Gowran (; ) is a town located on the eastern side of

County Kilkenny County Kilkenny ( gle, Contae Chill Chainnigh) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the South-East Region. It is named after the city of Kilkenny. Kilkenny County Council is the local authority for the cou ...

, Ireland. The historic St. Mary's Collegiate Church is located in the centre of Gowran close to Gowran Castle. Gowran Park race course and Golf Course is located one km from the centre of Gowran. Gowran is located on the R448 regional road (former N9 national primary road) where it is crossed by the R702 regional road.

History

Gowran was a place of importance prior to the

Norman invasion The Norman Conquest (or the Conquest) was the 11th-century invasion and occupation of England by an army made up of thousands of Norman, Breton, Flemish, and French troops, all led by the Duke of Normandy, later styled William the C ...

and a royal residence of the

Kings Kings or King's may refer to: *Monarchs: The sovereign heads of states and/or nations, with the male being kings *One of several works known as the "Book of Kings": **The Books of Kings part of the Bible, divided into two parts **The ''Shahnameh'' ...

Ossory Osraige (Old Irish) or Osraighe (Classical Irish), Osraí (Modern Irish), anglicized as Ossory, was a medieval Irish kingdom comprising what is now County Kilkenny and western County Laois, corresponding to the Diocese of Ossory. The home of t ...

, who were sometimes recorded as the Kings of Gowran.

Edward the Bruce Edward Bruce, Earl of Carrick ( Norman French: ; mga, Edubard a Briuis; Modern Scottish Gaelic: gd, Eideard or ; – 14 October 1318), was a younger brother of Robert the Bruce, King of Scots. He supported his brother in the 1306–1314 ...

with his army of Scots and

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kin ...

men took the town in 1316. James Butler, 3rd Earl of Ormonde built Gowran Castle in 1385 close to the site of the present castle and town walls were erected circa 1415. King James I made Gowran a

parliamentary borough A borough is an administrative division in various English-speaking countries. In principle, the term ''borough'' designates a self-governing walled town, although in practice, official use of the term varies widely. History In the Middle Ag ...

in 1608. The town, under the command of Colonel Robert Hammond, surrendered to

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three ...

on 21 March 1650 following a

siege A siege is a military blockade of a city, or fortress, with the intent of conquering by attrition, or a well-prepared assault. This derives from la, sedere, lit=to sit. Siege warfare is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict characteriz ...

. Colonel Hammond was a cousin of Cromwell's. The soldiers of the garrison accepted Cromwell's offer of quarter for their lives and handed their officers over to the Parliamentarians. Cromwell ordered the execution by firing squad of all but one of the officers; a priest captured in the castle was hanged. In 1688 James II granted A Charter of Incorporation to the town and, of 18 burgesses listed, six were Kealys. A Magdelan hospital was built outside the walls circa 1578 "For the relief of poor leprous people". Gowran was a constituency represented in the Irish House of Commons until 1800.

Churches

In the centre of the village is the historic St. Mary's Collegiate Church which contains monuments from the 14th to 17th centuries. This Collegiate Church was built in the late 13th century on the site of an earlier

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

. It was served by a "college"—clerics who lived in a community but who did not submit to the rule of a monastery. They lived in a house, now destroyed, beside the Church. The Church was a large and elaborate structure, with an aisled

nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-typ ...

—the main part of the Church where the congregation—and a long

chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse. ...

—the section of the Church where the altar was placed—and has high quality architectural sculpture used throughout. In the late

middle ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

a massive tower was inserted between the nave and

, and in the 19th century this tower was incorporated into the parish church which was built in place of the chancel and which now takes up about half of the building. There were also several other changes made to the Church at various periods. St. Mary's Church is now a National Monument. The

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

Church is the Church of the

Assumption Assumption, in Christianity, refers to the Assumption of Mary, a belief in the taking up of the Virgin Mary into heaven. Assumption may also refer to: Places * Assumption, Alberta, Canada * Assumption, Illinois, United States ** Assumption Town ...

