Whitechurch (Irish: ''An Teampall Geal'') is a townland, monastic site, and former parish situated between

Straffan Straffan (variously ''Teach Srafáin'', ''Strafáin'' or ''An Cluanini'' in Irish) is a village in County Kildare, Ireland, situated on the banks of the River Liffey, 25 km upstream of the Irish capital Dublin. As of the 2016 census, the vi ...

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Kill Kill often refers to: *Homicide, one human killing another *cause death, to kill a living organism, to cause its death Kill may also refer to: Media *''Kill!'', a 1968 film directed by Kihachi Okamoto * ''Kill'' (Cannibal Corpse album), 2006 * ...

county Kildare near the M7 motorway in Ireland.

Etymology and history

The name comes from the White Friars who had a monastery on the site established in 1300 and enfifed in 1506. The church was vacated by the early 17th century.

Medieval landmarks

A well-preserved moated site at Puddlehall located at . dates to the 13th century and was cited by

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

Professor

Sean O Riordain 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 ...

as one of the finest examples of a moated house in Ireland. The remains of a castle are also to be found on the church grounds.

Calendar and civil paper references

Whitechurch Ecclesia Templi Albi was granted to the order of St John in 1300. In 1508 William Preston enfifed Archdeacon Robert Sutton and Thomas Cornwalshe, Vicar of Stamullen, with the manor of Whitechurch (alias Tullaghtipper), "containing the town and lands of le Tunryng (alias Surnyng), Clonyng, Killenmore, Killbregaghe, Killussy, Rathmore, Collenbakeston, Ardress, Cloghle, Osberiston and Clanswhiche".In 1541 the tithes of the Rectory of Whitechurch (18 couples of grain, £12) were held by David Sutton and Richard Aylmer. In 1557 Patrick Sarsfield of Tisteldalen, great great granduncle of Patrick Sarsfield of Siege of Limerick fame, obtained a pardon from the English colonial government and in 1560 obtained the lease of White Church alias Tullatipper. Whitechurch and Lyons castles are identified on map by

Baptista Boazio Giovanni Battista Boazio or Battista Boazio ( fl. 1588 – 1606) was an Italian draftsman and cartographer. He mapped Sir Francis Drake's voyage to the West Indies and America. He spent a long period working in England, and made a map of Ireland ...

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Renold Elstrack Renold Elstracke, also Reginold Elstrack (1570 – after 1625), was one of the earliest native engravers in England. Biography Renold (or Reginold) was born in 1570.Reginold was ten months old in 1571, when his father settled in England He was ...

in 1599 – a copy can be viewed at the public library in

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Local Landowners in the 1654 civil survey include Alerian, Weisley of Daingan, John Bath of Culpe, William Sarsfield of Lucan, Edward Allen of Bishopscourt and Robert Rochford of Kilbride. Maurice Eustace of Whitechurch was named by his father in a 1663 letter to Lord Justice of Ireland.

Whitechurch/Baronrath attack on train line

On 22 June 1975, Whitechurch resident Christy Phelan was stabbed to death when he engaged a group of men planting a bomb on the railway line near Baronrath, Straffan, designed to derail a train headed for the Republican Wolfe Tone commemoration at Bodenstown. His intervention prevented greater loss of life; the bomb exploded eight minutes after the train had passed by. The death was one of a number forming the subject of investigation by the Barron Commission into "deniable" undercover operations by British forces against civilian targets in the Republic of Ireland during The Troubles.http://www.oireachtas.ie/viewdoc.asp?fn=/documents/Committees29thDail/Sub_

Bibliography

*Ardclough Churches 1985 Souvenir Brochure. * Corry, Eoghan and Tancred, Jim: Annals of Ardclough (Ardclough GAA 2004). *Journals of the Kildare Archaeological Society: Volume III : 483. Volume IV : 114 Volume V : 406

References

{{Reflist Townlands of County Kildare Civil parishes of County Kildare