Templemore

Coordinates: 52°48′N 7°50′W / 52.80°N 7.83°W / 52.80; -7.83
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Templemore (disambiguation).

Templemore
An Teampall Mór (Irish)
Town
Main Street with Templemore Town Hall in the centre
Main Street with Templemore Town Hall in the centre
Templemore is located in Ireland
Templemore
Templemore
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°48′N 7°50′W / 52.80°N 7.83°W / 52.80; -7.83
CountryIreland
ProvinceMunster
CountyCounty Tipperary
BaronyEliogarty
Population
 (2022)[1]
 • Total2,005
Time zoneUTC0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+1 (IST)
Eircode
E41
Area code0504
Irish Grid ReferenceS104720
Websitewww.templemore.ie

Templemore (Irish: An Teampall Mór, meaning "the big church") is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Eliogarty.[2] It is part of the parish of Templemore, Clonmore and Killea in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly.[3]

The town's population increased from 1,939 at the 2016 census[4] to 2,055 in the 2022 census.[1]

Location and access[edit]

Templemore is the eighth largest town in County Tipperary. The N62 national route connects the town to the main Dublin-Limerick motorway (M7 – Junction 22) and Roscrea north of the parish. Travelling south, the route connects to Thurles and then the main Dublin-Cork motorway (M8 – Junction 6 Horse and Jockey). The N62 originates in Athlone.

To the east, the R433 connects the town to the M8 at a more northerly point (Junction 3) via the villages of Clonmore, Errill and the town of Rathdowney in County Laois. Alternatively, the motorway may be accessed via the village of Templetuohy. To the west, the R501, tracking the Devil's Bit mountain range, goes to Borrisoleigh.

Templemore railway station is on the Dublin-Cork railway line operated by Iarnród Éireann. There are direct trains to and from stations like Dublin Heuston railway station (8 trains avg), Thurles (9 trains avg) Cork (4 trains avg) and Limerick (4 trains avg) daily[5]

History[edit]

Ancient history[edit]

The ancient territory of Éile obtained its name from pre-historic inhabitants called the Eli, about whom little is known beyond what may be gathered from legends and traditions. The extent of Éile varied throughout the centuries with the rise and fall of the tribes in occupation. During this century however Éile appears to have reached its greatest extent, stretching from Croghan Bri Eli (Croghan Hill in Offaly) to just south of Cashel (in Corca Eathrach Eli). The southern part of this territory embraced the baronies of Eliogarty and Ikerrin, a great part of the modern barony of Middle Third, the territory of Ileagh (or Ileigh) and a portion of the present barony of Kilnamanagh Upper.

By the 8th century, the territory of Ancient Éile had broken up into a number of petty kingdoms: the O'Carroll occupied the northern portion, the O'Spillanes held Ileagh, the Eóganacht Chaisil had annexed Middle Third. The ancient name of the district on which the town now stands was Tuatha Corca Teine. Teine was supposed to have been the son of the King of Connacht, arriving in the district shortly after Saint Patrick. Monastic settlements were located at the site of Teine's fort, 'Land of the Monks' (Irish: Farran na Manna). A holy man named Silean (anglicised as Sheelan) is reputed to have accompanied St Patrick and to have established a monastery in the area. There is no townland called Templemore. The townland on which the town is built is Kiltillane (Irish: Cill tSilean), meaning Saint Sheelan's Church.

Feudal period[edit]

Knockagh Castle, near Drom
The Big Church or Templemore Abbey
West entrance. April 2011.

With the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169, a powerful Norman family – the Butlers – became the new overlords. Early in the 14th century, they were raised to the Earldom of Ormond and held palatine rights in County Tipperary.[6]

The ruins of Templemore Abbey, which may have been established by the Knights Templar, lie to the north of the town in the Town Park, the demesne of the Carden family.[7]

The Blackcastle, as it is locally known, was built in the Town Park in 1450 by James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond.[8] This building and its manor lands were occupied by the Butlers and were later leased to the families of Purcell of Loughmore (Loughmoe) and Morris of Knockagh.[9]

The O′Fogarty clan held what is now the barony of Eliogarty, while to the north of them, at least some time later, were O'Meaghers of Ikerrin.[10]

Carden family[edit]

Black Castle Town Park 2007

Around 1695 the Butlers sold extensive lands to an English family called Carden[11] from Cheshire, who settled in the area and also located at Barnane and Fishmoyne. Over the next 200 years, this family was to play a significant part in the development of the town and district which has the nickname of "Carden's Wild Demesne", after the popular 19th-century poem.

Templemore owes its improved state to the liberality and exertions of the John C. Carden, Bart. under whose auspices the public buildings were erected, and by whom the ground on which the town stands was granted at a nominal annual rent.[12]

Following the burning of the Blackcastle, Carden built a new estate. He built a mansion known as the Priory on the edge of the town. The architecture of the Priory was in the style of the Elizabethan era. The Priory was surrounded by a demesne which had a formal garden with paved paths around an artificial lake. Quoting from a contemporary newspaper commentary of 1861, when the Priory was still under construction:

The noble Gothic pile of finely chiselled limestone, with its battlements, turrets, buttresses and extensive façade, and spacious arched doorway; the architraves of grouped columns, retreating to the depth of several feet, convey to the mind an idea of architectural grandeur seldom associated with the country residences of our gentry.

There were extensive gardens and a lot of money was spent on them:

The house itself consists of sixty rooms, and the sum of, we understand £20,000 in round numbers, has been expended so far upon the building, – Upon entering the grand hall, through the massive oaken doorway, replete with medieval decorations, the visitor finds that ‘The Priory’ has been erected in a style of magnificence not very generally met with – it is floored en mosaique, in walnut and oak; the peculiar grotesque spirit of the Gothic style is not permitted to run riot through the rich oak carving, while that more beautiful element, tracery enters largely into the interior ornamentation – the oak painted ceiling richly stuccoed and the polished armour shields an banners that hang around with the erect figures in full suits of armour; the wide staircase in massive oak – the great doorways leading to the drawing–room at one side and to the library at the other – the rich and mellow light that comes through the beautiful stained glass window that forms the upper portion of the Gothic entrance, and through the lancet shaped sashes – all this bespeak a profuse liberality and taste of order.[13]

The Cardens kept the ruins of the old church and graveyard. At the entrance on the Borrisoleigh Road is the gatekeeper's lodge. After 1860, the Priory was renamed the Abbey.[14]

Lewis' directory of 1837 lists the principal landowners in the locality at the time:

Lloydsborough is the seat of J. Lloyd, Esq.; part of the demesne is in Killea, though the mansion is in the parish of Templemore; it is a handsome residence in a well-planted demesne. The other principal seats are Woodville Lodge, the residence of D. J. Webb, Esq.; Belleville, of the Hon. C.J.K. Monck; and Eastwood, of T. Bennett, Esq.[15]

McCan Barracks[edit]

McCan Barracks, originally called "Richmond barracks", was constructed in 1809 on the 17-acre (69,000 m2) site donated by the town's founder and largest landowner Sir John Carden, ancestor of Sir John Carden, 6th Baronet (1892-1935), who also donated the adjoining 40 acres (160,000 m2) for training and recreation. It replaced an earlier barracks located near the Ursuline convent. George Borrow resided there when he accompanied his father's regiment to Templemore in 1816. The new barracks consisted of 2 squares, surrounded by company lines, stores, married quarters, officer's mess, military prison, church and hospital. Completely surrounded by a high wall, with protective/defensive posts at each corner, it had accommodation for 25 officers, married quarters for 48 other ranks, and 767 unmarried personnel. A total of 36 hospital beds and 15 guardroom cells were located within the complex as well as stabling for 27 officers' horses. The surrounding area was quickly developed, with names such as Talavera Place, Vimeiro Mall and Regent Bridge,[16] reminders of the victories of the British in the Peninsular War taking place at the time of the construction of the barracks.[17]