Education

Scoil Mhuire Gabhrán, or St. Mary's National School Gowran, is located on the Kilkenny side of the town opposite the Catholic Church of the Assumption. The current building was begun in 1958. Prior to the construction of the new school in 1958, there was a four classroom school adjacent to the current building. This school building was built in 1900 and is now used as a community hall. The National School in

Dungarvan Dungarvan () is a coastal town and harbour in County Waterford, on the south-east coast of Ireland. Prior to the merger of Waterford County Council with Waterford City Council in 2014, Dungarvan was the county town and administrative centre ...

(Co. Kilkenny) which is part of the parish of Gowran closed in 1967 following which the pupils attended Gowran NS. The school was extended in 1979 and 2011. The primary school has also been awarded two An Taisce Green Flags which are displayed outside the school. The Green Schools programme is run by An Taisce together with the Kilkenny County Council. As part of their project work to achieve Green Flag status for water conservation, the school converted all their single flush siphonic toilets (school toilets use on average 85% of school water) from single flush to variable flush using the Mecon Green Button Water Saver. The school also has a biodiversity area which contains a some species of

deciduous In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...

broad leaved trees and an orchard with several apple tree varieties. Secondary Schools in the Gowran area include those in

Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...

City,

Borris, County Carlow Borris (, formerly ''Buirgheas Ó nDróna'') is a village on the River Barrow, in County Carlow, Ireland. It lies on the R702 regional road. Borris has views of the neighbouring countryside with Mount Leinster and the Blackstairs Mountains t ...

Thomastown Thomastown (), historically known as Grennan, is a town in County Kilkenny in the province of Leinster in the south-east of Ireland. It is a market town along a stretch of the River Nore which is known for its salmon and trout, with a number of ...

and

Graiguenamanagh Graiguenamanagh or Graignamanagh () is a town on the River Barrow in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Part of the settlement, known as Tinnahinch, is on the County Carlow side of the river, and Carlow County Council refers to the whole village as "Grai ...

. School transport is provided both to and from Gowran NS and secondary schools.

Barony of Gowran

Gowran is at the centre of the

Barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

of the same name. The

Barony of Gowran Gowran (; ) is a barony in the east of County Kilkenny, Ireland. The size of the barony is . There are 35 civil parishes in Gowran. The chief town today is Gowran. The barony contains the ecclesiastical sites of Kilfane and Duiske Abbey The ba ...

contains 36 parishes (see map), three of which are split between the Barony of Gowran and the Baronies of

Fassadinin Fassadinin (), sometimes written Fassadining, is a barony in the north of County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is one of 12 baronies in County Kilkenny. The size of the barony is . There are 19 civil parishes in Fassadinin. The chief town today is ...

and Ida (Mothell, Kilmadum and

Inistioge Inistioge (; ) is a small village in County Kilkenny, Ireland. Historically, its name has been spelt as Ennistioge, Ennisteage, and in other ways. The village is situated on the River Nore, southeast of Kilkenny. Situated along the River Nore ...

). Most of the eastern boundary of the barony of Gowran is formed by the River Barrow. Richard FitzPatrick was created Lord Gowran in 1715, and his son was created

Earl of Upper Ossory Earl of Upper Ossory was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 5 October 1751 for John FitzPatrick, 2nd Baron Gowran, who later represented Bedfordshire in the House of Commons. He was the son of Richard FitzPatrick, who had been c ...

in 1751. Both titles became extinct in 1818.

Transport

Rail

Gowran railway station opened on 14 November 1850 and closed on 1 January 1963. Gowran is more or less equidistant from Kilkenny railway station (14 kilometres), Muine Bheag railway station (13 kilometres) and

Thomastown railway station Thomastown Railway Station serves the town of Thomastown in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is a station on the Dublin to Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Irela ...

(14 kilometres distant). Kilkenny railway station has a Park and ride facility. There is a charge for parking. Muine Bheag also has a Park and Ride facility. Parking was free up to 2015. Parking charges were introduced in 2015. Train tickets are not always available at the stations. However they may be purchased on the Iarnród Éireann – Irish Rail website online or on board the trains. If purchased online, proof of purchase (printout from website) must be shown when on board the trains.

