[color=green]HISTORY OF DURROW:[/color]
This page features information on the History of Durrow. This History of Durrow page is updated intermittently.
We would like to thank CAAS Environmental Services Ltd and Durrow Development Forum for the information supplied.
[color=green]CONTENTS:[/color]
ORIGINS AND EVOLUTION OF DURROW
TWELVE INTERESTING FACTS
ORIGINS AND EVOLUTION OF DURROW:
The earliest record of Durrow dates back to 546A.D. when the village – then called Dervagh, was the site of a monastery, founded by St. Columb. The earliest recorded church in the village was in 1155 when records show that a raiding party led by O’Loughlin burned the church at Darmhagh-Ua-nDuach (Durrow in Odagh, or Castle Durrow) to the ground.
By the mid-13th Century an urban tradition had been established as Durrow (then called Deverald) became a Norman Borough Village and was granted an urban constitution to attract settlers. In 1245, the village was given the right to hold a week long fair in the third week of July and a market every Thursday.
Parish maps show that in the mid 17th Century, Durrow was a parochial hamlet with eight ‘surrounds’ and was owned by the powerful Ormondes. By 1659 a total of 105 families lived in the area. Sir William Petty’s 1685 Map shows that there was both a Catholic and Protestant Church in the village. The Catholic Church – which probably consisted of mud walls with a thatched roof, stood on the site of, or close to, the old Courthouse (now the FCA Barracks). Under the Ormonde Family, Durrow was annexed to County Kilkenny and was only returned to County Laois in 1846 by an Act of Parliament
The physical form of the village as seen today, largely results from the great influence of Viscount of Ashbrook, William Flower, M.P. for Portarlington and local landlord who, throughout the 18th Century oversaw the construction of a planned estate village.
In 1708 Flowers was granted title of the lands by the Duke of Ormonde. Works started with the leasing of vacant plots around the village for the construction of new houses. The leases of these properties were for a period of 21 to 41 years and were extremely prescriptive, setting out the exact location or plot on which the house was to be erected, the dimensions of each building and the amount of money to be spent on each building. The buildings had to be completed within 3 to 5 years.
Flowers personally oversaw the laying out of the market place and the construction of the three storey buildings on the north of the square for his Welsh and English estate managers.
The construction of the Castle was started in 1716 and completed some 16 years later. Flowers also extended his estate gardens, erected the Castle walls and created the existing avenue approach to the Castle.
From the early 18th Century the village was serviced by mail coaches travelling between Dublin and Cork. The Red Lion Hotel – which had been constructed circa the 1790’s, was the resting stop for this service. In 1842, this service was replaced by Bianconi’s long-cars, which travelled between Mountmellick and Kilkenny daily.
The Old Stone bridge of Durrow was built in 1788 replacing an existing wooden bridge over the Erkina River. An earlier bridge – dating back to the mid 1600’s, had stood 500 metres up river. The late 18th Century also saw the construction of the Catholic Church on Chapel Street (on the current site of the Old Courthouse now in use by the FCA)..
The 19th Century saw the construction of many distinctive buildings including a Courthouse, the Castle Gate Lodge and the Obelisk (in the Castle grounds). The 1831 and 1841 Census recorded populations of 2,911 and 2,977 persons respectively. By that time there were six schools in the village and it was described as a ‘small market and post village’ containing an infantry barrack, inn and posting establishment. From the mid 19th Century the flour bolting ‘Mill at the Course’ was operated by the Delaney family. Although the mill changed hands, it operated successfully until it closed in the mid 20th Century.
Changes in the village throughout the 20th Century are closely linked to national political influences and trends. During the population peak of the early 20th Century, many civic facilities were provided in the village. In the early 1900’s a Village Hall was built on Patrick Street and a concert hall, billiard room and reading room were developed on this site. The hall was built using Durrow brick and had three white windows, a large entrance door and a large side entrance gate fronting directly onto the street. This building was later demolished in 1976.
The first Garda barracks in the village was first located in a building on the north side of The Square and later this was moved to its current location on Old Chapel Street.
In conclusion, the function of the settlement has changed greatly from its early monastic origins, through the great influence of the local landlords – the Flower family, and the strategic importance of its location on the coachline.
