Castletown, County Laois
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Castletown is a small village and also a parish in the southern half of County Laois in Ireland near the town of Mountrath.
[edit] History
According to an extract from a Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, by Samuel Lewis, London, 1837, Castletown was "a village in the Parish of Offerlane, barony of Upper Ossory, Queen’s county, and province of Leinster, 1 3/4 miles (S.by W.) from Mountrath; containing 367 inhabitants.
This place takes its name from an ancient castle, occupying a commanding situation on the bank of the river Nore, and which, in the early part of the 16th century, was garrisoned by Sir Oliver Norris, son-in-law of the Earl of Ormonde, with a view to curb the power of the Fitzpatricks, to whom it was afterwards relinquished."
The extract continues “the village is pleasantly situated on the river Nore, and on the road from Dublin to Limerick, it contains 59 houses, many of which are good residences, and the whole has an appearance of neatness and respectability”.
[edit] Modern Day Castletown
Some things never change, there are approximately 100 houses in the village and a very active Tidy Towns Committee which has brought Castletown the national recognition it deserves.
To-day Castletown is better known as “The Tidiest Village in Laois”. Chairman of the Tidy Towns Committee is Sean Fleming, TD. Not only is Castletown the Tidiest Village in Laois but in 1998, Castletown were just four points behind the national winner. They won The Tidiest Village in Ireland, in the category for villages with a population between 200 and 1,000.
Since the new bridge was built in 1972 the village does not suffer from the endless traffic on the main road.
No reference to Castletown would be complete without mentioning Gash Gardens and the De La Salle Brothers monastery which has been in the village since 1881.
There are three national schools in the parish - Castletown Primary School, Paddock National School and Rushall National School.
Castletown is a hurling stronghold the local GAA club is called Castletown while another club in the parish is called Slieve Bloom GAA.
