Freshford () is a village and former town in the
barony Barony may refer to:
* Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron
* Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron
* Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...
of
Crannagh
Crannagh (), sometimes written Cranagh or Granagh, is a Barony (Ireland), barony in the north western part of County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is one of 12 baronies in County Kilkenny. The size of the barony is . There are ...
,
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 ...
,
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 ...
. It is 13 km north-west of
Kilkenny
Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...
city. The village 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 village is the site of a
monastery
A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...
dating to the early 7th century. The Irish name ''achadh úr'' has historically been anglicised as ''Aghour'' (1318) ''Achure'' (1480) ''Achour'' (1480) ''Awchoor'' (1905), and similar.
Towards the end of the 8th century the
Ui Duach were driven out and the
Ui Bairche reigned again. Then in 836 the
Viking
Vikings were seafaring people originally from Scandinavia (present-day Denmark, Norway, and Sweden),
who from the late 8th to the late 11th centuries raided, pirated, traded, and settled throughout parts of Europe.Roesdahl, pp. 9� ...
s arrived and in one daring raid burnt the Church of St Lachtain. In 899 the death of Ceannfaeladh mac Cormac who was Airchinneach of Achadh occurred. In 1026 the Ui Bairche were defeated by the Leixians and soon after were replaced as
chieftain
A tribal chief, chieftain, or headman is a leader of a tribe, tribal society or chiefdom.
Tribal societies
There is no definition for "tribe".
The concept of tribe is a broadly applied concept, based on tribal concepts of societies of weste ...
s by the O'Braonains, who in turn were forced back towards
by the arrival of the Normans.
In the year 1111, a
synod
A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word '' synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...
, or meeting of
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
s, was held at Rathbrasall,
County Tipperary
County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...
, which divided
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 ...
into
diocese
In Ecclesiastical polity, church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop.
History
In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided Roman province, prov ...
s. All small dioceses disappeared and Freshford became part of the diocese of Kilkenny,
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 ...
and
Offaly
County Offaly (; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in honour of Philip II of Spain ...
.
In 1169 a major battle was fought near Freshford when
Dermot McMurrough
Diarmait Mac Murchada (Modern Irish: ''Diarmaid Mac Murchadha''; anglicised as Dermot MacMurrough or Dermot MacMurphy; – c. 1 May 1171), was King of Leinster in Ireland from 1127 to 1171. In 1167, he was deposed by the High King of Ireland ...
and his
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 9th and 10th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norma ...
allies defeated Domhnall McGiolla Padraig 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 ...
at the pass of ''Achadh Úr'' following a three-day battle. There is much speculation as to the exact location of the battle – the late Padraig McCarthaigh was in no doubt—he placed it at Clashacrow. The Norman invasion also brought the Shortalls to Freshford where they built
Castle
A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...
s at Ballylarkin,
Kilrush
Kilrush () is a coastal town in County Clare, Ireland. It is also the name of a civil parish and an ecclesiastical parish in Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. It is located near the mouth of the River Shannon in the south-west of the county. ...
, Kiloshulan, and Tubrid. Also, the Purcell family to Lismaine, Clone and Foulksrath, the Mountgarrett family to
Ballyragget
Ballyragget () is a small town on the river Nore in the north of County Kilkenny in Ireland. Ballyragget is on the N77 road (Ireland), N77 road, north of Kilkenny. As of the 2016 census of Ireland, 2016 census, it had a population of 1,082 peo ...
, Ballyconra, Lodgepark and Balleen, and the Grace family to
Tullaroan
Tullaroan () is a village in the western part of County Kilkenny in the Slieveardagh Hills near the Tipperary border. Tullaroan is also the name of the local civil parish.
Sport
Tullaroan GAA are the most successful Gaelic Athletic Association ...
.

The
Romanesque doorway of
St. Lachtain's Church of Ireland
The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...
church in Freshford is one of only two such portal designs remaining in the country, the other being at
Clonfert
Clonfert () is a small village in east County Galway, Ireland, halfway between Ballinasloe and Portumna. The village gives its name to the Diocese of Clonfert (Roman Catholic), Diocese of Clonfert. Clonfert Cathedral is one of the eight cathedr ...
. The
sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
doorway is all that is left of the original church which was built in 1100, the present St Lachtain's having been built in 1731. An inscription over the door in Irish translates to 'A prayer for Niamh daughter of Corc and for Mathgamhan Ó Chiarmeic, by whom was made this church.' It is located in the centre of the village on the
R693 regional road.
Uppercourt Manor
The great house of Uppercourt Manor stands on the site of the bishop's palace built at ''Achadh Úr'' in 1225. In 1553 a
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that emphasizes Justification (theology), justification of sinners Sola fide, through faith alone, the teaching that Salvation in Christianity, salvation comes by unmerited Grace in Christianity, divin ...
bishop
A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...
, John Bale, was sent to live there. When five of his servants were murdered while saving the hay, the Bishop fled and never returned.
After him, the Shee family took over the manor and lived in Uppercourt for 100 years. In 1653 one of
Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially a ...
's soldiers, Captain Sir George Askew, being owed £200, was given Uppercourt in settlement of the debt and the Shees were forced to leave.
The present house was built by Sir William Morris around 1790. The
Eyre family came in 1879 and stayed till 1918 when the Maher Brothers, Edward and Michael bought it. They did some repairs to the house as they were in the building trade; they permitted local sporting events to be held on the front lawn also, something that heretofore would never have been permitted. Both men being thankful for their own good fortunes in life having come from a lower-middle-class family of ten children in the village of Freshford, sold the property to the
Mill Hill Fathers
The Mill Hill Missionaries (MHM), officially known as the Saint Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill (), is a Catholic society of apostolic life founded in 1866 by Herbert A. Vaughan.
