| Lorrha Lothra
|
|
|---|---|
| — Town — | |
|
Lorrha
|
|
| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Munster |
| County | County Tipperary |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Irish Grid Reference | |
| Website | www.lorrhadorrha.ie |
Lorrha (historically spelt Lora, from Irish: Lothra[1]) is a small village at the northern tip of North Tipperary, Ireland. It is located[2] on a local minor road between the R489 Birr to Portumna road and the N65 Nenagh to Portumna road about five kilometres east of the point where the River Shannon enters Lough Derg. It is a townland and a civil parish in the historical [3] barony of Ormond Lower. The civil parish borders Portumna in County Galway and Birr in County Offaly. Lorrha is also an Ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe.[4]
Contents |
Close to an historic crossing point of the River Shannon, the village has a long history of bridges and ferry crossings. The present bridge dates from 1911 [5] (opening section replaced October 2008 [6])
Lorrha has a rich ecclesiastical history evidenced by the ruins within the village. Beside the Roman Catholic Church (c1912)[7], at the south of the village are the remains of a Dominican Friary founded in the 13th century by Walter de Burgh, Earl of Ulster [8]. To the east of the village stands the Church of Ireland [9] on the site of St. Ruadhan's church which was built c. 1000A.D. and was itself built on the site of St. Ruadhan's Abbey, founded in the C6th. Remains of two C8th high crosses stand in the churchyard [10]. The Augustinian Abbey founded in the C12th by the Order of Canons Regular stands nearby. The carved head over the door is thought to represent the wife of Walter De Burgh [11]. Water for the monastic settlement was supplied from St. Ruadhan's well located south of the road that passes the present Church of Ireland cemetery.
The Lorrha Missal, a translation of the Latin and Gaelic Missal was transcribed at Lorrha in the ninth century. It is now commonly known as the Stowe Missal.