Coolkerry (Irish: Cúil Chéire, Ceir's nook) is a civil parish in the barony of Clarmallagh in County Laois.
[5] The Norman patrons allocated the tithes of the parish to St Thomas's Abbey in Dublin, a house of the Canons Regular.
[5] The church was located near a ford where the River Erkina was crossed by an ancient road that ran from western Upper Ossory to Kilkenny.
A system of toghers skirted Rathdowney (a few miles west of Coolkerry) and then turned southwards to cross the Erkina at several places.
[5] There are no visible remains of Coolkerry Castle which was built close to the site of the church, although its ruins are shown on the mid-19th century Ordnance Survey map.