Templemore


Templemore is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Eliogarty. It is part of the parish of Templemore, Clonmore and Killea in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly.
The town's population increased from 1,939 at the 2016 census to 2,005 in the 2022 census.

Location and access

Templemore is the eighth largest town in County Tipperary. The N62 national route connects the town to the main Dublin-Limerick motorway and Roscrea north of the parish. Travelling south, the route connects to Thurles and then the main Dublin-Cork motorway. The N62 originates in Athlone.
To the east, the R433 connects the town to the M8 at a more northerly point via the villages of Clonmore, Errill and the town of Rathdowney in County Laois. Alternatively, the motorway may be accessed via the village of Templetuohy. To the west, the R501, tracking the Devil's Bit mountain range, goes to Borrisoleigh.
Templemore railway station is on the Dublin-Cork railway line operated by Iarnród Éireann. There are direct trains to and from stations like Dublin Heuston railway station, Thurles Cork and Limerick daily

History

Ancient history

The ancient territory of Éile obtained its name from pre-historic inhabitants called the Eli, about whom little is known beyond what may be gathered from legends and traditions. The extent of Éile varied throughout the centuries with the rise and fall of the tribes in occupation. During this century however Éile appears to have reached its greatest extent, stretching from Croghan Bri Eli to just south of Cashel. The southern part of this territory embraced the baronies of Eliogarty and Ikerrin, a great part of the modern barony of Middle Third, the territory of Ileagh and a portion of the present barony of Kilnamanagh Upper.
By the 8th century, the territory of Ancient Éile had broken up into a number of petty kingdoms: the O'Carroll occupied the northern portion, the O'Spillanes held Ileagh, the Eóganacht Chaisil had annexed Middle Third. The ancient name of the district on which the town now stands was Tuatha Corca Teine. Teine was supposed to have been the son of the King of Connacht, arriving in the district shortly after Saint Patrick. Monastic settlements were located at the site of Teine's fort, 'Land of the Monks'. A holy man named Silean is reputed to have accompanied St Patrick and to have established a monastery in the area. There is no townland called Templemore. The townland on which the town is built is Kiltillane, meaning Saint Sheelan's Church.

Feudal period

With the Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169, a powerful Norman family – the Butlers – became the new overlords. Early in the 14th century, they were raised to the Earldom of Ormond and held palatine rights in County Tipperary.
The ruins of Templemore Abbey, which may have been established by the Knights Templar, lie to the north of the town in the Town Park, the demesne of the Carden family.
The Blackcastle, as it is locally known, was built in the Town Park in 1450 by James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond. This building and its manor lands were occupied by the Butlers and were later leased to the families of Purcell of Loughmore and Morris of Knockagh.
The O′Fogarty clan held what is now the barony of Eliogarty, while to the north of them, at least some time later, were O'Meaghers of Ikerrin.

Carden family

Around 1695 the Butlers sold extensive lands to an English family called Carden from Cheshire, who settled in the area and also located at Barnane and Fishmoyne. Over the next 200 years, this family was to play a significant part in the development of the town and district which has the nickname of "Carden's Wild Demesne", after the popular 19th-century poem.
Following the burning of the Blackcastle, Carden built a new estate. He built a mansion known as the Priory on the edge of the town. The architecture of the Priory was in the style of the Elizabethan era. The Priory was surrounded by a demesne which had a formal garden with paved paths around an artificial lake. Quoting from a contemporary newspaper commentary of 1861, when the Priory was still under construction:
There were extensive gardens and a lot of money was spent on them:
The Cardens kept the ruins of the old church and graveyard. At the entrance on the Borrisoleigh Road is the gatekeeper's lodge. After 1860, the Priory was renamed the Abbey.
Lewis' directory of 1837 lists the principal landowners in the locality at the time:

McCan Barracks

, originally called "Richmond barracks", was constructed in 1809 on the site donated by the town's founder and largest landowner Sir John Carden, ancestor of Sir John Carden, 6th Baronet, who also donated the adjoining for training and recreation. It replaced an earlier barracks located near the Ursuline convent. George Borrow resided there when he accompanied his father's regiment to Templemore in 1816. The new barracks consisted of 2 squares, surrounded by company lines, stores, married quarters, officer's mess, military prison, church and hospital. Completely surrounded by a high wall, with protective/defensive posts at each corner, it had accommodation for 25 officers, married quarters for 48 other ranks, and 767 unmarried personnel. A total of 36 hospital beds and 15 guardroom cells were located within the complex as well as stabling for 27 officers' horses. The surrounding area was quickly developed, with names such as Talavera Place, Vimeiro Mall and Regent Bridge, reminders of the victories of the British in the Peninsular War taking place at the time of the construction of the barracks.
In late summer 1920, Templemore was the site of alleged Marian apparitions. The town briefly became a popular pilgrimage destination. This took place during the War of Independence and also resulted in a brief truce between the IRA and Crown forces in the area.
Since February 1964, the barracks has been the site of the Garda Síochána College, the centre for training Ireland's police force.

Templemore today

The town council was abolished in 2014 following the enactment of the Local Government Reform Act 2014.

Townlands in the civil parish

There are 38 townlands in the civil parish of Templemore. The bulk of the town of Templemore lies in the townland of Kiltillane which has the River Suir as its eastern boundary. Townlands in the north-western parts of the parish are situated in the barony of Ikerrin. From north to south they are Killough, Clontaaffe, Craiguedarg, Curraduff and Graiguebeg. The townland of Killawardy is mainly in the civil parish of Killea. Adjacent to it, but in the parish of Templemore and the barony of Eliogarty, is a townland of the same name.
Townland
Townland
AcresBaronyPoor Law Union
AdamstownBaile Ádaim289EliogartyThurles
BallycahillBaile Uí Chathail1028EliogartyThurles
BallyheenBéal Átha Hín156EliogartyThurles
BarnalascawBearna Leathscátha18EliogartyThurles
BellevilleBelleville32EliogartyThurles
BorrisbegAn Bhuiríos Bheag488EliogartyThurles
ButlerslodgeLóiste an Bhuitléaraigh20EliogartyThurles
ClontaaffeCluain Tífe462IkerrinRoscrea
CraiguedargAn Ghráig Dhearg82IkerrinRoscrea
CulleenaghAn Choillíneach162EliogartyThurles
CurraduffAn Currach Dubh175IkerrinRoscrea
EastwoodAn Choill Thoir225EliogartyThurles
FarranacahillFearann Ó gCathail79EliogartyThurles
FarranaderryFearann Doire172EliogartyThurles
ForestAn Seisceann199EliogartyThurles
GraiguebegAn Ghráig Bheag37IkerrinRoscrea
GreenwoodAn Choill Ghlas40EliogartyThurles
IvyhallHalla an Eidhneáin74EliogartyThurles
JockeyhallHalla an Mharcaigh42EliogartyThurles
KilclareenCill Chléirín156EliogartyThurles
KillawardyCoill an Bhardaigh101IkerrinRoscrea
KilloughCill Eochaidh849IkerrinRoscrea
KiltillaneCill tSiolláin506EliogartyThurles
KiltillihaCill Tuilithe195EliogartyThurles
KnockanroeAn Cnocán Rua760EliogartyThurles
KylebegAn Choill Bheag17EliogartyThurles
Lisnaviddoge NorthLios na bhFeadóg Thuaidh89EliogartyThurles
Lisnaviddoge SouthLios na bhFeadóg Theas59EliogartyThurles
LloydsboroughGort Ruáin322EliogartyThurles
Manna NorthMana Thuaidh131EliogartyThurles
Manna SouthMana Theas225EliogartyThurles
OldtownAn Seanbhaile354EliogartyThurles
Priory DemesneDiméin na Prióireachta288EliogartyThurles
Rossnamanniff LowerRos na mBanbh Íochtarach55EliogartyThurles
Rossnamanniff UpperRos na mBanbh Uachtarach44EliogartyThurles
SandymountCnocán na Gainimhe50EliogartyThurles
Templemore DemesneDiméin an Teampaill Mhóir386EliogartyThurles
WoodvilleWoodville83EliogartyThurles