O'Briensbridge
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O'Brien's Bridge or O'Briensbridge () is a village in east
County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...
, Ireland, on the west bank of the River Shannon, 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. It is named for the bridge across the Shannon at that point, built by Turlough O'Brien in 1506.


Location

The village is 13 km northeast of
Limerick city 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 ...
. Facing it, on the other side of the river, at the eastern end of the bridge, is the
County Limerick County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...
village of Montpelier. The two villages are treated as one urban area,
O'Briensbridge-Montpelier O'Briensbridge–Montpelier is an urban area (Ireland), urban area in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, comprising the villages of O'Briensbridge in County Clare and Montpelier, County Limerick, Montpelier in County Limerick which face each other a ...
, for census purposes. The parish of O'Briensbridge, which includes the village of O'Brien's Bridge, is in the barony of Tulla Lower. (The village was formerly part of the parish of Killaloe.) It is and covers , including a detached district to the southwest. The parish is bounded on the east by the River Shannon. The narrow northern section is mountainous, rising to , and the western part of the parish is also upland. There were two castles in the parish. The one at the village of O'Brien's Bridge was inhabited by Murtagh O'Brien, Baron of Inchiquin, in 1580. It is now entirely gone. The other, Aherinagh, was still reasonably well preserved at the end of the 19th century. In 1580, it belonged to Donogh, son of Conor MacNamara.


History

The first bridge across the river here was built in 1506 by Turlough O'Brien, first Earl of Thomond and his brother, the Bishop of Killaloe. This first bridge was made of wood and was burned in 1510 by Gearóid Mór FitzGerald, 8th Earl of Kildare. The O'Briens rebuilt the bridge, this time erecting two castles, each with walls thick, one on each side of the river. The castles stood in the water close to the shore and were connected by a 7-arch wooden bridge that rose to above the water. This bridge was destroyed in 1537 by Leonard Grey, the Lord Deputy of Ireland under King
Henry VIII of England Henry VIII (28 June 149128 January 1547) was King of England from 22 April 1509 until his death in 1547. Henry is known for his Wives of Henry VIII, six marriages and his efforts to have his first marriage (to Catherine of Aragon) annulled. ...
, after an extended battle against the O'Briens, who had rebelled. A 12-arch stone bridge was built next. It was replaced around 1750, partially replaced in 1842, and modified to include a navigation arch in the 1920s. The ancient river-crossing here is believed to be identical with ''Áth Caille'' (meaning "Ford of the Wood"): one of the three fords mentioned in the '' Triads of Ireland'', the others being ''Áth Clíath'' (Dublin) and ''Áth Lúain'' (Athlone).


Sports

The local soccer club is Bridge Celtic AFC, which was formed in 1963 and currently plays in the Clare Soccer League. The club won the Clare Premier title in 2006/07, for the first time in 28 years.


Townlands

The parish contains 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 ...
s of Aharinaghmore, Ardataggle, Ballybrack, Ballycar North, Ballycar South, Ballyknavin, Cappakea, Carrownagowan, Cloghera, Clonboy, Coolnalira, Coumbrack, Earlhill, Fahy Beg, Fahy More North, Fahy More South, Glenlon North, Glenlon South, Kilcredaun, Kilroughil, Knockaderreen, Knockdonagh, Lackareagh Beg, Lackareagh More, Magherareagh, O'Briensbridge, Ross, Roo East, Roo West and Trough.


See also

* List of towns and villages in Ireland *
Montpelier, County Limerick Montpelier () is a village and a townland in east County Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, on the east bank of the River Shannon. It is connected to O'Briensbridge across the river in County Clare by a 14-arch stone bridge. The first brid ...
*
O'Briensbridge-Montpelier O'Briensbridge–Montpelier is an urban area (Ireland), urban area in Republic of Ireland, Ireland, comprising the villages of O'Briensbridge in County Clare and Montpelier, County Limerick, Montpelier in County Limerick which face each other a ...
* O'Brien's Bridge (now Glenorchy, Tasmania)


References

Citations Sources * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:O'Brien's Bridge Towns and villages in County Clare River Shannon Civil parishes of County Clare