- Freshford, Ireland
:"There is another village called
Freshford inEngland ."Infobox Irish Place
name = Freshford
gaeilge = Achadh Úr
crest
motto =
map
pin coords = left: 47px; top: 58px
north coord = 52.733333 | west coord = 7.4 | irish grid =
area = | elevation =
province =Leinster
county =County Kilkenny
population =
census yr =
web = www.kilkennycoco.ie|Freshford ("Achadh Úr" in Irish) is a village in north
County Kilkenny , Ireland.History
The village is the site of a
monastery , referred to in earlyhistorical accounts as "Achadour" and dating back to the early 7th century.Towards the end of the 8th century the
Ui Duach were driven out and theUi Bairche reigned again. Then in 836 theViking s arrived and in one daring raid burnt the Church of St Lachtain. In 1026 the Ui Bairche were defeated by the Leixians and soon after were replaced aschieftain s by the O'Braonains, who in turn were forced back towardsCastlecomer by the arrival of the Normans.In the year 1111, a
synod , or meeting ofbishop s, was held at Rathbrasall,Co. Tipperary , which dividedIreland intodiocese s. All small dioceses disappeared and Freshford became part of the diocese of Kilkenny,Laois andOffaly .In 1169 a major battle was fought near Freshford when
Dermot McMurrough and his Norman allies defeated Domhnall McGiolla Padraig ofOssory at the pass of "Achadh Úr" following a three-day battle. There is much speculation as to the exact location of the battle – the late Padraig McCarthaigh was in no doubt—he placed it at Clashacrow. The Norman invasion also brought the Shortalls to Freshford where they builtCastle s at Ballylarkin,Kilrush , Kiloshulan, and Tubrid. ThePurcell s to Lismaine, Clone and Foulksrath, the Mountgarretts toBallyragget , Ballyconra, Lodgepark and Balleen, and the Graces toTullaroan . [http://books.google.com/books?id=L4UNAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA262&lpg=PA262&dq=Ballylarkin+abbey+shortall&source=web&ots=R7DDENw4tM&sig=t2EEOXUCzjDoPqGii-RkSdzWNSQ&hl=en&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=10&ct=result#PPA259,M1]t. Lachtain's Church
The Romanesque doorway of St. Lachtain's
Church of Ireland church in Freshford is one of only two such portal designs remaining in the country, the other being atClonfert . Thesandstone doorway is all that is left of the original church which was built in 1100, the present St Lachtain's having been built in 1731. It is located in the centre of the village on the R693regional road .Uppercourt Manor
The great house of Uppercourt Manor stands on the site of the bishop's palace built at "Achadh Úr" in 1225. In 1553 a
Protestant bishop , John Bale, was sent to live there. When five of his servants were murdered while saving the hay, the Bishop fled and never returned.After him, the Shee family took over the manor and lived in Uppercourt for 100 years. In 1653 one of
Cromwell 's soldiers, Captain Sir George Askew, being owed £200, was given Uppercourt in settlement of the debt and the Shees were forced to leave.The present house was built by Sir William Morris around 1790. The
Eyre family came in 1879 and stayed till 1918 when the Maher brothers bought it. TheMill Hill Fathers bought it in 1932 and it became asecondary school . In 1989 it was sold to its present owners and is now used for the storage and restoration ofantique furniture .Freshford Cross
On the village green stands the base of the Freshford Cross, made of soft
sandstone now entirely worn away. When Lucas Shee of Uppercourt died in 1622, his wife, Ellen Butler, erected a cross in his memory at the back entrance to Uppercourt. The street to that entrance is still called Buncrusha or Bohercrussia Street, meaning "Bun na Croise" or "Bothar na Croise" in Irish, "Base of the Cross" or "Road of the Cross".In 1790 Sir William Morris, who came to live in Uppercourt, had the cross removed and re-erected on the green. It bore the following inscription:
"The noble Ellen Butler, wife of Lucas Shee Esq., got this
monument made.Pray ,traveller , that thesouls of both may haveeternal rest."port
St. Lachtain's
Gaelic Athletic Association Club (Freshford) have beenKilkenny SeniorHurling Champions twice, in 1961 and 1963.Trivia
The Irish
Conker Championships have been staged annually in Freshford since 1999 [ [http://www.thepost.ie/breakingnews/ireland/mhmheyauaumh/ Irish Conker Championships] ] . "Conkers" are the fruits of theHorse Chestnut tree. The chestnuts for the competition are provided by 52 Horse Chestnut trees that surround the village green, which produce 30,000 conkers. Six hundreds competitors , including many from abroad, take part.ee also
* List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Kilkenny)
* List of towns and villages in Ireland.References
External links
* [http://www.claneire.com/connected/freshford.htm/ Freshfordinfo.ie]
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