Abbeyleix
 Abbeyleix is known as the Town of the Fountains. The Fountains
of Abbeyleix are intertwined with the landlord history of the
town and reflect the esteem in which the de Vesci's were held.
The most prominent of these is the monument to John 2nd Viscount
de Vesci.John 2nd Viscount de Vesci Interestingly, there is an
unusual link between the fountains of Abbeyleix and The Market
House. According to an account written by W.G. Hartford in the
1960's, when John Robert, 4th Viscount de Vesci passed away, the
townspeople, in time honoured fashion, held a collection to
erect a fountain in his memory. Ivo de Vesci, John Robert's
nephew, who had just inherited the de Vesci estate, thought it
more prudent to refurbish The Market House and pledged to add
the monies required to that which had been already collected for
the fountain. Thus, in 1906 the Market House was refurbished and
dedicated to John Robert instead of the planned fountain. This
was the first of many wise decisions on the part of Ivo de Vesci
and The Market House remained in use as a centre for the
community from 1906 to the present day. We are grateful to Mike
Hartford for this information on the writings of his grandfather,
a most interesting man.
The Market House. This edifice had a practical use on market
day and yet it was also a further reminder of the de Vesci
influence in the town of Abbeyleix as it carries cut stone
plaques of the de Vesci crest. The market was the life's blood of
the town. Early in the life of the new town of Abbeyleix the
landlord applied for a licence to hold a market in the town. He
got permission to hold six markets or fairs per year, in
addition to a Saturday market. This essentially put the town on
the map economically and these markets or fairs remain in the
living memory of the town. The Market House is being refurbished
at present and will become a dedicated library for the people of
Abbeyleix. It is hoped that this work will be completed by
September 2007.
The Rev Wingfield. One of the longest serving pastors in the
annals of the Church of Ireland in Abbeyleix was the Rev
Wingfield. His ministry lasted over forty years and it could be
argued that he presided over the greatest period of change in
Abbeyleix. So prominent was he that he is included in the
Fountains of Abbeyleix.
In 1770 John Vesey, 2nd Viscount de Vesci decided that the old town
of Abbeyleix was an unsuitable town for his tenantry, and
unlikely to prosper. His decision to built a new town was both
bold and decisive and the results of this decision has given us
the Planned Estate town that is Abbeyleix today. The concept of
the Planned Estate Town is not unique in Ireland, other notable
Planned Estate Towns would be Westport in Co. Mayo and Adare in
Co. Limerick. There is also a strong link between Abbeyleix and
Blessington, Co. Wicklow, which was built by Archbishop Michael
Boyle, the last ecclesiastical Lord Chancellor. Michael Boyle's
secretary was one Denny Muschamp who was married to a daughter
of the Archbishop and whose daughter Mary was in time married to
Bishop Thomas Vesey. When the couple married Denny Muschamp gave
them a present of the former Abbeylands at Abbeyleix, which he
had acquired in a land deal circa 1674.
The story of the North National School begins with the 3rd Viscount
and his marriage to Lady Emma Herbert, daughter o f the Earl of
Pembroke and Montgomery. The de Vesci's were intent on the
development of the new town of Abbeyleix, to the extent that the
terms of marriage of the 3rd Viscount to Lady Emma included an
agreement from her father to build a terrace of houses in the
new town. Today, Pembroke Terrace remains one of the most
striking pieces of architecture and represents a significant
piece of the built heritage of Co. Laois.
Source: Abbeyleix Heritage
-
Aghaboe
St Canice founded the
first church on the site of Aghaboe in the 6th
century and it became an important religious
centre. The tower of the present Protestant
church retains original 13th century portions.
Decorative stonework was removed from the church,
which stands on the site of the former
Augustinian church, to adorn Heywood House, Ballinakill in 1773. Also
of interest is Aghaboe House and Adam de Hereford's motte.
AGHANURE
Aghanure is locted just south of the village of
Ballylynan. The Irish word for Yew, iubhair, is found in
several townland names in Laois: Aghanure, 'the ford of yew'.
There is the remains of an old windmill in
Aghanure. It was built on the edge of a limestone quarry which
extended with time around the tower until eventually the latter was
ledt perched on a solitary island pinnacle of rock, where it still
stands today.
-
Ballaghmore
Ballaghmore Castle (1480) the chief seat of
the Mac Gillpatricks (Fitzpatricks) Lords of Upper Ossory.
Strategically placed on the Bealach Mor, the great road to Munster.
Partially restored it in the 183Os. Ely was murdered by a tenant,
and the castle was neglected. It was bought by the present owners in
1990 and restored.
Ballaghmore Castle is
situated mid-way between Roscrea and Borris-in-Ossory. A ‘Sheila-na-Gig’,
a pagan fertility symbol to ward off evil is
carved in stone on the front south-facing wall.
