Templemore

For other uses, seeTemplemore (disambiguation).

Templemore An Teampall Mór(Irish)
Town
Main Street withTemplemore Town Hallin the centre
Templemore Location in Ireland
Coordinates:52°48′N7°50′W
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	County Tipperary
Barony	Eliogarty
Population (2022)	2,005
Time zone	UTC0(WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1(IST)
Eircode	E41
Area code	0504
Irish Grid Reference	S104720
Website	www.templemore.ie

Templemore(Irish:An Teampall Mór,meaning 'the big church') is a town inCounty Tipperary,Ireland. It is acivil parishin the historicalbaronyofEliogarty.It is part of theparishofTemplemore, Clonmore and Killeain theRoman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly.

The town's population increased from 1,939 at the2016 censusto 2,005 in the2022 census.

Location and access

Templemore is the eighth largest town in County Tipperary. TheN62national route connects the town to the main Dublin-Limerick motorway (M7– Junction 22) andRoscreanorth of the parish. Travelling south, the route connects toThurlesand then the main Dublin-Cork motorway (M8– Junction 6 Horse and Jockey). The N62 originates inAthlone.

To the east, the R433 connects the town to theM8at a more northerly point (Junction 3) via the villages ofClonmore,Errilland the town ofRathdowneyinCounty Laois.Alternatively, the motorway may be accessed via the village ofTempletuohy.To the west, the R501, tracking theDevil's Bitmountain range, goes toBorrisoleigh.

Templemore railway stationis on theDublin-Cork railway lineoperated byIarnród Éireann.There are direct trains to and from stations likeDublin Heuston railway station(8 trains avg),Thurles(9 trains avg)Cork(4 trains avg) andLimerick(4 trains avg) daily

History

Ancient history

The ancient territory ofÉileobtained 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 (Croghan Hill in Offaly) to just south of Cashel (in Corca Eathrach Eli). The southern part of this territory embraced the baronies of Eliogarty andIkerrin,a great part of the modern barony ofMiddle Third,the territory of Ileagh (orIleigh) and a portion of the present barony ofKilnamanagh 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, theEóganacht Chaisilhad annexedMiddle Third.The ancient name of the district on which the town now stands wasTuatha 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' (Irish:Farran na Manna). A holy man namedSilean(anglicised as Sheelan) 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 (Irish:Cill tSilean), meaning Saint Sheelan's Church.

Feudal period

Knockagh Castle, nearDrom

The Big Church or Templemore Abbey
West entrance. April 2011.

With theNorman invasion of Irelandin 1169, a powerfulNormanfamily – theButlers– became the new overlords. Early in the 14th century, they were raised to theEarldom of Ormondand heldpalatinerights inCounty Tipperary.

The ruins of Templemore Abbey, which may have been established by theKnights Templar,lie to the north of the town in the Town Park, thedemesneof the Carden family.

The Blackcastle, as it is locally known, was built in the Town Park in 1450 byJames 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 (Loughmoe) 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

Black Castle Town Park 2007

Around 1695 the Butlers sold extensive lands to an English family calledCardenfromCheshire,who settled in the area and also located atBarnaneand 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.

Templemore owes its improved state to the liberality and exertions of the John C. Carden, Bart. under whose auspices the public buildings were erected, and by whom the ground on which the town stands was granted at a nominal annual rent.

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 ademesnewhich 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:

The noble Gothic pile of finely chiselled limestone, with its battlements, turrets, buttresses and extensive façade, and spacious arched doorway; the architraves of grouped columns, retreating to the depth of several feet, convey to the mind an idea of architectural grandeur seldom associated with the country residences of our gentry.

There were extensive gardens and a lot of money was spent on them:

The house itself consists of sixty rooms, and the sum of, we understand £20,000 in round numbers, has been expended so far upon the building, – Upon entering the grand hall, through the massive oaken doorway, replete with medieval decorations, the visitor finds that ‘The Priory’ has been erected in a style of magnificence not very generally met with – it is floored en mosaique, in walnut and oak; the peculiar grotesque spirit of the Gothic style is not permitted to run riot through the rich oak carving, while that more beautiful element, tracery enters largely into the interior ornamentation – the oak painted ceiling richly stuccoed and the polished armour shields an banners that hang around with the erect figures in full suits of armour; the wide staircase in massive oak – the great doorways leading to the drawing–room at one side and to the library at the other – the rich and mellow light that comes through the beautiful stained glass window that forms the upper portion of the Gothic entrance, and through the lancet shaped sashes – all this bespeak a profuse liberality and taste of order.