Now, the village has a primarily residential function with the vast majority of residents commuting to work in nearby county and regional centres such as Portlaoise and Kilkenny. This trend is likely to continue, with a resultant pressure for new housing.
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TWELVE INTERESTING FACTS:
[1] Although Durrow only truly established itself in medieval times it is said that St. Benedict was born in Durrow Co. Laois around the year 460 A.D.
[2] Legend decrees that while on a visit to Rome, St. Benedict briefly succeeded St. Hormisdus as Pope before homesickness bade him to order another election, allowing him to return home, and the new Pontiff elected was Pope John Paul 1.
[3] Castle Durrow was built in 1716. This was the home of the Flower family, to whom most if not all of the inhabitants of Durrow were under patronage.
[4] Durrow was once known as Darmhagh Na nDuach (Plain of the Oaks) because of the great oak forests which surrounded the village, until in Elizabethan times, when much of the timber was cut for building purposes.
[5] The infamous highwayman, Captain Jerimah Grant and his accomplices made great use of these dense forests to evade arrest. Eventually their luck ran out and after capture and trial, they were hanged in Maryborough (Portlaoise) in August of 1816.
[6] The Cholera Field on the Swan Road is the burial place for the unfortunate victims of the 1832 cholera epidemic. This field has been recently marked by the erection of a memorial stone.
[7] Durrow was part of County Kilkenny from 1670 until it’s restoration to the then Queen’s County in 1846.
[8] The Durrow Brick Company was established in 1890, and flourished for a time until its eventual demise and the dismantling of the works at Attanagh in 1922.
[9] In the early 1800’s Durrow could also boast a carpet factory which was established on the Barn Hill, by Robert Flower and Lord Be Vesci. This factory was re-located in Abbeyleix after a few years, and one of it’s carpets was fitted on the Titanic which sank in 1912.
[10] The town of Durrow was lit by electricity for the first time in 1929 but it would be after 1960 before every household would acquire the facility.
[11] After a public meeting in 1951 it was decided to re-name George’s Street as Carrigan Street and Queen’s Street became Mary Street.
[12] Although the erection of the Catholic Church began in 1836, it wouldn’t be until 1904 that the four spires would finally be fitted to complete the building.
Back to top
This page features information on the History of Durrow. This History of Durrow page is updated intermittently.
We would like to thank CAAS Environmental Services Ltd and Durrow Development Forum for the information supplied.
[color=green]CONTENTS:[/color]
ORIGINS AND EVOLUTION OF DURROW
TWELVE INTERESTING FACTS
ORIGINS AND EVOLUTION OF DURROW:
The earliest record of Durrow dates back to 546A.D. when the village – then called Dervagh, was the site of a monastery, founded by St. Columb. The earliest recorded church in the village was in 1155 when records show that a raiding party led by O’Loughlin burned the church at Darmhagh-Ua-nDuach (Durrow in Odagh, or Castle Durrow) to the ground.
By the mid-13th Century an urban tradition had been established as Durrow (then called Deverald) became a Norman Borough Village and was granted an urban constitution to attract settlers. In 1245, the village was given the right to hold a week long fair in the third week of July and a market every Thursday.
Parish maps show that in the mid 17th Century, Durrow was a parochial hamlet with eight ‘surrounds’ and was owned by the powerful Ormondes. By 1659 a total of 105 families lived in the area. Sir William Petty’s 1685 Map shows that there was both a Catholic and Protestant Church in the village. The Catholic Church – which probably consisted of mud walls with a thatched roof, stood on the site of, or close to, the old Courthouse (now the FCA Barracks). Under the Ormonde Family, Durrow was annexed to County Kilkenny and was only returned to County Laois in 1846 by an Act of Parliament
The physical form of the village as seen today, largely results from the great influence of Viscount of Ashbrook, William Flower, M.P. for Portarlington and local landlord who, throughout the 18th Century oversaw the construction of a planned estate village.
In 1708 Flowers was granted title of the lands by the Duke of Ormonde. Works started with the leasing of vacant plots around the village for the construction of new houses. The leases of these properties were for a period of 21 to 41 years and were extremely prescriptive, setting out the exact location or plot on which the house was to be erected, the dimensions of each building and the amount of money to be spent on each building. The buildings had to be completed within 3 to 5 years.
