Rochfortbridge
Encyclopedia
Rochfortbridge is a village
in County Westmeath
, Ireland
, with a population of 1,473 persons. It is located at the intersection of the R400
and the N6 national primary route
, which recently bypassed the village.
The electoral district of Castlelost in Rochfortbridge had 1,473 inhabitants as of the 2006 census; this was a rise in population of 6.6% from 2002. Rochfortbridge is part of the Kilbeggan electoral area, and has four county councillors. The present councillors, elected in 2009, are Colm Arthur (Fine Gael
), Gerry Corcoran (Labour
), Joseph Flanagan (Fine Gael), and Paul Daly (Fianna Fáil
).
The original bridge at Rochfortbridge was called Beggars Bridge. The bridge was replaced by Robert Rochfort MP, and gives the town its name. Droichead Chaistleán Loiste, the Gaelic
name for Rochforbridge translates as "Castlelost Bridge".
There is an important local oral tradition that the body of a beggarman was discovered on the old bridge, and that his pockets contained a sum of money – enough to rebuild the bridge. This story and others are extremely relevant to local people even though there is no historical basis.
The original bridge was a toll bridge with a toll of one farthing
to cross either way.
The village proper was set out by Robert Rochfort
, MP
for Westmeath from 1651 to 1727, and grandfather of Robert, 1st Earl of Belvedere
. The village was set out c. 1700 on receiving a grant from Queen Anne
to hold a monthly market in the area. As part of the village building programme, Rochfort financed and built a new bridge over the river Derry. This bridge gave the village its name: Rochfort Bridge.
Following the death of Rochfort in 1727, the village and its logistics were controlled by his son George Rochfort. George died just three years later, in 1730, and the village was then under the control of his son Robert Rochfort (soon to become 1st Earl of Belvedere
). On the death of the 1st Earl, the village passed to his son and heir George Augustus Rochfort, the 2nd Earl of Belvedere. George's second wife Jane, Countess Belvedere, placed her mark strongly on the village of Tyrrellspass
.
In 1797 Lt. Col. Robert Rochfort (aka Bobby Bán; 1743–1797), son of the 1st Earl, and brother of the 2nd Earl, died and his estate at Dunboden passed to the Cooper family. The other great Rochfort Estate at Gaulstown also changed hands, with Gaulstown passing to Lord Kilmaine. It was the Cooper Family and Lord Kilmaine that in 1847 rebuilt the village to its present state, as part of a famine relief programme.
Almost all of the original village dwellings were demolished during this village revamp by the Coopers of Dunboden and Lord Kilmaine of Gaulstown. The only remaining building of the Rochfort era that still stands in the village is the Protestant church, just off what is now the village's main street.
established the secondary school.
, M M Stanislaus opened a Deaf and Dumb School in the part of St Joseph's which had been occupied by the Sisters of Mercy before their move to the new convent in 1872.
and a lack of such facilities in the area, lead in 1947 to permission being sought from the Bishop to set up a Secondary School at St. Joseph’s in Rochfortbridge. Permission was granted, and in order to fund this venture shares belonging to St. Joseph’s Deaf Mute Institute were sold.
The Department of Education required a certified secondary teacher, so a secondary top was established. This worked in conjunction with the national school. In 1948 on 7 September, 14 students, mainly boarders, began their academic career at St. Joseph’s. Conditions were very primitive all over the country at this particular time, but the situation improved in 1949 when electricity was brought to the locality. In 1949 two lay teachers were appointed, Ms. Maureen Doyle, BA H Dip and Ms. B. Galvin.
When Sr. Magdalene completed her BA and H Dip it was decided to discontinue the secondary top and to establish a proper secondary school with Sr. Magdalene as principal. For two years state exams were held in Loreto, Mullingar for the Rochfortbridge students, and in 1952 some of the Sisters visited No. 1 Hume Street to secure a centre for exams. In 1953 a Leaving Cert Centre was established in the school and gradually the enrolment increased with 65 boarders registered in 1957.
1963 saw a new chapter in education in Rochfortbrige when the Bishop announced the extension of St. Joseph’s to accommodate the boys of the district. The Curriculum was expanded to include subjects such as woodwork, metalwork and science. Due to the increasing numbers further accommodation was required and in 1973 a house and land adjoining the school was purchased. This was the start of plans for a major building project which involved a tremendous amount of fundraising and culminated in the opening of a new school in 1983.
