The new Foresters’ building, erected in 1902–3, worked well for four years but things went badly against the Forsters with a fire in the clubhouse in Harbour Street in July 1907. The Tullamore blaze which was detailed in the last blog article ‘has destroyed what was probably one of the finest Forester Halls in the … Continue reading 16 Tullamore Irish National Foresters:  One of the oldest organisations in Tullamore. A photo-essay to mark the 125th anniversary, looking at the first 25 […]

The railway line from Portarlington to Tullamore was opened on 2 October 1854. It was a quiet affair, but the commencement of the line was to mean significant growth in the years that followed. This was particularly so from 1857 when the extension to Athlone and Galway was completed. The act to enable the line … Continue reading 15 Tullamore and Geashill railway stations, 170 years of the Portarlington to Tullamore line, marked this 2 October 2024. By Peter Burke. No 15 in the Anniversaries […]

The registration of motor vehicles began in 1904 and the early registers are now in Offaly Archives. In the period from 1904 to 1923 about 820 motorised vehicles were registered in Offaly. This would include motorised bicycles and some registrations from other counties. In the first year 14 motor cars and 20 motor cycles were … Continue reading 14 Registration of motor vehicles in Offaly commenced in 1904, or 120 years ago. No. 14 in the Anniversaries Series. By Michael Byrne and […]

In March 2024 we published two articles in this series by Aidan Doyle marking the 125th anniversary of the founding of the Tullamore branch of the Irish National Foresters (I.N.F) and the 100th anniversary of the opening of its new cinema in Market Square. As was noted in a Midland Tribune article forty years ago[1] … Continue reading 13 Tullamore Irish National Foresters:  One of the oldest organisations in Tullamore. A photo-essay to mark the 125th anniversary, looking at the first 25 […]

The political machinations surrounding the transfer of the assizes (since the 1920s the High Court on circuit) to Tullamore, involving as it did the passing of an Act of Parliament in 1832 declaring it to be the place of the assizes (read county town) in place of Daingean (Philipstown) is a story in itself that … Continue reading 10 The architectural history of Tullamore courthouse and its setting in Cormac Street, Tullamore, Ireland. No. 10 in the Cormac Street history series. A […]

Just 100 years ago the closure of Tullamore prison was announced effective twelve months later. That was a legal formality as the prison had been severely damaged in the burning of July 1922 and by the extensive looting that followed. The town was without an effective police force since December 1921 and the new Civic … Continue reading The closure of Tullamore Jail in 1924. No. 12 in the Anniversaries Series. By Michael Byrne and Offaly History

Undoubtedly, the history of Tullamore jail would make a book in itself for besides the mundane occurrences there were a few extraordinary events such as the imprisonment of some of those involved in the Plan of Campaign including William O’Brien and John Mandeville in 1887-88, the women’s suffrage prisoners in 1913, the Tullamore Incident prisoners … Continue reading 9 Tullamore jail: 1830–1924: a county institution built at Cormac Street, Tullamore in the Gothic style. No. 9 in the […]

Patrick Lopeman was born at Riverstown, Birr in 1893 (although army records sometimes list 1894). Over the next decade, his parents Patrick senior and Letitia (Sometimes listed as Alicia) moved with the family between several addresses in Kildare and Birr. Patrick Sr worked as a painter. In Lopeman’s youth his family suffered from economic hardship, … Continue reading A Constant Battle: The Life of Patrick Lopeman, Great War Veteran, Connaught Ranger Mutineer, Labour Activist and Birr Man. […]

The new courts system established in 1923–24 saw the first sittings of the district court in Tullamore and Birr in January 1923 and the opening of barracks or stations for the new civic guard from the autumn of 1922. The circuit court system in Offaly was established in October 1924. The circuit court system had … Continue reading The Centenary on 8 October 2024 of the first sitting of the Circuit Court in County Offaly. No. 10 in the 2024 Anniversaries Series by Michael Byrne and […]

120 years has passed since the motor vehicle and driver licences registrations had been introduced in the UK and Ireland. The King’s Co (Offaly) county council was responsible in the collecting and registering drivers’ details and collecting fees. There were motor vehicles on the county roads from the late 1890’s, although there was no administration … Continue reading First motor vehicles on the streets of Tullamore and County Offaly, 1904–1923 by Tomás Ó Helion. No. 9 in our 2024 […]