Bus

Gowran is served several times daily by

Bus Éireann Bus Éireann (; "Irish Bus") is a state-owned bus and coach operator providing services throughout Ireland, with the exception of Dublin and the Greater Dublin Area, where bus services are provided by sister company Dublin Bus. It is a subsidi ...

route 4 which operates from

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

and

Dublin Airport Dublin Airport ( Irish: ''Aerfort Bhaile Átha Cliath'') is an international airport serving Dublin, Ireland. It is operated by DAA (formerly Dublin Airport Authority). The airport is located in Collinstown, north of Dublin, and south o ...

serving several locations en route such as

and

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2016 census, it had a combined urban and rural population of 24,272. The River Barrow flows through the town and forms the historic boundar ...

. Journeys on this route use the M9 and M7 motorways between

and the

outskirts. Bus connections to Rosslare Europort are available at

. Gowran is also served by the

– Goresbridge –

Kilbride Coaches route with two journeys each way daily except Sundays. The northbound

stop has a shelter and seat.

Gowran Park and Annaly Estate

Gowran Park horse racing course and golf course is located near the village. In 2014, Gowran Park celebrated a century of racing at the venue, the first race meeting having been held there on 16 June 1914. In 1914, the Gowran Park racecourse was part of the Annaly Estate Gowran. At that time the Gowran Castle estate was owned by Lady Annaly who was a keen follower of sport. She attended cricket matches in Gowran. In 1900 she presented a silver cup to the Gowran cricket club which is still kept in Gowran. The Lady Annaly Cup was played for annually. In 1930 she presented the County Championship Trophy at Northamptonshire Golf Club. Lady Annaly's father, Henry Agar-Ellis 3rd Viscount Clifden owned a number of horses the most successful of which were

Crucifix A crucifix (from Latin ''cruci fixus'' meaning "(one) fixed to a cross") is a cross with an image of Jesus on it, as distinct from a bare cross. The representation of Jesus himself on the cross is referred to in English as the ''corpus'' (La ...

and

Surplice A surplice (; Late Latin ''superpelliceum'', from ''super'', "over" and ''pellicia'', "fur garment") is a liturgical vestment of Western Christianity. The surplice is in the form of a tunic of white linen or cotton fabric, reaching to th ...

who won many classics. Surplice won the Epsom Derby and the St. Ledger in 1848. Her husband, Lord Annaly was one of the first stewards at Gowran Park. The Annaly estate in Gowran was a walled estate of 774 acres set amidst a historic landscape of Norman castles and the historic St. Mary's Church, with woodlands, lakes, deer park, a home farm, out farms, stables, coach house orchards, walled gardens and walking trails. The Gowran river flows through the estate. The "Gowran Wall" which was built around the estate in the 18th and 19th century was 4.5 miles long and is still in existence today. The estate wall forms part of the racecourse boundary wall. The estate was part of the Gowran Castle estate. Gowran Castle is located in the centre of the town of Gowran one mile from Gowran Park racecourse. The Gowran Castle estate became known as the Annaly estate after the Hon. Liliah Georgiana Augusta Constance Agar-Ellis (1862–1944) married Luke White (Lord Annaly), 3rd Baron Annaly (1862–1922). After her marriage to Lord Annaly, she became known as Lady Annaly. Lilah inherited the Gowran Agar estate. She was a descendant of Charles Agar who came to Gowran c.1650 from Yorkshire in England. Charles Agar and many of his descendants are buried in St. Mary's Church Gowran (Church open to visitors during the summer months. Grounds open all year round). Later members of the Agar family held the title of Viscount Clifden over several generations. The Agars were often referred to as Lords Clifden or Clifdens of Gowran.

Sport

Gowran is known for its racecourse, Gowran Park, which hosts the Thyestes Chase (The Grand National of the South), a

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

in Ireland which has been won by three time Cheltenham Gold Cup Winner,

Arkle Arkle (19 April 1957 – 31 May 1970) was an Irish Thoroughbred racehorse. A bay gelding by ''Archive'' out of ''Bright Cherry'', he was the grandson of the unbeaten (in 14 races) flat racehorse and prepotent sire Nearco. Arkle was bred by Mar ...

in 1964 and Aintree Grand National winners Hedgehunter and

Numbersixvalverde Numbersixvalverde (born 1996) is an Irish race horse who won both the 2005 Irish Grand National and 2006 Aintree Grand National steeplechase, beating Hedgehunter by six lengths with Niall Madden in the saddle. Numbersixvalverde won his big r ...

