Durrow, County Laois
Durrow
Darú | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 View of Durrow | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Laois |
| Elevation | 95 m (312 ft) |
| Population (2006)[1] | |
| • Total | 811 |
| Irish Grid Reference | S405773 |
| Website | www |
Durrow (Irish: Darú, formerly Darmhagh Ua nDuach) is a small town located in south County Laois, Ireland. Bypassed by the M8 motorway on 28 May 2010, the town is located on the R639 road at its junction with the N77. The river Erkina flows through Durrow and joins the River Nore about 1.5 km east of the town. The town takes its name from the Irish (Darmhagh Ua nDuach - the oak plain [in the territory] of Ui Duach). The year 2008 is a celebration of 300 years of Durrow. Many local events have been organised to celebrate the culture and heritage of Durrow. The local community website contains details of all events as well as reports. Activities in Durrow, past and present are continually recorded in a popular Facebook page.
History
The earliest recorded church in the village was in 1155. Evidence from the Archaeological Survey carried out by the OPW in 1995 suggests that this area has been visited, if not inhabited, since as early as the Bronze Age. An urn-burial found on the lands of Moyne Estate dates roughly to the same period as those found at lronmills and Ballymartin (900–1400BC). Fulachta Fiadh (early cooking sites) have been identified at Aharney and near Ballacolla. The numerous ring forts and other enclosures that dot the landscape point to a more permanent, if dispersed, settlement of the land by the Celts (500BC–500AD).
There are numerous religious settlements in the area that date back to the 6th century. While the monastery founded by St. Fintan on the banks of the Erkina is perhaps the best renowned, documented evidence exists for other such establishments at Dunmore, Clonageera, Dereen, the Course wood, Tinweir, Ballinaslee, Tubberboe and Newtown.
The coming of the Normans in the 12th century sounded the death knell for many of these Early Christian settlements and the lands were subsumed (despite heated objections from the Earls Marshall, who wanted it for themselves) into the Manor of Durrow, an Episcopal Manor for the Bishops of Ossory. Indeed, it was this development that sowed the seeds for the establishment of the town of Durrow as we now know it. In 1245, Geoffrey de Turville, the Bishop of Ossory from 1244 to 1250, was granted permission from the King to hold a yearly fair at this manor for six days beginning on St. Swithin’s Day and a weekly market on a Thursday.
After the Reformation, the manor passed into the ownership of the Duke of Ormond and was eventually released on 19 February 1708 to “William Flower and his heirs, forever”. It was under the patronage of Flower and his descendants, the Lords Ashbrook, that the present town developed and prospered.
Climate
A weather station broadcasts from Durrow providing real time data. The station was set up in May 2008. It is a Davis ProVantage 2 station and monitors temperature, rain, wind, wind direction, humidity and atmospheric pressure. Also, a Met Eireann climate station (472) was installed in 2010 and the observations are sent to Dublin on a monthly basis. The climatoligical station measures rainfall in a manual gauge, soil temperatures at depths of 5cm, 10cm and 20cm, air temperatures including wet-bulb, daily max, daily min and grass minimum temperatures. The station is envisaged to last thirty years and establish a climate profile for Durrow.
The weather of the town can be described as temperate with rare extremes when compared to other locations around the world. However, when looking at the observations and comparing it to other locations around Ireland it is notable that Durrow is amongst the warmest locations in the country during the summer, and the coldest in winter. Owing to the proximity of the “sunny southeast” the town receives lower rainfall than the national average.
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Record high °C (°F) | 13.9 (57.0) |
15.0 (59.0) |
19.8 (67.6) |
22.0 (71.6) |
25.4 (77.7) |
25.5 (77.9) |
30.1 (86.2) |
24.6 (76.3) |
23.4 (74.1) |
20.5 (68.9) |
16.6 (61.9) |
14.0 (57.2) |
30.1 (86.2) |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 7.9 (46.2) |
8.3 (46.9) |
10.5 (50.9) |
12.8 (55.0) |
15.7 (60.3) |
18.3 (64.9) |
20.0 (68.0) |
19.7 (67.5) |
17.3 (63.1) |
13.7 (56.7) |
10.2 (50.4) |
8.2 (46.8) |
13.6 (56.5) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 4.8 (40.6) |
5.0 (41.0) |
6.7 (44.1) |
8.4 (47.1) |
10.9 (51.6) |
13.7 (56.7) |
15.5 (59.9) |
15.2 (59.4) |
13.0 (55.4) |
10.0 (50.0) |
6.9 (44.4) |
5.1 (41.2) |
9.6 (49.3) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 1.7 (35.1) |
1.7 (35.1) |
2.9 (37.2) |
4.0 (39.2) |
6.1 (43.0) |
9.1 (48.4) |
11.0 (51.8) |
10.7 (51.3) |
8.7 (47.7) |
6.3 (43.3) |
3.6 (38.5) |
2.0 (35.6) |
5.6 (42.1) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −11.3 (11.7) |
−5.4 (22.3) |
−6.3 (20.7) |
−6.3 (20.7) |
−2.4 (27.7) |
0.6 (33.1) |
4.1 (39.4) |
2.6 (36.7) |
1.4 (34.5) |
−3.1 (26.4) |
−8.7 (16.3) |
−14.0 (6.8) |
−14.0 (6.8) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 92.0 (3.62) |
67.0 (2.64) |
71.0 (2.80) |
62.0 (2.44) |
65.0 (2.56) |
66.0 (2.60) |
65.0 (2.56) |
81.0 (3.19) |
72.0 (2.83) |
100.0 (3.94) |
90.0 (3.54) |
89.0 (3.50) |
920.0 (36.22) |
| Average rainy days (≥ 1.0mm) | 13 | 12 | 12 | 10 | 11 | 10 | 9 | 10 | 10 | 13 | 12 | 13 | 135 |
| Average snowy days | 3.6 | 3.6 | 2.5 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 2.0 | 12.8 |
| Average relative humidity (%) | 80 | 74 | 68 | 64 | 64 | 65 | 65 | 66 | 69 | 76 | 78 | 82 | 71 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 55.8 | 64.4 | 99.2 | 147.0 | 173.6 | 147.0 | 145.7 | 145.7 | 124.0 | 93.0 | 66.0 | 49.6 | 1,314 |
| [citation needed] | |||||||||||||
Sport
- Harps GAA is the local Gaelic Athletic Association club.
- Lions A.F.C. is the local soccer club.
People
One of the most famous residents of Durrow has been William Carrigan.
Transport
Bus Eireann's expressway service between Dublin and Cork ceased to serve Durrow on 30th June 2012. As an interim measure until 11th August 2012 Bus Éireann are operating a shuttle service (route 128) to connect with Expressway services at Portlaoise. [3] Slieve Bloom Coaches also have a route from Borris in Ossory to Portlaoise which serves the town [4]
Places of Interest
There are numerous beautiful walks around the Durrow area. There are also cycle paths. These include the Leafy Loop which runs by the River Nore. There is also rich woodland in the Durrow vicinity, such as Bishops Wood, which extends on both sides of the R693 (Dublin - Cork Road). Here you will find the local river Erkina which is a tributary of the River Nore.
See also
References
- ^ "Census 2006 – Volume 1 – Population Classified by Area" (PDF). Central Statistics Office Census 2006 Reports. Central Statistics Office Ireland. 2007. Retrieved 2011-05-21.
{{cite web}}: Unknown parameter|month=ignored (help) - ^ http://www.durrowvillage.com/visitors-guide/weather
- ^ http://buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=251#July_1
- ^ http://www.slievebloomcoaches.ie/borrisinossory_18.html
External links
- Popular Durrow Facebook Page
- Durrow Online Community Website
- History of Durrow.
- History of the Parish of Durrow.
- Durrow News from the "Laois Nationalist"
- Durrow News from the "Kilkenny People"
- Current local weather data