Nearby is a very small church, said to be a converted school house.
It is beautifully kept with tiny galleries, and a sexton's house at
the back. North of the castle on Kyle Hill is the legendary Brehon's
Chair.
TOP
-
Ballinakill
-
.
 Ballinakill is a fine example of a 17th
Century market town. The ruins of Ballinakill
Castle are of a late seventeenth-century castle built by the Dunnes
(but never inhabited) on the site of one destroyed by Cormwellian
troops under Fairfax. The towns broad main street and large central
square reflect Ballinakill's standing in the 17th century as
an important centre. The configuration of streets round the large
rectangular square is eighteenth-century. The town's entrance from
Abbeyleix is marked by two trees known as Toll Trees where a toll
was paid by visitors to the town. The town had important fairs, a
brewery, woollen and tanning factories. A monument in
the square is dedicated to the local men who died in the 1798
rebellion.
- Italianate gardens at the towns edge were created in 1906 by
the famous landscape designer Lutyens for Colonel Poe at a cost
of £250,000 and are a rarity in Ireland, the gardens are opened
by appointment.
Ballintubbert
Day-Lewis was born in Ballintubbert, Laois, Ireland. He was
the son of the Reverend Frank Cecil Day-Lewis (December, 1872 –
19 April 1938) and Kathleen Squires. After Day-Lewis's mother
died in 1906, he was brought up in London by his father, with
the help of an aunt, spending summer holidays with relatives in
Wexford. Day-Lewis continued to regard himself as "Anglo-Irish"
for the remainder of his life, though after the declaration of
the Irish Republic he chose British rather than Irish
citizenship on the grounds that 1940 had taught him where his
deepest roots lay. He was educated at Sherborne School and at
Wadham College, Oxford, from which he graduated in 1927.
Ballyadams
 The old name for the townsland of Ballyadams was
Kylemehyde and it was situated in the district formerly called "Ui
Buidhe". The Anglo Normans took possession of this area in the late
twelfth century and were still there up to the mid fourteenth
century. They built a castle at Kylemehyde. In 1346 the O' Mores,
O' Connors and O' Dempsey's attacked and destroyed the castle of
Kylemehyde When the O' Mores regained control of this district in
the reign of King Henry Vii (1485-1509), it is thought, the more
ancient part of the present castle was by an Adam O' More, hence
the name Ballyadams or the Town of Adam.
Following the rebellion of Gilla
Partick O' Moore Chief of Leix, who was in possession of
Ballyadams, in1546 the O' Mores and O' Connors burned the town of
Athy. The Lord Deputy and the Earl of Desmond led a large army
into Leix and took Ballyadams Castle. In 1549 a Welsh man John
Thomas a p Owen, later called John Thomas Bowen, was constable of
Ballyadams In 1551 John Thomas Bowen obtained a twenty- one years
lease of the Castle of Ballyadams.
This John Bowen was a cruel and
brutal man and was called " or John of the Pike, by the Irish
because he always carried a pike when he ventured out. He died in
1569 and was succeeded by his son Robert. Robert was Sheriff of
Queens County in 1579, he died in 1621. The monument in the old
church of Ballyadams was erected to his memory in 1631. Robert's
son, Sir John Bowen was Knighted on 13 November 1629 and was
Provost Marshal of Leinster and Meath.
In 1643, the Confederates under
Lord Castlehaven were attacking the Grimes or Graham Castle at
Ballylinan, Lord Castlehaven states, "While this place was putting
in order, I went with a party of horse to Ballyadams, a Castle
about a mile distant belonging to Sir John Bowen, Provost Marshal
an old soldier, and my long acquaintance. I went to speak with him
and after some kind expressions, told him I must put a garrison
into his Castle. He flatly denied me and calling for his wife and
two very fair daughters, he had desired only one favour, that in
case I was resolved to use violence, I would show him where I
intended to plant my guns and make my breach. I satisfied his
curiosity and asked him what he meant by this question. Because
saith he swearing with some warmth, I will cover that, or any
other your Lordhship shoots at, by hanging out both my daughters
in chairs. 'tis true the place was not of much importance, however
this conceit saved it." There is also a poem written about this
incident.
About 1700 the castle was granted
to Katherine Bowen who had married Pierce Butler from Tipperary.
The present owner David Butler is a direct descendant of Pierce
Butler. The castle was attacked by insurgents in 1798 and the
Butler family didn't live there after that.
There is some evidence to suggest,
that the castle was built around the end of the Fifteenth Century,
by an Adam O'More. The two round tower date from around this time
and are the oldest part of the present structure. The tower on the
left contains a winding stone stair-case and leads right up to the
turret, which is approx. sixty five feet high, the one on the
right contains many small rooms. The wing on the right appears to
be the oldest and was built towards the end of the seventeenth
Century by the Bowen family. The one on the left was built by the
Butler Family at a later date.
