Thurles (Roman Catholic parish) explained

Thurles is an ecclesiastical parish in the Thurles deanery of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly in Ireland.^[1]

There are two churches in the parish,^[2] both in the town of Thurles, County Tipperary:

• the Cathedral of the Assumption on the eastern side of the River Suir which passes through the centre of the town;
• Sts. Brigid & Joseph which is located on Bóthar na Naomh at the western edge of the town.

Extent of the parish

Writing in 1837, Lewis said that "the R. C. parish [of Thurles] is co-extensive with that of the Established Church"^[3] which covered the same area as the civil parish of the same name. Today, however, the Roman Catholic parish includes the townlands in the civil parishes of Athnid (Adnith), Shyane and Rahelty.This situation was prefigured in Lewis's time because he wrote that "the living [of Thurles Church of Ireland parish] is ... partly united, by act of council, in 1682, to the vicarages of Rahelty, Shyane, and Adnith".

References

1. http://www.catholicireland.net/mass-times?task=parishbydiocese&DiocID=3 Parishes in Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly
2. http://www.catholicireland.net/mass-times?task=churchbyparish&ParishID=821 Mass Times, Thurles, Cathedral of the Assumption, Sts. Brigid & Joseph
3. Samuel Lewis, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, (1837), page 623