We have looked at the houses in Cormac Street and will soon follow up with the jail and courthouse reviews.  In this article we want to look at the families of Cormac Street in the early 1900s. In the c. 41 residences in the street in 1901 were about 326 people. About 250 were RC … Continue reading 8 Families of Cormac Street, Tullamore in the early 1900s. All was Victorian respectability to the front of the street but with a ‘cabin suburb’ and a prison close by. A contribution to the […]

In this article we are looking at the houses from the courthouse to the junction with O’Moore Street. The area was residential but with the two big public buildings – the jail and the courthouse, and across from the courthouse was low-lying land used for farming purposes and in the corner the old town graveyard. … Continue reading 7   Cormac Street east, Tullamore, Co. Offaly, from 1795.  By Michael Byrne and Offaly History. A contribution to the Living in Towns series supported by the […]

What we construct and what we take down is often the most significant indicator of the nature and health of our society. Also, the choice of an aesthetic style for a new building tells us much about the values of its proposer. Government or religious institutions will seek to emphasise their role and power by … Continue reading Modern Times:  mid-twentieth century architectural styles in Tullamore, Ireland. By Fergal MacCabe. Published to mark Heritage Week 2004 and no. 8 in Offaly History […]

The Grand Canal was completed to the River Shannon in 1804, 220 years ago. By 1864 passenger traffic was finished and commercial by 1960. Cruise traffic was only in its infancy and when this article was written 45 years ago things were bleak. In looking at the building of the Grand Canal from Tullamore to … Continue reading Shannon Harbour, completed in 1804, and described by Sean Olson in 1979, 45 years ago. Canal events this August weekend, 45 years on, in Pollagh and Tullamore. Article […]

Acres Folly Wellington’s victories in the battles in the Peninsular War were celebrated by Thomas Acres by the erection of the folly or tower in the garden of his private house at Acres Hall. This is now the Tullamore Municipal Council building and the garden is in part used for parking. The entire Acres development … Continue reading 6   Acres Folly, Kilcruttin graveyard and the Lloyd Town Park, Cormac Street, Tullamore, Offaly, Ireland. By Michael Byrne and Offaly History. A […]

There are 20 houses in all from south of the town hall and as far as the junction with the road to Kilcruttin beside the railway station. Following the numbering of these houses in the first valuation of 1843 and the second published in 1854 can be confusing. The numbers in the 1843 survey inclusive … Continue reading 5   The terraces on the west side of Cormac Street, Tullamore, Offaly, Ireland, 1790 to 1898. By Michael Byrne and Offaly History. A contribution to the Living in Towns series […]

The James Francis Fuller-designed church was one of two new Church of Ireland churches in the Tullamore area completed in the 1880s. The other was at Lynally and was the gift of Lady Emily Bury (died 1931) to mark the recent death of her young husband Charles Kenneth Howard. That at Durrow was to replace … Continue reading A new Church of Ireland church, Durrow in King’s County/Offaly in June 1881. No. 6 in the Anniversaries Series. Issued by Offaly History to mark Heritage Week, 17-24 […]

It is hard to believe that we are catching up on history. In seven years time we mark the 200th anniversary of the building of the Catholic church in Durrow. This year is the thirtieth anniversary of the major renovation. The catholic church now in use at Durrow dates back to 1831and was completed in … Continue reading St. Colum Cille’s Catholic Church, Durrow: built in 1831-32; major renovation completed thirty years ago. No. 5 in the Anniversaries Series. By Offaly History with thanks to […]

The Bismarck Connection: 1807 – Tullamore In 1803, Hanover was occupied by troops from Napoleon Bonaparte’s French Army. Up to that point the Electorate of Hanover had been governed by King George III of the United Kingdom. In response to the occupation and the disbandment of the Electorate’s army, thousands of Hanoverian exiles travelled to … Continue reading In search of Satisfaction: Duelling and King’s County, 1583–1845. By Aidan Doyle, nos 3 and 4 in the Offaly History […]

The word duel supposedly has its origin in the Latin duellum, roughly translated as a war or battle between two. Ancient history, religious accounts and myth are all full of accounts of Champion Warfare as elite warriors battled for the glory of their respective peoples. When David slew Goliath, Achilles dispatched Hector outside the gates … Continue reading In search of Satisfaction: Duelling and King’s County, 1583–1845. By Aidan Doyle, nos 3 and 4 in the Offaly History Anniversaries […]

