O'Brien's Bridge or O'Briensbridge () is a village in east
County Clare
County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,81 ...
,
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 ...
, on the west bank of the
River Shannon, in a
civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
of the same name. It is named for the bridge across the Shannon at that point, built by
Turlough O'Brien
Turlough O'Brien is a Gaelic football manager. He managed Carlow between 2014 and 2020.
In the 2018 National Football League, O'Brien led the team out of Division 4. This was their first promotion in more than three decades.
In the 2018 L ...
in 1506.
Location
The parish of O'Briensbridge, which includes the village of O'Brien's Bridge, is in the barony of
Tulla Lower
Tulla Lower (or Tullagh Lower) is a barony in County Clare, Ireland. This ancient geographical division of land is in turn divided into eight civil parishes.
Legal context
Baronies were created after the Norman invasion of Ireland as divisions ...
.
It was formerly part of the parish of
Killaloe.
It is and covers , including a detached district to the southwest. The parish is bounded on the east by the
River Shannon. The narrow northern section in mountainous, rising to , and the western part of the parish is also upland.
There were two castles in the parish. The one at the village of O’Brien’s Bridge was inhabited by Murtagh O’Brien, Baron of Inchiquin, in 1580. It is now entirely gone. The other, Aherinagh, was still reasonably well preserved at the end of the 19th century. In 1580 it belonged to Donogh, son of Conor MacNamara.
History
The first bridge across the river here was built in 1506 by
Turlough O'Brien
Turlough O'Brien is a Gaelic football manager. He managed Carlow between 2014 and 2020.
In the 2018 National Football League, O'Brien led the team out of Division 4. This was their first promotion in more than three decades.
In the 2018 L ...
, first
Earl of Thomond
Earl of Thomond was an hereditary title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created twice for the O'Brien dynasty which is an ancient Irish sept native to north Munster.
History and background
First creation
Under the Crown of Ireland Act 1542, ...
and his brother, the
Bishop of Killaloe
The Bishop of Killaloe ( ) is an episcopal title which takes its name after the town of Killaloe in County Clare, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bish ...
.
This first bridge was made of wood, and was burned in 1510 by
Gearóid Mór FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare
Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare KG (born – ), known variously as "Garret the Great" (Gearóid Mór) or "The Great Earl" (An tIarla Mór), was Ireland's premier peer. He served as Lord Deputy of Ireland from 1477 to 1494, and from 1496 ...
.
The O'Briens rebuilt the bridge, this time erecting two castles, each with walls thick, one on each side of the river. The castles stood in the water close to shore, and were connected by a 7-arch wooden bridge that rose to above the water. This bridge was destroyed in 1537 by
Leonard Grey, the Lord Deputy of Ireland under King
Henry VIII of England
Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is best known for his six marriages, and for his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. His disa ...
, after an extended battle against the O'Briens, who had rebelled. A 12-arch stone bridge was built next. It was replaced around 1750, partially replaced in 1842, and modified to include a navigation arch in the 1920s.
At the eastern end of today's 12-arch bridge lies the village of
Montpelier in
County Limerick
"Remember Limerick"
, image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Republic of Ireland, Ireland
, subdivision_type1 = Provinces of Ireland, Province
, subd ...
.
The ancient river-crossing here is believed to be identical with ''Áth Caille'' (meaning "Ford of the Wood"): one of the three fords mentioned in the ''
Triads of Ireland
The title ''Trecheng Breth Féne'' "A Triad of Judgments of the Irish", more widely known as "The Triads of Ireland", refers to a miscellaneous collection of about 256 Old Irish triads (and some numerical variants) on a variety of topics, such as ...
'', the others being ''Áth Clíath'' (Dublin) and ''Áth Lúain'' (Athlone).
Sports
The local soccer club is Bridge Celtic AFC, which was formed in 1963 and currently plays in the Clare Soccer League. The club won the Clare Premier title in 2006/07, for the first time in 28 years.
Townlands
The parish contains 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 orig ...
s of Aharinaghmore, Ardataggle, Ballybrack, Ballycar North, Ballycar South, Ballyknavin, Cappakea, Carrownagowan, Cloghera, Clonboy, Coolnalira, Coumbrack, Earlhill, Fahy Beg, Fahy More North, Fahy More South, Glenlon North, Glenlon South, Kilcredaun, Kilroughil, Knockaderreen, Knockdonagh, Lackareagh Beg, Lackareagh More, Magherareagh, O'Briensbridge, Ross, Roo East, Roo West and Trough.
See also
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
*
Montpelier, County Limerick
*
O'Briensbridge-Montpelier
* O'Brien's Bridge (now
Glenorchy, Tasmania
Glenorchy is a suburb of Hobart, in the state of Tasmania, Australia. Glenorchy is bound by the River Derwent to the east, Mount Wellington to the west, Hobart City to the south and to the north. The city officially begins at Creek Road New ...
)
References
Citations
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:O'Brien's Bridge
Towns and villages in County Clare
River Shannon
Civil parishes of County Clare