Feakle

Feakle (Irish place name|An Fhiacail|The Tooth) is a townland situated in County Clare in Ireland. Its population in 2006 was 122. It neighbours Lough Derg and the towns of Tulla and Scarriff. Feakle is famous for its music festival.

History

On December 12 1974, Irish Republican Army and Sinn Féin leaders met at Smith's Hotel, Feakle, with the leaders of the main Irish Protestant Christian denominations (Anglican, 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 would bcome the subject of the book "Peacemaker" by author Dennis Cooke.

People

*Herbalist Biddy. Famous as a healer and sometimes claimed as a witch, Biddy is well known in the area. 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.
*Brian Merriman is aiated with the area. Although neither born, nor did he die, in Feakle, he chose to be buried here where he had spent many years of his life. Feakle was the location and background of his only major work, a long poem in Irish, entitled "Cúirt an Mheán Oíche" (The Midnight Court). A monument to his memory has been erected by An Cumman Merriman (the Merriman Society) and may be seen in the local graveyard.
*Ger Loughnane, former Clare hurler and manager of Galway hurling team (b.1953).

Fr. Horgan controversy

On 23rd May 2007, the tabloid Irish Sun newspaper printed a front-page story about Feakle Catholic parish priest, Father Michael Horgan. The article reported that an Irish Sun reporter had been informed by one of Horgan's parishioners that the priest was an active mer of the gay website, Gaydar. A team of journalists contacted Horgan on the website and arranged to meet him at the Abbey Court Hotel in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary, where he was confronted about his actions. He reportedly confessed to using the website and arranging meetings with other men. The 3-page article, accompanied by a number of photographs of a scantily-clad Fr. Horgan, was entitled "I'm Fr. Pants Down". While Horgan hadone nothing illegal, the piece accused him of hypocrisy for breaking the vow of celibacy which Catholic priests take upon ordination. The Catholic Church does not allow "practg" homxuals to serve as clergy.

External links

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