Raheen () is 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 village in

County Wexford County Wexford () 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. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...

, Ireland. It lies 27 km from

Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...

, 11 km from

New Ross New Ross (, formerly ) is a town in southwest County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, on the River Barrow on the border with County Kilkenny, northeast of Waterford. In 2022, it had a population of 8,610, making it the fourth-largest t ...

, and 23 km from

Enniscorthy Enniscorthy () is the second-largest town in County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is located on the picturesque River Slaney and in close proximity to the Blackstairs Mountains and Ireland's longest beach, Curracloe. The Plac ...

History

Raheen, in Irish , means 'little rath or

ringfort Ringforts or ring forts are small circular fortification, fortified settlements built during the Bronze Age, Iron Age and early Middle Ages up to about the year 1000 AD. They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland. There are ...

'. There are several ringfort ('' rath'') sites in the area, including in the townlands of Raheennahennedy, Raheenarostia, Raheenaclonagh and Courthoyle New. For most of the

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 ...

period, the area was controlled by the Howell family. They gave their name to nearby "Courthoyle", where they had a chapel and castle. During the

Irish Rebellion of 1798 The Irish Rebellion of 1798 (; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ''The Turn out'', ''The Hurries'', 1798 Rebellion) was a popular insurrection against the British Crown in what was then the separate, but subordinate, Kingdom of Ireland. The m ...

, one of the main rebel camps was located at nearby Carrigbyrne Hill. A

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

(R.C.) church previously existed at Courthoyle, near the village of Raheen. The current R.C. church of Raheen dates from 1814. A Protestant church that once existed in the townland of Templeshelin (located about 1 km away) has since been demolished. This belonged to the former

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 ...

parish of Adamstown. The adjacent cemetery is still in existence and contains some of the victims of the Scullabogue barn fire that took place during the

, as well as a small number of other graves.

Amenities

Raheen village has a national (primary) school, a shop, a Roman Catholic church, a childcare centre, a community centre, and several houses. There is also a cemetery located about half a kilometre away at Courthoyle. Raheen's Catholic church, a curacy, 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 Newbawn. The parish church is located at

Newbawn Newbawn () is a small village located in the southwest of County Wexford, Ireland. It is south-east of New Ross, and west of Wexford town, and is on the R735 regional road about south of the N25 national primary road. The village is in a t ...

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 is Adamstown GAA Club. The club's main pitch is located at Adamstown, about 3–4 km away. However, there is another pitch located at Newbawn that is sometimes also used.

Rounders Rounders is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams. Rounders is a striking and fielding team game that involves hitting a small, hard, leather-cased ball with a wooden, plastic, or metal bat that has a cylindrical end. The players score b ...

is also played in Raheen.

References

{{reflist Towns and villages in County Wexford Townlands of County Wexford

History

Amenities

Sport

See also

Further reading

References