Austin Cooper, the antiquary,
visited the castle on the 10 August, 1782 and made the following
entry in his Diary. "At Ballyadams is a large Castle; the front
consists of two large round towers between which is an entrance,
and over it a wall is carried in a line with the exterior limits
of these towers, so as to form a machicolation over the door.
Adjoining these towers on each side are two large
modem wings, one of which is kept in repair as a lodge by Mr
Butler, the present propriotor; the other was never
finished". He also states that the inside of the castle is in a
bad state of repair.
TOP
-
Ballybrittas
This village dates back to
the 18th Century. The only remaining evidence of
a former great estate is the ivy-clad ruins of
the estate house and Rathdaire Church of Ireland
church, commissioned by Corniela Adair.
-
Ballyfin
A small rural parish at
the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mountains. It
features Ballyfin House; one of Irelands most
magnificent houses built in 1822 for Sir Charles
Coote. The Patrician Brother now owns the
house. Another site of historical interest
is the folly, a circular medieval tower
surrounded by a Moat and the College Conservatory
added by Richard Turner in 1850.
-
BALLYROAN
-
- A parish, in the barony of CULLINAGH,
QUEEN'S county, and province of LEINSTER, 2 ½ miles (N. E,) from
Abbeyleix, on the road from Monastereven to
Durrow ; containing 3544 inhabitants, of which number, 714
are in the village.
- It comprises 8625 statute acres, as
applotted under the tithe act, and contains several high hills,
the largest of which, Cullinagh, gives name to the barony. The
village, which lies low, contains 132 houses; it is a
constabulary police station, and has a patent for a market, but
no market is held. Fairs are held on Jan. 6th, April 2nd, May
15th, the first Wednesday in July (O. S.), Aug. 15th, and the
second Wednesday in Nov. (O, S.), chiefly for cattle and pigs. At
Cullinagh are some cotton mills and a
bouting-mill, both badly supplied with water; in the former about
50 persons are employed, of whom two-thirds are children. But the
inhabitants are chiefly engaged in agricuture the soil consists
of a rich loam and a deep black earth, and is equally productive
under tillage and in dairy husbandry.
- The system of agriculture is improving;
there is but a small tract of bog, not more than sufficient to
supply the inhabitants with fuel. The dairy lands are sometimes
appropriated to the fattening of black cattle. Limestone is
quarried principally for burning; and grit flagstone is found in
the mountains. A thin stratum of coal has been discovered, but
has not been worked, though there is near it a mineral vein ;
much of the same kind of coal is found in the mountain of
Cullinagh, where works were commenced but have been discontinued
some years.
- The chief seats are Blandsfort, the
residence of J, T. Bland, Esq., in whose family it has continued
since 1715; and Rockbrook, of L, Flood, Esq.
- The living is a rectory and vicarage, in
the diocese of Leighlin, and in the patronage of the Crown: the
tithes amount to £415.7 shillings 8 and a ½ pence. The church is
a neat plain edifice in good repair. There is neither glebe-house
nor glebe.
- In the R, C, divisions the parish is in the
union or district of Abbeyleix ; the chapel is a spacious
edifice.
- In the village is a school endowed with
lands in Cappaloughlan, bequeathed by Alderman Preston: the
school-house is a large slated building, erected at an expense of
£500 ; about 20 boys receive a classical and English education
under a master, whose stipend is £55 per annum, each boy paying
£4 yearly in addition. There are also a scriptural and a national
school, in which are
- about 81 boys and 50 girls.
- Sir Jonah Barrington, late Judge of the
High Court of Admiralty, and author of" Personal Sketches of His
Own Times," and other works relating to Ireland, resided at
Cullinagh
Ballylynan or ballylinan
 Ballylinan is an ancient
town-land centred on the present day village and
a gateway to the beautiful yet haunting area of
Slieve Margy. An earthen-ware urn was found
in the area in 1786 containing a great number of
silver coins dating from AD862 to AD870 inscribed
“O’Laghis King” (the O‘Mores)
and “Dunamaise”.
Ballylehane was the scene of the
great slaughter of the O'More Clan (300 killed) in 1315. But in
1346, the castles of Lea, Kilmeade and Ballylehane were taken by
the O'More, O'Connor and O'Dempsey clans. This castle came into the
possession of the Hovenden family in the mid 16th Century.
Ballyadams Castle was built in the 15th Century. The castle was
taken by the Earl of Desmond in 1548 after the O'More's had burnt
the town of Athy. By 1551 it was in the possession of a Welshman,
John Bowen, the renowned Shane-a-pika. Ballylynan Castle was said
to belong to the O'More's but it fell to the Grimes or Grahams
after the Battle of Agharoe (the field of blood). The landlords of
Ballylynan were the Weldons who came during the reign of King James
I, and they remained landlords up to the 1920s. When the Weldon
estate came into being at the end of the 17th Century,
Ballylynan was no more than a
small cluster of cottages. It owes its development to two factors,
the proximity of Rahen House, main house of the Weldon Estate, and
its location on the Athy- Castlecomer Road which provided access to
the mines.
