Cadamstown

Cadamstown, historically called Ballymacadam (Irish: Baile Mhic Ádaim, meaning "MacAdam's town"),^[1] is a small village in County Offaly, Ireland. It lies on the R421 regional road, just north of the Slieve Bloom Mountains. It is about 20 km from Tullamore and 6 km from Kinnitty.^[2]

Features

The village is divided by the gorge of the Silver River, which is crossed by the R421. The road forms the Main Street of the village. The village has a picnic area, public house, shop/post office and teashop.^[3] The plan is predominantly linear, centred on the bridge over the Silver River and comprises a Church, public house and approximately 20 houses, with a population of approximately 60 people. The Mill is to the west and the Ardara Masonry Bridge (which has been taken into National care) is to the north.^[2]

History

Baile Mhic Ádaim is the Irish name for the town and castle, from which the English name derives. One source mentions that Mac Ádaim was a northern chieftain who settled in the area, while another offers the view that by the 1640s the area was in the possession of Adam Lord Viscount Loftus of Ely and that the “Adam” in the name is the Lord Viscount himself.^[4]

There was no mill in Cadamstown until 1831 when Sina Manifold, the wife of Dan Manifold, built the present mill. The old abbey of Leitir Lughna (one mile south of the village) was pulled down and the stones used in the construction of the mill. In 1890 the Manifolds sold the mill to William Slevin, from Belfast, who converted it into a woollen mill. The mill remains but is disused. Opposite the mill stood the miller’s house which was used, during the Irish Rebellion of 1798, as a yeoman’s barracks. Later it was used again as the miller’s house by Dan Manifold, then by William Slevin, who lived there with his son Pat. James Gaffney became owner when the Slevins died. Local historian Paddy Heaney currently owns the house.^[4]

Places of interest

• The village has many scenic walks including the start of the Offaly Way,^[3] a 29 km, long-distance walking trail linking the Slieve Bloom and Grand Canal Ways.^[5]
• The Church and its grounds contain a cross inscribed grave slab, a 12th century decorated animal head and a human face, possibly Saint Lugna. It is possible that these stones, as well as many more used in constructing Cadamstown, were originally from the Church at Letter.^[2]
• Silver River Geological Reserve provides an insight into a landscape and the Silver River gorge.^[6]
• Ardara Bridge, a high arch spanning the Silver River, is of great architectural importance, being one of only a handful of such medieval bridges in Ireland. In 2006, the Office of Public Works acquired the bridge as a major conservation project was required to save the bridge from collapse, and to make it safe for public access.^[7]

People

• It is the home of local historian Paddy Heaney who has written several books on historical events and folklore in the region, including At the Foot of the Slieve Bloom - History and Folklore of Cadamstown.^[8]
• The village was at one time home to Charles O'Carroll whose grandson was a signatory of the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776.^[3]

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References