Still planning further expansion the Parochial House and gardens were purchased in 1987 and work began soon after on a new sports hall, which was opened in 1990. The enrolment numbers continued to increase and a new science lab and seven classrooms were opened in 1992.
The present principal of St. Joseph's Secondary School is Eileen Alford, who grew up in the village.
There are also many Megalithic and Neolithic sites plus many notable buildings in the area.
The village has a new N6 Dual Carriageway
from Kinnegad
to Athlone bypassing the village. The village has two primary and one secondary school within the village with two further primary schools in the parish.
The village of Rochfortbridge is a rural agricultural and dormitory village. Alongside the rural farmhouses and detached residential homes there are a number of town houses and housing estates in the village.
The Socio economic data provided by the 2006 census show that there are 45 farmers in the village with 33 farmworkers. This compares to 226 professional workers, including teachers, social workers, nurses, gardaí
(positions that would normally require at least a diploma qualification), and 826 workers who range from skilled manual (carpenters, electricians, etc.) to unskilled labourers. There are a further 179 persons who refer to themselves as employer managers.
Educational data derived from the 2006 census for Rochfortbridge show that attainment in higher education is below the national average (which is approximately 18.5%). There are 10 persons who hold a primary degree: 4 male and 76 female. There are a further 8 males and 6 females who hold a professional qualification but not a degree; 6 males and 14 females who hold a degree and also a professional qualification; 7 males and 13 females who hold a postgraduate diploma and a degree; and 1 male and 3 females who are reported to have a masters degree. There are no holders of doctorates in Rochfortbridge.
The housing estates within the village (in order of construction) are:
1950s
1990–2000
There are two public houses in Rochfortbridge:
Local businesses in the village are varied and include a supermarket, pizza shop, hair salons, Chinese takeaway, bookmakers', café, takeaway, garage service station, estate agent, pharmacy, general stores, a Post Office, and an aluminium/PVC fabriction factory.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in County Westmeath
County Westmeath
-Economy:Westmeath has a strong agricultural economy. Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar...
, 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,...
, with a population of 1,473 persons. It is located at the intersection of the R400
R400 road
The R400 road is a regional road in Ireland, linking Mullingar, County Westmeath to the R419 at Cushina, County Offaly.-Route:It starts in the centre of Mullingar and crosses over the N52 south of the town....
and the N6 national primary route
Roads in Ireland
The island of Ireland, comprising Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, has an extensive network of tens of thousands of kilometres of public roads, usually surfaced. These roads have been developed and modernised over centuries, from trackways suitable only for walkers and horses, to...
, which recently bypassed the village.
Fine Gael
Fine Gael is a centre-right to centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland. It is the single largest party in Ireland in the Oireachtas, in local government, and in terms of Members of the European Parliament. The party has a membership of over 35,000...
), Gerry Corcoran (Labour
Labour Party (Ireland)
The Labour Party is a social-democratic political party in the Republic of Ireland. The Labour Party was founded in 1912 in Clonmel, County Tipperary, by James Connolly, James Larkin and William X. O'Brien as the political wing of the Irish Trade Union Congress. Unlike the other main Irish...
), Joseph Flanagan (Fine Gael), and Paul Daly (Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party , more commonly known as Fianna Fáil is a centrist political party in the Republic of Ireland, founded on 23 March 1926. Fianna Fáil's name is traditionally translated into English as Soldiers of Destiny, although a more accurate rendition would be Warriors of Fál...
).
History
Rochfortbridge (Pass of Kilbride) was once a stopping point on the main East-West/West-East route (an Slí Mór) across Ireland. The village evolved around a river crossing over the river Derry. It is believed that there used to be a delousing station here during the Great Famine.The original bridge at Rochfortbridge was called Beggars Bridge. The bridge was replaced by Robert Rochfort MP, and gives the town its name. Droichead Chaistleán Loiste, the Gaelic
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...
name for Rochforbridge translates as "Castlelost Bridge".
There is an important local oral tradition that the body of a beggarman was discovered on the old bridge, and that his pockets contained a sum of money – enough to rebuild the bridge. This story and others are extremely relevant to local people even though there is no historical basis.
The original bridge was a toll bridge with a toll of one farthing
Farthing
Farthing may refer to:*Farthing , an old British coin valued one quarter of a penny*Farthing , its counterpart among the pre-decimal Irish coins*Farthing , a defunct British science fiction magazine...
to cross either way.
The village proper was set out by Robert Rochfort
Robert Rochfort
Robert Rochfort was attorney-general, judge and speaker of the Irish House of Commons.Rochfort was probably born on 9 December 1652. He was the second son of Lieutenant-Colonel James "Prime-Iron " Rochfort , a Cromwellian soldier, and Thomasina Pigot...