Images of Ballylinan
BALLYQUILLANE
According to The Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland:
Adapted to the New Poor-law 1844-1845 Ballyquillane, an ancient
parish, 3 miles south of Stradbally, barony of Stradbally,
Queen's co., Leinster. It is touched or traversed by the road
from Thurles to Athy. It was a rectory in the dio. of Leighlin,
valued in the king's books at £1 5s.; but it has been so
completely incorporated with some adjoining parish, that no
trace of it appears in documents of the last 20 years.
An Inquisition taken at Maryborough, 18th of March,
1623, finds Henry Davells of Killeshin seized, inter alia, of the
rectory. Ballyquillane, with all the lands and holdings belonging to
it, "which rectory extends into the town and lands of Ballyquillane,
Cloghpooke alias Cloghpoole, Tomelevane, Nenagh, Ballecollen, and
Curragh."
The ancient church of this parish still exists in ruins at Clopoke. It was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin. In Pat. Rolls, Edwd.
71. (p. 163, Morrin), we find Bernard Dempsie presented to the
Vicarage of St. Mary of Bealaquillane, Nov. 24th, 1550. This church
consisted of a nave and chancel; the nave measured 38 feet by 18; the
chancel, which has a round-headed arch, 24 feet by 15. The door was at
the south-west. There are traces of an east window, and also of two
lancet windows in the nave, 9 inches wide on the outside, one in the
north, the other in the south wall.
The remains of several priests
repose in the graveyard in which this ruin stands; over some of whom
the following inscriptions appear:-
"Roger Moore, Priest, to our griefe is dead, and in
this narrow grave he now takes his rest. Let all that read this, with
devotion pray, God rest his soul in peace. Amen say. He was born in
1640. Died December 10th, 1706."
"Here lies the body of Rev. Gerald Byrne, Parish
Priest of Stradbally, Dunane, etc. for 15 years. Departed, July ye
24th, 1724, aged 57 years. Also the body of his nephew, ye Revd.
William Byrne, Parish Priest of Stradbally, Esker, etc., for 19 years.
Departed ye 11th of February, 1775, aged 56 years."
"Here lies the body of the Rev. Father Edmond
O'Kelly, who departed this life Feb. ye 13th, 1775, aged 32 years."
"Here Lyeth the body of the Rev. Patrick Kelly, who
departed this life, March ye 7th, Anno Domini 175-, aged 74. Also the
body of Rev. John Kelly, his nephew, who departed ber ye 9th, 1763,
aged 32 years. Also, ye Rev. Francis Kelly, who departed ber 9th,
1784, aged 40."
The Rev. William Comerford, a native of this
district, who died at Carlow College, 19th of April, 1794, is also
interred here.
In the immediate vicinity of Clopoke is a place
called "the Mass field," where the faithful used to assemble for the
celebration of the divine mysteries in the penal times.
Dun of Clopoke
The following description of the Dun of Clopoke
(i.e. "the fort of the goblin's stone" - O'Donovan) is given in Goughs
Camden:-" The Dun of Clopoke, about five miles from Dunarnase, is a
curious object; it is a conical hill of limestone, its diameter on the
summit is 312 feet, and round it ran a wall.
Its base was defended by a double entrenchment; from
the base to the top it measures in some places 150 feet, being very
precipitous and strong on every side. Under the N.E. side of the hill
is .a cave running 36 feet, and about 10 feet wide at the mouth,-a
receptacle for robbers in former ages. The monument, Clough Leachdain,
is about 8 feet high, and is situate in the middle of a field near
this Dun." "The rock was artificially fortified," writes O'Donovan
(Ord. Survey Letters), "and still exhibits portions of an earthen work
on its extremities at the top. The cave, which appears to be a natural
one, is, as yet open, runs to an extent of 7 or 8 yards into the rock,
and is from 5 to 6 or 7 feet high. It is said this cave runs farther
into the rock than at first appears to am observer, and that a narrow
passage, leading from it, gives admission to an internal part which is
extensively wide, and the height of a man. The stone from which the
Dun probably took its name, stands in a field about half a mile
distant. The name by which it goes now, is liagan, which is a generic
name for all such standing stones. It is about 7 ½ feet high, of
unequal breadth, being about 4 feet 2 inches on one side in the
broadest part, and about 22 inches on another side, which seems to be
all of an equal breadth. Some persons who dug the earth around it out
of curiosity to find bow much of it was sunk in the ground, reported
that there was as much concealed as appeared over ground. This is the
Clogh liahdan in the passage quoted from Gough's Camden."
