Durrow, County Laois
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Durrow (, formerly ''Darmhagh Ua nDuach'') is a village located in south-east
County Laois County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...
,
Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...
. Bypassed by the M8 motorway on 28 May 2010, the village is located on the R639 road at its junction with the N77. The River Erkina flows through Durrow and joins the
River Nore The River Nore ( ) is one of the principal rivers (along with the River Suir and River Barrow) in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region of Ireland. The river drainage basin, drains approximately of Leinster and Munster, that encom ...
about 1.5 km east of the village. The village takes its name from the Irish ''Darmhagh Ua nDuach'' (meaning 'the oak plain n the territoryof Ui Duach'). It is 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
of the same name.


History

The earliest recorded church in the village was in 1155. Evidence from the Archaeological Survey carried out by the
Office of Public Works The Office of Public Works (OPW) (; legally the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland) is a major Government of Ireland, Irish Government agency, which manages most of the Irish State's property portfolio, including hundreds of owned and ren ...
in 1995 suggests that this area has been visited, if not inhabited, since as early as the
Bronze Age The Bronze Age () was a historical period characterised principally by the use of bronze tools and the development of complex urban societies, as well as the adoption of writing in some areas. The Bronze Age is the middle principal period of ...
. An urn-burial found on the lands of Moyne Estate dates roughly to the same period as those found at iron mills and Ballymartin (900–1400BC).
Fulachta Fiadh A burnt mound is an archaeological feature consisting of a mound of shattered stones and charcoal, normally with an adjacent hearth and trough. The trough could be rock-cut, wood-lined or clay-lined to ensure it was watertight. Radiocarbon da ...
(early cooking sites) have been identified at Aharney and near Ballacolla. The ring forts and other enclosures that dot the landscape point to a more permanent, if dispersed, settlement of the land by the Celts (500BC–500AD). At some point in pre-history, the land was part of the
Kingdom of Ossory Osraige (Old Irish) or Osraighe (Classical Irish), Osraí (Modern Irish), anglicized as Ossory, was a medieval Irish kingdom comprising what is now County Kilkenny and western County Laois, corresponding to the Diocese of Ossory. The home of t ...
, and remained so as part of
Upper Ossory Upper Ossory () was an administrative barony in the south and west of Queen's County (now County Laois) in Ireland. In late Gaelic Ireland it was the túath of the Mac Giolla Phádraig ( Fitzpatrick) family and a surviving remnant of the once l ...
into the seventeenth century. Numerous religious settlements in the area date back to the 6th century. While the monastery founded by St. Fintan on the banks of the Erkina is perhaps the best renowned, documented evidence exists for other such establishments at Dunmore, Clonageera, Dereen, the Course wood, Tinweir, Ballinaslee, Tubberboe and Newtown. The coming of the Normans in the 12th century sounded the death knell for many of these early Christian settlements and the lands were subsumed (despite heated objections from the Earls Marshall, who wanted it for themselves) into the Manor of Durrow, an Episcopal Manor for the Bishops of Ossory. Indeed, it was this development that sowed the seeds for the establishment of the town of Durrow as we now know it. In 1245,
Geoffrey de Turville Geoffrey de Turville or de Tourville (died 1250) was an English-born judge and cleric in thirteenth-century Ireland, who held office as Bishop of Ossory and Lord Chancellor of Ireland, and was noted as an extremely efficient administrator. His c ...
,
Bishop of Ossory . The Bishop of Ossory () is an Episcopal polity, episcopal title which takes its name after the ancient of Kingdom of Ossory in the Provinces of Ireland, Province of Leinster, Ireland. In the Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but i ...
from 1244 to 1250, was granted permission from the King to hold a yearly fair at this manor for six days beginning on St. Swithin's Day and a weekly market on a Thursday. After the Reformation, the manor passed into the ownership of the Earl of Ormond. In 1600, when
Upper Ossory Upper Ossory () was an administrative barony in the south and west of Queen's County (now County Laois) in Ireland. In late Gaelic Ireland it was the túath of the Mac Giolla Phádraig ( Fitzpatrick) family and a surviving remnant of the once l ...
was made part of Queen's County (now Laois), Ormond ensured that Durrow remained an enclave of
County Kilkenny County Kilkenny () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the City status in Ir ...
where he was based. Ormond released the manor on 19 February 1708 to "William Flower and his heirs, forever". It was under the patronage of Flower and his descendants, the Lords Ashbrook, that the present town developed and prospered. In 1841–42 it was transferred from Kilkenny to Queen's County.