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:

Lloydsborough is the seat of J. Lloyd, Esq.; part of the demesne is in Killea, though the mansion is in the parish of Templemore; it is a handsome residence in a well-planted demesne. The other principal seats are Woodville Lodge, the residence of D. J. Webb, Esq.; Belleville, of the Hon. C.J.K. Monck; and Eastwood, of T. Bennett, Esq.

McCan Barracks

McCan Barracks,originally called "Richmond barracks", was constructed in 1809 on the 17-acre (69,000 m²) site donated by the town's founder and largest landowner Sir John Carden, ancestor ofSir John Carden, 6th Baronet (1892-1935),who also donated the adjoining 40 acres (160,000 m²) for training and recreation. It replaced an earlier barracks located near the Ursuline convent.George Borrowresided 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 asTalaveraPlace,VimeiroMall andRegentBridge,reminders of the victories of the British in thePeninsular Wartaking place at the time of the construction of the barracks.

In late summer 1920, Templemore was the site ofalleged Marian apparitions.The town briefly became a popular pilgrimage destination.This took place during theWar of Independenceand also resulted in a brief truce between theIRAandCrown forcesin the area.

Since February 1964, the barracks has been the site of theGarda Síochána College,the centre for training Ireland's police force.

Templemore today

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

Mary Street

Townlands in the civil parish

There are 38townlandsin the civil parish of Templemore.The bulk of the town of Templemore lies in the townland of Kiltillane which has theRiver Suiras 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 ofKillea.Adjacent to it, but in the parish of Templemore and the barony of Eliogarty, is a townland of the same name.

Townland (English)	Townland (Irish)	Acres	Barony	Poor Law Union
Adamstown	Baile Ádaim	289	Eliogarty	Thurles
Ballycahill	Baile Uí Chathail	1,028	Eliogarty	Thurles
Ballyheen	Béal Átha Hín	156	Eliogarty	Thurles
Barnalascaw	Bearna Leathscátha	18	Eliogarty	Thurles
Belleville	Belleville	32	Eliogarty	Thurles
Borrisbeg	An Bhuiríos Bheag	488	Eliogarty	Thurles
Butlerslodge	Lóiste an Bhuitléaraigh	20	Eliogarty	Thurles
Clontaaffe	Cluain Tífe	462	Ikerrin	Roscrea
Craiguedarg	An Ghráig Dhearg	82	Ikerrin	Roscrea
Culleenagh	An Choillíneach	162	Eliogarty	Thurles
Curraduff	An Currach Dubh	175	Ikerrin	Roscrea
Eastwood	An Choill Thoir	225	Eliogarty	Thurles
Farranacahill	Fearann Ó gCathail	79	Eliogarty	Thurles
Farranaderry	Fearann Doire	172	Eliogarty	Thurles
Forest	An Seisceann	199	Eliogarty	Thurles
Graiguebeg	An Ghráig Bheag	37	Ikerrin	Roscrea
Greenwood	An Choill Ghlas	40	Eliogarty	Thurles
Ivyhall	Halla an Eidhneáin	74	Eliogarty	Thurles
Jockeyhall	Halla an Mharcaigh	42	Eliogarty	Thurles
Kilclareen	Cill Chléirín	156	Eliogarty	Thurles
Killawardy	Coill an Bhardaigh	101	Ikerrin	Roscrea
Killough	Cill Eochaidh	849	Ikerrin	Roscrea
Kiltillane	Cill tSiolláin	506	Eliogarty	Thurles
Kiltilliha	Cill Tuilithe	195	Eliogarty	Thurles
Knockanroe	An Cnocán Rua	760	Eliogarty	Thurles
Kylebeg	An Choill Bheag	17	Eliogarty	Thurles
Lisnaviddoge North	Lios na bhFeadóg Thuaidh	89	Eliogarty	Thurles
Lisnaviddoge South	Lios na bhFeadóg Theas	59	Eliogarty	Thurles
Lloydsborough	Gort Ruáin	322	Eliogarty	Thurles
Manna North	Mana Thuaidh	131	Eliogarty	Thurles
Manna South	Mana Theas	225	Eliogarty	Thurles
Oldtown	An Seanbhaile	354	Eliogarty	Thurles
Priory Demesne	Diméin na Prióireachta	288	Eliogarty	Thurles
Rossnamanniff Lower	Ros na mBanbh Íochtarach	55	Eliogarty	Thurles
Rossnamanniff Upper	Ros na mBanbh Uachtarach	44	Eliogarty	Thurles
Sandymount	Cnocán na Gainimhe	50	Eliogarty	Thurles
Templemore Demesne	Diméin an Teampaill Mhóir	386	Eliogarty	Thurles
Woodville	Woodville	83	Eliogarty	Thurles

