Bruff () is a town in east County Limerick, 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 Morning Star, morning star, or Morningstar may refer to: Astronomy * Morning star, most commonly used as a name for the planet Venus when it appears in the east before sunrise ** See also Venus in culture * Morning star, a name for the star Siri ...

river, with two bridges in the town itself. The horseshoe lake of Lough Gur 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.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 Coun ...

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 Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán ( anglicized as '' Shaun/Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; angli ...

, 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 of 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 i ...

was a descendant of the Fitzgeralds of Bruff. His daughter, Caroline Kennedy, 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. Bruff Rugby Football Club is a rugby union club in County Limerick, Ireland. As at April 2022 it was playing in Division 2C of the All-Ireland League. The club plays at home in Kilballyowen Park, near the town of Bruff in County Limerick. As ...

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 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 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 SPAR, originally DESPAR, styled as DE SPAR, is a Dutch multinational that provides branding, supplies and support services for independently owned and operated food retail stores. It was founded in the Netherlands in 1932, by Adriaan van Well, ...

, 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 f ...

, 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 (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. * George Clancy (1977-), international rugby union referee. *

John Crimmin Colonel John Crimmin (19 March 1859 – 20 February 1945) was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. ...

(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 Marie Claire Curtin (born 7 August 1985) is a former professional footballer who played for Republic of Ireland women's national football team. Curtin played for several clubs in the Women's National League, including Cork Women's F.C., Galwa ...

(1985-), Republic of Ireland women's international footballer *

Seán Finn Seán Finn (born 24 January 1996) is an Irish hurler who plays as a right corner-back for club side Bruff and at inter-county level with the Limerick senior hurling team. Early life Finn was born in Bruff, County Limerick. His father, Brian ...

(1996-), hurler. *

Anthony O'Riordan Anthony O'Riordan (born 1966 in Bruff, County Limerick, Ireland) is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Bruff and was a member of the Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland ...

(1966-), hurler.

References

External links

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