Templemore

Templemore An Teampall Mór
Town
Main Street Templemore 2010
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	North Tipperary
Population  (2011)
• Total	1,943
Irish Grid Reference	S104720
Website	www.templemore.ie

Templemore (Irish: An Teampall Mór, meaning 'The Big Church') is a town in North Tipperary, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Eliogarty. It is part of the Roman Catholic parish of Templemore, Clonmore and Killea. The 2011 Census results show the town's population decreased by 13.8% from 2,255 in 2006 to 1,943 in 2011.

Location and access

Templemore is the fourth largest town in North Tipperary. It is located in the mid-east of North Tipperary.

The main artery of the town is the N62 National route. Travelling north on this route connects to the main Dublin-Limerick motorway (M7 - Junction 22) and Roscrea. Traveling south on the route connects to Thurles and then the main Dublin-Cork motorway (M8 / N8 - Junction 6 Horse and Jockey). The N62 originates in Athlone.

To the east, the R433 connects the town to the M8 / N8 at a more northerly point (Junction 3) via the villages of Clonmore & Errill and the town of Rathdowney in Co.Laois. Alternatively, the motorway may be accessed via the village of Templetouhy. 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

History

Ancient history

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. Before the 5th century A.D. the details of its history which can be gleaned from surviving records and literature are exceedingly meagre, obscure and confusing. 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 St 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 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

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. As the holders of the County Palatine of Tipperary, they were entitled to appoint sheriffs, judges and to certain classes of revenue that would normally have been due to the Crown. This privilege was withdrawn in 1715. The family donated a small piece of land to the Abbey of St Thomas in Dublin, and about 1200 a large Abbey was built with a moated graveyard, the remains of which are still to be seen in Templemore Demesne, commonly known as the "Town Park". The Blackcastle, as it is locally known, was built in the Town Park in 1450 by James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond. 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 Knocka.

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. The River Nore, at its position between Roscrea and Templemore, although just a small stream at this point, is usually taken as the southern limit of Ely O'Carroll territory.

Carden family

Black Castle Town Park 2007

Around 1695 the Butlers sold extensive lands to an English family called Carden 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 history of Templemore and district.

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.

The Cardens also kept the ruins of the old church and graveyard, but merely as conversational pieces, which was typical of that time. At the entrance on the Borrisoleigh Road is the gate keeper's lodge. After 1860, the Priory was renamed the Abbey.

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.".

McCan Barracks

Originally called "Richmond barracks", the 17-acre (69,000 m²) site was donated by the town's founder and largest landowner, Sir John Carden (second baronet, Templemore) who also donated the adjoining 40 acres (160,000 m²) for training and recreation. The 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, a reminder to all of the victories of the British in the Peninsular War taking place at the time of the construction of the barracks.

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

War of Independence

After the killing of two members of the Royal Irish Constabulary at Soloheadbeg, Co. Tipperary by members of the IRA in January 1919, the Irish War of Independence began. British soldiers and RIC based in Templemore were involved in operations to suppress IRA guerrilla activity. On August 16, 1920, Templemore Town Hall was burned down by the British Army in reprisal for the killing of District Inspector Wilson. D.I. Wilson was shot by Volunteer James "Big Jim" Stapleton on the orders of local IRA commander James Leahy. Troops of the Northamptonshire Regiment based in Richmond Barracks took petrol from a local garage to burn the hall while they shot up local businesses with indiscriminate rifle fire. Lieutenant Colonel S.H. Beattie, the son of Sir Andrew Beattie, Dublin, who accompanied the soldiers was engaged to Wilson's daughter. Beattie, a decorated World War I veteran, either fell from a ladder or jumped from a window and died from burns and broken bones later that night. Some days later badly burned human remains apparently crushed by fallen beams along with bits of kit and a rifle with a bayonet attached was found as local workmen cleared the ruins of burnt out buildings. The soldier was identified as Lance Corporal H. J. Fuggle whom the authorities claimed was a deserter. In a second reprisal following an IRA ambush on a patrol in Thomastown, Co. Kilkenny in which three British soldiers died, the troops once again rampaged through Templemore burning and looting houses and premises causing extensive damage. Townspeople feared the town would eventually be entirely reduced to ruins. Edward McGrath another local IRA leader was held captive in Richmond Barracks and was forced to accompany military patrols as a hostage before he was transferred to Ballykinlar.

The reprisals were brought to a sudden end by the occurrence of the so-called Templemore miracles in which a number of holy statues in the locality purportedly began to bleed spontaneously. This caused Templemore to become a pilgrim town for a short time and subject to sensational newspaper reports. Dan Breen - a famous Tipperary IRA freedom fighter, and later a Fianna Fáil TD for Tipperary - said he always knew these 'miracles' to have been a nonsense but they did attract many sincere pilgrims at the time. The bleeding statues were put on display in the town square where crowds of people congregated. A local teenager who claimed to have had visions of the Blessed Virgin was confronted by a sceptical Breen and forced him to admit the miracles were a fabrication. It is alleged that Michael Collins smashed one of the statues and inside found a mechanism made from an alarm clock which made the statue "weep" chicken blood. However a number of pilgrims claimed that they were healed and many locals were adamant the teenage visionary who later emigrated to Australia was genuine. The youth was intimidated into leaving Ireland because the alleged supernatural occurences interfered with the fight for Irish independence. Dan Breen and local IRA leader James Leahy also strongly suspected he was a British spy. Another IRA ambush nearby the following month in which two RIC officers were shot and killed caused the pilgrims to make a hasty exit and normal (war-time) conditions prevailed in Templemore once more. On Christmas Eve, 1920 a local Catholic curate, Father Hickey was arrested and held captive in Richmond Barracks but was later released. On June 6, 1921 Private Frederick George Carroll was shot and killed accidentally while cleaning his rifle a little over a month before a truce was declared bringing the conflict to an end.

Templemore Abbey, which had been the residence of the Carden family until 1902, had been used as a base since 1920 by a unit of British Auxiliaries. After the truce was declared in July 1921 the mansion was vacated and later a group of local IRA members led by Séan "Jack" Scott burned the building to the ground acting on the orders of IRA GHQ to deny its use to the British should they have returned in the event negotiations broke down and hostilies resumed. Following Irish independence in 1922 the ruins were sold in 1925 and demolished. Years later a furniture showroom was later built on the site while the extensive grounds including a wood and an artificial lake became Templemore Town Park. Two bridges on the Mall River in Templemore were named after two IRA officers, Captain Michael Small and Lieutenant Thomas O'Dwyer, who were killed in separate incidents by British forces in 1920.

Templemore today

Townlands in the civil parish

There are 38 townlands in the civil parish of Templemore. 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. This can be readily verified from the O.S.I.'s historical map of the barony. 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

The most notable landmark in the district is the Devil's Bit mountain range. It is a popular excursion 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 an outdoor Swimming Pool, 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 romantic 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 (7.5acres) which is suitable for coarse fishing.

On the Roscrea road there is a cluster of buildings associated with the Church of Ireland community. The most significant of these is St. Mary's Church which is the principal church serving the Church of Ireland community in Templemore, Thurles and Kilfithmone. 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 1789 on land donated by Sir John Craven Carden. It was solemnly consecrated by the Archbishop of Cashel, His Grace, Charles Agar in 1794. The clock tower is now restored and is floodlit as part of a millennium project.

At the nearby village of Loughmore is the historic Loughmoe Castle. The local area is quite scenic and there are expansive views from the Devil's Bit mountain close by.

Town Hall, Main Street

Mary Street
April 2010

The market square with its Town Hall in the centre of the town is reputed locally to be the widest in either Ireland or Britain. It backs on to an extensive wooded Town Park and lake. The Georgian architecture (dating from 19th century) with its three storey houses on the main street, was directed by Sir John Carden (2nd Baronet, Templemore).

There is a large cattle mart on Bank Street which opens on Thursdays. In addition the town has a number of small industries.

Town Council

Under the provisions of the Local Government Act 2001, the former Urban District Council was renamed the Town Council. The members of the Town Council as at 2010 are:

• Joe Bourke, (Non-Party)
• Maura Byrne, (Fine Gael)
• Mick Connell, (Fianna Fáil)
• Martin Fogarty, (Non-Party)
• Lily O'Brien, (Fine Gael)
• Jim O'Shea, Mayor (Fianna Fáil)
• Michael Ryan, (Fine Gael)
• Marcus Wilson, (Fianna Fáil)
• Valerie Young, (Non-Party)

Education

• St. Colmcille's Primary School for boys, under the ethos of the Catholic Church. Formerly run by the Christian Brothers.
• St. Joseph's Primary School for girls, under the ethos of the Catholic Church. Run by the Sisters of Mercy.
• 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.
• St Sheelan's College, which has a more vocational focus. In 2003, it ceased second level teaching and is now a FETAC and HETAC college of further education offering over 30 different courses.
• Garda Síochána College, the education and training college of the Garda Síochána (Irish police). It is located at McCan Barracks.

Sport

Gaelic games

The local Gaelic Athletic Association club, J.K. Brackens GAA, formed in 1991 when clubs from Clonmore, Killea and Templemore merged. It is named after Joseph Kevin Bracken, one of the founders of the GAA, who came from Templemore. His son, Brendan Bracken, 1st Viscount Bracken was a member of Winston Churchill's government in the United Kingdom during World War II, was born in Templemore. The other WWII connection is that of William Joyce (a.k.a. Lord Haw-Haw). According to local lore, he lived off the Main Street during the War of Independence and was run out of the town by the old IRA for informing on their activities to Crown forces.

Soccer

The local soccer/association football club is Blackcastle United FC. The club is named after the Black Castle which is located in Templemore Town Park.

Golf

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

Angling

Coarse fishing is available in the lake in the town park. Tenders have been submitted for the "Templemore Lake Restoration and Management Study" (30/10/2009) due to concerns about the rising levels of phosphates in the lake's sediments.

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Republic of Ireland

Templemore is twinned with the village of Prémilhat in France and Potenza Picena in Italy.

People

• Éamonn Corcoran, who played for Tipperary GAA

See also

• List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland
• List of civil parishes of North Tipperary
• List of Market Houses in Ireland
• Charles Joseph Kelly Monck, 3rd Viscount Monck. A street in the town was formerly named after him.

External links

• Local website of Templemore Town
• Templemore Town Council website
• Irish Rail Templemore Station Website
• Tipperary Mountain Trekking Centre

Notes

1. Putting the barony in its historico-geographical context.
   Barony - an old administrative division. Eliogarty - one of 14 baronies in the old county, between Ikerrin to the north (whose chief town is Roscrea), Kilnamanagh Upper to the west (whose chief town is Borrisoleigh) and Middle Third to the south (whose chief town is Cashel).
2. Explanation for the use of "North Tipperary" instead of "County Tipperary".
   Following the abolition of the former county - Tipperary - as an administrative division in 1898, the county of North Tipperary was created. This is still the legal status of the county. See also County Tipperary for further history on the topic.