Lough Derg and the villages of
Murroe,
Killaloe and
Ballina.
History
The original settlement in Newport dates back centuries before the Norman invasions. After the
Cromwellian conquest of Ireland
The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland (1649–1653) was the re-conquest of Ireland by the Commonwealth of England, initially led by Oliver Cromwell. It forms part of the 1641 to 1652 Irish Confederate Wars, and wider 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three ...
, Richard Warren Waller acquired Cully Castle sometime in the 1650s. He was the son of Edward Waller and Margaret Glascoke. He was granted of land in the vicinity. After the war, the castle was in ruins and was rebuilt as Castle Waller. 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 ...
still bears that name. He died in 1676. Vice-Admiral
Robert Otway and
Sir Arthur Otway, 3rd Baronet along with the other
Waller baronets are direct descendants. During this time the settlement was changed from the Irish name Tulach Sheasta to the English Newport.
The town contains an old courthouse and a jail called the Bridewell, built in 1862–63 on land owned by Sir Edward Waller. The Courthouse was used for the trial of minor offences; on occasion it was used for preliminary hearings for more serious crimes, before they were referred to a higher circuit court. The building contains eight cells, two day rooms and two limestone staircases. It remains today on Jail street and now houses the Peter Dee Academy of Music.
During the
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...
, Newport was the scene of various incidents, including the shaving of a woman's head for keeping company of policemen and the burning down of several business premises (Cullen's Shop and Daly's Public House) and houses (Clareview former Charter School). The
RIC barracks moved from centre of the village to Clareview. On 15 May 1921, the Newport brigade planned an attack on District Inspector Harold Biggs. He was ambushed at Coolboreen returning from dinner at the Barrington family shooting lodge, Glenculloo Lodge, on the river in the foothills of Keeper Hill. He was shot and killed in the ambush together with Winifred Barrington, daughter of Sir Charles Barrington of what was then Glenstal Castle and now
Glenstal Abbey
Glenstal Abbey is a Catholic Church, Catholic Order of St. Benedict, Benedictine monastery of the Congregation of the Annunciation located in Murroe, County Limerick, Ireland. It is dedicated to Saint Joseph and Saint Columba. In July 2024, Col ...
. Among the members of the raiding party was
Patrick Ryan (after whom the Newport GAA pitch is named). Also killed during the revolutionary period were Sgt John Walsh of the RIC and Patrick Gilligan, a former soldier, shot on 22 May 1922. This was after the treaty had been signed.
Education
There are two primary schools (Convent of Mercy Primary School and the Boys' National School) in the town, and two secondary level schools (St Mary's Secondary School and Newport College). In 2018, St Mary's was ranked 148 out of 500 schools in the Irish Times poll of top secondary schools.
Only 8% of the population of Newport have either no formal education or are educated to primary level. This is much lower than county average (13.4%) and state average (12.5%). Additionally, a higher number of people complete their junior cert level (18%) and leaving certificate level (22%) when compared to county (17.7% & 21.2%) and state (14.5 & 18%).
Transport
Newport is served by
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 ...
who run a service three times a day to and from
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...
City. On Fridays Bus Éireann operates a bus from Newport to
Nenagh
Nenagh ( ; , or simply 'the Fair') is the county town of County Tipperary in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Nenagh used to be a market town, and the site of the East Munster Ormond Fair.
Nenagh was the county town of the former county of Nort ...
via
Silvermines
Silvermines, historically known as Bellagowan (), is a village in County Tipperary in Ireland. It lies immediately north of the Silvermine mountain range and takes its name from the extensive mines of lead, zinc, copper, baryte and silver near ...
. The nearest railway station
Birdhill railway station is 8.5 km away in the neighbouring village of
Birdhill. The main road through Newport is the R503 and the
M7 lies 12 km to the west.
Amenities
Churches

There were two churches in the town. The
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, the Church of St. John's, was built in 1766 and had been the major church in Newport until the building of a 'Mass house' at the end of the 18th century after the relaxing of the penal laws. The
Catholic
The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
church, also called St John's, was located on Chapel Lane and built circa 1796. The last service in the Church of Ireland (Anglican) church was held in 1964 and the church was later demolished. The church graveyard remains. It is located on Church Road.
Today, there is only a Catholic church in the town. This church, the Church of the Most Holy Redeemer, was constructed in 1933 and is located on Church Street. It is part of the
Catholic parish
In the Catholic Church, a parish () is a stable community of the faithful within a particular church, whose pastoral care has been entrusted to a parish priest (Latin: ''parochus''), under the authority of the diocesan bishop. It is the lowest ecc ...
of ''Newport, Birdhill and Toor'' which is in the
Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly.
Services
There is a Garda station and an unmanned fire station (which has a pager notice system) in the town. Newport also has a post office, the Mulcair Credit Union, a butcher, restaurants and fast food outlets, a veterinary clinic, music academy, and mechanic and motor parts shop.
Recreation
Three kilometres from the town there is the beauty spot called
Clare Glens. It is a wooded area along the banks of the
Clare River.
Sport
Association football
Founded in 1970, by the 2016/2017 season Newport Town AFC had a playing membership in excess of 300 and 26 teams. The club fields teams from U.6 to Junior with participation in three leagues, LDSL for schoolboy teams, NTSFL for schoolgirl teams and the LDMC for youth and junior teams. Derryleigh Park, the home of Newport Town AFC, is located just outside the town of Newport and has two sand-based playing pitches, a 60-metre by 40-metre floodlit astro-turf pitch and a modern clubhouse with four changing rooms. The club's pitch was previously located in "Freigh", but the new pitch is located in Derryleigh.
GAA
Newport GAA sports facilities are based at Páirc Chuimhneacháin Pádraig Uí Riain locally known as Lacken Park. It features a full-size field with floodlights with a small stand, a Juvenile field with lights and a small training field. There is also a clubs room. It is named after
Patrick Ryan.
Other sports
Other sports clubs in the area include Mulcair Golf Society, Newport Athletic Club, and Newport Taekwondo Club.
People
*
Denis Carey, composer and member of the
Brock McGuire Band
*
William Lee (1941–2024), Catholic
Bishop of Waterford and Lismore
The Bishop of Waterford and Lismore is an episcopal title which takes its name after the city of Waterford and town of Lismore in Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1838, and is still used by the Roman Catholic Church.
Hi ...
*
Sharlene Mawdsley (born 1998), Irish athlete, 400 metres
*
Denis Ryan, Irish-Canadian folk musician, born Newport
*
Patrick Ryan (1898–1944), politician, TD for
Tipperary
*
Edmund Waller
Edmund Waller, 3 March 1606 to 21 October 1687, was a poet and politician from Buckinghamshire. He sat as MP for various constituencies between 1624 and 1687, and was one of the longest serving members of the English House of Commons. Althoug ...
(1797–1851), fourth baronet of Newport
References
External links
Newport Development Group website(archived 2008)
{{Authority control
Towns and villages in County Tipperary
Owney and Arra