Bruff () is a town in east

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 ...

, in the midwest of

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 ...

, located on the old

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 ...

–

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

road ( R512). The town lies on the Morning Star river, with two bridges in the town itself. The horseshoe lake of

Lough Gur Lough Gur () is a lake in County Limerick, Ireland between the towns of Herbertstown and Bruff. The lake forms a horseshoe shape at the base of Knockadoon Hill and some rugged elevated countryside. It is one of Ireland's most important archa ...

is nearby.

Name

The town's official name in Irish is ''An Brú'', historically written as ''Brugh''. Older spellings in English, dating from 1200 onward, include ''Brug'', ''Browe'' and ''Broff''. Because of its close association with the Anglo-Norman de Lacy family, the town's name was also rendered in Irish as ''Brú an Léisigh''; it is believed that a modern name for the town, ''Brú na nDéise'', is a corruption of this name that was popularised from the early 1900s on.

History

Historical artifacts found around the area date back to the

Stone Age The Stone Age was a broad prehistoric period during which stone was widely used to make tools with an edge, a point, or a percussion surface. The period lasted for roughly 3.4 million years, and ended between 4,000 BC and 2,000 BC, with t ...

, with various buildings up to the early Christian era still extant. Bruff is the hometown of American missionary and bishop

John Joseph Hogan Bishop John Joseph Hogan (May 10, 1829 – February 21, 1913) was an Irish-born prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the first Bishop of the Diocese of Saint Joseph in Missouri (1868 to 1880) and the first bishop of the Diocese o ...

. In the sixteenth century it was granted to the Standish family, from whom it passed by inheritance to the Hartstonge Baronets, and ultimately to the

Earl of Limerick Earl of Limerick is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland, associated first with the Dongan family, then with the Pery family. First creation The earldom was created for the first time in 1686 for Sir William Dongan, 4 ...

.National Library of Ireland Collection List 121 "The Limerick Papers" The town suffered heavy fighting in the

Battle of Killmallock The Battle of Kilmallock took place between 25 July and 5 August 1922 in County Limerick, Ireland. It was one of the largest engagements of the Irish Civil War. It consisted of ten days of fighting in the countryside round Kilmallock in Cou ...

during the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...

. Near the Catholic Church, there is a large statue of Sean Wall, commander of the East Limerick

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief tha ...

and chairman of Limerick County Council until his death on 6May 1921 during the

War of Independence This is a list of wars of independence (also called liberation wars). These wars may or may not have been successful in achieving a goal of independence. List See also * Lists of active separatist movements * List of civil wars * List o ...

. The former seat of the

O'Grady family The O'Grady family, also styled O'Grady of Kilballyowen, is one of Ireland's noble families and surviving Chiefs of the Name. Their title is ''The O'Grady'' in English and ''Ó Gráda'' in Irish. Naming conventions History They belong to the ...

, Kilballyowen, is near Bruff. The US President

John F. Kennedy John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...

was a descendant of the Fitzgeralds of Bruff. His daughter,

Caroline Kennedy Caroline Bouvier Kennedy (born November 27, 1957) is an American author, attorney, and diplomat serving in the Biden administration as the United States Ambassador to Australia since 2022. She previously served in the Obama administration as th ...

, visited the town in May 2013 with her husband and son.

Sport

The town has an active

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,

Pitch & Putt Pitch and putt is an amateur sport very similar to, and derived from, golf, where the hole length is typically up to and just 2–3 clubs are typically used. The game was organised and developed in Ireland during the early 20th century, befo ...

club, hockey club, soccer club, and

rugby union Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand. In its m ...

. Bruff R.F.C. is home club of John Hayes, the Ireland rugby union international. Bruff is home to

Limerick F.C. Limerick Football Club ( ga, Club Peile Luimnigh) was an association football club based in Limerick, Ireland who played in the League of Ireland and currently have teams competing in the underage National League of Ireland. The first Limerick ...

's Kirby O'Sullivan Sports, Social and Business Park.

Development and economy

Bruff town has been classified as a satellite town of Limerick City. Major expansion for the town is laid out in the development plan published 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 2012. Ard Scoil Mhuire, the only secondary school in the town, has been closed down, its former campus is now home to the Kirby O'Sullivan Sports, Social and Business Park.

Tourism

Bruff's Cultural and Arts Society organises an Annual Summer Festival, an event held annually since its inception in 2006. It includes the Morning Star Rose Competition and the Morning Star Escort Competition (since 2008). The Sean Wall Committee organise a "

Bloomsday Bloomsday is a commemoration and celebration of the life of Irish writer James Joyce, observed annually in Dublin and elsewhere on 16 June, the day his 1922 novel '' Ulysses'' takes place in 1904, the date of his first sexual encounter with his ...

in Bruff" festival every year on 16 June. A number of murals have been painted on the walls of buildings in the town over the last few decades. There are four

pubs A pub (short for public house) is a kind of drinking establishment which is licensed to serve alcoholic drinks for consumption on the premises. The term ''public house'' first appeared in the United Kingdom in late 17th century, and was ...

(one with a restaurant), two restaurants (''The Bakehouse Restaurant'' and ''The Lantern''), a Eurospar, a

Centra Centra is a convenience shop chain that operates throughout Ireland. The chain operates as a symbol group owned by Musgrave Group, the food wholesaler, meaning the stores are all owned by individual franchisees. The chain has three different ...

, a pharmacy, a B&B and a

Post Office A post office is a public facility and a retailer that provides mail services, such as accepting letters and parcels, providing post office boxes, and selling postage stamps, packaging, and stationery. Post offices may offer additional serv ...

in the town.The Bank of Ireland branch in the town closed permanently in October 2021. Bruff is located near the edges of the Ballyhoura Fáilte tourist area. Accommodation in the town is provided in what used to be the old AIB Bank, known as "The Old Bank", which had also served as the Garda station in the town.

People

James David Bourchier James David Bourchier (18 December 1850 at Baggotstown, near Bruff in County Limerick – 30 December 1920 in Sofia, Bulgaria) was an Irish journalist and political activist. He lived in Sofia from 1892 to 1915. Bourchier was an honourable mem ...

(1850-1920), journalist, Balkans correspondent of

The Times ''The Times'' is a British daily national newspaper based in London. It began in 1785 under the title ''The Daily Universal Register'', adopting its current name on 1 January 1788. ''The Times'' and its sister paper ''The Sunday Times'' (fou ...

* Paul Browne (1989-), hurler. * George Clancy (1881-1921),

Mayor of Limerick The office of Mayor of the City and County of Limerick is currently the title used by the chairperson of Limerick City and County Council. Prior to the establishment of the council, the Mayor of Limerick was the chairperson of Limerick City Counc ...

. * George Clancy (1977-), international rugby union referee. * John Crimmin (1859-1945),

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

recipient. * Marie Curtin (1985-), Republic of Ireland women's international footballer * Seán Finn (1996-), hurler. *

Anthony O'Riordan Anthony O'Riordan (born 1966 in Bruff, County Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland) is an Irish people, Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Bruff GAA, Bruff and was a member of the Limerick GAA, Limerick senior ...

(1966-), hurler.

References

External links

Visit Bruff
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Limerick Towns and villages in County Limerick