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Gowran (; ) is a town on the eastern side of
County Kilkenny County Kilkenny () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is named after the City status in Ir ...
, Ireland. The historic St. Mary's Collegiate Church is in the centre of Gowran, close to Gowran Castle. Gowran Park race course and Golf Course are one kilometre from the centre of Gowran. The town is 13 km east of Kilkenny city, on the R448 road where it is crossed by the R702 road. Gowran is in a
townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...
,
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...
and barony of the same name.


History

Gowran was a place of importance prior to the Norman invasion and a royal residence of the Kings of Ossory, who were sometimes recorded as the Kings of Gowran. Edward the Bruce with his army of Scots and
Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
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. A Magdelan hospital was built outside the walls circa 1578 "For the relief of poor leprous people". The town, under the command of Colonel Robert Hammond, surrendered to
Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...
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 by well-prepared assault. Siege warfare (also called siegecrafts or poliorcetics) is a form of constant, low-intensity conflict charact ...
. Colonel Hammond was a cousin of Cromwell. 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. Its charter of incorporation appears to have been granted by James I in 1609, by which it was a
parliamentary borough A borough is an administrative division in various English language, 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 ...
, with the constituency of Gowran sending two MPs to the Irish House of Commons until its abolition in 1801. Voting was restricted to the portreeve and burgesses. On its disfranchisement under the Acts of Union 1800, £15,000 compensation was given to Viscount Clifden. After the Union, the municipal corporation had only a nominal existence.


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 Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...
. 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-type ...
—the main part of the Church where the congregation gathered—and a long
chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
—the section of the Church where the altar was placed—and has high-quality architectural sculpture used throughout. In the
Late Middle Ages The late Middle Ages or late medieval period was the Periodization, period of History of Europe, European history lasting from 1300 to 1500 AD. The late Middle Ages followed the High Middle Ages and preceded the onset of the early modern period ( ...
a massive tower was inserted between the nave and
chancel In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the Choir (architecture), choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may termi ...
, 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 List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
Church is the Church of the Assumption.


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 (County 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 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 Leaf, leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, aft ...
broad-leaved trees and an orchard with several apple tree varieties. Secondary Schools in the Gowran area include those in Kilkenny City, Borris, County Carlow, Thomastown and Graiguenamanagh. School transport is provided both to and from Gowran NS and secondary schools.


Barony of Gowran

Gowran is at the centre of the Barony of the same name. The Barony of Gowran contains 36 parishes (see map), three of which are split between the Barony of Gowran and the Baronies of Fassadinin and Ida (Mothell, Kilmadum and Inistioge). 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 John was created Earl of Upper Ossory 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 can be reached from Kilkenny railway station (14 kilometres), Muine Bheag railway station (13 kilometres) and Thomastown railway station (14 kilometres distant). Kilkenny railway station has a
park and ride A park and ride, also known as incentive parking or a commuter lot, is a parking lot with public transport connections that allows commuters and other people heading to city centres to leave their vehicles and transfer to a bus, Rail transport, r ...
facility. There is a charge for parking. Muine Bheag also has a park and ride facility. Parking was free until 2015 when charges charges were introduced.


Bus

Gowran is served several times daily by Bus Éireann route 4 which operates from
Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
to
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
and Dublin Airport serving several locations en route such as Thomastown and
Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...
. Journeys on this route use the M9 and M7 motorways between
Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...
and the
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
outskirts. Bus connections to Rosslare Europort are available at
Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
. Gowran is also served by the GraiguenamanaghGoresbridgeKilkenny Kilbride Coaches route with two journeys each way daily except Sundays. The northbound Bus Éireann 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 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 and Surplice who won many classics. Surplice won the Epsom Derby and the St. Leger 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 centuries 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 The Grand National is a National Hunt horse race held annually at Aintree Racecourse in Aintree, Merseyside, England. First run in 1839, it ...
of the South), a steeplechase in Ireland which has been won by three-time
Cheltenham Gold Cup The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt horse race run on the New Course at Cheltenham Racecourse in England, over a distance of about 3 miles 2½ furlon ...
Winner, Arkle in 1964 and Aintree Grand National winners Hedgehunter and Numbersixvalverde. 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 course in the village. Young Irelands
Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...
Club are based just outside the village on the Goresbridge Road. Senior County
Hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...
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, head of the
Irish Army The Irish Army () is the land component of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Defence Forces of Republic of Ireland, Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. ...
's intelligence unit G2 during " The Emergency" (
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
), 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 a granddaughter 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 who was born here. He played
hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...
for Kilkenny 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, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...
are from Gowran. Arundel Elias Disney, emigrated from Gowran, County Kilkenny, where he was born in 1801. * Kilkenny hurlers Kevin Fennelly and Lester Ryan *
William Butler Yeats William Butler Yeats (, 13 June 186528 January 1939), popularly known as W. B. Yeats, was an Irish poet, dramatist, writer, and literary critic who was one of the foremost figures of 20th century in literature, 20th-century literature. He was ...
was a descendant of the Butlers of Neigham (pronounced Nyam) in the
townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...
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 . 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".


See also


Ordnance Survey of Ireland (OSI)


Further reading

* *Prim, John G A. (2002), Nooks and Corners of the County Kilkenny. Published by Grangesilvia Publications, Kilkenny *O'Neill, Gerry. (2005), Kilkenny GAA Bible. Produced by Kilkenny GAA Yearbook Committee * * * *


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 Townlands of County Kilkenny Civil parishes of County Kilkenny Former boroughs in the Republic of Ireland