Scotshouse

Scotshouse (Irish: Achadh na hAbhla, meaning "Fort of the Apples") is a small agricultural village about 7 kilometres (4.3 mi) away from the border town of Clones, in County Monaghan, Ireland. It is close to the border with both County Cavan and County Fermanagh. Cavan town is eleven miles (18 km) away and Monaghan town seventeen miles (27 km) away.

The village derives its name from an English soldier named Willie Scot in Cromwell's army who pillaged in the area in the early seventeenth century. He sold hardware products locally. He used his home base to sell his products with many locals calling to the house, and when asked where they were going they would invariably reply “Scot's house”. This house was located in the townland of Aghnahola and was situated behind the current Church of Ireland parochial house.

South of Scotshouse lies the Black Pig Dyke or the Worm Ditch which was the old Ulster boundary. Many a battle took place in the area in bygone days and the area would have a bloody history.

Scotshouse is a small village of approximately forty-five houses. Since 2005, around seventy-five houses have been built in the same townland where Willie Scot resided.

Scotshouse has produced some very gifted people through the years and the most recent talented people to come from Scotshouse were Thomas Fitzpatrick, former chairman of the Dáil, and Professor Seamus P. O'Mordha, Professor of Irish in St Patrick's Teaching Training College. There are two and coming gifted people including Dr. Éamonn Ó Ciardha, lecturer in University of Ulster in Magee Campus Derry City and graduate of Cambridge University, and Dr. Eoghan O'Mordha, historian and archaeologist and a graduate of Oxford University.

In the sporting field Scotshouse have supplied the County team with some great footballers from the likes of Jimmy Murphy of Lauralhill; Hubert Kearns of Coolnacarte; Eugene Moore, Eamonn Carey, Michael Moore, and Dermot Beattie of Dunsrim.

Not many Currin players have won Ulster Medals but the first to win an Ulster Medal was the legendary Packie Smith of Cavany in 1914. The last person to win an Ulster Medal was Hugo Clerkin in 1985. Eugene Moore won an Ulster Minor championship medal in the 1940s - the only Currin man ever to win such a medal.

There is much debate in the village about the Irish version of the village. Some elements of the village like to call the Village "Teach an Scotaigh" after Willie Scot. However some people take offence at the village being called after this soldier and insist that the Village is called "Achadh na hAbhla". Some find the calling of Scotshouse in Irish as Achadh na hAbhla as somewhat bizarre as this is the very townland (Aghnahola) that Willie Scot's house was located.

Also there is a very strong Sinn Féin connection with the local Cumann being The Hugh McCooey Cumann. Scotshouse also has a very strong connection with Sinn Féin founder Arthur Griffith being born in the locality. The house where the Griffith family lived still stands on the way to Redhills with a green door.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References