Dromcolliher
Encyclopedia
Dromcolliher is a small Irish
town at the crossroads of the R522
and R515
regional road
s in the west of County Limerick
. It is part of the parish of Dromcollogher-Broadford
(previously known as Killagholehane). It is also very close to the boundary of north County Cork
.
There are many variations of 'Drom'. The locals spell it Dromcollogher, but Drumcolloher, Dromcolloher, Drumcullogher, and numerous other variations can be found. Dromcolliher is the version adopted by the Ordnance Survey, and postal authorities.
Since 1962, the town has been home to the "Irish Dresden" pottery factory. Irish Dresden closed its doors in April 2009.
Other historical records include references in "Westropp" (1201), Munster Journal (1751), and the population was recorded as 658 in 1831.
It is classed a mediaeval town by Limerick County Council
(Local Governing Body), and has a list of protected structures under the 'County Development Plan'. These include the facades of Aherne's and O'Kelly's, the local creamery, and courthouse, as well as two churches, Killagholehane and St. Timothys (now known as St. Bartholomews).
The modern church was built in 1824, by Fr. Micheal Fitzgerald, who purchased the land from a local landowner. It was restored several times, but was given a dramatic overhaul in the late 1980s/early 1990s by Healy and Partners Architects, Limerick.
Dromcolliher was one of the starting points for the Irish Co-Op Movement, with the first Co-Operative creamery being set up here in 1889 on the initiative of Horace Plunkett. The listed building has since been restored, and is a working museum. Percy French, the renowned Irish Composer, once stayed here and composed the song "There's Only One Street In Dromcollogher". This is in fact untrue as there are many streets in Dromcolligher and if you ask anyone from the area they will be proud to tell you so.
. Forty-eight people died in this tragedy, always known locally as the Dromcolliher Burning; forty-six of them are buried in a large grave in the grounds of the local church. It remained the worst known fire disaster in Irish history until the Betelgeuse incident
in 1979 and the Stardust disaster
in 1981, which claimed fifty and forty-eight lives respectively.
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
town at the crossroads of the R522
R522 road
The R522 road is a regional road in Ireland which runs from Newcastlewest in County Limerick the N73 national secondary road near Doneraile in County Cork. En route it passes through Dromcolliher, Buttevant and Doneraile.The road is 51km long.-References:...
and R515
R515 road
The R515 road is a regional road in Ireland which runs from 6km east of Abbeyfeale in County Limerick the N24 national secondary road near in Tipperary Town. En route it passes through Dromcolliher, Charleville and Kilmallock.The road is 84km long....
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 in the west of County Limerick
County Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
. It is part of the parish of Dromcollogher-Broadford
Dromcollogher-Broadford
Dromcolliher-Broadford is a parish bordering North Cork in the County Limerick, Ireland.There are two Villages within parish, Dromcolliher and Broadford....
(previously known as Killagholehane). It is also very close to the boundary of north County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
.
There are many variations of 'Drom'. The locals spell it Dromcollogher, but Drumcolloher, Dromcolloher, Drumcullogher, and numerous other variations can be found. Dromcolliher is the version adopted by the Ordnance Survey, and postal authorities.
Since 1962, the town has been home to the "Irish Dresden" pottery factory. Irish Dresden closed its doors in April 2009.
History
It was first mentioned in the 1160, in "The Book of Leinster".Other historical records include references in "Westropp" (1201), Munster Journal (1751), and the population was recorded as 658 in 1831.
It is classed a mediaeval town by Limerick County Council
Limerick County Council
Limerick County Council is the local authority which is responsible for County Limerick in Ireland. The Council is responsible for housing and community, roads and transportation, urban planning and development, amenity and culture, and environment. The head of the council has the title of...
(Local Governing Body), and has a list of protected structures under the 'County Development Plan'. These include the facades of Aherne's and O'Kelly's, the local creamery, and courthouse, as well as two churches, Killagholehane and St. Timothys (now known as St. Bartholomews).
The modern church was built in 1824, by Fr. Micheal Fitzgerald, who purchased the land from a local landowner. It was restored several times, but was given a dramatic overhaul in the late 1980s/early 1990s by Healy and Partners Architects, Limerick.
Dromcolliher was one of the starting points for the Irish Co-Op Movement, with the first Co-Operative creamery being set up here in 1889 on the initiative of Horace Plunkett. The listed building has since been restored, and is a working museum. Percy French, the renowned Irish Composer, once stayed here and composed the song "There's Only One Street In Dromcollogher". This is in fact untrue as there are many streets in Dromcolligher and if you ask anyone from the area they will be proud to tell you so.
Dromcolliher Burning
On 5 September 1926, a timber barn being used as a temporary cinema in Dromcolliher caught fire when a candle ignited a reel of Nitrate film stockFilm stock
Film stock is photographic film on which filmmaking of motion pictures are shot and reproduced. The equivalent in television production is video tape.-1889–1899:...
. Forty-eight people died in this tragedy, always known locally as the Dromcolliher Burning; forty-six of them are buried in a large grave in the grounds of the local church. It remained the worst known fire disaster in Irish history until the Betelgeuse incident
Betelgeuse incident
The Betelgeuse incident, also known as the Betelgeuse or Whiddy Island disaster, occurred on 8 January 1979, at around 1:00 a.m., when the oil tanker Betelgeuse exploded in West Cork, Ireland, at the offshore jetty of the Whiddy Island Oil Terminal, due to the failure of the ship's structure...
in 1979 and the Stardust disaster
Stardust Disaster
The Stardust fire was a fatal fire which took place at the Stardust nightclub in Artane, Dublin, Ireland in the early hours of 14 February 1981. Some 841 people had attended a disco there, of whom 48 died and 214 were injured as a result of the fire...
in 1981, which claimed fifty and forty-eight lives respectively.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
External links
- http://dromcollogher.yolasite.com Information on Dromcollogher Community Projects
- http://www.mylocalnews.ie/limerick-20/dromcollogher-broadford-543/ Local online News for Dromcollogher-Broadford
- http://dromcollogher.yolasite.com/miscellaneous-info.php Book written on the history of Dromcollogher from 1160 to 2006 2nd ed. (Source Dromcollogher Community Enterprises/Ted Bradley original book by Drom Col Choille le Cheile)