History
The society was founded in 1866 by Herbert A. ...
for a nominal sum in 1932 and it became a
secondary school
A secondary school, high school, or senior school, is an institution that provides secondary education. Some secondary schools provide both ''lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) and ''upper secondary education'' (ages 14 to 18), i.e., b ...
. In 1989 it was sold and used for the storage and restoration of antique furniture. The surrounding farm land was purchased in 1989 and is now a hobby farm. The manor house changed hands a few times and was being restored to be used as a hotel, although renovations did not go to plan and the property is now housing refugees.
Freshford Cross
On the village green stands the base of the Freshford Cross, made of soft
sandstone
Sandstone is a Clastic rock#Sedimentary clastic rocks, clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of grain size, sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate mineral, silicate grains, Cementation (geology), cemented together by another mineral. Sand ...
now entirely worn away. When Lucas Shee of Uppercourt died in 1622, his wife, Ellen Butler, erected a cross in his memory at the back entrance to Uppercourt. The street to that entrance is still called Buncrusha or Bohercrussia Street, meaning ''Bun na Croise'' or ''Bothar na Croise'' in
Irish, "Base of the Cross" or "Road of the Cross".
In 1790 Sir William Morris, who came to live in Uppercourt, had the cross removed and re-erected on the green. It bore the following inscription:
"The noble Ellen Butler, wife of Lucas Shee Esq., got this monument
A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...
made. Pray
File:Prayers-collage.png, 300px, alt=Collage of various religionists praying – Clickable Image, Collage of various religionists praying ''(Clickable image – use cursor to identify.)''
rect 0 0 1000 1000 Shinto festivalgoer praying in front ...
, traveller, that the souls
The soul is the purported immaterial aspect or essence of a living being. It is typically believed to be immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that describe the relationship between the soul and the bod ...
of both may have eternal
Eternal(s) or The Eternal may refer to:
* Eternity, an infinite amount of time, or a timeless state
* Immortality or eternal life
* God, the supreme being, creator deity, and principal object of faith in monotheism
Comics, film and television
* ...
rest."
Lachtain's well

Saint Lachtain's Well, also known as Toberlachtain (), is a
holy well
A holy well or sacred spring is a well, Spring (hydrosphere), spring or small pool of water revered either in a Christianity, Christian or Paganism, pagan context, sometimes both. The water of holy wells is often thought to have healing qualitie ...
in Freshford. The holy well, which is in the
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 ...
of Moat along the
R693 road, is listed in the
Record of Monuments and Places
The Record of Monuments and Places (RMP; ) is a list of historical and archaeological sites the Republic of Ireland established under the National Monuments Acts.
It can be consulted in county libraries and local authority offices and online and ...
(RMP) with record number "KK013-025----". According to local tradition and folklore, several cures were historically attributed to the well. An entry in the
Dúchas.ie "Schools' Collection" suggests that
patterns
A pattern is a regularity in the world, in human-made design, or in abstract ideas. As such, the elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner. A geometric pattern is a kind of pattern formed of geometric shapes and typically repeated li ...
were held at the well site until the 19th century.
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 ...
(GAA) club,
St Lachtain's GAA
St Lachtain's GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in Freshford, County Kilkenny, Ireland. Founded in 1951, it is almost exclusively concerned with the game of hurling. The club has won All-Ireland club titles in hurling (at Junior ...
, have been in the
Kilkenny Senior Hurling Champions twice, in 1961 and 1963. St.Lachtains contested the
All-Ireland Intermediate Club Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Intermediate Club Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Club Championship, is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the second highes ...
final in 2010 in
Croke Park
Croke Park (, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and headquarters of the Gaelic At ...
against St.Galls of
Antrim.
The Irish
Conker Championships were staged for a number of years in Freshford, beginning in 1999.
People
*Dr
Joseph Lalor
Joseph Lalor (1811 – 18 August 1886) was a pioneering Irish mental health administrator and a reforming superintendent of the Richmond District Asylum for 29 years (1857–1886).
Early life
Joseph was born in 1811 at Cascade House, Freshford, ...
(1811–1886), a reformer of Irish asylums, medical superintendent of the
Richmond District Lunatic Asylum and a cousin of revolutionary political leaders
James Fintan Lalor
James Fintan Lalor (in Irish, Séamas Fionntán Ó Leathlobhair) (10 March 1809 – 27 December 1849) was an Irish revolutionary, journalist, and “one of the most powerful writers of his day.” A leading member of the Irish Confederation (Yo ...
and
Peter Lalor
Peter Fintan Lalor ( ); 5 February 1827 – 9 February 1889) was an Irish-Australian rebel and, later, politician, who rose to fame for his leading role in the Eureka Rebellion, an event identified with the "birth of democracy" in Austra ...
, was born at Cascade House in Freshford.
* Dr
Martin Tobin (born 1951), pulmonologist and academic
*
John H. Tierney, a
Wisconsin
Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...
farmer, state legislator and chairman of his town board in
Westport, Wisconsin
The Town of Westport is located in Dane County, Wisconsin, Dane County, Wisconsin, United States and a suburb of Madison, Wisconsin, Madison. The population was 4,183 at the 2020 census. The town was named after Westport, County Mayo in Ireland b ...
, was a native of Freshford who emigrated in 1851.
See also
*
List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Kilkenny)
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland.
References
{{County Kilkenny
Towns and villages in County Kilkenny
Census towns in County Kilkenny
Civil parishes of County Kilkenny