Thomas Acres Pierce (sometimes written as Peirce) the eldest son of Dr Pierce (d. 1859) who succeeded his father and mother at Acres Hall died in 1879. Colonel Thomas Acres Pierce, (he was an officer in the King’s County Militia and in his early years the regular army) died suddenly in December 1879 of a … Continue reading No 4, Cormac Street, Acres Hall, Acres Pierce, Henry Egan and Tullamore Town Council. A contribution to the Living in Towns series supported by the Heritage Council. By […]

The image is that of a cancelled return rail excursion ticket from Edenderry to Dublin on the 17th of March 1963. The event was the Railway Cup inter Provincial Finals in Hurling and Football. Four Offaly Players were selected – Greg Hughes, Paddy McCormack, Charlie Wrenn and Sean Brereton. It was the last passenger or … Continue reading Nesbitt’s Junction and the Edenderry-Enfield Railway Line and the end of era. By Declan O’Connor. No. 2 in our Offaly History Anniversaries Series […]

This article is not about the fashionable ‘Chopped’ clean food eateries. Instead, it concerns what was fed to our horses, in particular, before World War 1. That was a time of increasing use of motorised transport and less of horse-drawn vehicles. It was in 1904 that Motor Registration was introduced in Ireland, the War began … Continue reading Tullamore’s ‘Chop’ Factory. By Michael Goodbody. From our new Anniversaries Series

This handsome house was built in 1786 by Thomas Acres and is set well in from the street. The valuer of 1843 wrote: ‘This has always been considered the best house in Tullamore – it is well situate – extensive pleasure grounds in front and rear, and well walled garden.’[1] Acres Hall, the town hall … Continue reading No 3 Cormac Street, Acres Hall, ‘the best house in Tullamore’, now Tullamore Town Hall: the home of the Acres family (1786­–1839), Acres Pierce family (1839–91) […]

Last week we set out reasons why Cormac Street can be considered so good. Anybody getting off the train, visiting the town park or the courthouse cannot but be impressed. The street is very largely intact since it was built and has been enhanced by the town park. The restoration of the full Kilcruttin Hill … Continue reading 2  Cormac Street, Tullamore: from Acres Hall to the town park: stages in the development of a singular street. A contribution to the Living in Towns series supported by […]

My paternal great-great grandfather was James Corcoran (c. 1801 to c. 1848), a tenant farmer/freeholder who, in the mid-1820s, had dominion over approximately 44 acres (current measurement) in the townland of Crissard in County Laois.  At that time Crissard was often referred to as “Cropard,” with numerous variations on the name since.  “Crissard” appears to … Continue reading The Corcoran family of Crissard (Crossard) Townland, Rathaspick Civil Parish, County Laois:  A classic […]

Cormac Street is somewhat unique in the story of Tullamore Street development with its forty houses, two major institutional buildings, a folly and a town park. Rarely is a street preserved without blemish with so many elements over a two-hundred-year period. Cormac Street was also the home of the town’s major property developer and rentier … Continue reading 1  Cormac Street, Tullamore: a significant achievement in the planning process, 1786–2024. A contribution to the Living in Towns […]

As we conclude our series on O’Moore Street and move to Cormac Street it is opportune to look at the oldest terrace on the street but starting with No 1 O’Moore Street being Tullamore House, the home of the Bannon family. So many have lived here since that great house was built about 1800. We … Continue reading 7,  O’Moore Street, Tullamore southwest and the Acres estate owned terrace from Tullamore House to Victoria Terrace. A contribution to the Living in Towns series supported by […]

Urban Design ‘The design of buildings, groups of buildings, spaces and landscape’ Early Efforts The purpose of urban design is to create attractive and enticing public environments through the use of harmony, proportion, rhythm, art, unity and vistas. Urban designers treat towns and cities as artefacts whose appearance and civic life can be improved by … Continue reading The Role of Urban Design in the Evolution of Tullamore. By Fergal MacCabe. Published to mark the Regeneration Plan for […]

The fourth head lease in O’Moore Street granted by the earls of Charleville, and the last of significance, was that to the Tullamore printer Richard Willis in 1838 for the construction of the seven houses in Victoria Terrace, O’Moore Street. The lease from the second Lord Charleville was for 99 years from 25 March 1838 … Continue reading Victoria Terrace, Furlong’s and the Tullamore Court Hotel, O’Moore Street, Tullamore. No 6 in the O’Moore Street Living in Towns Series supported […]

The two big garages in O’Moore Street, Tullamore of Roberts Motor Works and Hurst were famous from the 1920s and 1930s. The Hurst boiler, in particular, will be remembered by patrons of Georgie Egan’s in Harbour Street where, as a pot-bellied iron stove, it heated that old pub, now gone. Hurst was the first to … Continue reading F. J. Hurst Motor and General Engineering Works Ltd., Tullamore and the Motor Works,  no 5 in the O’Moore Street, Tullamore Living in Towns Series  supported […]

Moore Hall is an imposing two-story house over basement with two-story porch projection in cut stone, and coach arch and stables (now demolished). The façade is of three bays. The house is one of the finest in Tullamore, a fact that may escape notice because of its closeness to the street. In the front railing … Continue reading Moore Hall, O’Moore Street, Tullamore: one of the finest houses in the old town of Tullamore. No 4 in the 2024 Living in towns series prepared with the support of […]

The Cottage in O’Moore Street, Tullamore is one of the few examples in Offaly of cottage ornée architecture. This was an architectural style that may have begun with Walpole’s Strawberry Hill, built over the period from 1749 to the 1770s. One of the best-known examples in Ireland is the Swiss Cottage in Cahir. These cottages … Continue reading ‘The Cottage’, O’Moore Street, one of the most interesting houses in Tullamore: no 3 in the 2024 Living in Towns series. Supported by the […]

The first overview of the street is available from the 1838 six-inch map and the 1843–54 valuations. By the early 1800s only one windmill survived and that was marked as in ruins on the 1838 five-ft manuscript map. Interestingly the 1838 six-inch map refers to windmills in ruins. Looking closer at both maps it does … Continue reading Overview of Earl St/ Windmill St/ O’Moore Street, Tullamore in the early 1840s-1850s with up to 46 houses. No 2 in a 2024 Living in Towns series supported by […]

Once on the edge of the town O’Moore Street, Tullamore was, in the 1800s, known as Windmill Street because of the two windmills erected by the 1720s on the hill south of O’Moore Street The hill (probably the Tulach Mhór giving Tullamore its name) is now obscured by the houses from the courthouse to Spollanstown … Continue reading The houses and families of O’Moore Street, Tullamore, formerly known as Earl Street and Windmill Street. No. 1 in a new Offaly towns Built Heritage series […]

As darkness fell on the evening of 22 July 1806, the clatter of horses’ hooves and the sharp barking of orders in German temporarily drowned out the moans of wounded men and the confused murmurs of bewildered bystanders. This scene was not a foreign battleground, but the Irish town of Tullamore, in the then King’s … Continue reading ‘A Gross Violation of the Public Peace:’ The Tullamore Incident, 1806. By Daniel S. Gray. [Often described as ‘The battle of Tullamore’ or the […]

The governance of the Tullamore Poor Law Union began in 1839 with the formation of the Tullamore Board of Guardians (the Board) under the Poor Law Commissioners (P.L.C.) sitting in Dublin. The unions were governed by the 1838 Poor Law Act.[i] The guiding principles of the Irish Poor Law was the same as that of … Continue reading Dietary of Tullamore Workhouse before the Famine, 1842-1845. By JJ Reilly

Ted Barrett, one of the pioneers of cruising on the canal, was well aware of its environmental and leisure value. By the late 1960s he was advocating linking the canals with the lakes that might be made from the disused bogs to form a type of Norfolk Broads in Ireland.[1] In this letter of October … Continue reading 61 Cruising on Grand Canal sixty years ago: Thanks from E.C. Barrett of Joy Line Cruisers reporting on the year 1964 season. No. 61 in the Grand Canal Offaly series

John A Killaly, surveyor and canal engineer, was born in Ireland. Killaly was an important figure in Tullamore. For his contribution to the building of the Grand Canal alone he deserves to be remembered. Offaly History erected a plaque to his memory on our building at Bury Quay. In 1794, Killaly joined the Grand Canal … Continue reading 60 Killaly, John (1766-1832), surveyor and canal engineer and one of Tullamore’s premier residents in the forty years from the 1790s to his death in 1832. […]

