Kilmeadan or Kilmeaden ()
is a village in
County Waterford
County Waterford ( ga, Contae Phort Láirge) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is part of the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region. It is named ...
,
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 on the
R680 regional road. The town is from
Dungarvan and from Waterford.
Kilmeadan Castle was a stronghold of the le Poer family in the fourteenth century. In the late
thirteenth century it was in the possession of Sir
Walter de la Haye
Sir Walter de la Haye (died after 1309) was an English-born statesman and judge in Ireland of the late thirteenth and early fourteenth centuries, who served for many years as Sheriff of County Waterford and as Chief Escheator, and briefly as Just ...
, a leading figure in the Irish Government from about 1270 to 1308. The castle was destroyed by
Cromwellian
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in History of England, English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 ...
forces c.1650. The lands of Kilmeadan were granted to the Ottrington family, and later
passed by inheritance to the family of
Viscount Doneraile
Viscount Doneraile () is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland, both times for members of the St Leger family.
It was first created in 1703 for Arthur St Leger, along with the subsidiary title of Baron Kilmayden, also ...
.
Amenities
Kilmeadan is also the site of St. Mary's Church, a
Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second ...
Chapel, located in the north-western part of the village, Old Kilmeaden, near the railway station, on the R680 regional road towards Carrick-On-Suir.
The school serving the Kilmeadan area is found in Ballyduff, a neighbouring village, which is also home to the Catholic Church of the area, St. Nicholas' Church. Both the
GAA and soccer teams of the area are also named
Ballyduff Lower GAA
Ballyduff Lower GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Ballyduff Lower, County Waterford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The club enters teams in both the Waterford Intermediate Hurling Championship and the Waterford Intermediate Fo ...
and Ballyduff AFC respectively.
Transport
Kilmeadan, lying in a linear pattern along the R680 (former
N25 national primary road
A national primary road ( ga, Bóthar príomha náisiúnta) is a road classification in Ireland. National primary roads form the major routes between the major urban centres. There are 2649 km of national primary roads. This category of ro ...
section), was previously home to a train station on the line from
Waterford City
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
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to Mallow Junction 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 ...
. In 2003 a section of the line was reopened as a narrow gauge attraction, known as the
Waterford and Suir Valley Railway
The Waterford & Suir Valley Railway (WSVR) is a registered charity operating a gauge railway along approximately 10 km of track from Kilmeadan back towards Waterford, Ireland. The line shares much of its route along the banks of River Suir ...
.
As part of the new Waterford City bypass, Kilmeadan is now bypassed by a dual-carriageway section of the N25. This brings relief to the previously overcrowded road through the village, now reclassified as R680.
Industry
Throughout much of the twentieth century, Kilmeadan was also home to a farming co-operative. The farmers of the area sold their produce (mostly butter and milk) to the co-op, and as it expanded, a general store was opened in May 1920, which is still present today as 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 ...
outlet.
In 1964, all of the co-ops in Waterford amalgamated, and was registered as Waterford Co-op. This led to the construction of a cheese factory on a green field site opposite the general store, and Kilmeadan cheese would go on to win a gold and bronze medal in the World Cheese Awards in
London
London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
in 2005.
However, production of the cheese ceased at the Kilmeadan plant in 2005, and the production of Kilmeadan Cheese moved to Ballyragget,
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 ...
.
Kilmeadan is also the site of the East Waterford Water Treatment Plant. This plant is operated by Waterford County Council and provides water mainly for
Waterford City
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
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and the surrounding areas.
The area also has a small retail outlet in the Kilmeadan Village Centre, located directly on the R680 in the village. This building provides retails space (for shops) and residential space (rental apartments).
Tourism
![Mount Congreve gardens (supplemental ^3) - geograph](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Mount_Congreve_gardens_%28supplemental_%5E3%29_-_geograph.org.uk_-_506657.jpg)
The
Mount Congreve
Mount Congreve is an 18th-century Georgian estate and mansion situated near the village of Kilmeaden in County Waterford, Ireland. The architect was John Roberts, a Waterford-based architect who subsequently designed and built most of the 18t ...
estate lies just outside the village, on the Old Kilmeadan Road. Owned and run by the late
Ambrose Congreve
Ambrose Christian Congreve CBE (14 April 1907 – 28 May 2011) was an Irish industrialist, best known for his world-famous garden at Mount Congreve.
Early life
He was the son of Major John Congreve and Lady Helena Ponsonby, the daughter of the ...
(1907–2011), Mount Congreve is known for its rare species of plants and plant nurseries. It consists of around seventy acres of intensively planted woodland garden and a four-acre walled garden. In addition there are an 18th-century house (the ancestral home of the Congreve family), a number of glasshouses, more than 16 miles of paths and a wholesale nursery. After Congreves' death, Mount Congreve estate was left to the Irish State. Whilst the gardens are open to the public, the house is not.
Kilmeadan is home t
Greenway Equestrian a therapeutic riding and equine therapy centre located on the banks of the River Dawn at Cullenagh Stables. The sensory trails, which intersec
Waterford Greenway follow woodland and riverside paths, flanked by sites such as the old mill and chimney at Fairbook, the Queen Ann Way - a stopping point on the former Waterford, Dungarvan and Lismore Railway Line, the spa well at Gortnaclode and the remains of the Mill Street houses. The mill, which first produced paper, was founded by William Phair, who called it after himself, Phair Brook, later to become 'Fairbrook'. By 1824, there were 140 men, women and children working there. It closed in 1840 as a result of a legal dispute. In 1847, Patrick Stephenson bought it and used it during the
Great Famine to grind Indian corn. Later he established a woollen mill. In 1875, the mill was taken over by Patrick Stephenson's two sons.
Also on the banks of the River Dawn lies 'Fairbrook House and Gardens'. Seven acres of a former woollen mill have been changed into a walled garden by the Dutch artists Wout Muller and Clary Mastenbroek. Established in 1994, it has evolved over the years and stones from former buildings have been recycled into walls, raised borders, obelisks and standing stones. From May 2003 the small gallery was extended as a museum, for contemporary figurative art.
See also
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
References
{{County Waterford
Towns and villages in County Waterford
Civil parishes of County Waterford
Townlands of County Waterford