. It has 16 National Hunt and Flat meetings all year round. Gowran Park is also home to a golf course and is used as a venue for meetings, conferences, weddings and parties. There is also a

pitch and putt Pitch and putt is an amateur sport very similar to, and derived from, golf, where the hole length is typically up to and just 2–3 clubs are typically used. The game was organised and developed in Ireland during the early 20th century, befor ...

course in the village. Young Irelands

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

Club are based just outside the village on the Goresbridge Road. Senior County

Hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...

Champions in 1996 and 2002, they were also runners up in 1997, 2003 and 2004. The Young Irelands Camogie Club is mentioned in a book titled "The Gowran GAA Story", where it is noted that ''"The late Mrs. Catherine Drennan recalled that girls from Gowran, Paulstown, Bonnetstown and Thomastown played Camogie in Gowran in the early 1900s. Their first match was played in April 1908. The club was known as "Gowran Combined" and the colours were Blue and White"''. The club's current colours are red and white. The local soccer team is called Ajax. Gowran Athletic Club (Gowran AC) provide a range of athletic sporting activities for varying age groups.

People

Noted residents and former residents include:- *Colonel

Dan Bryan Colonel Dan Bryan (1900–1985) was an officer in the Irish Army and Director of Military Intelligence G2 (the Irish Army's intelligence section) during World War II, known in neutral Ireland as " The Emergency", who "masterminded the most s ...

, head of the Irish Army's intelligence unit G2 during " The Emergency" (

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

), was born in Dunbell near Gowran. * James Butler was created 1st Earl of Ormonde in 1328. He married Lady Eleanor De Bohun in 1327. After their marriage, she became Countess of Ormonde. Eleanor was grand daughter of King Edward Ι of England and niece of King Edward ΙΙ of England. James is buried in St.Mary's Church Gowran. *

D. J. Carey Denis Joseph Carey (born 11 November 1970) is an Irish former hurler who played as a left wing-forward at senior level for the Kilkenny county team. Carey began his hurling career at club level with Young Irelands. He broke onto the club's to ...

who was born here. He played

hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...

for

until his retirement in 2006. He is regarded as an icon of the sport and has won most of the major honours in the game. * The ancestors of

Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...

are from Gowran. Arundel Elias Disney, emigrated from Gowran, County Kilkenny, where he was born in 1801. * Kilkenny hurlers

Kevin Fennelly Kevin Fennelly (born 7 April 1955) is an Irish former hurling manager and former player who played for his local club Ballyhale Shamrocks and at senior level for the Kilkenny county hurling team from the late 1970s until the late 1980s. Fenne ...

and

Lester Ryan Lester Ryan (18 April 1959 – 6 June 2020) was an Irish hurler who played as a midfielder at club level with Clara and at inter-county level with the Kilkenny senior hurling team. His brother, Harry Ryan, and his nephew, Lester Ryan, were ...

* William Butler Yeats was a descendant of the Butlers of Neigham (pronounced Nyam) in the

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...

of Neigham Gowran. His great, great grandmother, Mary Butler of the Neigham branch of the Butler family married Benjamen Yeats in Tullamore in 1773. Many generations of the Butlers lived in Gowran and surrounds for over 500 years following the Norman Invasion in 1169, after which Theobald Fitzwalter was granted lands around Gowran. Theobald was the ancestor of the Butler and Ormonde families. He incorporated the Town of Gowran sometime after 1177. He died in 1206. The Manor of Gowran, around 44 000 acres remained in Butler hands until c.1700 The early Butler Earls of Ormonde are buried in St. Mary's Church Gowran. Neigham CastleNeigham Castle by Katherine Lanigan Old Kilkenny Review for 1981 page 250. was built about 1477 by Sir James Butler for his eldest son Edmund. He was called "The Earl of Gowran".

References

External links

Edmund Butler, Earl of Carrick and father of James Butler, 1st Earl of OrmondJames Butler, 1st Earl of OrmondJames Butler, 2nd Earl of OrmondJames Butler, 3rd Earl of OrmondDungarvan Church built about 1811Gowran, a Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, 1837The Fitzpatrick – Mac Giolla Phádraig Clan Society
{{Authority control Towns and villages in County Kilkenny Census towns in County Kilkenny