In the Vita Tripartita of St. Patrick, written by
St. Evin, it is stated that St. Fiacc, Bishop of Sletty, used to go,
on Shrove Tuesday, to a cave on the hill of Drum-Coblai, bringing with
him five barley loaves mingled with ashes. At the end of Lent he
returned to Sletty to celebrate the festival of Easter with his
brethren, bringing with him a portion of one of the loaves. The
learned author of the Loca Patriciana identifies the cave at the Dun
of Clopoke as that to which St. Fiacc used to retire for the
penitential observance of Lent. It is distant about 7 miles north-west
of Sletty. There lingers still, he remarks, in the locality a
tradition that in long ages past a Saint used to retire to this cave
to pray and fast, after which he returned to his distant church by a
subterraneous passage leading south, which is supposed to be still in
existence.-(,See Loca Patr. 19 5-6.)
"On the other side of the valley," writes Daniel
O'Byrne.- Hist. of Queen's County" southwards, is the Dun of
Luggacurren, on the north side of which is a cave 6 feet high, by 4 in
width. The cave . . . is about 80 feet above the level of the plain,
and about 200 feet below the summit of the Dun." In March, 1881, a
Cist-vaen, or pagan Irish tomb, was discovered on the farm of Mr.
Kilbride of Luggacurren. It contained a quantity of human bones, some
of which, especially the frontal of one skull, and some femora, were
in a good state of preservation. It also contained two earthenware
urns, richly ornamented with zig-zag pattern (one of which, through
the kindness of Mr. Kilbride, is in the possession of the writer), and
some bronze rings.
Shanavally
About two miles south of Clopoke is an ancient place
of in-terment, called Shanavally (old town). On a mountain flagsstone
is traced the device of a Celtic cross, the rest of the stone being
left in the rough. .Local tradition assigns this to mark the grave of
a bishop.-(O'Byrne, Hist. Queen's Co.)
The O'Kellys were from a very early period seated in
the neighbourhood of Luggacurren, their territory, termed Feran
O'Kelly, or the country of O'Kelly, described in O'Heerin's
topographical poem, as like the fertile Land of Promise, is
traditionally described as extending from the ford of Ath-Baiteoige to
the ford of Ath-fuiseoige, near Luggacurren. This territory is shown,
on an old map of Leix and Offaly, as extending from Ballymaddock
southward to the hills of Slewmargie, and as comprising Ballymaddock,
the Park, the churches of Grange and Oghteoge, the church of Clopoke,
and the Castle of Coragh. - (O'Donovan-note to 4, MM. ad an. 1394.) In
Hardiman's Irish Minstrelsy, it is related that an O'Kelly of the
reign of Elizabeth married a daughter of O'Byrne of Glenmalure, Co. of
Wicklow, and for her reception built a dwelling in a week, the site of
which is still known by the name of shanagh-clough, or "the old
stone." A dispute having arisen between the wife of O'Kelly and a man
named Macgloud, who was in her husband's employment, he in revenge
conspired with FitzGerald of Morett (not of Kilkea, as Hardimau
erroneously states), who under the guise of friendship visited O'Kelly.
O'Kelly received him kindly, and had him to act as sponsor to his
child; the child and its mother were found dead in their bed the same
night. O'Kelly does not appear to. have suspected FitzGerald of having
had anything to do in compassing the death of his wife and child, as
he, shortly after, accompanied FitzGerald to Morett. FitzGerald having
brought O'Kelly to the ramparts of the castle, had his head struck
off. He then wrote to the Queen, informing her that he had despatched
a chief rebel, named O'Kelly, who was in close alliance with the
O'Mores; whereupon he received from her Majesty a grant of O'Kelly's
territory. It appears that John Bowen of Ballyadains, whose daughter
was wife of FitzGerald, bated O'Kelly, and made use of his son-in-law
to make away with him. The O'Mores avenged O'Kelly by slaying
FitzGerald and burning his oastle. FitzGerald, the subsequent owner of
Luggacurren, called Short Garrett, sold the estate to Sir Walter
Whelan, who again sold it to Daniel O'Byrne. This Daniel 'O'Byrne was
son of Loughlin O'Byrne of Ballentlea, near Red Cross, in the County
of Wicklow. Loughlin had two Sons, Denia and Daniel. Denis inherited
the estate of Ballentlea; Daniel, who was a clothier, amassed a large
fortune, chiefly by army contracts. Daniel's son, Gregory, was created
a baronet, and 'lived at Timogue Castle. Sir John, grandson to Sir
Gregory, married a daughter of Sir Peter Leyster of Pointon, Cheshire,
whose son, Sir Peter, assumed the name of Leyster. During his minority
the Irish property was sold, and other property purchased in England.
