican demands to the British government. Methodist leader Eric Gallagher was in attendance and later became the subject of the book Peacemaker by author Dennis Cooke. {{citation needed|date=September 2014}}

• Biddy Early (1798–1874), a herbalist and healer who was accused, under an antiquated law, of witchcraft in 1865. Local folklore says that if you leave a coin at her house you will have good health, but take a coin and you will have bad luck.
• Martin Hayes (b. 1962), fiddler, was born in Feakle.
• Ger Loughnane (b. 1953), former Clare hurler and manager of Galway hurling team.
• Brian Merriman (c.1747–1805), a local bard, fiddler, and hedge schoolmaster, is associated with the area. Although neither born, nor did he die, in Feakle, he chose to be buried here where he had spent most of his life. Feakle is also where he composed the lengthy comic poem Cúirt an Mheán Oíche (The Midnight Court).{{cite book | last = Merriman | first = Brian | title = Cúirt an Mheán Oíche | editor-first = Dáithí |editor-last = Ó hUaithne | publisher = Preas Dolmen | date = 1974 | isbn = 0-85105-002-6}} A monument to Merriman's memory was erected by An Cumman Merriman (the Merriman Society) in the local graveyard.
• Dan Minogue (1893–1983), Australian federal politician
• Johnny Patterson (1840-1889), singer and composer who was born in Kilbarron near Feakle

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

{{Reflist}}

• [http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/feakle_main.htm Clare places - Feakle]
• [http://www.feaklefestival.ie Feakle Festival]

{{County Clare}}

{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe}}

Category:Towns and villages in County Clare

Category:Townlands of County Clare

Category:Civil parishes of County Clare

Category:Parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe