Edenderry (; ) is a town in east County Offaly,

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 ...

. It is near the borders with Counties

Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional ce ...

, Meath and

Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = , subdivis ...

. The Grand Canal runs along the south of Edenderry, through the Bog of Allen, and there is a short spur to the town centre. The R401 road from

Kinnegad Kinnegad or Kinagad () is a town in County Westmeath, Ireland. It is on the border with County Meath, near the junction of the M6 and the M4 motorways - two of Ireland's main east–west roads. It is roughly 60 km from the capital, Dublin ...

to the north and the R402 from

Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...

to the east meet at the northeastern end of the Main Street. At the Grand Canal they split, with the R402 continuing westwards towards

Tullamore Tullamore (; ) is the county town of County Offaly in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is on the Grand Canal (Ireland), Grand Canal, in the middle of the county, and is the fourth most populous town in the Midland Region, Ireland, midlands reg ...

and the R401 heads south to Rathangan and

Town.

History

In the 16th century, Edenderry was known as Coolestown, after the family of Cooley or Cowley, who had a castle here. It was defended in 1599 against the Confederates, during the Nine Years' War (Ireland). This subsequently passed by marriage to the Blundell family and was sacked in 1691 by the army of James II. The Blundells' land passed subsequently to the

Marquess of Downshire Marquess of Downshire is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1789 for Wills Hill, 1st Earl of Hillsborough, a former Secretary of State. Hill had already been created Earl of Hillsborough and Viscount Kilwarlin of County Down ...

who reversed the earlier opposition of the Blundell sisters to the establishment of a branch to the Grand Canal to Edenderry and paid for the £692 cost of the project, which was completed in 1802. By 1716 there was thriving woollen cloth manufacturing, established by

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belief in each human's abil ...

, which employed around 1,000 people. By 1911 the town had grown to 2,204 people. Other industries included the factory of Daniel Alesbury who made a variety of woodwork as well as the first car manufactured in Ireland, the

Alesbury The Alesbury was an Irish automobile. It was powered by an 8/10 hp Stevens-Duryea engine and had solid tires. The car was exhibited in Dublin in 1907, but manufacture lasted only from then until 1908. References *Georgano, G.N. George Ni ...

, in 1907. The population of Edenderry almost doubled in the 20 years between the census of 1996 (when it had a population of 3,825 people) and the 2016 census (which recorded a population of 7,359 people).

Education

There are two

secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...

s in the town, St. Mary’s Secondary School and Oaklands Community College, as well as five

primaries Primary elections, or direct primary are a voting process by which voters can indicate their preference for their party's candidate, or a candidate in general, in an upcoming general election, local election, or by-election. Depending on the c ...

, Gaelscoil Éadan Doire, St. Mary’s Primary School, Scoil Bhríde Primary School, Saint Patrick’s Primary School and Monasteroris National School.

Local organisations

Organisations and businesses operating in the area include the

Offaly Express The ''Offaly Express'' is an online newspaper and former print newspaper in Ireland that serves County Offaly. The paper is part of the Iconic Newspapers Group. The offices of the ''Offaly Express'' are based in Portlaoise. The paper was founde ...

newspaper and Edenderry Chamber of Commerce. Local sports clubs include Edenderry Rugby Club, Edenderry GAA club, Edenderry Town AFC, and Highfield Golf Club.Highfield Golf Club
/ref> Derry Rovers AFC

Notable people

Neil Delamere Neil Delamere ( ; born 1979) is an Irish comedian. He is a regular on the BBC Northern Ireland television show '' The Blame Game'', and the reigning BBC Fighting Talk Champion of Champions. Early life and education Delamere is from Edenderry, ...

, comedian * Frantic Jack, Irish Indie Rock band *

Josef Locke Joseph McLaughlin (23 March 1917 – 15 October 1999), known professionally as Josef Locke, was an Irish tenor. He was successful in the United Kingdom and Ireland in the 1940s and 1950s. Background Born in Derry, Ireland, he was the son of a ...

, entertainer * Malcolm Edward MacArthur (convicted murderer)

References

External links