Athea ( or ''Áth Té'') is a village in west
County Limerick
"Remember Limerick"
, image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Ireland
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 = Munster
, subdivision ...
,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. Athea has a
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
church, and is the centre for the parish of Athea, which encompasses several nearby townlands.
History
The community was dependent on agriculture and a
creamery
A creamery is a place where milk and cream are processed and where butter and cheese is produced. Cream is separated from whole milk; pasteurization is done to the skimmed milk and cream separately. Whole milk for sale has had some cream re ...
was built near the river which acted as the centrepoint for local trade. A primary school was built near the creamery to cope with the rising younger population. Over time, cottages and workshops lined the main road to create the village of Athea. New local roads were built to neighbouring
Moyvane
Moyvane (), also sometimes known as Newtownsandes, is a small village in County Kerry in the south west of Ireland. It is situated off the N69 road between Listowel to the southwest and Tarbert to the north. The village of Knockanure lies t ...
and off the main
Listowel
Listowel ( ; , IPA: lʲɪsˠˈt̪ˠuəhəlʲ is a heritage market town in County Kerry, Ireland. It is on the River Feale, from the county town, Tralee. The town of Listowel had a population of 4,820 according to the Central Statistics Of ...
-
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
and Glin-Abbeyfeale roads. The river was the primary water source as well as its use for drainage.
The Catholic population were forbidden to practise their faith under
Penal Laws, and the first church wasn't built in Athea until the early 19th century. Prior to this locals congregated each Sunday at a
Mass rock
Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a Physical object, physical body, until the discovery of the atom and par ...
to the east of the village.
Geography
Topography
Athea is situated on the river Galey and the crossroads of the
R523 (Reens - Listowel) and
R524 (Glin -
Abbeyfeale
Abbeyfeale (; ) is a historic market town in County Limerick, Ireland, near the border with County Kerry. The town is on the N21 road (Ireland), N21 road from Limerick to Tralee, some south-west of Newcastle West and south-east of Listowel
and ...
)
regional roads. It is a 3 km east of the Limerick/Kerry border in the hills of west Limerick. Its highest point is in the Parkanna townland where, at 220 m above sea level, surrounding towns and counties can be seen.
The river Galey is a tributary to the larger
River Feale
Beach seine fishing for salmon in River Feale near by town Ballybunion, year 1975.
The River Feale (''An Fhéil'' or ''Abhainn na Féile'' in Irish) rises near Rockchapel in the Mullaghareirk Mountains of County Cork in the southwest of Irelan ...
. The name is derived from the
Irish language
Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
''"Abhainn na Gáile"'', River of the Gaille, a tribe who lived along its banks. There are two bridges across the river; the R523/R524 intersection bridge just east of the village and ''Barry's Bridge'', 2 km northwest of the village. Athea has suffered damage and disruption over several years, when the River Galley flooded in 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2015. Proposals and funding to address the issue had been muted for several years, and a civil engineering consultancy were appointed by
Limerick County Council
Limerick County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Luimnigh) was the authority responsible for local government in County Limerick, Ireland. As a county council, it was governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council had 28 elected members. ...
in October 2019 to "assess, develop and design" a flood relief scheme.
Townlands
The large parish of Athea is divided into 25 townlands:
* Athea Lower
th an tSléibhe Íochtair - the fort of the mountain* Athea Upper
th an tSléibhe Uachtar - the fort of the mountain* Clash North
n Chlais - the trench* Clash South
n Chlais - the trench* Coole East
n Chúil - the corner* Coole West
n Chúil - the corner* Cratloe East
n Chreatalach - a sallow wood* Cratloe West
n Chreatalach - a sallow wood* Direen Lower
n Doirín - the small thicket* Direen Upper
n Doirín - the small thicket* Dromada
rom Fhada - long ridge* Glashapullagh
laise an Phollaigh - the stream of the place of holes* Glenagore
leann an Ghabhair - the glen of the goat* Gortnagross
ort na gCros - the field of the crosses* Keale North
n Caol - the narrow feature* Keale South
n Caol - the narrow feature* Knockdown
noc Donn - brown hill* Knockfinisk
noc Finnisce - hill of bright water* Knocknagorna
noc na gCoirneach - the hill of the clerics* Parkanna
n Pháirc - the field* Rooskagh
úscach - marshy place* Templeathea East
eampaill an tSléibhe - The church of the mountain* Templeathea West
eampaill an tSléibhe - The church of the mountain* Tooradoo
a Tuara Dubha - the black animal enclosures* Tooreendonnell
uairín Dónaill - the small animal enclosure of Dónall
Electoral division
Athea is situated in the constituency of Limerick West; the parish itself is subdivided into two electoral areas - the
Newcastlewest
Newcastle West () or simply Newcastle (''An Caisleán Nua'', formerly anglicized Castlenoe) is a town in west County Limerick, Ireland. It is the largest town in the county, excluding Limerick city, It is also the county town, and sits on the ...
electoral area (predominantly south of the river Galey) and the
Rathkeale
Rathkeale () is a town in west County Limerick, in Ireland. It is 30 km (18 mi) southwest of Limerick city on the N21 road to Tralee, County Kerry, and lies on the River Deel. Rathkeale has a significant Irish Traveller population, and ...
electoral area (north of the river) which are used mainly in local elections. At European level, Athea is in the constituency of Ireland South. At election times, the school is used as the polling station.
Built heritage
Colbert Street and Dalton Street are the main streets in the village. St. Bartholomew's Church is located on Colbert Street and the village has two graveyards, Holy Cross on the outskirts of the village and The "Old Graveyard" in Templeathea just over a mile away.
Con Colbert Memorial Hall
Opened in January 1974 by
Erskine Hamilton Childers
Erskine Hamilton Childers (11 December 1905 – 17 November 1974) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as the fourth president of Ireland from June 1973 to November 1974. He is the only Irish president to have died in office. He also ...
,
Con Colbert
Cornelius Bernard Colbert ( ga, Conchúir Ó Colbáird; 19 October 1888 – 8 May 1916)D.J. Hickey & J. E. Doherty, ''A New Dictionary of Irish History from 1800'', Gill & MacMillan (Dublin), , Pg.75 was an Irish rebel and pioneer of Fianna Éir ...
Memorial Hall is named after one of the executed leaders of the 1916
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...
. The hall is used for meetings, sports events and other gatherings. Since its opening, it has been extended to incorporate a sports complex. The cost of this renovation neared €1 million and despite charity donations, government grants and other fundraising efforts, the community hall committee is still faced with a large (if decreasing) debt.
John Paul II Footbridge
Athea's only pedestrian bridge was opened by Donal Murray, Bishop of Limerick, in 2005. The bridge is located next to the existing road bridge at the eastern end of the main street. It had been proposed for years for the local school pupils who were crossing the busy road bridge and was seen as a health and safety hazard sharing the bridge with cars. The bridge is 2m wide and 11m long. It was commissioned by Athea Community Council Ltd. who raised €260,000. The debt was reduced to €27,000 by the "Lucky Numbers" drawings, held Saturday nights.
St. Bartholomew's Church
St. Bartholomew's Roman Catholic Church is located on the main street and was built in 1832. It underwent renovations in 1862 and 1980s. The church spire can be seen from all approach roads to the village.
Monuments
The ''Goold Monument'', located in Upper Athea commemorates James Goold, a landlord who, at the time of the
Great Famine refused to evict tenants who couldn't pay rent. Dated to 1863, the monument comprises a 4 m high
Celtic cross
The Celtic cross is a form of Christian cross featuring a nimbus or ring that emerged in Ireland, France and Great Britain in the Early Middle Ages. A type of ringed cross, it became widespread through its use in the stone high crosses er ...
which stands just off the road to
Listowel
Listowel ( ; , IPA: lʲɪsˠˈt̪ˠuəhəlʲ is a heritage market town in County Kerry, Ireland. It is on the River Feale, from the county town, Tralee. The town of Listowel had a population of 4,820 according to the Central Statistics Of ...
.
The ''Olympic Statue'', colloquially called "the feet" is a monument in The Square commemorating two Irish olympic medalists who were originally from Athea -
Tim Ahearne and
Dan Ahearne. Tim Ahearne won gold in the triple jump in the 1908 Olympics, while his younger brother Dan Ahearne is known for setting a world record in 1909. The sculpture depicts two golden feet with wings spread out.
Culture
Events
Annually large events such as the Vintage Rally, TradFéile and Athea Motorcycle Road Races are held during summer months. The latter, the Athea Motorcycle Road Races, is a two-day event taking place on a Saturday and Sunday at the end of June. In 2007 the race attracted an estimated 18,000 visitors to the village according to Gardaí. Names such as Martin Finnegan and William Dunlop have taken part in the event in the past. A fun fair is usually brought to the village the week before the festival.
Parklands
The "Giant's Garden" is a walk from the Memorial Hall to Holy Cross Cemetery in Templeathea. It is named after a legend that incorporates a giant carrying his deceased mother on his shoulders to be buried. The Giant's Garden overlooks Athea Village as well as the hills and river southwest of the village.
Media
The ''Athea & District News'' newsletter is published by local print company Cáirde Dúchais on a weekly basis. It features local columnists and current affairs. It also contains articles for the neighbouring towns and villages of Knockdown,
Carrigkerry
Carrigkerry () is a village and townland in County Limerick, Ireland. The village is located in the civil parish of Ardagh, on the R523 regional road. Carrigkerry is a census town, and had a population of 184 as of the 2016 census.