The Marquis of Lansdowne became the purchaser, in whose family it
still remains.- (O'Byrne.)
For further interesting and amusing particulars
regarding this branch of the O'Byrnes, see information supplied to
O'Donovan from MS. written by O'Byrne of Fallaghbeg, who was born in
1716.-Note to Four Masters, ad ann. 1578
TOP
-
Borris-in-Ossory
Borris-in-Ossory is a single street village
roughly half a mile long. The village originated as a cluster
around the castle of the Fitzpatrick's, which was built in 1589.
The village grew along the eighteenth century coach road and
depended on the woollen trade
BUCHLONE
This name is derived from Bo-cluain,
"the cow pasture:" cluain, strictly means a fertile spot
surrounded, or nearly so, by bog. -(Joyce.) The Martyrology of
Donegal has two entries, both probably relating to this place, at
the 20th of November: -" Easconn Eps. o. Bo-Chluain i .Laoighis" (Easconn,
Bishop of Bo-Chluain in Leix); and again :-" Fraochan Eps o Bo-Chluain
i Laoighis" (Fraochan Bishop of Bo-Chluain in Leix.) To this, the
gloss adds: -" i.e. to the east of Cluain-Eidhniach (Clonenagh), or
of Inis-mac-Earca." There is an ancient and still used cemetery at
Buclone, but no traces of a church are observable, nor is there any
local tradition as to one having stood here
-
Castletown
This picturesque Georgian
village offers to its visitors both a warm
welcome and sites of historical interest. A
castle built here in 1182 by Hugh de Lacy became
the centre of an important Norman Borough.
The ruins of the St Coedus church still stand in
the old cemetery at Churchtown. Also of interest is Gash
Gardens.
Clonenagh
The most important monastery of ancient Leix.
Founded by St. Fintan (d.603), its location on the Slige Dala (road
of the assemblies) ensured its importance in early medieval Ireland.
It enjoyed the patronage of the O'Mores, descendants of the Loigis
kings, into the sixteenth-century. It was the monastic home of
Oengus the Celi De (see Coolbangher). The Book of Leinster or Lebar
na Nuachongbala started life here before moving to Oughaval near
Stradbally. Today there are two graveyards the ruins of an early
church, and a recently fallen penny tree.
Local
tradition tells of the existence of seven
churches, which today have all disappeared.
Close by stood a tree, which had a cavity in its
trunk, where water was found. This so-called
well of St. Fintan was believed to have had
healing properties ascribed to it.
PREVIOUS to 1828, the district now constituting the parish of
Ballyfin formed a portion of the parish of Clonenagh. In June of the
above-named year, the Right Rev. Dr. Doyle erected Ballyfin into a
separate cure. The present chapel is the third that has stood on the
same site. In a Return made in 1731 (See Vol. I, p. 268), it is
stated that there were then two Mass-houses in the parish of
Clonenagh, both built subsequent to the accession of George 1st,
1714; of these one was at Ballyfin. In another Return made in 1765,
by Robert Henry, Hearth-money Collector (see Appendix), three
Mass-houses are said to have been then in the parish of Clonenagh.
The original chapel was replaced by another in 1774, as we learn
from an inscribed slab which now forms portion of a stile leading
into the burial-ground. The following is the inscription: -" I.H.S.
Haec domus re-edificata a R. D. Lauris Colleton, B.T., Ano Dmni
1774. Vocatur Aula Spiritus Sancti." The structure bearing this
high-sounding title was an humble cruciform, thatched chapel.
Archdeacon Colleton, here referred to, died in 1788, and is interred
at Clonenagh.
The Rev. Christopher Doyle, who was appointed Curate here in
1818, and subsequently Administrator in 1823, built the present
parish chapel. It appears to have been proposed to erect it on
another site, which however could not be effected in consequence of
an objection on the part of the landlord. The following is his reply
to Dr. Doyle on the subject: -" Mr. Wellesley Pole presents his
compliments to the R. Catholic Bishop of Kildare and Leighlin, and
in reply to his communication respecting the chapel at Ballyfin,
begs to observe that it stands on Mr. Wellesley Pole's Estate rent
free, and that the Priest has also a few acres of land for which he
does not pay rent. It has always been Mr. Wellesley Pole's practice
to give every possible indulgence to his R. Catholic Tenants, and he
has never made any distinction between them and his Protestant
Tenantry. Under these circumstances he does not think it desirable
to make any change. If the chapel of Ballyfin is to be put into
repair, Mr. Wellesley Pole has no objection to subscribe for that
purpose.
Within the chapel a mural tablet has been placed to the memory
of a priest who was a native of this parish: -" This monument has
been erected by Matthew Lalor of Clonagown, in memory of his uncle,
the Rev. James Lalor, who departed this life, March the 27th, 1826,
aged 26 years." This priest, to whom Dr. Doyle refers in
complimentary terms (see Vol. II, p. 246), had been appointed curate
of Ballinakill in October, 1825.
