Ardclough
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Ardclough Ard Cloch |
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| Location | ||
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| Province: | Leinster | |
| County: | County Kildare | |
| Elevation: | 61 m | |
| Population (2002) | c. 300 | |
Ardclough is a village and community in County Kildare, Ireland. Amongst its buildings today are a national school, a church, Ardclough GAA Club, and one shop. Ardclough also contains the historic round tower at Oughter Ard, the graveyard in which Arthur Guinness is buried.
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[edit] Ancient History
The earliest evidence of human habitation at Ardclough was the discovery of a flint dated to 4800-3600BC, at Castlewarden below Oughter Ard Hill, rare for a dryland location from the time. Lyons Hill was the inauguration site and base for 10 Uí Dúnchada kings of Leinster. The battle of Gleann Máma, where Brian Boru defeated Máel Mórda king of Leinster and Sitric Silkbeard King of Dublin in 999, is believed to have taken place on the Dublin side of Oughter Ard Hill.
[edit] GAA Club
Ardclough GAA was founded in 1936 by Mick Treacy (Chairman) , Johnny O'Grady (Secretary) and Dan Graham (Treasurer) . The hurling club was founded in 1948 by Mick Houlihan (Chairman) , Mick Johnson (Secretary) and Patrick "Sonny" O'Connor. In 1949 Ardclough won their first and only Senior Football Championship. In 1962 Ardclough camogie club was founded by Margaret Buggle (Chairperson) , Ann Johnson (Secretary) and Breda Johnson (Treasurer). In 1968 Ardclough won their first Senior Hurling Championship and have won 11 more since in: 1973, 1975, 1976, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1985, 2004 and 2006.
[edit] Churches
There are five medieval churches and three castles in the area. Most important is Oughter Ard founded by St Briga (feast day January 21) around 650 and site of a round tower. Recent research has estimated that the ruined church there dates to 1350, not 1609 as previously believed. Whitechurch became an important monastic site after it was established in 1300 and enfifed in 1506. A single headstone is the only reminder of the church of Castledillon (1000), once a parish of its own. The graveyard beside another disappeared church at Clonaghlis (pre 1206) is still in use while Castlewarden (c1200) has also disappeared. A mass house built below Oughter Ard hill in 1714 became the site of the first modern Catholic church in 1810 and a school in 1839. Lyons parish was united with Oughter Ard in 1541 and with Kill in 1693. The centre of the parish moved to Kill in 1823.
[edit] Castles & Estates
A well-preserved moated site at Puddlehall dates to the 1200s and was cited by University College Dublin Professor Sean O Riordain as one of the finest examples of a moated house in Ireland. Lyons, Reeves and Oughter Ard tower houses date to the 1300s. The large houses of Bishopscourt (constructed 1790) and Lyons (constructed 1804-10) provided an economic focus of the community in the 19th century, as did the Grand Canal (reached Ardclough 1763) in the vicinity of the 13th lock, where a hotel, mill and police station were built.
[edit] Ardclough Relocates
‘Aclagh’, marked in Alexander Taylor’s map of 1783 on the opposite bank of the canal from the site of the masshouse and school, is believed to be the first occurrence of the name. Limestone quarries (sinkhole recorded 1804) made this site the focus of economic activity from the 1850s until 1910, when the quarries flooded suddenly. The Great Southern & Western Railway (constructed 1844) and Straffan Station (used until 1947) opened communications to Dublin for cattle and horse dealers. A rail accident near Straffan Station killed 18 people in 1853. When the GAA club (1937), community hall (1940, reconstructed 2004) and school (1950) were built on a crossroads beneath Henry Bridge it shifted the focus of the community to a site in Tipperstown, which is regarded as the modern Ardclough. The population was boosted by houses built at Wheatfield (1940), Boston Hill (1949-51) and Tipperstown (Wheatfield Estate 1976, Lishandra Estate 1989). A new Catholic church designed by Paul O’Daly was sited nearby in 1985 and a new school and graveyward are proposed.
[edit] Ardclough People
Noted Ardclough people include politician Valentine Lawless, sculptress Mary Redmond, artist Philippa Bayliss and writer Emily Lawless while singer Ronan Keating lived there briefly and Ryanair founder Tony Ryan has a home in Lyons. Daniel O’Connell fought a famous duel with John d’Esterre at Oughter Ard in 1815 (Feb 1). Ardclough was probably the smallest community ever to win the Kildare senior football championship when they beat the Army in a famous replayed final in 1949 and have won 11 Kildare senior hurling titles and one Kildare camogie title. Five Ardclough players were selected on the Kildare hurling team of the millennium: Richie Cullen, Tommy Christian, Bobby Burke, Johnny Walsh and Mick Dwane. Ardclough horses have won fame in both flat and national hunt, notably The Tetrarch (1911, regarded as probably the finest two year old in Irish racing history), Captain Christy (winner Cheltenham Gold Cup, 1974), Star Appeal (winner of the Prix de L’Arc de Triomphe, 1975) and Kicking King (winner Cheltenham Gold Cup, 2005). Horse breeder Edward Cub Kennedy came from Baronrath, while father-and-son trainers Pat Taaffe and Tom Taaffe came from Alasty. David Ritchie from Oughter Ard laid out Ireland's first golf course. There are active branches of the Irish Countrywomen's Association (active 1941-42 and revived 1974) and Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann (branch established in 1966 with Paddy Corry as Chairman). Jack 'Sky' Molloy was also known to be a great part of the life of the area.One person to be avoided is a known paedophile to the area he lives up Boston hill. He was convicted of rape in 1992 and served 12 years in Mount Joy. He is known to still rape children as young as 5. Avoid at all costs. His name is Barry Griffin. He is also a major dickhead and wanker.
[edit] Bibliography
- Ardclough Churches 1985 Souvenir Brochure.
- Annals of Ardclough by Eoghan Corry and Jim Tancred (2004).
- W J Fitzpatrick: Life, Times and contemporaries of Lord Cloncurry (1855).
- Valentine Lawless, Lord Cloncurry: Recollections (Dublin 1849).
- Irish Geography Vol 18 1985 DN Hall M Hennessy and Tadhg O’Keefe Medieval Agriculture and Settlement in Castlewarden and Oughterard pp16-25
