Lorrha

Lorrha Lothra
—  Town  —
Lorrha Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°05′32″N 8°07′25″W
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) is a small village at the northern tip of North Tipperary, Ireland. It is located 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 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.

History

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 (opening section replaced October 2008 )

Ecclesiastic ruins

Lorrha has a rich ecclesiastical history evidenced by the ruins within the village. Beside the Roman Catholic Church (c1912), 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 . To the east of the village stands the Church of Ireland 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 . 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 . 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.

Notable Buildings

• Lackeen Castle, A Kennedy stronghold occasionally open to the public. It was here that the Lorrha Missal was rediscovered. (Built C12th, rebuilt C16th)
• Redwood Castle. Norman castle (Built c1200).
• Abbeville. Small country house (Built c1840 adjoining earlier structure).

Notable people

• Ruadán mac Fergusa Birn, sixth century founder and first abbot of the monastery of Lorrha.
• Cú Connacht mac Dundach, King of Síol Anmchadha, (died 1006 near Lorrha).
• Martin O'Meara VC (born 1882 in Sharragh, Lorrha), recipient of the Victoria Cross.
• Martin Charles Reddington (born 1919), retired Irish sportsperson who played hurling for Lorrha-Dorrha GAA.
• Liam King (born 1940 in Lorrha) retired Irish sportsperson.
• John McIntyre (born 1961 in Lorrha) Irish hurling manager and former player.
• James Kenneth Hogan (born 1963 in Lorrha), current Irish hurling manager and former player.
• Patrick Maher (hurler) (born 1989), current Irish sportsperson playing on the Tipperary senior hurling team

External links

• Lorrha Development association

See also

• List of civil parishes of North Tipperary
• List of towns and villages in Ireland