Carrigkerr ...
and Abbeyfeale.
The ''Weekly Observer'' newspaper which contains articles for towns over much of west Limerick has an "Athea Notes" column resulting in it being a household newspaper in Athea.
Sport
![Athea cross, Athea village](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/15/Athea_cross%2C_Athea_village.JPG)
Athea GAA (''Áth an tSléibhe CLG'') is the local
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...
club, and its team colours are maroon and white. The club is located in Templeathea, 1 km east of the village on the R523. Athea Credit Union are the primary sponsors of the club.
Athea United Athletic Football Club is a local soccer club. It moved to a new site in 2000, and its clubhouse is located in Lower Dirreen on the Glin Road (R524).
The Athea Blazers Basketball Club was formed in 2005 and has its base is at Con Colbert Memorial Hall. Fishing also takes place in the area.
Demographics
In the 2016 census, the population of the village was 369.
Approximately 90% of the population were born in Ireland, with other residents born in the UK, Poland, and elsewhere in the world.
91% of census respondents in Athea listed their religion as
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
, 7% other stated religions and approximately 2% no stated religion or no religion.
Education
The primary school - Athea National School (Athea NS) - was built in 1921. Prior to this, a small thatched schoolhouse was located centrally in the village (now no longer in use). Athea NS is located in Templeathea townland, just east of the village centre. When opened in 1921, it had a capacity of 100 students. A large extension to the school was officially opened in 2009. Today's building houses five classrooms with toilet facilities in each room, a principal's office, a secretary's office, a library, a computer room and a preschool. The school is headed by the Athea National School Board of Management.
Although there are no post-primary schools in Athea, bus transport is available to secondary schools in nearby Abbeyfeale (St. Ita's, St. Joseph's and Abbeyfeale Vocational School) and Tarbert (Tarbert Comprehensive).
Transport
A
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
-
Tralee
Tralee ( ; ga, Trá Lí, ; formerly , meaning 'strand of the Lee River') is the county town of County Kerry in the south-west of Ireland. The town is on the northern side of the neck of the Dingle Peninsula, and is the largest town in County ...
bus service operates via Athea every Wednesday. There are also local
hackney services available. The closest train stations to Athea are the Colbert Station in
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
city and
Charleville Charleville can refer to:
Australia
* Charleville, Queensland, a town in Australia
**Charleville railway station, Queensland
France
* Charleville, Marne, a commune in Marne, France
*Charleville-Mézières, a commune in Ardennes, France
** ...
in
County Cork
County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...
.
Notable people
*
Con Colbert
Cornelius Bernard Colbert ( ga, Conchúir Ó Colbáird; 19 October 1888 – 8 May 1916)D.J. Hickey & J. E. Doherty, ''A New Dictionary of Irish History from 1800'', Gill & MacMillan (Dublin), , Pg.75 was an Irish rebel and pioneer of Fianna Éir ...
, the youngest man to be executed by the British after the
Easter Rising
The Easter Rising ( ga, Éirí Amach na Cásca), also known as the Easter Rebellion, was an armed insurrection in Ireland during Easter Week in April 1916. The Rising was launched by Irish republicans against British rule in Ireland with the a ...
in 1916, lived on the family farm in Athea.
*
Kevin Danaher
Kevin Danaher (Irish, ''Caoimhín Ó Danachair'') (30 January 1913 – 14 March 2002) was an Irish folklorist with a special interest in ethnography and military history.
Danaher is the author of 10 books about Irish traditional customs a ...
, folklorist and historian, was born in Athea.
His early education was at Athea National School and Mungret College, County Limerick. In 1934, Danaher became a part-time collector for the
Irish Folklore Commission
The Irish Folklore Commission (''Coimisiún Béaloideasa Éireann'' in Irish) was set up in 1935 by the Irish Government to study and collect information on the folklore and traditions of Ireland.
History
Séamus Ó Duilearga (James Hamilton Dela ...
.
[Gailey, Alan, and Lynch, Chris. "Obituary", ''Folk Life'', Summer 2002]
*
Tim Ahearne and
Dan Ahearn were brothers who competed in the 1908 and 1920 Olympics respectively.
*
Con Greaney
Con Greaney was a traditional Irish singer from Athea, West Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which compri ...
, traditional Irish singer, is from Athea.
*
Lisa Murtagh Lisa or LISA may refer to:
People
People with the mononym
* Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam
* Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer
* Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...
, whose mother is an Athea native, was crowned 48th
Rose of Tralee (The) Rose of Tralee may refer to:
* Rose of Tralee (festival)
The Rose of Tralee International Festival is an international event which is celebrated among Irish diaspora, Irish communities all over the world. The festival, held annually in ...
. She represented New York, but acknowledged Athea as her "second home" in her speech at the pageant in 2008.
See also
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
References
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Limerick
Towns and villages in County Limerick