Shronell
Encyclopedia
Shronell, Shrone Hill, or Shronel is a townland
near the villages of Lattin and Emly
. It is situated 3 miles South West of Tipperary, Ireland on the R515
regional road
.
placename "Srónaill" (Srón=nose / aill=cliff), therefore Shronell means "nose shaped cliff". It is called this probably due to a steep hill ledge north of the cemetery. Shronell is historically divided into Shronellbeg (from the Irish beag, meaning small) and Shronellmór (mór, meaning big). These divisions can be seen on ordnance survey
maps.
's New Model Army
was granted lands in Shronell in 1662.
There were concerted efforts made by the Damer family to introduce Protestant workers from the northern counties, and by 1766 there were eighty-two Protestant families in Shronell.
In 1837, the parish, (sometimes spelled Shronehill) in the barony of Clanwilliam
, contained a total of 1006 inhabitants and encompassed the townlands of Ballinglanna, Ballycohy, Ballyconry, Barronstown (Ormond), Shronell Beg and Shronell More. It consisted of 2,747 statute acres (1,113 hectares), some of which was cultivated but mostly in pasture. 'Ballinard' was the residence of W. Chadwick.. Other notable residents were Clement Sadler, 'Damerville', Austin Cooper 'Chadwickand' and Rev. M. Clarkethe of the glebe
house. The Protestant Parish was in the diocese of Cashel.
land (used almost exclusively for dairy farming
). The Galtee Mountains
are visible from most of the area. The townland is in the parish of Lattin/Cullen and the school's Gaelic Athletic Association
and religious affiliations are concentrated in Lattin. The townland itself contains no retail shops or commercial outlets, the nearest shop being in Tipperary Town.
The Protestant church was built about 1808, and the tower added in 1818. There was a school-house, though not in use, partly built by Caroline Damer, who also endowed it with an acre of land. The recklessly extravagant Damer's Court was built in the mid 18th century by John Damer behind the present National School and its ruins can still be seen today.
In one of these tales, it is said that the local Filioch (poet), Liam “Dall” O Heifernann wrote in one of his poems, that the Damer family would never survive in the area surrounding Shronel but that the O Heifernann (Heffernan) clan would. To this day there are Heffernan’s in the surrounding area but no Damer descendant remain.
It was also alleged that there was a secret tunnel built from his home in Mount Bruis to the site of his new house in Shronel but the Shronel residence was never finished. It is said locally that it was destroyed by those angry at Damer’s misery at being surrounded by the poor of West Tipperary. What remained of the family fortune passed to Lady Caroline Damer, his daughter and sole heir, and later to the Earl of Portarlington
. The mansion, which was a large and magnificent building, was demolished in 1776, and by the mid 19th century, little remained but the offices, which were by then in a state of dilapidation.
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...
near the villages of Lattin and Emly
Emly
Emly or Emlybeg is a village in South Tipperary, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Clanwilliam. It is also an Ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly....
. It is situated 3 miles South West of Tipperary, Ireland on the 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...
.
Origin of name
The word "Shronell" is an English version of the GaelicIrish 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...
placename "Srónaill" (Srón=nose / aill=cliff), therefore Shronell means "nose shaped cliff". It is called this probably due to a steep hill ledge north of the cemetery. Shronell is historically divided into Shronellbeg (from the Irish beag, meaning small) and Shronellmór (mór, meaning big). These divisions can be seen on ordnance survey
Ordnance Survey Ireland
Ordnance Survey Ireland is the national mapping agency of the Republic of Ireland and, together with the Ordnance Survey of Northern Ireland , succeeded, after 1922, the Irish operations of the United Kingdom Ordnance Survey. It is part of the Public service of the Republic of Ireland...
maps.
History
Joseph Damer, (1630–1720), an officer in Oliver CromwellOliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
's New Model Army
New Model Army
The New Model Army of England was formed in 1645 by the Parliamentarians in the English Civil War, and was disbanded in 1660 after the Restoration...
was granted lands in Shronell in 1662.
There were concerted efforts made by the Damer family to introduce Protestant workers from the northern counties, and by 1766 there were eighty-two Protestant families in Shronell.
