Graiguenamanagh or Graignamanagh () is a town on the
River Barrow
The Barrow ( ga, An Bhearú) is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest of the three rivers, and at 192 km (120 mi), the second-longest ri ...
in
County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the cou ...
, Ireland. Part of the settlement, known as Tinnahinch, is on the
County Carlow
County Carlow ( ; ga, Contae Cheatharlach) is a county located in the South-East Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Carlow is the second smallest and the third least populous of Ireland's 32 traditional counties. Carlow Cou ...
side of the river, and
Carlow County Council
Carlow County Council ( ga, Comhairle Chontae Cheatharlach) is the authority responsible for local government in County Carlow, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for hous ...
refers to the whole village as "Graiguenamanagh-Tinnahinch". Also combined for census purposes, as of the
2016 census, Graiguenamanagh-Tinnahinch had a population of 1,475 people.
Graiguenamanagh is located at the foot of
Brandon Hill
Brandon Hill () is the highest mountain in County Kilkenny, Ireland, with an elevation of and prominence at . The South Leinster Way, a long-distance trail, meandering through the Barrow Valley and traverses Brandon Hill. The village of ...
and is home to
Duiske Abbey
Duiske Abbey National Monument (Ireland), National Monument, also known as Graiguenamanagh Abbey, is a 13th-century Cistercian monastery situated in Graiguenamanagh, County Kilkenny in Ireland.
Duiske Abbey was founded by William Marshal, 1st ...
, the largest of the thirty-four mediaeval
Cistercian
The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...
abbeys in Ireland.
History
Ecclesiastical sites
Evidence of ancient settlement in the area include ecclesiastical enclosure and
holy well
A holy well or sacred spring is a well, spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christian or pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualities, through the numinous presence of its gua ...
sites in the
townland
A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...
s of Graiguenamanagh and Tinnahinch.
Also located in the area are the ruined remains of the early Christian
church of Ullard, founded by
Saint Fiachra in the seventh century. Several miles downstream from Graiguenamanagh are the ruins of an ancient monastic establishment at
St Mullin's
St Mullins (, formerly anglicised as ''Timoling'' or ''Tymoling'' - 'homestead of Moling')St Mullin's
Placenames Database of I ...
.
Duiske Abbey
Based on an earlier settlement, much of Graiguenamanagh developed around the early 13th-century
Duiske Abbey
Duiske Abbey National Monument (Ireland), National Monument, also known as Graiguenamanagh Abbey, is a 13th-century Cistercian monastery situated in Graiguenamanagh, County Kilkenny in Ireland.
Duiske Abbey was founded by William Marshal, 1st ...
. The abbey, which takes its name from the river Duiske (Blackwater) which joins the Barrow here, was founded by William Marshall in 1204 and was suppressed by Henry VIII in 1536.
Some remains of the monastery exist to the rear of the houses that line the east side of Lower Main Street.
The abbey's large "Early English"
gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
church was restored in the 1980s, and it is now the Catholic parish church in Graiguenamanagh. In its northern aisle is a model which shows the monastery as it was in the fourteenth century.
Economic development
The
River Barrow
The Barrow ( ga, An Bhearú) is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest of the three rivers, and at 192 km (120 mi), the second-longest ri ...
, historically a transport route, was developed as a commercial navigation during the 18th century.
Graiguenamanagh Bridge, a seven-arched limestone bridge spanning the River Barrow, was built in 1764.
Graiguenamanagh served as a base for commercial barges operating on the river until barge traffic ceased in 1959.
These barges were later replaced by pleasure craft.
Public transport
The town is located on the
R705 regional road. Kilbride Coaches operate a route linking it to
Kilkenny
Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilken ...
via
Gowran.
Recreation and culture
Walking, cycling the Barrow towpath, and watersports are among the more common activities in the Graiguenamanagh area. The Barrow's aquatic facilities include fishing, swimming, kayaking, and canoeing. The town is also home to a rowing club, a canoe club, an athletics club, the GAA (hurling and Gaelic football), and a soccer club. The
South Leinster Way, a long-distance trail, runs across the Barrow Valley and nearby Brandon Hill.
There is a series of statues of monks in Graiguenamanagh, including several which depict the activities traditionally carried out by the Cistercian monks of Duiske Abbey. There is also a public library in the center of town, where a series of talks and lectures are sometimes held during the winter season. The Abbey Centre, beside the library, is home to an art gallery and a small museum.
See also
*
List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Kilkenny)
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
*
Market Houses in Ireland
Further reading
* 'Graiguenamanagh:A Town and its People', John Joyce,(Graigue Publications,1993).
* 'The Old Grey Mouse', Sean Swayne, (The Abbey Centre,1995).
* 'Tinnahinch: A Village within a Town', Owen Doyle & Colm Walshe, (Graiguenamanagh Historical Society, 2003).
* 'The O'Leary Footprint' (Philip E. Murphy and J. David Hughes eds), (The O'Leary Archive,2004).
* 'Graiguenamanagh Families', Owen Doyle & Colm Walshe, (Graiguenamanagh Historical Society,2006).
* 'Graiguenamanagh:A Varied Heritage', John Joyce, (Graiguenamanagh Historical Society, 2009).
References
External links
Graiguenamanagh-Tinnahinch Joint Local Area Plan 2021 (Kilkenny and Carlow county councils)
{{Authority control
Towns and villages in County Kilkenny
Census towns in County Kilkenny