Clonroche is a village in County Wexford

County Wexford

County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...

, 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,...

. It is located approximately 15 km (9.3 mi) west of Enniscorthy

Enniscorthy

Enniscorthy is the second largest town in County Wexford, Ireland. The population of the town and environs is 9538. The Placenames Database of Ireland sheds no light on the origins of the town's name. It may refer either to the "Island of Corthaidh" or the "Island of Rocks". With a history going...

 and approximately 25 km (15.5 mi) east of New Ross

New Ross

New Ross is a town located in southwest County Wexford, in the southeast of Ireland. In 2006 it had a population of 7,709 people, making it the third largest town in the county after Wexford and Enniscorthy.-History:...

, on the N30 national primary route.

History

From the mid-17th century until the early 20th century, the village of Clonroche was located on the large estate owned by the Carew family of nearby Ballyboro (later renamed Castleboro). From the 18th century onwards, their seat was Castleboro House, and a notable head of this family was Robert Carew

Robert Carew, 1st Baron Carew

Robert Shapland Carew, 1st Baron Carew KP was an Irish Whig Party politician and landowner.He was born in Dublin, the son of Robert Shapland Carew, also an MP and landowner, and his wife Anne . He was educated at Eton College and Christ Church Oxford...

 (1787–1856).

Rev. James Bentley Gordon, who was Protestant rector

Rector

The word rector has a number of different meanings; it is widely used to refer to an academic, religious or political administrator...

 of Killegney in 1798, wrote an account of the Irish Rebellion of 1798

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...

 and also wrote an account of the parishes of Killegney and Chapel that appeared in William Shaw Mason

William Shaw Mason

William Shaw Mason was a statistician and bibliographer. Amongst his works was A Statistical Account or Parochial Survey of Ireland.-External links:...

's 'Statistical Account or Parochial Survey of Ireland', printed in 1814.

A later author, Patrick Kennedy, also was also closely connected with Clonroche and the surrounding area, and wrote widely about both. Kennedy's book, the 'Banks of the Boro' was written in 1856. The 'Boro' is a small river that flows through the nearby countryside.

Cloughbawn Parish

Clonroche is located in the Roman Catholic parish of Cloughbawn, in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ferns

Roman Catholic Diocese of Ferns

The Diocese of Ferns is a Roman Catholic diocese in south-eastern Ireland. It is one of six suffragan dioceses in the ecclesiastical province of Dublin and is subject to the Archdiocese of Dublin. The incumbent Ordinary is Denis Brennan....

. Cloughbawn R.C. Parish church is located at the edge of the village of Clonroche. Poulpeasty

Poulpeasty

Poulpeasty, officially Pollpeasty , is a small village in the west of County Wexford, Ireland.-History:The village and surrounding area were once part of the large estate of the Carew family of nearby Castleboro House .-Details:...

, 5 km away, is also in the R.C. parish of Cloughbawn, and has its own R.C. church and curate.

Cloughbawn in Irish

Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...

 means "the white rock" and the village is situated at the foot of the Blackstairs Mountains

Blackstairs Mountains

The Blackstairs Mountains run roughly north/south along the border between County Carlow and County Wexford in Ireland.-See also:*List of mountains in Ireland...

. The village is close to surrounding townland

Townland

A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...

s, predominately Poulpeasty, Castleboro, Ballyboro, Rathturtin, Tominearly, Meelgarrow, Raheen, and Rathfardon, which stretches to the borders of Adamstown

Adamstown, County Wexford

Adamstown is a village in County Wexford, Ireland. It is about from Wexford and from New Ross and Enniscorthy.The village contains a primary school, a secondary school, a GAA pitch, a community centre, two pubs, a shop, a R.C. church and an adjoining cemetery...

 and Rathnure

Rathnure

Rathnure is a small village on the R731 regional road about from the town of Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland. The village is located at the foot of the Blackstairs Mountain, which borders County Carlow on the opposite side.-Attractions:...

 parishes.

There is also a Protestant church located about a kilometre from the village of Clonroche at Killegney. This is a Church of Ireland

Church of Ireland

The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...

 (C.O.I.) church. Killegney C.O.I. church was formerly part of the C.O.I. parish of Killegney, but today it is part of the United Parishes of Killegney, Rossdroit, Killane and Templeshanbo

Commerce

Clonroche is a busy little village with Greenes and Larkin's local stores along with Judes and Doyles pubs. The local creamery provides services and products for the large agricultural community. Local produce includes potatoes, strawberries, cereals, dairy products and pumpkins.

Sport

The local GAA

Gaelic Athletic Association

The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...

 Club is Cloughbawn GAA Club. The local hurling

Hurling

Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...

 team competes at senior level, most recently representing the club in the Wexford County Final against local rivals Rathnure in 2002. The club has been home to many accomplished hurlers such as Tim Flood and his son Sean, Larry Murphy

Larry Murphy (hurler)

Larry Murphy is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Cloughbawn and was a member of the Wexford senior inter-county team from 1992 until 2004.-References:...

, Thomas Harrington, Michael Kavanagh and Seamus Walsh.

Miscellaneous

The local historian is the energetic Tom MacDonald. Tom is also the editor of the Clonroche notes for the Echo Newspaper.
Clonroche is a popular location for an annual steam rally.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland