Clonbollogue
Encyclopedia
Clonbulloge is a village in County Offaly
, Ireland
. Bolg was the Celtic sun-god and this was probably a field where followers of Bolg assembled for worship. The common pronunciation of the village up to recent times was 'Clon Bolg', which endorses this interpretation. It has been voted the tidiest town in County Offaly every year since 1978.
The village is located at the junction of the R401
and R442 regional road
s.
The Figile River runs through the village under the R442 near its confluence with the Philipstown River.
Between the village and Edenderry
, 11 km to the north, lies the Bog of Allen
.
Clonbullogue is located near the point where three counties—Offaly
, Laois
and Kildare
meet. The village is on an island of pasture land in the bog of Allen. The population of the village is 442, which has remained almost unchanged for over a century.
The area is marked on the Cottonian map 1653
of Leix & Offaly as Clanbolg. In the 1659
Census, Robert Shallcross was listed as the titled person in the area. In 1679
, Charles II
granted this area to the Purefoy family and for a time the village was called Purefoy's Place. In 1798
, the village was burned—the only part of Offaly to suffer this fate during the Rebellion. Two of the Wexford leaders, Colonel Anthony Perry
and Father Mogue Kearns
were captured here and were later hanged at Edenderry for their part in the 1798 Rebellion
.
In 1883, Father Comerford wrote: "The village of Clonbullogue which is situated on the Little Barrow presents a decayed and ruinous appearance, some of the larger houses having been burned during the rebellion of 1798
The village population suffered severe declines from famine, poverty and emigration from the mid 1840s.
The population of the village in 1861,....... 110, 1871,........ 79
by Fionn MacCumhaill; remains of a togher at Ballykilleen; the ruins of Cloncrane Church; a ring-barrow at Shean and a sheela-na-gig from Ballynowlart and Clonsast. The last was an important religious site in early monastic Ireland.
In 1731, Rev. Boyle Travers, Protestant Rector of Rathangan and Clonmore (which includes part of this area) notes; "I bless God for the comforting assurance I have that there is no reputed friary, nunnery, friars, nuns or Popish schools".
The bigoted attitude of the ruling classes as detailed above would have common across the whole of Ireland.The lack of religious buildings and schools for the majority catholic population would have been legalized under the penal Laws.
is owned and operated by the Irish Parachute Club
who are based at the field. The airfield has one east-west grass strip runway which is 770m long and 18m wide. There are six aircraft based on the field, most of them owned by the Irish Parachute Club. The airfield is located about 2 km (1.2 mi) west of Clonbullogue village and lies under the EI-R16. There is usually intense parachuting at weekends and public holidays.
County Offaly
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. Bolg was the Celtic sun-god and this was probably a field where followers of Bolg assembled for worship. The common pronunciation of the village up to recent times was 'Clon Bolg', which endorses this interpretation. It has been voted the tidiest town in County Offaly every year since 1978.
Location
R401 road
The R401 road is a regional road in Ireland, linking Kildare, County Kildare to Kinnegad in County Meath.The route is long.-References:* – Department of Transport...
and R442 regional road
Regional road
A regional road in Ireland is a class of road not forming a major route , but nevertheless forming a link in the national route network. There are over 11,600 kilometres of regional roads. Regional roads are numbered with three digit route numbers, prefixed by "R" A regional road in Ireland is a...
s.
The Figile River runs through the village under the R442 near its confluence with the Philipstown River.
Between the village and Edenderry
Edenderry, County Offaly
Edenderry is a town in the north of County Offaly, Ireland. It is near the borders with Counties Kildare, Meath and Westmeath. The Grand Canal passes immediately south of the town through the Bog of Allen and there is a short spur to the town centre....
, 11 km to the north, lies the Bog of Allen
Bog of Allen
The Bog of Allen is a large raised bog in the centre of Ireland between the rivers Liffey and Shannon.The bog's 958 square kilometers stretch into County Offaly, County Meath, County Kildare, County Laois, and County Westmeath. Peat is mechanically harvested on a large scale by Bórd na Móna,...
.
Clonbullogue is located near the point where three counties—Offaly
County Offaly
County Offaly is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe and was formerly known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. Offaly County Council is...
, Laois
County Laois
County Laois is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It was formerly known as Queen's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The county's name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix. Laois County Council...
and Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
meet. The village is on an island of pasture land in the bog of Allen. The population of the village is 442, which has remained almost unchanged for over a century.
The area is marked on the Cottonian map 1653
1653 in Ireland
-Events:*April 27 - The last Irish forces formally surrendered at Cloughoughter in County Cavan to the Cromwellian army ending the Confederate Wars...
of Leix & Offaly as Clanbolg. In the 1659
1659 in Ireland
-Events:* 3 September - Richard Cromwell proclaimed Lord Protector of England, Scotland and Ireland upon the death of Oliver Cromwell.-Births:*September - Claud Hamilton, 4th Earl of Abercorn, Jacobite and soldier, fought at the Battle of the Boyne ....
Census, Robert Shallcross was listed as the titled person in the area. In 1679
1679 in Ireland
-Births:*11 September - Thomas Parnell, clergyman and poet .*Anthony Duane, businessman in America .-Deaths:*Sir George Hamilton, 1st Baronet of Donalong, soldier....
