Clara, County Offaly

Coordinates: 53°20′34″N 7°36′49″W / 53.342661°N 7.613525°W / 53.342661; -7.613525
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Clara
Clóirtheach
Town
Clara on the R436
Clara on the R436
Clara is located in Ireland
Clara
Clara
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°20′34″N 7°36′49″W / 53.342661°N 7.613525°W / 53.342661; -7.613525
CountryIreland
ProvinceLeinster
CountyOffaly
Elevation
57 m (187 ft)
Population
 (2022)[1]
3,403
Irish Grid ReferenceN254325

Clara (Irish: Clóirtheach; erroneously translated locally as An Clárach)[8] is a town on the River Brosna in County Offaly, Ireland. It is the 10th largest town in the midlands of Ireland. The town had a population of 3,403 as of the 2022 census.[1]

Clara's local services include churches,[9][10] schools,[11][12][13] a branch of the Laois & Offaly Education and Training Board,[14] a library,[15] doctor's surgery, medical centre,[16] pharmacies,[17] health centre,[18] family resource centre,[19] shops, post office,[20] credit union,[21] hair and beauty salons, barbers, garages, pubs, eateries, a playground, public swimming pool,[22] pitch and putt club,[23] GAA club,[24] and Clara Bog Visitor Centre.[25] There is a Garda (police) station[26] and fire station in the town, while the Midlands Regional Hospital is located approximately eleven kilometres away in Tullamore.

Geography

Clara is situated in the north of County Offaly near the border with County Westmeath, on the regional road R420 some 12 kilometres northwest of Tullamore. Clara Bog is located approximately 2.5 kilometres to the southeast of Clara town. Situated on a plain (Clóirtheach meaning plain or level place), the town is in reality an urban centre surrounded by a series of mini-villages. The town is connected to the River Shannon by one of its tributaries, the River Brosna. Clara is the modern name of what was previously known as the Barony of Kilcoursey and Parish of Kilbride. The earliest known map of Clara dates from the Ordnance Survey of 1838.

History

Early history

Industrial heritage in Clara

While the town as we know it today was established by

St Columba). St Brigid's original monastery, founded shortly after her religious profession – her first foundation, would have been constructed in wood and consisted of a number of buildings surrounding a central church.[citation needed
] These buildings were replaced by stone structures in the 12th century. The original parish was named after St Brigid: Kilbride (from Cill Bhride: the Church of Brigid). The ruins of an ancient church are to be found not far from the monastery at the foot of a hill (Chapel Hill) and this may have been the original parish church.

Development and industrialisation

Politically the family which had dominion over the area was the Sinnach O'Catharniagh (Fox O'Carney) clan; they were referred to as the Muinter Tadgain (people of Tadgain). The O'Catharniagh were princes of

Westmeath). The ruins of their castle, Lehinch Castle, are to be found on a hill in Kilcoursey, less than a mile from the town centre. The McAuley family are also associated with the Barony of Kilcoursey. Mass rocks are also to be found in the hills outside the town, having provided secret places for Catholics to worship during the persecution which followed the Reformation.[citation needed
]

The Fox family owned much of the district up until the 1650s. Following the involvement of the Chieftain, Hubert Fox in a rebellion in the 1640s – he was defending

Puritan Oliver Cromwell who came to Ireland to suppress uprisings against English rule. Ironically, in 1599, Fox's father, also Hubert, had signed an agreement of "surrender and regrant" with the English crown to avoid the complete destruction of his estates following the Nine Years' War: the lands were returned to Fox senior in recognition of his fealty. Hubert junior, however, was not so inclined, preferring to stand by the family's traditional allegiance. Cromwell proved victorious and Fox lost his lands which were given to Samuel Rust, a Cromwellian soldier. He, in turn, sold the district to two families – the Armstrongs and the Bagots. The Armstrongs settled in the town and would eventually establish industries, including a linen factory.[citation needed] Andrew Armstrong (1727–1802) built the neo-classical Clara House on the west side of the town in the 1770s. One member of the Armstrong family, John Armstrong, uncle of Andrew, was Governor of Menorca
and author of a history of the island in 1752. Andrew Armstrong died in 1802 and the estates were sold to the Cox family.

In 1825, the Goodbody family moved to Clara from Mountmellick and introduced industry into the town, trading under the name of J & L F Goodbody. Buying flour mills at Erry and Charlestown, they developed the river Brosna and used it to harness power for their factories. In 1864 the Goodbodys started a jute factory at Clashawaun. The jute was imported from India and the resulting bags were exported worldwide. In the last decades of the 20th century, the factories declined and the last Goodbody factory closed in 1984. The family had provided the people of Clara with employment in a number of areas: factory work, domestic service and farming. Other industries in the town included flour mills, distilleries, a brewery, manufacturers of tobacco, soap, candles, and clothes together with food processing companies.

At the end of the 19th century and for much of the 20th century, the town's prosperity led to a number of building projects. There are several stately houses in the town and surrounding countryside as the various members of the Goodbody family set up their households.[

Quaker) which is no longer in use. As the town prospered so did social life, and a number of cultural and sporting associations were founded in the town.[citation needed
]

Main Street Clara c. 1915

Death of Father Niall Molloy

Further information: Death of Niall Molloy

Father Niall Molloy (14 April 1933 - 8 July 1985) was a Catholic priest who was killed in mysterious circumstances in Kilcoursey House in Clara, County Offaly, the home of Richard and Therese Flynn. When the Garda Síochána arrived, they found that there were signs of violence in Flynn's bedroom and that there was a large bloodstain on the carpet. The priest died the day after the wedding of the Flynns' daughter Maureen. Flynn was charged with manslaughter and with actual bodily harm, but the judge at his trial, a family friend, directed the jury to give a 'not guilty' verdict. In 2011, a medical examination of brain tissue kept after the original post-mortem revealed that there was a high probability that the priest was alive up to six hours after the initial attack and therefore may have lived if medical help had been summoned. Molloy was parish priest of Castlecoote, County Roscommon at the time of his death.

Transport

railway junction, with a branch to Streamstown on the now disused Athlone–Mullingar
link. There was also a railway junction west of Clara serving the Banagher branch line. Clara is also served by the M6 Dublin/Galway motorway with junction 6 less than 5 minutes drive from the town centre. In 2008 there was a proposal for a small regional airport in the area, which later fell through[28]

Sport

Clara's local GAA club is involved in Gaelic football and hurling from under 8 to senior level. Clara also has a soccer club and an athletic club.[citation needed] The town has two swimming pools, a pitch and putt club, and a powerlifting club.[citation needed] A golf driving range is located in the town also with the Esker Hills golf club located just outside the town. There is a local equestrian centre and sports centre also.[citation needed]

Special Area of Conservation

Main article: Clara Bog

Two kilometres from the town centre lies Clara Bog, a raised bog which contains rare flora. It was considered for nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.[29]

The Clara Bog visitor centre is located beside the town's library. A bog boardwalk (Accessible from Ballinough, off Tullamore road) is very popular with local walkers but is virtually unknown to visitors. The boardwalk allows walkers to safely cross the surface of the bog. A much shorter, but more accessible bog boardwalk is also located 2 km from Clara on the main Rahan road.

Notable people

References

  1. ^ a b c "Census 2022 - F1015 Population". Central Statistics Office Census 2022 Reports. Central Statistics Office Ireland. August 2023. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
  2. ^ Census for post 1821 figures.
  3. ^ "histpop.org". Archived from the original on 7 May 2016.
  4. ^ "nisranew.nisra.gov.uk". Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 24 March 2013.
  5. ^ Lee, JJ (1981). "On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses". In Goldstrom, J. M.; Clarkson, L. A. (eds.). Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in Honour of the Late K. H. Connell. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
  6. hdl:10197/1406. Archived from the original
    on 4 December 2012.
  7. ^ "Sapmap Area - Settlements - Clara". Census 2016. Central Statistics Office. April 2016. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  8. ^ "Clóirtheach/Clara". Placenames Database of Ireland (logainm.ie). Retrieved 16 October 2021.
  9. ^ "St. Brigid's Parish, Clara & Horseleap". 14 October 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  10. ^ "Tullamore Union of Parishes – Meath and Kildare". Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  11. ^ "Scoil Bhríde Girls NS". Scoil Bhríde Girls NS. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  12. ^ "St. Francis Boys National School Clara Co.Offaly". St. Francis Boys National School Clara Co.Offaly. 18 October 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  13. ^ "ASCN Clara". ASCN Clara. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  14. ^ "Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board - Clara FET Centre". Laois and Offaly Education and Training Board. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  15. ^ "Clara Library ~ Leabharlann Chlóirthigh". Offaly County Council. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  16. ^ "Find a GP - ICGP Web Site". www.icgp.ie. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  17. ^ "McManus Pharmacy – Pharmacy Shop". McManus Pharmacy. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  18. ^ "Offaly Health Centres". HSE.ie. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  19. ^ "Clara Community And Family Resource Centre CLG". Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  20. ^ Post, An (21 October 2023). "An Post CLARA". An Post store locator.
  21. ^ "St Brigid's Credit Union Ltd - Clara | Moate | Ferbane | Banaher". St. Brigid's Credit Union Ltd. 15 September 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  22. ^ Reporter. "Clara Swimming Pool - A fabulous facility in the heart of the town". www.offalyexpress.ie. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  23. ^ "Erry Pitch & Putt". Visit Offaly. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  24. ^ "Clara GAA". Clara GAA. 6 April 2023. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  25. ^ "%%sitename%%". Clara Bog Nature Reserve. Retrieved 21 October 2023.
  26. ^ Garda Síochána, An (21 October 2023). "Clara".
  27. ^ "Clara station" (PDF). Railscot – Irish Railways. Retrieved 7 September 2007.
  28. ^ "Ambitious plan to build new airport in midlands". Independent.ie. Retrieved 23 November 2016.
  29. ^ Gordon Deegan (8 June 2010). "Killarney park and Clara Bog fail to make Unesco shortlist". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 24 October 2012. Retrieved 1 July 2011.
  30. ^ "Address Delivered on the Occasion of the Conferring of the Degree of Laws Honoris Causa on Brian Cowen" (PDF). nui.ie. National University of Ireland. 26 July 2017. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  31. ^ "'It's a dream come true', Clara welcomes Shane Lowry home". The Irish Times. 23 July 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  32. ^ See Michael I.A. Goodbody, The Goodbody Family of Ireland
  33. ^ "Heritage Week is 'dead interesting'". Offaly Independent. 29 August 2019. Retrieved 27 February 2020.
  34. ^ Verney, Deirdre (6 January 2023). "Clara man at the heart of BBC drama's return". Offaly Independent.

External links

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