A fine massive chalice in use in this chapel bears two
inscriptions; one, requesting prayers for the Lady Brigid, Vis-Countess
Dillon Clanrickard, and for Rev. Dr. Edmund O'Reilly, with the date,
1749. The second inscription records that Elizabeth Delany, mother
of Dr. Delany, Bishop of the Diocese, purchased this chalice, and
made a gift of it to the Chapel of Ballyfin, in 1795 :-" Ora pro
Ilustrissa D.D. Brigida V.-Com. Dillon Cln Rickd. et pro Edmundo
O'Reilly, S.T.D. 1749. Hunc Calicem emit Elizabetha Delany, mater
Rdmi. D.D. Delany, Epi Kilds donoque dedit Capellae de Ballyfin,
1795." The Lady Brigid, to whom the above inscription refers, was
daughter of John de Burgh, 9th Earl of Clanrickarde; she married
Richard, 9th Viscount Dillon in 1720. -(De Brett's Peerage.)
Ballyfin was originally part of the demesne lands of the
O'Mores, chieftains of Leix. In the reign of Elizabeth this estate
was granted to Patrick Crosbie in reward for his services against
the O'Mores; but his great-grandson, Sir John Crosbie, Bart., having
espoused the cause of Charles I., he was attainted by the
Parliament, and the said attainder never having been removed, the
king on the restoration became entitled to his great estate, of
which Ballyfin was granted to Piriam Pole, brother of Sir John, and
second son of Sir William Pole, of Shute, in Devonshire. His son,
William Pole, pulled down the castle which had been erected by the
Crosbies, and built a modern house on the site, which was destroyed
by fire, and rebuilt by his son, and forms the north wing of the
present edifice. He married Anne, daughter of Henry Colley, of the
noble family of Mornington. He died in October, 1704, and was
succeeded by Periam, his eldest son, who died unmarried on the 24th
of April, 1748, and was succeeded by his brother, William, who, the
same year, married Lady Sarah Moore, daughter of Edward, 5th Earl of
Drogheda, and was, soon after, made a member of the Privy Council,
and Governor of the Queen's County. He much improved Ballyfin,
planting woods, sinking the lake, and adding to the house. Dying in
1781, without issue, he left the estate to a distant cousin, the
Hon. William Wesley or Wellesley, younger son of the Earl of
Mornington, who assumed the name of Pole. The family of the present
owner, Sir Charles Coote, acquired it by purchase. Most of the
furniture of the saloon and ball-room was made for George IV when
Prince of Wales.-(Anth. Hib. July, 1794; Gazetteer of Ireland.)
*The grant from the Cromwellian Commissioners was thus
confirmed by the Act of Settlement, 18 Cha. II., "Peryam Pole, of
Dublin, esq.-The town and lands of Eyrye. Ballyfynne, alias
Baliytinne, and Camaloand, 1, 198a. 1r. 28p. (1941a. and 33p. stat.)
prof. 2056a. 2r. 32p; unprof. £24 5s. 3¾d. bar Maryborough, Queen's
Co. Inchy, and Rathvadocke, part of the same, I96a. (317a. 1r. 38p.
stat.), prof. 45a. 3r. l6p, unprof. £3 19s. 4d. bar Stradbally, same
Co. Acragar, 259a. 3r. 24p. (420a. 3r. 24p. stat.), prof. 43a. 1r.
24p, unprof. £5 5s. 2¾d.; bar Portnahinch, same county.-Total rent,
£33 9s. 11d. Date, 27 June, 18th year (cert. 19 May, 1666)
TOP
Clonreher
- Clonreher lies just to the north
of Port Laoise in a farmyard and is easily visible from
the minor country road that passes it. The main body of
the four storey tower contains a hall over a vaulted
cellar and loft. Granted to John Dunkirley in 1550, this
former O'Dowling castle was later held by the Hartpoles.
CLONAGHEEN
A
parish, in the barony of MARYBOROUGH WEST, QUEEN'S county, and
province of LEINSTER, 3 1/4 miles (S. E. by S.) from Mountrath: the
population is returned with the parish of Clonenagh. It is situated
on the road from Dublin to Limerick, and is bounded on the
south-west by the river Nore, over which is a neat bridge, here
called the Poor Man's Bridge. There is a large tract of valuable
bog. It is a rectory, in the diocese of Leighlin, and is part of
the union of Clonenagh, for which and Clonagheen there is but one
composition of tithes. The schools are also noticed under the head
of that parish. In the R. C. divisions the parish forms part of the
union or district of Mountrath.
-
Coolbanagher
 Gandon designed the l9th
Century church of St John the Evangelist in
Coolbanagher. The church contains a Dawson
mausoleum, and the original church plans.
