Geashill
Encyclopedia
Geashill is a village in County Offaly
, Ireland
. It is situated between the towns of Tullamore
and Portarlington on the R420
regional road
. Geashill has a Church of Ireland
church, a shop, a petrol station, post office, primary (national) school, a Gaelic Athletic Association
and two pubs, (Carruther's - the third closed in September 2011).
settlement was built here between 1185
and 1204 by the first Baron of Offaly, Gerald Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald, an ancestor of the Earls of Kildare. Originally of motte-and-bailey
design, it was a timber castle on an earthen mound, nearby were located the church and tenant dwellings. In the 15th century the wooded fortress was replaced by a stone tower house. Today, only the west wall of the castle remains.
In 1598
, Lettice Fitzgerald
, daughter and heir of Gerald, the Lord Offaly of the time, married a Robert Digby of Coleshill, Warwickshire
, who was brother of the 1st Earl of Bristol
and whose son was created Ist Baron Digby
of Geashill in 1620
.
, described the village as containing 87 mostly thatched houses arranged around a triangular green http://www.libraryireland.com/topog/g.php. Fairs were held on May 1, October 6 and December, the latter being one of the largest pig markets in Ireland. Consisting of over 34000 acres (137.6 km²), the Digby estate was the largest in County Offaly. The 9th Baron Lord Digby carried out extensive improvements in the 1860s and 1870s and many of the current buildings around the triangular green date from this time. The Kings County Directory recorded that Digby had "converted the village of Geashill into what it now is, one of the neatest, cleanest and best kept in Ireland" http://www.irishmidlandsancestry.com/content/offaly/community/kings-quinnsland.htm.
At the Paris Exhibition of 1867
Lord Digby was awarded the bronze medal for models of the village he was building. He was awarded the gold medal for three years by the Royal Agricultural Society, for improving the greatest number of cottages in the best manner in the Province of Leinster. The Digbys built a house called Geashill Castle near the medieval tower house but this was burnt down during the Civil War in 1922
http://www.r-alston.co.uk/ch_ire.htm.
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
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...
. It is situated between the towns of Tullamore
Tullamore
Tullamore is a town in County Offaly, in the midlands of Ireland. It is Offaly's county town and the centre of the district.Tullamore is an important commercial and industrial centre in the region. Major international employers in the town include 'Tyco Healthcare' and 'Boston Scientific'. In...
and Portarlington on the R420
R420 road
The R420 road is a regional road in Ireland, which runs northwest-southeast from the N52/N80 in Tullamore to the R445 just west of Monasterevin.The route is long.-See also:*Roads in Ireland*National primary road*National secondary road-References:...
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...
. Geashill has 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...
church, a shop, a petrol station, post office, primary (national) school, a Gaelic Athletic Association
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...
and two pubs, (Carruther's - the third closed in September 2011).
History
The name Geashill is an anglicisation of the Irish name Géisill. Older anglicisations include Geashil, Geshill, Geshell, Geisshell and Gessill.Medieval Geashill
An Anglo-NormanAnglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
settlement was built here between 1185
1185 in Ireland
-Events:*Prince John’s first visit to Ireland.*Occupation of the lands in Limerick begun by Theobald Walter, William de Burgh and Philip of Worcester....
and 1204 by the first Baron of Offaly, Gerald Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald, an ancestor of the Earls of Kildare. Originally of motte-and-bailey
Motte-and-bailey
A motte-and-bailey is a form of castle, with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised earthwork called a motte, accompanied by an enclosed courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade...
design, it was a timber castle on an earthen mound, nearby were located the church and tenant dwellings. In the 15th century the wooded fortress was replaced by a stone tower house. Today, only the west wall of the castle remains.
In 1598
1598 in Ireland
-Events:*August - Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone's victory over an English expeditionary force under Henry Bagenal, at the Battle of the Yellow Ford.-Births:*Patrick D'Arcy, nationalist who wrote the constitution of Confederate Ireland ....
, Lettice Fitzgerald
Lettice Digby, 1st Baroness Offaly
Lettice FitzGerald, 1st Baroness Offaly was an Irish noblewoman and a member of the powerful FitzGerald dynasty. Heiress-general to the Earls of Kildare on the death of her father, the title instead went to the next FitzGerald male heir when her grandfather, the 11th Earl of Kildare died in 1585...
, daughter and heir of Gerald, the Lord Offaly of the time, married a Robert Digby of Coleshill, Warwickshire
Coleshill, Warwickshire
Coleshill is a market town in the North Warwickshire district of Warwickshire, England, taking its name from the River Cole. It has a population of 6,343 and is situated east of Birmingham.-Location:...
, who was brother of the 1st Earl of Bristol
Earl of Bristol
Earl of Bristol is a title that has been created twice in British history. The first creation came in the Peerage of England in 1622 in favour of the politician and diplomat John Digby who served for many years as Ambassador to Spain, and had already been created Baron Digby of Sherborne, in the...
and whose son was created Ist Baron Digby
Baron Digby
Baron Digby, of Geashill in the King's County, is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1620 for Robert Digby, Governor of King's County. He was the nephew of John Digby, 1st Earl of Bristol. Lord Digby's grandson, the third Baron, and the latter's younger brothers the fourth and...
of Geashill in 1620
1620 in Ireland
-Births:*Archbishop Peter Talbot, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Dublin ....
.
19th century
The Digbys developed Geashill as a planned estate village. Samuel Lewis, writing in 18371837 in Ireland
-Events:* Shaw's Bank merges with the Royal Bank of Ireland .* August - Following a very cold summer there is widespread failure of the potato crop, as in 1836, leading to famine later in the year.-Births:...
, described the village as containing 87 mostly thatched houses arranged around a triangular green http://www.libraryireland.com/topog/g.php. Fairs were held on May 1, October 6 and December, the latter being one of the largest pig markets in Ireland. Consisting of over 34000 acres (137.6 km²), the Digby estate was the largest in County Offaly. The 9th Baron Lord Digby carried out extensive improvements in the 1860s and 1870s and many of the current buildings around the triangular green date from this time. The Kings County Directory recorded that Digby had "converted the village of Geashill into what it now is, one of the neatest, cleanest and best kept in Ireland" http://www.irishmidlandsancestry.com/content/offaly/community/kings-quinnsland.htm.
At the Paris Exhibition of 1867
1867 in Ireland
-Events:*11 February – Abortive Fenian attempt to seize Chester Castle.*5 March – Fenian rising in County Dublin, County Cork, County Limerick, County Tipperary and County Clare....
Lord Digby was awarded the bronze medal for models of the village he was building. He was awarded the gold medal for three years by the Royal Agricultural Society, for improving the greatest number of cottages in the best manner in the Province of Leinster. The Digbys built a house called Geashill Castle near the medieval tower house but this was burnt down during the Civil War in 1922
1922 in Ireland
-Events:*January 2 - The first edition of the newspaper Poblacht na hÉireann is published. It is established by republican opponents to the Anglo-Irish Treaty who declare their fealty to the Irish Republic....
http://www.r-alston.co.uk/ch_ire.htm.
Transport
- Geashill railway station opened on 2 October 1854, was closed for passenger traffic on 17 June 1963 and finally closed altogether on 30 August 1982.