In late summer 1920, Templemore was the site of alleged Marian apparitions.[18] The town briefly became a popular pilgrimage destination.[18] This took place during the War of Independence and also resulted in a brief truce between the IRA and Crown forces in the area.[18]

Since February 1964, the barracks has been the site of the Garda Síochána College, the centre for training Ireland's police force.[19]

Templemore today[edit]

The town council was abolished in 2014 following the enactment of the Local Government Reform Act 2014.

Mary Street

Townlands in the civil parish[edit]

There are 38 townlands in the civil parish of Templemore.[20] The bulk of the town of Templemore lies in the townland of Kiltillane which has the River Suir as its eastern boundary. Townlands in the north-western parts of the parish are situated in the barony of Ikerrin. From north to south they are Killough, Clontaaffe, Craiguedarg, Curraduff and Graiguebeg.[21] The townland of Killawardy is mainly in the civil parish of Killea. Adjacent to it, but in the parish of Templemore and the barony of Eliogarty, is a townland of the same name.

Townland
(English)		 Townland
(Irish)		 Acres Barony Poor Law Union
Adamstown Baile Ádaim 289 Eliogarty Thurles
Ballycahill Baile Uí Chathail 1,028 Eliogarty Thurles
Ballyheen Béal Átha Hín 156 Eliogarty Thurles
Barnalascaw Bearna Leathscátha 18 Eliogarty Thurles
Belleville Belleville 32 Eliogarty Thurles
Borrisbeg An Bhuiríos Bheag 488 Eliogarty Thurles
Butlerslodge Lóiste an Bhuitléaraigh 20 Eliogarty Thurles
Clontaaffe Cluain Tífe 462 Ikerrin Roscrea
Craiguedarg An Ghráig Dhearg 82 Ikerrin Roscrea
Culleenagh An Choillíneach 162 Eliogarty Thurles
Curraduff An Currach Dubh 175 Ikerrin Roscrea
Eastwood An Choill Thoir 225 Eliogarty Thurles
Farranacahill Fearann Ó gCathail 79 Eliogarty Thurles
Farranaderry Fearann Doire 172 Eliogarty Thurles
Forest An Seisceann 199 Eliogarty Thurles
Graiguebeg An Ghráig Bheag 37 Ikerrin Roscrea
Greenwood An Choill Ghlas 40 Eliogarty Thurles
Ivyhall Halla an Eidhneáin 74 Eliogarty Thurles
Jockeyhall Halla an Mharcaigh 42 Eliogarty Thurles
Kilclareen Cill Chléirín 156 Eliogarty Thurles
Killawardy Coill an Bhardaigh 101 Ikerrin Roscrea
Killough Cill Eochaidh 849 Ikerrin Roscrea
Kiltillane Cill tSiolláin 506 Eliogarty Thurles
Kiltilliha Cill Tuilithe 195 Eliogarty Thurles
Knockanroe An Cnocán Rua 760 Eliogarty Thurles
Kylebeg An Choill Bheag 17 Eliogarty Thurles
Lisnaviddoge North Lios na bhFeadóg Thuaidh 89 Eliogarty Thurles
Lisnaviddoge South Lios na bhFeadóg Theas 59 Eliogarty Thurles
Lloydsborough Gort Ruáin 322 Eliogarty Thurles
Manna North Mana Thuaidh 131 Eliogarty Thurles
Manna South Mana Theas 225 Eliogarty Thurles
Oldtown An Seanbhaile 354 Eliogarty Thurles
Priory Demesne Diméin na Prióireachta 288 Eliogarty Thurles
Rossnamanniff Lower Ros na mBanbh Íochtarach 55 Eliogarty Thurles
Rossnamanniff Upper Ros na mBanbh Uachtarach 44 Eliogarty Thurles
Sandymount Cnocán na Gainimhe 50 Eliogarty Thurles
Templemore Demesne Diméin an Teampaill Mhóir 386 Eliogarty Thurles
Woodville Woodville 83 Eliogarty Thurles