Flowers personally oversaw the laying out of the market place and the construction of the three storey buildings on the north of the square for his Welsh and English estate managers.
The construction of the Castle was started in 1716 and completed some 16 years later. Flowers also extended his estate gardens, erected the Castle walls and created the existing avenue approach to the Castle.
From the early 18th Century the village was serviced by mail coaches travelling between Dublin and Cork. The Red Lion Hotel – which had been constructed circa the 1790’s, was the resting stop for this service. In 1842, this service was replaced by Bianconi’s long-cars, which travelled between Mountmellick and Kilkenny daily.
The Old Stone bridge of Durrow was built in 1788 replacing an existing wooden bridge over the Erkina River. An earlier bridge – dating back to the mid 1600’s, had stood 500 metres up river. The late 18th Century also saw the construction of the Catholic Church on Chapel Street (on the current site of the Old Courthouse now in use by the FCA)..
The 19th Century saw the construction of many distinctive buildings including a Courthouse, the Castle Gate Lodge and the Obelisk (in the Castle grounds). The 1831 and 1841 Census recorded populations of 2,911 and 2,977 persons respectively. By that time there were six schools in the village and it was described as a ‘small market and post village’ containing an infantry barrack, inn and posting establishment. From the mid 19th Century the flour bolting ‘Mill at the Course’ was operated by the Delaney family. Although the mill changed hands, it operated successfully until it closed in the mid 20th Century.
Changes in the village throughout the 20th Century are closely linked to national political influences and trends. During the population peak of the early 20th Century, many civic facilities were provided in the village. In the early 1900’s a Village Hall was built on Patrick Street and a concert hall, billiard room and reading room were developed on this site. The hall was built using Durrow brick and had three white windows, a large entrance door and a large side entrance gate fronting directly onto the street. This building was later demolished in 1976.
The first Garda barracks in the village was first located in a building on the north side of The Square and later this was moved to its current location on Old Chapel Street.
In conclusion, the function of the settlement has changed greatly from its early monastic origins, through the great influence of the local landlords – the Flower family, and the strategic importance of its location on the coachline.
Now, the village has a primarily residential function with the vast majority of residents commuting to work in nearby county and regional centres such as Portlaoise and Kilkenny. This trend is likely to continue, with a resultant pressure for new housing.
Back to top
TWELVE INTERESTING FACTS:
[1] Although Durrow only truly established itself in medieval times it is said that St. Benedict was born in Durrow Co. Laois around the year 460 A.D.
[2] Legend decrees that while on a visit to Rome, St. Benedict briefly succeeded St. Hormisdus as Pope before homesickness bade him to order another election, allowing him to return home, and the new Pontiff elected was Pope John Paul 1.
[3] Castle Durrow was built in 1716. This was the home of the Flower family, to whom most if not all of the inhabitants of Durrow were under patronage.
[4] Durrow was once known as Darmhagh Na nDuach (Plain of the Oaks) because of the great oak forests which surrounded the village, until in Elizabethan times, when much of the timber was cut for building purposes.
[5] The infamous highwayman, Captain Jerimah Grant and his accomplices made great use of these dense forests to evade arrest. Eventually their luck ran out and after capture and trial, they were hanged in Maryborough (Portlaoise) in August of 1816.
[6] The Cholera Field on the Swan Road is the burial place for the unfortunate victims of the 1832 cholera epidemic. This field has been recently marked by the erection of a memorial stone.
[7] Durrow was part of County Kilkenny from 1670 until it’s restoration to the then Queen’s County in 1846.
[8] The Durrow Brick Company was established in 1890, and flourished for a time until its eventual demise and the dismantling of the works at Attanagh in 1922.
[9] In the early 1800’s Durrow could also boast a carpet factory which was established on the Barn Hill, by Robert Flower and Lord Be Vesci. This factory was re-located in Abbeyleix after a few years, and one of it’s carpets was fitted on the Titanic which sank in 1912.
[10] The town of Durrow was lit by electricity for the first time in 1929 but it would be after 1960 before every household would acquire the facility.
[11] After a public meeting in 1951 it was decided to re-name George’s Street as Carrigan Street and Queen’s Street became Mary Street.
[12] Although the erection of the Catholic Church began in 1836, it wouldn’t be until 1904 that the four spires would finally be fitted to complete the building.
Back to top
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