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"GARFINAGH, or GARFINEY, a parish, in the barony of CORKAGUINEY, county of KERRY, and province of MUNSTER; 2 miles (N. E.) from Dingle, on the road to Tralee; containing 938 inhabitants. It comprises 4652½ statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, a large portion of which consists of mountain pasture; the arable portion is well manured with sea-weed and sand, brought the strand at Bunbawn, and the state of agricultural is gradually improving. At Flemingstown is a small boulting-mill. Balintagart, the newly erected mansion of S. Murray Hickson, Esq., is finely situated on an eminence commanding an extensive view of Dingle bay and the surrounding mountains. The living is a vicarage, in the diocese of Ardfert and Aghadoe, and in the patronage of the Bishop: the rectory is impropriate in Lord Ventry. The tithes, amounting to £138.9.2½., are payable in the proportion of two-thirds to the impropriator and one-third to the vicar: the glebe belongs to Lord Ventry. In the R.C. divisions the parish is included in the district of Dingle. At Balintagart is an ancient burial-ground, now used for children only: it is surrounded by a circular fosse or ditch, and contains several gravestones with Ogham inscriptions. On clearing some ground in the vicinity, several small circular cells were discovered, constructed of stone work and communicating with each other: they are supposed to have formed an ancient reservoir, to which there was a descent of several steps. Near the ruins of the church is a very narrow bridge over the small river Garfinagh, on the old road from Dingle to Tralee; from its high arched form it has been termed the Rainbow bridge, and is evidently of great antiquity. "
[From A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland by Samuel Lewis (1837)]
Note: The Civil Parish of Garfinny ceased to be used for census purposes in the mid nineteenth century when District Electoral Divisions (DEDs) were introduced.
The Civil Parish of Garfinny was originally in the DED of Dingle, but this DED was split by the time of the 1911 census, and garfinny formed part of Glin DED.
The old church of Garfinny stood in the parish burial ground in the townland of Garfinny. Following the reformation this church was abandoned, and there are now no remains of it.
For Church of Ireland purposes Garfinny was united with Kinard and Kildrum in 1765, but seperated again in 1776. The vicarage was finally suspended in 1826, and the parish merged with Dingle.
In the Roman Catholic church, Garfinny was united with Dingle, Ventry,
Kinard, Kildrum and Minard to form the parish
of Dingle . This part
of the parish is served by churches at Dingle or Lispole.
There are no Church of Ireland registers.
The Roman Catholic Registers for Dingle cover baptisms from 1825, and
marriages from 1821.
The registers remain in the custody of the parish priest,
although microfilm copies are at the National Archives of
Ireland. Written permission from the Bishop of Kerry is required
to view these records.
From 1863 Garfinny was in the Dingle Superintendant Registrar's District, and the Dingle Registrar's District. See the Registration Districts page.