Amenities and features[edit]

The most notable landmark in the district is the Devil's Bit mountain range. It is an excursion point for people to visit 'the Rock' and cross at the summit. Following the War of Independence, the private demesne of the Carden family came into the ownership of the town's urban district council which handed it over to the citizens as the Town Park. The Park incorporates GAA grounds (Páirc Shíleáin), Lakeside Pitch & Putt Course and an all-weather athletic track in the care of Templemore Athletic Club. The demesne's mature woodlands features walks, the ruin of the Black Castle on the western bank of the lake and the ruin of the eponymous big church. The main focus of attention is the man-made lake (7.5 acres) which is used for coarse fishing.

On the Roscrea road there is a cluster of buildings associated with the Church of Ireland community. Among these is St Mary's Church, which is the principal church serving the community in Templemore, Thurles and Kilfithmone.[22] The church originally stood in front of one of the entrances to the Abbey's parkland. When the estates locally known as The Park were built in the late 1950s, the entrance gates and avenue were removed by the town council. The church, along with St Mary's School, the Rectory, adjacent cottage and lodge, were built in 1790 on land donated by Sir John Craven Carden.[23]

The foundation stone for the parish church, the Church of the Sacred Heart, was laid on 1 January 1877. It stands on the site of the former residential Erasmus Smith school. At the nearby village of Loughmore is the historic Loughmoe Castle.[24]

Templemore Town Hall, in the centre of the town, was commissioned as a market house in 1816.[25]

Education[edit]

Templemore was one of the first three locations selected by the trust of Erasmus Smith in the 17th century for his schools.[26] The Sisters of Mercy operated the St. Augustine's Industrial School for Girls in the town from 1870 to 1965. Today's schools include:

  • St. Colmcille's Primary School, under the ethos of the Catholic Church.
  • St. Joseph's Primary School, under the ethos of the Catholic Church.
  • St. Mary's National School, under the ethos of the Church of Ireland.
  • Our Lady's Secondary School (co-educational), under the ethos of the Catholic Church. It was formed when the Sisters of Mercy Convent (a day and boarding school) merged with the Christian Brothers secondary school in 1986.
  • Templemore College of Further Education, a QQI college of further education offering over a wide variety mainly vocational courses. It had been named St Sheelan's College, with second-level teaching until 2003. In 2012 it changed its name to Templemore College of Further Education.[27]
  • Garda Síochána College, the education and training college of the Garda Síochána (Irish police).

Sport[edit]

Gaelic games[edit]

Jk Brackens Logo.
Jk Brackens Logo.

The local Gaelic Athletic Association club is J.K. Bracken's GAC, formed in 1991 when clubs from Clonmore, Killea and Templemore merged. It is named for Joseph Kevin Bracken, one of the founders of the GAA,[28][29] who came from Templemore. His son, Brendan, who was a member of Winston Churchill's government in the United Kingdom during World War II, was born in Templemore.[30]

Golf[edit]

There is a nine-hole golf course located at close to the Garda Síochána College just off the Thurles road. The Lakeside Pitch-and-Putt club is located beside the lake in the Town Park. Its eighteen-hole course is affiliated to the Pitch and Putt Union of Ireland.