It features an ancient carved font as well as
urns designed by Gandon, which have been moulded
and installed. Skirting the
grounds of Shaen Castle are the ruins of Coolbanagher monastic
settlement, immortalised by its association with Oengus the Celi De.
As he travelled along the Slige Dala from Clonenagh on his way to
Tallaght at the end of the eight-century he visited Coolbanagher. In
the churchyard he had a vision of angels hovering over a
freshly-made grave of a man who had venerated the saints: as a
result he decided to compile his Felire or Calendar of Saints, which
he completed in Tallaght, and which still survives as a major source
for ancient Irish ecclesiastical history.Other places of interest locally
include Shaen Castle and the Hartpole Tower House.
-
Cullahill
This serene village is an
ideal backdrop for the magnificent Tower House.
It dates roughly from 1425 and is believed to be
the former residence of the ’MacGillapatricks'
of Upper Ossory. Nearby are three other
tower houses, Gortnaclea, Kilbreedy and
Aughmacart.
-
Donaghmore
Workhouse Museum
A wonderful little village and was the
location for the film "All Things Bright and Beautiful". The village
was originally a Norman fortification.
A workhouse museum
presenting an eerie window on past workhouse
conditions. Originally built as a workhouse, the
museum has been restored by Glanbia.
-
Dun of Clopoke
DUN-CLUIN-POIC, or the Dun of Clopoke, as it is now called,
situated in the Queen's County, province of Leinster, about four
miles south of Stradbally. It was a fort or castle of a branch of
the family of O'Mores, ancient chieftains of Leix. It consists of an
insulated rock, in which are some natural caves; on the top is a
plain, formerly surrounded by a wall, composed of rock stones,
without cement, with a grand entrance from the south, There does not
appear ever to have been any building of lime and stone erected on
this Dun, but the several edifices were constructed entirely in the
ancient Irish stile. That it was a habitation some years before the
establishment of Christianity in this island is extremely probable,
as in an adjacent field is an ancient tomb-stone, with an
inscription in druidic characters, signifying Hy Mordha, the great
King. (Source: A Topographical and
Historical Hibernian Gazetteer c1835)
Durrow
Durrow is a planned estate
town, developed under the patronage of the
Viscounts Ashbrook. It features a fort granted by
charter in AD1245 with a fine suite of buildings
around the village green. Edward O'Brien
has already written an excellent in depth history
about DURROW in his book called 'An Historical
and Social Diary of DURROW County Laois 1708 -
1992'. Published by Millfield Press. ISBN 0
9519728 0 4.
Castle Durrow House
-
Emo Court and
Gardens
A late eighteenth century
village developed around the gates of Emo Court
under the patronage of the Dawson's. The
Catholic Church is hard gothic, designed by J.S.
Butler in 1861. The mile long avenue
leading to Emo Court Gardens feature giant
Californian Redwoods planted in 1863.
-
Graigue
(GRAIGUECULLEN)
GRAIGUE in 1837 was a suburb of the
town of CARLOW, in the parish of KILLESHIN,
QUEEN'S county, and province of LEINSTER;
containing 1976 inhabitants. It is situated on
the right bank of the river Barrow, over which
there is a bridge into the town of Carlow, but is
entirely exempt from the jurisdiction of the
sovereign of that borough, although included
within its limits for electoral purposes by the
act of the 2nd and 3rd of William IV., cap. 89.
It comprises 114 acres, and includes 234 houses,
a large flour-mill, two tanyards, and a distillery which
manufactures more than 36,000 gallons of whiskey annually. It is a
constabulary police station, and has fairs on Jan. 6th, Feb. 18th,
April 1st, and Oct. 6th. The parochial church (a handsome new
building with a curious arched roof of stone), the R. C. chapel,
and the parochial and national schools, are in the village; near
which about 600 of the men who were killed in the attack upon
Carlow, in 1789, were buried
-
Grange
GRANGE, or GRANGEMONK, also called
MONKSGRANGE, a parish, in the barony of BALLYADAMS, QUEEN'S county,
and province of LEINSTER, 4 miles (N.) from Carlow, on the river
Barrow; containing 240 inhabitants. The parish comprises 841
statute acres, as applotted under the tithe act, and valued at £490
per annum. It is a vicarage, in the diocese of Leighlin, and in the
gift of G. Hartpole, Esq., in whom the rectory is impropriate. The
tithes amount to £55. 7. 8¼, of which £36. 18. 5½ is payable to the
impropriator, and the remainder to the vicar. There is neither
church, glebe-house, nor glebe. In the R. C. divisions it forms
part of the union or district of Mayo, or Arles and Ballylinan.
There is an old churchyard, which is the burial place of the
Hartpole family, also the ruins of a castle
|