In 1837, the parish, (sometimes spelled Shronehill) in the barony of Clanwilliam
Earl of Clanwilliam
Earl of Clanwilliam is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1776 for John Meade, 1st Viscount Clanwilliam. The Meade family descends from John Meade, who represented Dublin University and County Tipperary in the Irish House of Commons and served as Attorney-General for Ireland...
, contained a total of 1006 inhabitants and encompassed the townlands of Ballinglanna, Ballycohy, Ballyconry, Barronstown (Ormond), Shronell Beg and Shronell More. It consisted of 2,747 statute acres (1,113 hectares), some of which was cultivated but mostly in pasture. 'Ballinard' was the residence of W. Chadwick.. Other notable residents were Clement Sadler, 'Damerville', Austin Cooper 'Chadwickand' and Rev. M. Clarkethe of the glebe
Glebe
Glebe Glebe Glebe (also known as Church furlong or parson's closes is an area of land within a manor and parish used to support a parish priest.-Medieval origins:...
house. The Protestant Parish was in the diocese of Cashel.
Geography
The area encompasses fertile pasturePasture
Pasture is land used for grazing. Pasture lands in the narrow sense are enclosed tracts of farmland, grazed by domesticated livestock, such as horses, cattle, sheep or swine. The vegetation of tended pasture, forage, consists mainly of grasses, with an interspersion of legumes and other forbs...
land (used almost exclusively for dairy farming
Dairy farming
Dairy farming is a class of agricultural, or an animal husbandry, enterprise, for long-term production of milk, usually from dairy cows but also from goats and sheep, which may be either processed on-site or transported to a dairy factory for processing and eventual retail sale.Most dairy farms...
). The Galtee Mountains
Galtee Mountains
The Galtee Mountains or Galty Mountains are a mountain range in Munster, located in Ireland's Golden Vale across parts of counties Limerick, South Tipperary and Cork. The name "Galtee" is thought to be a corruption of the Irish "Sléibhte na gCoillte" - "Mountains of the Forests" in English,...
are visible from most of the area. The townland is in the parish of Lattin/Cullen and the school's 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 religious affiliations are concentrated in Lattin. The townland itself contains no retail shops or commercial outlets, the nearest shop being in Tipperary Town.
Buildings
The area comprises a mixture of large and small modern houses, along with some old 19th century buildings that date from famine times.The Protestant church was built about 1808, and the tower added in 1818. There was a school-house, though not in use, partly built by Caroline Damer, who also endowed it with an acre of land. The recklessly extravagant Damer's Court was built in the mid 18th century by John Damer behind the present National School and its ruins can still be seen today.
Folklore
There are many local tales about Damer, both fact and fiction, but all contribute to the persona of the man who once held these lands.In one of these tales, it is said that the local Filioch (poet), Liam “Dall” O Heifernann wrote in one of his poems, that the Damer family would never survive in the area surrounding Shronel but that the O Heifernann (Heffernan) clan would. To this day there are Heffernan’s in the surrounding area but no Damer descendant remain.
It was also alleged that there was a secret tunnel built from his home in Mount Bruis to the site of his new house in Shronel but the Shronel residence was never finished. It is said locally that it was destroyed by those angry at Damer’s misery at being surrounded by the poor of West Tipperary. What remained of the family fortune passed to Lady Caroline Damer, his daughter and sole heir, and later to the Earl of Portarlington
Earl of Portarlington
Earl of Portarlington is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1785 for John Dawson, 2nd Viscount Carlow, who had earlier represented Portarlington in the Irish House of Commons...
. The mansion, which was a large and magnificent building, was demolished in 1776, and by the mid 19th century, little remained but the offices, which were by then in a state of dilapidation.
Sources
- Griffiths Valuation of Ireland – Shronell, County Tipperary
- Shronell National School
- From Tipperary to Taranaki: A Family History of the Bourke Families of South Taranaki: John Bourke of Shronell, Tipperary. 2005 ISBN 9780473106010
- Denis G. Marnane (1985) A History of West Tipperary from 1660 – Land and Violence
- William Nolan & Thomas G. McGrath (1985) Tipperary History & Society
- Arthur Young (1780) A tour in Ireland
- Patrick Heffernan M.D. (1940) The Heffernans and their Times
- William Hayes & Art Kavanagh (2003) The Tipperary Gentry Vol.1 pp79-87