Amenities and features

The most notable landmark in the district is theDevil's Bitmountain range. It is an excursion point for people to visit 'the Rock' and cross at the summit. Following theWar of Independence,the private demesne of the Carden family came into the ownership of the town's urban district council which handed it over to the citizens as the Town Park. The Park incorporatesGAAgrounds (Páirc Shíleáin), Lakeside Pitch & Putt Course and an all-weather athletic track in the care of Templemore Athletic Club. The demesne's mature woodlands features walks, the ruin of the Black Castle on the western bank of the lake and the ruin of the eponymous big church. The main focus of attention is the man-made lake (7.5 acres) which is used for coarse fishing.

On the Roscrea road there is a cluster of buildings associated with theChurch of Irelandcommunity. Among these is St Mary's Church, which is the principal church serving the community in Templemore, Thurles and Kilfithmone.The church originally stood in front of one of the entrances to the Abbey's parkland. When the estates locally known asThe Parkwere built in the late 1950s, the entrance gates and avenue were removed by the town council. The church, along with St Mary's School, the Rectory, adjacent cottage and lodge, were built in 1790 on land donated by Sir John Craven Carden.

The foundation stone for theparish church,theChurch of the Sacred Heart,was laid on 1 January 1877. It stands on the site of the former residentialErasmus Smithschool. At the nearby village ofLoughmoreis the historicLoughmoe Castle.

Templemore Town Hall,in the centre of the town, was commissioned as a market house in 1816.

Education

Templemore was one of the first three locations selected by the trust ofErasmus Smithin the 17th century for his schools.TheSisters of Mercyoperated theSt. Augustine's Industrial School for Girlsin the town from 1870 to 1965. Today's schools include:

• St. Colmcille's Primary School, under the ethos of the Catholic Church.
• St. Joseph's Primary School, under the ethos of the Catholic Church.
• St. Mary's National School, under the ethos of the Church of Ireland.
• Our Lady's Secondary School(co-educational), under the ethos of the Catholic Church. It was formed when the Sisters of Mercy Convent (a day and boarding school) merged with the Christian Brothers secondary school in 1986.
• Templemore College of Further Education,aQQIcollege of further education offering over a wide variety mainly vocational courses. It had been named St Sheelan's College, with second-level teaching until 2003. In 2012 it changed its name to Templemore College of Further Education.
• Garda Síochána College,the education and training college of theGarda Síochána(Irish police).

Sport

Gaelic games

The localGaelic Athletic Associationclub isJ.K. Bracken's GAC,formed in 1991 when clubs fromClonmore,Killeaand Templemore merged. It is named forJoseph Kevin Bracken,one of the founders of the GAA,who came from Templemore. His son,Brendan,who was a member ofWinston Churchill's government in the United Kingdom duringWorld War II,was born in Templemore.

Golf

There is a nine-hole golf course located at close to theGarda SíochánaCollege just off the Thurles road. The LakesidePitch-and-Puttclub is located beside the lake in the Town Park. Its eighteen-hole course is affiliated to thePitch and Putt Union of Ireland.

Angling

Coarse fishingis available in the lake in the town park. The lake was recentlyrestored after a period of pollution and rising phosphates. It now has a stock of native fish, as well as a fountain.

Parkrun

A weekly free 5 km (3.1 mi)Parkruntakes place in Templemore.

International relations

Templemore istwinnedwith the community ofPrémilhatin France and with the municipality ofPotenza Picenain Italy.

People

• John R. Bohan,American politician.
• Éamonn Corcoran,who played forTipperary GAA.
• Fr. Francis Gleeson,Army Chaplain inWorld War I.
• Brendan Bracken,BritishMinister of Informationfrom 1941 to 1945 underWinston Churchill.
• John Morrissey,American heavyweight champion bare-knuckle boxer, early casino operator, two-term member of the United States House of Representatives, two-term New York State Senator, and a founder ofSaratoga Race Course.
• Charles Monck,British politician who served as the firstGovernor Generalof an independent Canada.

See also

• List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland
• List of civil parishes of Tipperary
• List of Market Houses in Ireland
• List of twin towns and sister cities in the Republic of Ireland
• Charles Monck, 3rd Viscount Monck