Banagher, County Offaly has associations with two well-known writers of the nineteenth century – Anthony Trollope and Charlotte Bronte.  Up to recent years nothing by way of notice of this was to be found in Banagher, but that has all changed as Banagher, now hard pressed along its main street, looks again to embrace tourism … Continue reading 59 ‘The month of September in Banagher, and all along the Shannon banks, is visually a glorious one, with golden autumn mornings, the low sun […]

Last week we looked at the history of steamers on the Shannon. Today we take the account of Henry D. Inglis published in 1835. Inglis was a professional travel writer and author of Spain in 1830, A Journey through Norway etc, published his A Journey throughout Ireland during the Spring, Summer and Autumn of 1834 … Continue reading 58 Henry Inglis travels on a River Shannon steam boat and includes Killaloe, Portumna, Banagher and Athlone on his Tour in 1834. No 58 in the Grand Canal series.

The history of passenger steamers on the Shannon, covering a period of 140 years, was traced by Dr McNeill of Southampton University, in a lecture jointly sponsored by the Old Athlone Society and the local branch of the Inland Waterways Association, and held in the Prince of Wales Hotel, Athlone, in January 1966.[1] Dr McNeill … Continue reading 57 The Golden Era of Shannon Steamers. No 57 in the Grand Canal series.

This is the story of eight new houses built by Tullamore Urban District Council in 1923 in what is now John Dillon Street. Turning into the street from Charleville Road, the first eight houses on the right were built as part of the Provisional Government’s £1 million scheme launch in 1922 in the midst of … Continue reading Tullamore and the £1 million housing scheme of 1922. The new houses at John Dillon Street. By Peter Connell

Growing up on Clontarf Road, Tullamore, on the banks of the Grand Canal in the 1950s and 1960s I spent many childhood hours playing beside the canal. This was where my father’s family had lived for generations in East View Terrace before he and several of his siblings had acquired houses in Frank Gibney’s new … Continue reading 56 Offaly in the Grand Canal Company minutes, 1900-1950 with special reference to the 1911-23 period. By James Scully.

From the ending of our most recent Ice Age to the arrival of our First Farmers, the Irish landscape changed little other than the reduction of our land space with rising sea waters from the melting ice cap.  The Mesolithic peoples left minimal traces behind such as that at Lough Boora, Offaly. The First Farmers … Continue reading Hillforts in Co. Offaly. By John Dolan

About Garrycastle Coote wrote in 1801: The few demesnes of the gentry are highly planted and improved, but the remainder of this country is almost in a state of nature . . All the fuel of this district is turf, which is very cheap and plenty: the country is intersected with very extensive bogs . … Continue reading 55 Charles Coote’s observations on  the landscape and economy of Garrycastle barony and the Grand Canal [Ballycumber to the River Shannon] from his Survey of King’s County […]

John Flanagan the well-known builder and advocate for Tullamore and County Offaly died on 9 May 2024. He was the modest man from the Meelaghans, Puttaghan and Bachelors Walk, Tullamore who invested his whole life in making Tullamore a better place for people to live, work, bank and even pray in. In 2018 he was … Continue reading Remembering John Flanagan, the Tullamore builder and developer, who died on 9 May 2024. An obituary from Offaly History

The town councils of Tullamore, Birr and that of Edenderry were abolished ten years ago in what some consider was a mistake and a hasty reaction to the calls for pruning in that recessionary period. Here we provides some headlines for significan events since the first council body – the Tullamore Town Commission – was … Continue reading Tullamore Town Council: a short timeline of municipal events from its establishment in 1860 to its abolition in 2014. By Offaly History

The line of the Grand canal to Philipstown and Tullamore is the only navigation through this county, and is material advantage to the district, through which it passes.  Levels have been taken, and the line laid out for a further extension of this canal to the Shannon, with off branches to Birr and other towns, … Continue reading 54 Charles Coote’s observations on Ballycowan barony and the district of Tullamore for his Survey of King’s County published in 1801. No 54 in the Grand Canal […]

The bumper volume of essays (list below) in Offaly and the Great War (Offaly History, 2018) can now be accessed free online at www.offalyhistory.com thanks to the Decade of Centenaries. The book of 28 essays is also available in hardcopy from Offaly History for just €20. In all over 50 articles free to download. Go … Continue reading Offaly and the Great War essays published in 2018 now on Open Access to all. Thanks to the Decade of Centenaries

