Carbury, County Kildare
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Carbury (), also formerly spelt "Carbery", is a rural community and a village in north-west
County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...
, Ireland. It is situated on the R402 regional road between Enfield and
Edenderry Edenderry (; ) is a town in east County Offaly, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is near the borders with Counties County Kildare, Kildare, County Meath, Meath and County Westmeath, Westmeath. The Grand Canal of Ireland, Grand Canal runs along ...
, near the border with
County Offaly County Offaly (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is named after the Ancient Ireland, ancient Kingdom of Uí ...
, and includes the smaller hamlets of Derrinturn, Ticknevin and Killina along the
Grand Canal (Ireland) The Grand Canal () is the southernmost of a pair of canals that connect Dublin, in the east of Ireland, with the River Shannon in the west, via Tullamore and a number of other villages and towns, the two canals nearly encircling Dublin's inner ...
. The source of the
River Boyne The River Boyne ( or ''Abhainn na Bóinne'') is a river in Leinster, Ireland, the course of which is about long. It rises at Trinity Well, Newberry Hall, near Carbury, County Kildare, and flows north-east through County Meath to reach the ...
is located just north of the village. The village is in a
townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...
and
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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of the same name.


Places of interest


Carbury Hill

This prominent hill just north of the village of Carbury has been inhabited since the Bronze Age. Although partly silted up, at least two barrows from that time can still be found on top of the hill. The site was anciently known as Sídhe Neachtain or “The Mansion of Neachtain”, from Nuadha Neacht, a leader of the mythological Tuatha de Danann who became King of Leinster for a year In 45 AD according to the Annals of the Four Masters. He and his brothers were the keepers of the well at the foot of the hill, (now Trinity Well at Newberry Hall, Carbury, County Kildare) which was associated with the gift of wisdom. When Neachtain married the goddess Boann (or Bóinn), she wanted to see the sacred well, but was never allowed to visit it, since Neachtain had to keep the location a secret. One day Bóinn followed him and when she found the well, she allowed herself a taste from the forbidden waters. The well burst up, surging round the hill and through the country, all the way out to the Irish Sea. According to legend, the curious Bóinn was swept along with the rushing waters and drowned, and thus the River Boyne - an embodiment of her spirit - was created. The last reference to Sidh Neachtain in the Annals of the Four Masters records the death of Laoghaire, High King of Ireland and son of Niall of the Nine Hostages, at Sidh Neachtain in 458AD. His brother Cairbre (from whom Carbury gets its name) established a dynasty which controlled the hill in subsequent centuries as the centre of the territory known as Cairbre Uí Chiardha (which may still be seen on signposts in the area). They were the Ó Ciardha sept of the
Southern Uí Néill The Southern Uí Néill (, ) were a branch of the Uí Néill dynasty that invaded and settled in the Kingdom of Mide and its associated kingdoms. Two sons of Niall Noigiallach, Lóegaire () and Coirpre (), initially led the dynasty. As did th ...
(anglicised Carey, Carry and Keary) who were the Lords of Carbury mentioned in the
Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' () or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' () are chronicles of Middle Ages, medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Genesis flood narrative, Deluge, dated as 2,242 Anno Mundi, years after crea ...
in 952. The ancient settlement was close to the old strategic road called Eiscar Riada or Slí Mhor (the "High Road"), which connected the east of Ireland with the River Shannon and the west.


Carbury Castle

After the 12th century Norman invasion, Meiler Fitzhenry was granted the Carbury area. The motte on the top of the hill behind the current castle was probably built by
Meiler FitzHenry Meiler FitzHenry (sometimes spelled Meilyr; died 1220) was a Cambro-Norman nobleman and Lord Chief Justice of Ireland during the Lordship of Ireland. Background and early life Meilyr FitzHenry was the son of Henry FitzHenry, an illegitimate s ...
who was granted the area by Strongbow. The complex was acquired by the de Berminghams in the 14th century, from whom it passed by inheritance to the Preston family, who held the title Baron Gormanston, before being retaken by the Irish in the 15th century. The 1st Earl of Shrewsbury, John Talbot, later also Earl of Wexford, Earl of Waterford and Baron of Dungarvan, rebuilt Carbury Castle after 1428–1447. From 23 October 1554 a 21-year lease was granted to Sir Henry Colley (the
patrilineal Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...
ancestor of the Dukes of Wellington); this was renewed, and the Colley family built a large stronghouse on the hilltop in the 17th century. The central scenic focus of Carbury Hill now is the ruins of that Tudor mansion of the Colleys, which was also known as Fairy Hill. The hill was also a camping site used by the Irish during the United Irishmen Rebellion of 1798.


Sport

Carbury GAA is the local
Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...
club, winner of 11 Kildare county senior football championships. Carbury GAA Club was founded in 1925. Since then it has grown and developed to become one of the leading senior clubs in County Kildare. The club has around 150 adult members and 150 Juvenile members. The club fields fourteen football teams for both men and women. Carbury S.C is the local soccer club which was formed when Carbury Utd and Parsonstown Utd merged.


Namesake

The small village of Carbury located in Bottineau County in the
U.S. State In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...
of
North Dakota North Dakota ( ) is a U.S. state in the Upper Midwest, named after the indigenous Dakota people, Dakota and Sioux peoples. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba to the north and by the U.S. states of Minneso ...
is named after Carbury.


Transport

Carbury railway station was opened by the
Midland Great Western Railway The Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR) was the third largest Irish gauge () railway company in Ireland. It was incorporated in 1845 and absorbed into the Great Southern Railways in 1924. At its peak the had a network of , making it Ireland's ...
on 10 April 1877 as part of its branch line from Enfield to Edenderry. The station closed to regular passenger traffic on 1 June 1931, and to goods traffic on 1 September 1932. The branch remained in use for occasional special trains until final closure on 1 April 1963. The station building survives as a private residence.


People

*
Tony Adams Tony Alexander Adams (born 10 October 1966) is an English former football manager and player. Adams played for Arsenal and England, captaining both teams. Known as Mr. Arsenal, he spent his entire playing career of 19 years as a centre-back t ...
, film producer * Clement Johnson, cricketer who played
test cricket Test cricket is a Forms of cricket, format of the sport of cricket, considered the game’s most prestigious and traditional form. Often referred to as the "ultimate test" of a cricketer's skill, endurance, and temperament, it is a format of i ...
for
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the Southern Africa, southernmost country in Africa. Its Provinces of South Africa, nine provinces are bounded to the south by of coastline that stretches along the Atlantic O ...
* Dudley Colley, MP and 17th century owner of Castle Carbury * Thomas Flanagan, auxiliary bishop of the Diocese of San Antonio in the US


References

{{County Kildare Towns and villages in County Kildare Townlands of County Kildare Civil parishes of County Kildare