Clonegal

Clonegal

Irish: *Cluain na nGall*
Clonegal Irish: Cluain na nGall
Village
	Main Street
	Clonegal Location in Ireland
	Coordinates: 52°41′26″N 6°38′43″W / 52.6906°N 6.6453°W
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	Carlow
Elevation	83 m (272 ft)
Population (2016)	278
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid Reference	S916607

Clonegal, officially Clonegall (/ˈkloʊnəɡɔːl/ KLOH-nə-gawl; from Irish Cluain na nGall, meaning 'meadow of the foreigners'),^[2] is a village in the southeast of County Carlow, Ireland. It is in a rural setting, close to the border between counties Wexford and Carlow, 5 km (3 mi) from Bunclody, County Wexford and 22 km (14 mi) from Carlow town. It is just over a mile north of where the River Slaney and the River Derry meet.^[3] Clonegal has a much smaller "twin" village across the River Derry in County Wexford, Watch House Village.

The village is served by a primary school, and is the centre of an agricultural hinterland.^[3]

History

Saint Fiaac's Church of Ireland, Clonegal

Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes ringfort, bullaun stone and holy well sites in the surrounding townlands of Clonegall, Abbeydown and Huntington.^[4]

Huntington Castle, also known as Clonegal Castle, is a 17th-century tower house close to the village centre.^[5] Built by Laurence Esmonde, 1st Baron Esmonde on the site of an earlier (possibly 15th century) structure,^[6]^[7] Huntington Castle was further extended in the 18th and 19th centuries.^[5]

Clonegal's Church of Ireland church, St Fiaac's, was built c. 1819 on the site of a much earlier church and ecclesiastical enclosure.^[8]^[3] The nearby rectory, now a private house, was the residence of the local yeomanry commander during the 1798 Rebellion, and several United Irishmen prisoners were reputedly hanged in a neighbouring yard at what is now known locally as the "Hanging Arch".^[3]

The local Roman Catholic church, St Brigid's, was built c. 1845.^[9]

There were once eleven malt houses in and around the village, along with a wool and corn store, a police station and other shops.^[3]

Kildavin/Clonegal GAA club was formed in 1914.^[10]

Clonegal won the "tidiest village" category in the 2014 and 2015 National Tidy Towns competitions.^[11]^[12]

Demographics

According to the 2006 Census, Clonegal had a population of approximately 280, an increase of 20% since the 2002 Census.^[3] As of 2016, the population was 278.^[1]

Notable people

Peter Murphy, radio and television broadcaster, was from the area.^[13]
Patrick O'Donoghue, the 19th century Irish nationalist revolutionary and journalist.^{[citation needed]}

References

^ ^a ^b "Sapmap Area - Settlements - Clonegal". Census 2016. Central Statistics Office Ireland. April 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
^ "Cluain na nGall / Clonegall". Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved 14 February 2021.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Clonegal - Draft Local Area Plan 2007" (PDF). Carlow County Council. Archived from the original (PDF) on 18 November 2007. Retrieved 18 November 2007.
^ Archaeological Inventory of County Carlow. Dublin: Government Stationery Office. 1993.
^ ^a ^b "Huntington Castle, Huntington, Clonegall, Carlow". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
^ "Carlow Tourism - Clonegal". carlowtourism.com. Archived from the original on 27 May 2006.
^ "The doctor who wanted to turn a castle into a mental asylum but blew it up with dynamite". thejournal.ie. Journal Media Ltd. 24 July 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
^ "Saint Fiace's Church of Ireland Church, Clonegall, Clonegall, Carlow". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
^ "Saint Brigid's Catholic Church, Clonegall, Clonegall, Carlow". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
^ "Kildavin Clonegal GAA Club - About our club". kildavinclonegalgaa.ie. Retrieved 10 March 2024.
^ "Clonegal is Ireland's Tidiest Village". carlow-nationalist.ie. Carlow Nationalist. 15 September 2014. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
^ "Clonegal is still Tidiest Village in Ireland". kclr96fm.com. CK Broadcasting Ltd. 28 September 2015. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
^ "Quizmaster who was one of State's most recognisable broadcasters". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 11 June 2011. Retrieved 8 May 2021. Peter Murphy was born near Clonegal, Co Carlow