, Charles II
Charles II of England
Charles II was monarch of the three kingdoms of England, Scotland, and Ireland.Charles II's father, King Charles I, was executed at Whitehall on 30 January 1649, at the climax of the English Civil War...
granted this area to the Purefoy family and for a time the village was called Purefoy's Place. In 1798
1798 in Ireland
-Events:* March - Great Britain's Irish militia arrest the leadership of the Society of United Irishmen marking the beginning of the 1798 Rebellion. * 19 May - Rebel leader Lord Edward FitzGerald is arrested in Dublin....
, the village was burned—the only part of Offaly to suffer this fate during the Rebellion. Two of the Wexford leaders, Colonel Anthony Perry
Anthony Perry
Anthony Perry , known as the "screeching general" was one of the most important leaders of the United Irish Wexford rebels during the 1798 rebellion.-Background:...
and Father Mogue Kearns
Mogue Kearns
Father Moses Kearns was executed by the British on July 12, 1798, in the throes of leading 2,000 Revolutionary Irish troops in the Easter Uprising in Ireland...
were captured here and were later hanged at Edenderry for their part in the 1798 Rebellion
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...
.
In 1883, Father Comerford wrote: "The village of Clonbullogue which is situated on the Little Barrow presents a decayed and ruinous appearance, some of the larger houses having been burned during the rebellion of 1798
Population
Presently, the population of the village is 980; the village population expanded in the 1950s to accommodate the many workers who were employed with the development of the bogs as an energy resource under the guidance of the Irish state company Bord Na Mona.The village population suffered severe declines from famine, poverty and emigration from the mid 1840s.
The population of the village in 1861,....... 110, 1871,........ 79
Heritage
Antiquities in the area include: the Clonkeen stone said to be 340 million years old and legend has it that the stone was thrown from Croghan HillCroghan Hill
Croghan Hill is the remains of an extinct volcano and rises from the Bog of Allen in the midlands of Ireland in County Offaly. Though only 234 m high it commands extensive views of the surrounding midland counties, across the flat, low-lying expanse of the Bog of Allen...
by Fionn MacCumhaill; remains of a togher at Ballykilleen; the ruins of Cloncrane Church; a ring-barrow at Shean and a sheela-na-gig from Ballynowlart and Clonsast. The last was an important religious site in early monastic Ireland.
People
With the conquest of Ireland from the Cromwellian wars onwards, Clonbullogue was extensively planted by colonialists.Quaker families were common under the plantations.Present day local family names can reflect these plantations.In 1731, Rev. Boyle Travers, Protestant Rector of Rathangan and Clonmore (which includes part of this area) notes; "I bless God for the comforting assurance I have that there is no reputed friary, nunnery, friars, nuns or Popish schools".
The bigoted attitude of the ruling classes as detailed above would have common across the whole of Ireland.The lack of religious buildings and schools for the majority catholic population would have been legalized under the penal Laws.
- Eamon BroyEamon BroyColonel Eamon Broy was successively a member of the Dublin Metropolitan Police, the Irish Republican Army, the Irish Army, and the Garda Síochána of the Irish Free State...
, former Garda Commissioner, was born near Clonbullogue in 18871887 in Ireland-Events:*29 January - The Dublin newspaper The Union is founded. The Unionist newspaper's goals are stated in its first edition as "A Journal devoted to the maintenance of the Union in the three kingdoms."...
and is buried in a nearby cemetery. - Jasper Robert Joly 1819–1892, was born at Clonsast. He donated his extensive library of 23,000 printed volumes and unbound papers to the Royal Dublin SocietyRoyal Dublin SocietyThe Royal Dublin Society was founded on 25 June 1731 to "to promote and develop agriculture, arts, industry, and science in Ireland". The RDS is synonymous with its main premises in Ballsbridge in Dublin, Ireland...
in 18631863 in Ireland-Events:*The Ulster Railway, which began construction in 1839, reaches Clones.*28 November - First edition of The Irish People.-Births:*1 February - George Carew, 4th Baron Carew ....
. When the National Library was established the Joly collection formed the nucleus of the new national institution.
Clonbullogue airfield
Clonbullogue airfieldClonbullogue Aerodrome
Clonbullogue Airfield is a small Irish airport located about west of Clonbollogue and south of Edenderry in County Offaly, Ireland. It is owned and operated by the Irish Parachute Club which is based at the field. The airfield has one grass runway running east-west which is...
is owned and operated by the Irish Parachute Club
Irish Parachute Club
The Irish Parachute Club is located in Clonbullogue, County Offaly, in Ireland. It was founded in 1956 by wartime paratrooper Freddie Bond and began operations at Weston airfield in Leixlip, training several teams for international competition...
who are based at the field. The airfield has one east-west grass strip runway which is 770m long and 18m wide. There are six aircraft based on the field, most of them owned by the Irish Parachute Club. The airfield is located about 2 km (1.2 mi) west of Clonbullogue village and lies under the EI-R16. There is usually intense parachuting at weekends and public holidays.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland