Begley tells us that in 1207 the then Bishop, Donat O'Brien gave control of Shanagolden church to M. O'Melinus, Chantor. The port of Foynes is associated with the flying boats that flew out from the Shannon estuary in the late 1930s and early 1940s to cross the Atlantic to Newfoundland. The service was phased out in 1945 when Shannon Airport began to operate as the gateway to America. The present population of the parish is about 2,400 people according to Canon O'Keeffe. In the last Census, the villages of Foynes and Shanagolden had a population of 558 and 412 respectively.
Today there are three churches in use in the parish.
The first church that you meet as you enter the parish is at Robertstown. This church is on the main Limerick-Foynes road and it was built in 1830. Inside the church there is ornate decoration behind the altar. Altar in Robertstown Church Statue of The Blessed Virgin Mary in Robertstown Church Inside the church there is an ornate reredos behind the altar. The High Altar was erected in 1912 by Mary MacNamara O'Brien in memory of her husband Laurence C. O'Brien.