Clonlara


Clonlara, officially Cloonlara, is a village in County Clare, Ireland, and a Roman Catholic parish of the same name.

Village and parish

Clonlara is in the east of County Clare in the civil parish of Kiltonanlea or Doonass, barony of Tulla Lower. It lies between the River Shannon to the east and the Clare hills to the west and north. Clonlara village is on the road between Killaloe and Limerick. In 1841 there were 219 people in 31 houses. The village lies beside the head-race canal that deliver water to power the Ardnacrusha power plant a few kilometres to the southwest.
Clonlara has a GAA club and an equestrian centre.
The village is part of Clonlara parish of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe, and the Church of Ireland parish of Kiltenanlea. The parish has two churches: and St Senan's, both Roman Catholic. Kiltenanlea's Protestant chapel is no longer a functioning parish church.

Natives

Irish rugby union player Marcus Horan and Irish hurlers Colm and Darach Honan are from the village as is Jan O'Sullivan, Labour Party Teachta Dála for Limerick City, and Luke Hogg, member of Young Fine Gael.

Clonlara affair

In 1956 in Clonlara, a group beat up two Jehovah's Witnesses and burnt the literature which the two had been trying to distribute. Taoiseach John A. Costello "responded to a protest from Bishop Joseph Rodgers of Killaloe by writing that he appreciated 'the just indignation aroused among the clergy and the people by the activities of the Jehovah’s Witnesses.'"