Prior to 1783, the history of the Catholic Church in America was one of struggle and suffering. The country was under British rule until the victorious War of Independence that year. In her struggle for independence, France was America’s greatest ally. King Louis XVI sent out a large fleet, under the command of Comte De … Continue reading Father Whelan from Ballycommon, County Offaly. He laid the foundation for the Catholic Church in three American States. By Danny Leavy

Ballysheil is in the Electoral Division of Gallen, in Civil Parish of Gallen, in the Barony of Garrycastle, in the County of Offaly. The Irish name for Ballysheil is Baile Uí Shiail meaning the town of O Siail. In this area we come to two smaller bridges, not far part from each other. Glyn and … Continue reading 52-53, Grand Canal Townlands East to West: Ballysheil to Clonony Beg No 52-53 in the Grand Canal Offaly Series. By Philomena Bracken, Offaly History

With the construction of the Grand Canal from the late 1750s, brought with it the expansion of Trade. goods could be carried from East to West along the line, this helped boost the development of the local economy from the late 18th century. The Offaly section of the canal runs approximately 42 miles and is … Continue reading 50-51, Grand Canal Townlands East to West: Derries to Glyn No 50-51 in the Grand Canal Offaly Series. By Philomena Bracken, Offaly History

In April 2023 our little history group had a successful trip to the town of Wexford, where it was decided that our next outing would be Tullamore. So, on 28 September, we came together for lunch in the bar of the Bridge House, of which I have fond memories of getting warm and dry after … Continue reading ‘Altogether, Tullamore was voted an excellent destination’.  A visit to Tullamore and district in September 2023 by Michael Fewer

Pollagh also spelt as Pullough, is located in a small village in County Offaly, it is in the Civil Parish of Lemanaghan. A small parish, it extends from Ballycumber to Ferbane. Pollagh village can be found on the north side of the canal. The Parish lies in the territory of Dealbhna Eathra of the MacCoghlans … Continue reading 48-49, Grand Canal Townlands East to West: Pollagh to Turraun No 48-49 in the Grand Canal Offaly Series. By Philomena Bracken, Offaly History

A recent purchase by a ,member of Offaly History of the Letters of William Stubbs (1825-1901), edited by W.H. Hutton included an original letter from the Hon. Secretary of the London-based Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies sending a gentle reminder to the  learned and revered historian that his subscription was outstanding for four … Continue reading Renewing your subscription to Offaly History (Offaly Historical and Archaeological Society) for 2024: a gentle  reminder to Canon […]

Rahan, Civil Parish is situated in the ancient O’Molloy territory of Fear Ceall meaning Men of the Woods or Men of the Churches. It is bounded on its north west side by the Brosna River. Its bedrock is Limestone and it has deposits of brick and clay along the Grand Canal. Its best know archaeological … Continue reading 46-47, Grand Canal Townlands East to West: Ballindrinan to Cornalaur No 46-47 in the Grand Canal Offaly Series. By Philomena Bracken, Offaly History

The sisters of Saint Joseph of Cluny first arrived in Ferbane on the 12th of May 1896. Their arrival and the arrival of those who followed in their footsteps were to have a significant impact on the community of Ferbane and to the education of young women in the midlands of Ireland. The order of … Continue reading The Boarding School in Ferbane and the impact of the sisters of Saint Joseph of Cluny on the Midlands of Ireland. By Mary Delaney

Frank Mitchell (1912–97) was a distinguished but unassuming academic, environmental historian, archaeologist and geologist. While he had many academic writings his best known book was The Irish Landscape (1976) about which he was typically modest. In 1990 Mitchell published ‘a semi-autobiography’ The way that I followed. The title was a play on Robert Lloyd Praeger’s, … Continue reading 45 The landscape of east Offaly: Croghan Hill and Clonsast. Frank Mitchell describes the landscape […]

A New Church Towards the end of the 19th century the 1840 Mercy Convent with its frontage to the landscaped banks of the Grand Canal, was the most prominent symbol of the increasing importance of the Catholic Church in the spiritual life of the people of Tullamore. In contrast, the almost one hundred year old … Continue reading AN AWKWARD SITE- The Building and Rebuilding of the Church of the Assumption of Our Blessed Lady, Tullamore. By Fergal MacCabe

