Cappagh is a small parish

Parish

A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...

 in West Limerick

Limerick

Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...

, Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. It is surrounded by the parishes of Askeaton

Askeaton

Askeaton is a town in County Limerick, Ireland. Located on the N69, the town is built on the banks of the River Deel some 3 km upstream from the estuary of the River Shannon. There is also a secondary school in Askeaton...

 (to the north), Rathkeale

Rathkeale

Rathkeale is a town in west County Limerick, Ireland. It is located 30 km southwest of Limerick city on the N21 road to Tralee, and lies on the River Deel. Rathkeale has a significant Irish Traveller population....

 (south), Croagh

Croagh

Croagh is a picturesque small village in County Limerick, Ireland. It is located on the road between Rathkeale and Adare which was part of the N21 national primary road before it was bypassed. It is 14 miles from Limerick City. "Croagh" is from the Irish word "cruach," which is a hill or mountain....

 (East) and Coolcappa (West). The patron saint

Patron saint

A patron saint is a saint who is regarded as the intercessor and advocate in heaven of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or person...

 of the parish is St. James. The parish was previously known as Connellow and Nantenan.

The parish has no public house

Public house

A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...

, no post office

Post office

A post office is a facility forming part of a postal system for the posting, receipt, sorting, handling, transmission or delivery of mail.Post offices offer mail-related services such as post office boxes, postage and packaging supplies...

 or no shop

General store

A general store, general merchandise store, or village shop is a rural or small town store that carries a general line of merchandise. It carries a broad selection of merchandise, sometimes in a small space, where people from the town and surrounding rural areas come to purchase all their general...

, one of the few parishes in Limerick to be without any of these amenities.

Parish organisations

• The Gaelic Football
  Gaelic football
  Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
  
   club- the current chairman is Seán Donnelly(Note: the parish hurlers
  Hurling
  Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
  
   play with neighbouring hurling
  Hurling
  Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
  
   clubs Croagh
  Croagh
  Croagh is a picturesque small village in County Limerick, Ireland. It is located on the road between Rathkeale and Adare which was part of the N21 national primary road before it was bypassed. It is 14 miles from Limerick City. "Croagh" is from the Irish word "cruach," which is a hill or mountain....
  
  /Kilfinny and vice versa). It was formed in 1994.
• The Cappagh Gun Club
• The Handball
  Team handball
  Handball is a team sport in which two teams of seven players each pass a ball to throw it into the goal of the other team...
  
   club (the current chairman is Tony Hayes)
• The Irish Countrywomens Association (ICA).
• The Pioneer Total Abstinence Association
  Pioneer Total Abstinence Association
  The Pioneer Total Abstinence Association of the Sacred Heart is an Irish organisation for Roman Catholic teetotallers. Its members are commonly called Pioneers. While the PTAA does not advocate prohibition, it does require complete abstinence from alcoholic drink from its members...
  
   (PTAA).

There is also a Local Community Council in operation in the parish, where members are elected from different areas of the parish.

Parish buildings and lands

There are numerous public and historic buildings in the Parish:

• Three churches:
  • St. James's Church which is used today by the Catholic Church. The current parish priest is Fr. Michael Wall.
  • Nantenan Church and Cemetery. The church is not open to the public anymore and was used by both the Catholic and Anglican Churches at different stages in time. The cemetery is also mixed and is still open to the public. Adjacent to the church grounds is St. James's well.
  • The Embury Heck Church. This church is for members of the Methodist community in the parish. The Methodist community (Palatines) originated from Palatine
    Palatine
    A palatine or palatinus is a high-level official attached to imperial or royal courts in Europe since Roman times...
    
     in Germany
    Germany
    Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
    
    , and were granted refuge in Ireland by the English Crown in the 18th century, due to oppression in their homeland. They were expert farmers and are still farmers in Cappagh today.
• Cappagh Castle, which was built by the Normans
  Normans
  The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
  
  . In the mid 20th century the castle was used for as a playing venue by the local handball club. The castle is now on the land of the Barry farming family and is open to the public from March to October inclusive, arrangements can be made by contacting P.J. or Conor Barry at +353 69 64157.
• The local primary school, St. James's National School, has been in existence for over a century and is run by the Catholic Church. It has recently been extended to due to growing population size. The current principal is Cyril Madigan.
• The Parish Community Hall is owned by the Parishioners.
• There is a handball alley, which is situated beside the hall.
• The local GAA field was purchased in 1997 and is fully playable, but has not yet been officially opened.