Climate

A weather station broadcasts from Durrow providing real-time data. The station was set up in May 2008. It is a Davis ProVantage 2 station and monitors temperature, rain, wind, wind direction, humidity and atmospheric pressure. Also, a Met Éireann climate station (472) was installed in 2010 and the observations are sent to Dublin on a monthly basis. The climatological station measures rainfall in a manual gauge, soil temperatures at depths of 5 cm, 10 cm and 20 cm, and air temperatures including wet-bulb, daily max, daily min and grass minimum temperatures. The station is envisaged to last thirty years and establish a climate profile for Durrow. The weather of the town can be described as temperate with rare extremes when compared to other locations around the world. However, when looking at the observations and comparing it to other locations around Ireland it is notable that Durrow is amongst the warmest locations in the country during the summer and the coldest in winter. The record high temperature of 32.1c was recorded during the heatwave of Mid-August 2022 and set a new National record for Ireland for the month of August, whilst the record low temperature of -14.0c was recorded on Christmas morning 2010. The table below was last updated on 16 August 2022.


Sport

The local
Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...
club, The Harps, was formed in the 1980s following the amalgamation of former clubs representing Durrow and nearby
Cullohill Cullahill or Cullohill () is a small village situated on the R639 road in County Laois, Ireland. Cullahill takes its name from an ancient forest that covered Cullahill Mountain and extended down to Cullahill Castle. History A priory of Aug ...
. Lions A.F.C. was a local soccer club which, as of 2022, had folded. Laois Kayak and Canoe Club is a kayaking club based in the area.


Transport

TFI Local Link TFI Local Link, or simply Local Link, is a set of local bus services in Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided ...
routes 828 and 858, operated by JJ Kavanaghs as of 2021, serve Durrow on the
Portlaoise Portlaoise ( ), or Port Laoise (), is the county town of County Laois, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Midland Region, Ireland, South Midlands in the province of Leinster. Portlaoise was the fastest growing of the top 20 largest town ...
to Cashel and Thurles route. Slieve Bloom Coaches operate a town link service, from Borris in Ossory to
Portlaoise Portlaoise ( ), or Port Laoise (), is the county town of County Laois, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Midland Region, Ireland, South Midlands in the province of Leinster. Portlaoise was the fastest growing of the top 20 largest town ...
, which serves the town. This used to only operate on weekdays, but was extended to operate on weekends and bank holidays.
Bus Éireann Bus Éireann (; "Irish Bus") is a state-owned bus and coach operator providing services throughout Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with the exception of Dublin, where bus services are provided by sister company Dublin Bus. It is a subsidiary of C ...
's ''Expressway'' and Aircoach service between
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
and
Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...
ceased to serve Durrow in June 2012. As an interim measure until November 2012,
Bus Éireann Bus Éireann (; "Irish Bus") is a state-owned bus and coach operator providing services throughout Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with the exception of Dublin, where bus services are provided by sister company Dublin Bus. It is a subsidiary of C ...
operated a shuttle service (route 128) to connect with ''Expressway'' services at
Portlaoise Portlaoise ( ), or Port Laoise (), is the county town of County Laois, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Midland Region, Ireland, South Midlands in the province of Leinster. Portlaoise was the fastest growing of the top 20 largest town ...
.


Amenities

There are a number of walks and cycle paths around the Durrow area. These include the Leafy Loop which runs by the
River Nore The River Nore ( ) is one of the principal rivers (along with the River Suir and River Barrow) in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region of Ireland. The river drainage basin, drains approximately of Leinster and Munster, that encom ...
. There is also woodland in the vicinity of Durrow, such as Bishops Wood, which extends on both sides of the R693 regional road (Dublin - Cork road). The river Erkina, a tributary of the River Nore, is also in the area.


Scarecrow festival

Durrow's "Scarecrow Festival" takes place during the summer, and involves people from the area making their own
scarecrow A scarecrow is a decoy or mannequin that is often in the shape of a human. Humanoid scarecrows are usually dressed in old clothes and placed in open fields to discourage birds from disturbing and feeding on recently cast seed and growing crops. ...
s. The festival first took place in 2009, and was nominated for "Best Festival of 2012 and 2013" in the Irish Times Ticket Awards. The 2020 and 2021 events were cancelled as part of the response to the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland.


People

* George Brownrigg (1896–1981), first-class cricketer * William Carrigan (1860–1924), priest and historian who was born in County Kilkenny and was a Roman Catholic parish priest in Durrow * Arthur Moore (1765–1846), politician and judge * Seán J. White (1927–1996), writer, academic, broadcaster and journalist * Thomas A. White (1931–2017), Roman Catholic archbishop and diplomat


See also

* Castle Durrow * List of towns and villages in Ireland


References


External links


Durrow Online Community WebsiteHistory of Durrow
* {{County Laois Towns and villages in County Laois Civil parishes of County Laois