Thursday May 19th 1938 was a big day in Tullamore. The occasion was the opening of 146 new houses on O’Molloy Street and the opening of a new outdoor Swimming Pool by the Tánaiste and Minister of Local Government and Public Health Mr. Sean T. O’Kelly. By Damien Byrne The local newspapers of the day … Continue reading Swimming pool opened in Tullamore in 1938 together with O’Molloy Street housing scheme. Damien Byrne

Kilgortin is in the Electoral Division of Rahan, in Civil Parish of Rahan, this parish is situated in the ancient O’Molloy territory of Fear Ceall meaning the mem of the woods or men of the churches. If you look closely along the line in this area you will see deposits of brick clays along the Grand Canal … Continue reading 43-44 Grand Canal Townlands East to West: Kilgortin/Killina/ Loughroe. No 43-44 in the Grand Canal Offaly Series by Offaly History

Frank Mitchell (1912–97) was a distinguished but unassuming academic, environmental historian, archaeologist and geologist. While he had many academic writings his best known book was The Irish Landscape (1976) about which he was typically modest. In 1990 Mitchell published ‘a semi-autobiography’ The way that I followed. The title was a play on Robert Lloyd Praeger’s, … Continue reading 42 The Way that I followed, Frank Mitchell (1990). In this extract Mitchell describes the […]

Was it chance and circumstances that led fourteen Offaly men to be present in early July 1863 on the fields, hills, and laneways of Gettysburg in what was, and still is to this day, the single most important battle in American history? Chance:  the absence of any cause of events that can be predicted, understood, … Continue reading Offaly and the Battle of Gettysburg. Michael Bennett, James Campbell and the Edenderry connection. By Kevin Guing

Coming into Carton West, a small townland east of Tullamore that can be found in the Kilbride civil parish, this parish following the division of the original parish, is distinct from a second civil parish of the same name (Clara). The landscape in this area is mainly woodland, with a bedrock of dark Limestone, as … Continue reading 40-41 Grand Canal Townlands East to West: Carton West/ Kilbride/Ballycowan No 40-41 in the Grand Canal Offaly Series. Offaly History

The Grand Canal reached Daingean in 1797. The changing landscape along the route of the new canal from Edenderry at its survey in 1800. Sir Charles Coote describes Philipstown /Daingean in No. 33 in the Grand Canal Offaly Series The Grand Canal reached Daingean (Philipstown 1557-1920) in 1797 having been dug by upwards of 3,000 … Continue reading 39 Charles Coote on the rural landscape in 1800 as the canal was completed as far as Tullamore. No 39 in the Grand Canal Offaly series

Tullamore is the county town of Co Offaly, it lies on the Grand Canal. It is a large and thriving place that has seen great development over the years. In this article, have a look back with a picturesque timeline through from 1798 when the canal reached Tullamore. We will return to Tullamore stories of … Continue reading 37-38, Grand Canal Townlands East to West: Tullamore along the line,Puttaghan/ Srah / Ballydrohid/ Killiskea No 37-38 in the Grand Canal Offaly Series. By Philomena Bracken, […]

Cappyroe The Civil Parish of Geashill is the largest Parish in Offaly, and contains 74 townlands. As well as fine fields and bog land – dark, shale and lime mudstone, are just some of the materials you will find in its bedrocks. The Parish is part of the ancient territory of “Ui Failghe of the … Continue reading 36 Grand Canal Townlands East to West: Cappyroe, Clonmore No 36 in the Grand Canal Offaly Series. By Philomena Bracken, Offaly History

There is an open invitation to all those interested in the River Brosna to come to the book launch on Friday 22 March at 7.30pm in The Star (GAA hall) River Street,  Clara hosted by Clara Heritage Society.  John Feehan has dedicated much of his life to studying and communicating the evolution of the landscape … Continue reading Launch of new book ‘The River Brosna – An Environmental History’ by John Feehan, Friday 22 March 8 p.m.

As we make our way along we start to make the journey to Ballycommon, we come to Townparks townland, in the Electoral Division of Daingean, in Civil Parish of Killaderry, in the Barony of Lower Philipstown, in the County of Offaly. The Irish name for Townparks is Páirceanna an Bhaile. Townparks townland in Daingean has the site of Fort … Continue reading 34-35 Grand Canal Townlands East to West: Daingean Townparks, Ballymullen, Knockballyboy to Ballycommon, County Offaly. Numbers 34-35 […]