Angling[edit]

Coarse fishing is available in the lake in the town park. The lake was recently[when?] restored after a period of pollution and rising phosphates. It now has a stock of native fish, as well as a fountain.[citation needed]

Parkrun[edit]

A weekly free 5 km (3.1 mi) Parkrun takes place in Templemore. [31]

International relations[edit]

Templemore is twinned with the community of Prémilhat in France and with the municipality of Potenza Picena in Italy.[32]

People[edit]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Census Mapping – Templemore". Census 2022. Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 29 December 2023.
  2. ^ Placenames Database of Ireland Archived 19 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine – Templemore civil parish.
  3. ^ [1] Archived 19 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ^ "Census 2016 - Small Area Population Statistics (SAPMAP Area) - Settlements - Templemore". Census 2016. Central Statistics Office. Archived from the original on 20 August 2018. Retrieved 19 August 2018.
  5. ^ Irish Rail printable timetables Archived 25 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Irishrail.ie (20 January 2013).
  6. ^ Mountmorres of Castlemorres (1792). The History of the Principal Transactions of the Irish Parliament, from 1634 to 1666: Containing Proceedings of the Lords and Commons During the Administration of the Earl of Strafford, and of the First Duke of Ormond. New York Public Library: T. Cadell. p. 194.
  7. ^ Illustrated Ireland Guide. Irish Tourist Board. 1969. p. 302.
  8. ^ Lodge, John. The Peerage of Ireland or, A Genealogical History of the Present Nobility of That Kingdom, 1789, Vol IV, p 11.
  9. ^ [2] Archived 21 July 2011 at the Wayback Machine
  10. ^ Walsh, Paul P., History of Templemore and its Environs (1991 & 2006).
  11. ^ Arthur E. Carden, Carden of Templemore, 2010.
  12. ^ ′′Slater's Commercial Directory of Ireland 1846′′, p. 314
  13. ^ Tipperary Advocate, 30 November 1861. Transcribed by Patrick Bracken. Archived 20 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  14. ^ [3] Archived 27 April 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, 1837.
  16. ^ Garda College Yearbook 2007, p. 16 Archived 19 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Docstoc.com (5 December 2011)
  17. ^ "History of Templemore". Archived from the original on 22 February 2008. Retrieved 9 February 2016.
  18. ^ a b c Reynolds, John (2016). 46 Men Dead: The Royal Irish Constabulary in County Tipperary, 1919-22. Gill & Macmillan Ltd. p. No page number given. ISBN 9781848895744. Archived from the original on 25 September 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2020.
  19. ^ History of Garda College Archived 18 January 2008 at the Wayback Machine on Garda website
  20. ^ Placenames Database of Ireland: townlands in the civil parish Archived 19 July 2013 at the Wayback Machine. Logainm.ie.
  21. ^ See the O.S.I.'s Archived 29 May 2010 at the Wayback Machine historical map of the barony
  22. ^ Anglican diocese of Cashel & Ossory Archived 15 June 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Cashel.anglican.org.
  23. ^ "A history of Saint Mary's Rectory, Templemore". Tipperary Live. 16 June 2022. Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  24. ^ Crawford, Henry S. (1909). "The Ruins of Loughmoe Castle, County Tipperary". The Journal of the Royal Society of Antiquaries of Ireland. 39 (3): 234–241. ISSN 0035-9106.
  25. ^ "Templemore Town Hall, Main Street, Kiltillane, Templemore, Tipperary North". Retrieved 21 November 2023.
  26. ^ Wallace, W. J. R. (2004). Faithful to our trust: a history of the Erasmus Smith Trust and the High School, Dublin. Blackrock, Co. Dublin: Columba Press. p. 29. ISBN 978-1-85607-466-7. Archived from the original on 27 February 2017. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  27. ^ "Templemore College of Further Education". Archived from the original on 7 March 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2021.
  28. ^ [4] Archived 20 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  29. ^ "GAA.ie". www.gaa.ie. Archived from the original on 21 November 2016. Retrieved 21 November 2016.
  30. ^ Brendan Bracken at Archived 5 October 2008 at the Wayback Machine, WinstonChurchill.org
  31. ^ "Parkrun in Templemore". Archived from the original on 4 August 2019. Retrieved 10 August 2019.
  32. ^ [5] Archived 19 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine

External links[edit]

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