Hi,
I was in Effin last June (2009) and stopped at the Church in Effin. There was only one priest assigned to the church and he lives about a mile from the church. He was quite friendly and did give me access to their records. Of course, I did make a cash contribution to him. The records are of two types (1) the Originals which are in Latin, and a typed transcription of those same records in English. They are kept in a separate notebook in the sacristy. The original appears to be in chronological order. The typed transcription appears to be in alphabetical order and each name is then in chronological order. So if you have the surname, it should be quite easy to check the records.
There is also the Effin Graveyard which is about a quarter mile up the road. There is a sign on the gate to contact a woman who oversees the property. I don't know if she has records, but I seem to recall the notice that the LImerick County Council did have records of who was buried in the graveyard.
Good luck.
P.S. I was fortunate to be able to locate my great-grandmother, her siblings and their parents -- The Hickeys!
Greg Macaulay