, MP
Parliament of Ireland
The Parliament of Ireland was a legislature that existed in Dublin from 1297 until 1800. In its early mediaeval period during the Lordship of Ireland it consisted of either two or three chambers: the House of Commons, elected by a very restricted suffrage, the House of Lords in which the lords...
for Westmeath from 1651 to 1727, and grandfather of Robert, 1st Earl of Belvedere
Earl of Belvedere
The title Earl of Belvedere was created in 1756 in the Peerage of Ireland. The associated titles were Baron Bellfield and Viscount Bellfield...
. The village was set out c. 1700 on receiving a grant from Queen Anne
Queen Anne
"Queen Anne" generally refers to Anne, Queen of Great Britain , Queen of England, Scotland and Ireland from 1702, and of Great Britain from 1707.Queen Anne may also refer to:-Uses relating to Queen Anne of Great Britain:...
to hold a monthly market in the area. As part of the village building programme, Rochfort financed and built a new bridge over the river Derry. This bridge gave the village its name: Rochfort Bridge.
Following the death of Rochfort in 1727, the village and its logistics were controlled by his son George Rochfort. George died just three years later, in 1730, and the village was then under the control of his son Robert Rochfort (soon to become 1st Earl of Belvedere
Earl of Belvedere
The title Earl of Belvedere was created in 1756 in the Peerage of Ireland. The associated titles were Baron Bellfield and Viscount Bellfield...
). On the death of the 1st Earl, the village passed to his son and heir George Augustus Rochfort, the 2nd Earl of Belvedere. George's second wife Jane, Countess Belvedere, placed her mark strongly on the village of Tyrrellspass
Tyrrellspass
Tyrrellspass is a Georgian village in County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located 81 km from Dublin and is situated in the south of the county on the R446 road. Tyrrellspass won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition in 1969.-History:...
.
In 1797 Lt. Col. Robert Rochfort (aka Bobby Bán; 1743–1797), son of the 1st Earl, and brother of the 2nd Earl, died and his estate at Dunboden passed to the Cooper family. The other great Rochfort Estate at Gaulstown also changed hands, with Gaulstown passing to Lord Kilmaine. It was the Cooper Family and Lord Kilmaine that in 1847 rebuilt the village to its present state, as part of a famine relief programme.
Almost all of the original village dwellings were demolished during this village revamp by the Coopers of Dunboden and Lord Kilmaine of Gaulstown. The only remaining building of the Rochfort era that still stands in the village is the Protestant church, just off what is now the village's main street.
Mercy Convent Rochfortbridge
In 1862 the Mercy Convent was established in Rochfortbridge, and in 1872, with help from the donations of a local family, it was extended to house a school for females who had a hearing or visual disability. This institution continued until the 1940s, when the Sisters of MercySisters of Mercy
The Religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy is an order of Catholic women founded by Catherine McAuley in Dublin, Ireland, in 1831. , the order has about 10,000 members worldwide, organized into a number of independent congregations....
established the secondary school.
Deaf and Dumb Institute
In 1892, at the request of the Most Rev Dr Nulty, Bishop of MeathBishop of Meath
The Bishop of Meath is an episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient Kingdom of Meath. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains as a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bishopric.-History:...
, M M Stanislaus opened a Deaf and Dumb School in the part of St Joseph's which had been occupied by the Sisters of Mercy before their move to the new convent in 1872.
St. Joseph's Secondary School
The demand for secondary educationSecondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
and a lack of such facilities in the area, lead in 1947 to permission being sought from the Bishop to set up a Secondary School at St. Joseph’s in Rochfortbridge. Permission was granted, and in order to fund this venture shares belonging to St. Joseph’s Deaf Mute Institute were sold.
The Department of Education required a certified secondary teacher, so a secondary top was established. This worked in conjunction with the national school. In 1948 on 7 September, 14 students, mainly boarders, began their academic career at St. Joseph’s. Conditions were very primitive all over the country at this particular time, but the situation improved in 1949 when electricity was brought to the locality. In 1949 two lay teachers were appointed, Ms. Maureen Doyle, BA H Dip and Ms. B. Galvin.
When Sr. Magdalene completed her BA and H Dip it was decided to discontinue the secondary top and to establish a proper secondary school with Sr. Magdalene as principal. For two years state exams were held in Loreto, Mullingar for the Rochfortbridge students, and in 1952 some of the Sisters visited No. 1 Hume Street to secure a centre for exams. In 1953 a Leaving Cert Centre was established in the school and gradually the enrolment increased with 65 boarders registered in 1957.
1963 saw a new chapter in education in Rochfortbrige when the Bishop announced the extension of St. Joseph’s to accommodate the boys of the district. The Curriculum was expanded to include subjects such as woodwork, metalwork and science. Due to the increasing numbers further accommodation was required and in 1973 a house and land adjoining the school was purchased. This was the start of plans for a major building project which involved a tremendous amount of fundraising and culminated in the opening of a new school in 1983.
Still planning further expansion the Parochial House and gardens were purchased in 1987 and work began soon after on a new sports hall, which was opened in 1990. The enrolment numbers continued to increase and a new science lab and seven classrooms were opened in 1992.
The present principal of St. Joseph's Secondary School is Eileen Alford, who grew up in the village.
Archaelogical sites in Rochfortbridge
Other historical sites in the village area include "Castlelost" castle, motte and graveyard. There is also a fine example of a ring fort in the middle of the village which is preserved along with the Convent of Mercy.There are also many Megalithic and Neolithic sites plus many notable buildings in the area.
Present day
Dual carriageway
A dual carriageway is a class of highway with two carriageways for traffic travelling in opposite directions separated by a central reservation...
from Kinnegad
Kinnegad
Kinnegad or Kinagad is a town in County Westmeath, Ireland. It is near the border with County Meath, at the junction of the N6 and the N4 - two of Ireland's main east-west roads...
to Athlone bypassing the village. The village has two primary and one secondary school within the village with two further primary schools in the parish.
The village of Rochfortbridge is a rural agricultural and dormitory village. Alongside the rural farmhouses and detached residential homes there are a number of town houses and housing estates in the village.
The Socio economic data provided by the 2006 census show that there are 45 farmers in the village with 33 farmworkers. This compares to 226 professional workers, including teachers, social workers, nurses, gardaí
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
(positions that would normally require at least a diploma qualification), and 826 workers who range from skilled manual (carpenters, electricians, etc.) to unskilled labourers. There are a further 179 persons who refer to themselves as employer managers.
Educational data derived from the 2006 census for Rochfortbridge show that attainment in higher education is below the national average (which is approximately 18.5%). There are 10 persons who hold a primary degree: 4 male and 76 female. There are a further 8 males and 6 females who hold a professional qualification but not a degree; 6 males and 14 females who hold a degree and also a professional qualification; 7 males and 13 females who hold a postgraduate diploma and a degree; and 1 male and 3 females who are reported to have a masters degree. There are no holders of doctorates in Rochfortbridge.
The housing estates within the village (in order of construction) are:
1950s
- Derrygreenagh Park – Built in the 1950s by the state agency Bord na MonaBord na MónaBord na Móna , abbreviated BNM, is a semi-state company in Ireland, created in 1946 by the Turf Development Act 1946. The company is responsible for the mechanised harvesting of peat, primarily in the Midlands of Ireland...
as housing for its employees, Derrygreenagh Park was one of a small number of housing estates built to a particular design. The estate has won an award for its tidiness, and has the added attraction of a pitch-and-putt course. - Ahona - A small estate built in the 1950s by Bord na Mona.
1990–2000
- Castle Park - A small housing estate built by Westmeath County Council to the west end of the village. Castle Park Estate was enlarged as part of Westmeath County Council's Housing Programme.
- Brookfield – A small estate built by Westmeath County Council in the 1990s, consisting of dormer semi-detached houses.
- Castlelost Vale – A large estate, built in the late 1990s.
- Rahanine Manor – A large estate, built in the late 1990s.
- Stonebridge Park – A large estate.
- The Sycamores – A small estate, built in the late 1990s
- The Crescent – A small estate, built in the late 1990s
There are two public houses in Rochfortbridge:
- Bagnalls Pub – Built in the early 2000s as part of a small retail development.
- Lysters Bar – Also on the main street of the village, now ran by the Kenny family
Local businesses in the village are varied and include a supermarket, pizza shop, hair salons, Chinese takeaway, bookmakers', café, takeaway, garage service station, estate agent, pharmacy, general stores, a Post Office, and an aluminium/PVC fabriction factory.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
External links
- Westmeath County Council
- Westmeath Community Development
- Rochfortbridge Gaelic Football Club
- Rochfortbridge Soccer Club
- Local Historian who may be able to help trace ancestors