Rathdowney

:"There is another Rathdowney in Queensland, Australia, named after the Irish town."Rathdowney ("Ráth Domhnaigh" in Irish) is a town in southwest County Laois, Ireland. It lies some 32 km southwest of Portlaoise in the Irish midlands, at the point where the R433 regional road from Abbeyleix to Templemore is crossed by the R433 from Borris-in-Ossory to Johnstown. The new M7 and M8 motoroways will pass within a few kilometres of Rathdowney. Some sections of this road are due to open in 2008.

According to the 2006 census the population stands at 1,207

The town's name arises from that of a nearby ringfort, or "ráth", which was levelled in 1830. Brewing was a major industry in Rathdowney until 1966. The town is also home to the Rathdowney Designer Outlet Shopping Centre.

There is reason to believe that the area may have been inhabited in Neolithic times.

The town is mentioned three times in the Annals of the Four Masters. See below

* 874 Flaithri, son of Maelduin, Lord of Rath-Tamhnaighe (Rathdowney) died
* 909 Maelpadraig, son of Flaithri, Lord of Rath-Tamhnaighe, died
* 1069 Gillamoula, grandson of Bruaideadh, Lord of Rath-Tamhnaighe, died

Historical notes

The settlement of Rathdowney has existed since at least the 9th century. Historically it forms part of the Kingdom of Ossory Kingdom of Osraige, and today it remains part of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory as such Rathdowney is not historically part of Laois. The present day county of Laois being a modern administrative construct.

The Croppy's Grave located in the town's central square is the still visiible cobbled grave of a Croppy revolutionary hanged and buried there in 1798. The site also contains a recent memorial.

The town was raided at least once by anti- treaty forces during the Irish Civil War of 1922 to 1923.

Churches

The current Church of Ireland church stands on the traditional site of the Roman Catholic church which was located there from medieval times until the Reformation. The penal laws meant there was no Catholic church in Ireland until the 19th century when a new church was constructed on Main Street. A new larger, modern Catholic church was openend in the 1950s. The 19th century church was demolished and replaced with a car park and small shrine. Some remains of the old church's graveyard can be seen on the site.

Some "mass pits" or outdoor areas used for Catholic masses during penal times are located in the vicinity of the town.

Economy

The Dawn Meats meat factory is the mainstay of the town's economy. This factory has stood on the former site of Perry's Brewery which was once the town's main employer since the 1970s. Rathdowney is also something of a centre for several out lying villages as well as a large agricultural area.

People

*John Moyney (1895 – 1980), an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, was born in Rathdowney.
*Another Victoria Cross recipient, James Pearson, was also from Rathdowney.
*John Maher's novel "The Luck Penny" (Brandon 2007) is set in Rathdowney, in 1849. It is loosely based on the life of the Church of Ireland minister and Assyriologist Dr Edward Hincks.

Marshal of the Royal Air Force Sir Dermot Boyle GCB, KCVO, KBE, AFC (1904-1993) Dermot Boyle came from Agmacarthy,a few miles outside Rathdowney. He was chief of the Air Staff from 1956 to 1959. He was Air Secretary to Sir Winston Churchill in the wartime cabinet, where he shared quarters with a Templemore man, Brendan (later Viscount) Bracken.

Thomas Prior 1680-1751. He founded the Royal Dublin Society in 1731 and is buried in the Church of Ireland parish church in Rathdowney. He wrote an important book called "The Absentees of Ireland" and was an early proponent of Catholic emancipation and of land reform.

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*Rathdowney GAA is the local Gaelic Athletic Association club.

ee also

* List of towns in the Republic of Ireland