Modreeny () is a

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 ...

and a

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of Parish (administrative division), administrative parish used for Local government in England, local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below district ...

in the historical

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 ...

Ormond Lower Ormond Lower ( Irish: ''Urumhain Íochtarach'') is a barony in County Tipperary, Ireland. This geographical unit of land is one of 12 baronies in County Tipperary. Its chief town is Nenagh. The barony lies between Ormond Upper to the south-east ...

County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named afte ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

situated on the

R490 road The R490 is a regional road in Ireland linking the N52 at Borrisokane, County Tipperary via Cloughjordan to the R445 at Moneygall, County Offaly.Borrisokane Borrisokane () is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is situated at the junction of the N52 and N65 national secondary roads. At the 2016 census, it had a population of 942. The Ballyfinboy River flows through the town on its way to Loug ...

and

Cloughjordan Cloughjordan, officially Cloghjordan ( , ), is a town in County Tipperary in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Barony (Ireland), barony of Ormond Lower, and it is also a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe. The town is si ...

. Ormond Foxhounds are based at kennels at Modreeny.

Built heritage

Notable buildings in the area include "Modreeny", a seven bay country house and gate lodge listed as being of architectural and artistic interest. Modreeny Church is a ruined 19th-century

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland ( ga, Eaglais na hÉireann, ; sco, label=Ulster-Scots, Kirk o Airlann, ) is a Christian church in Ireland and an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the second l ...

church commissioned by the

Board of First Fruits The Board of First Fruits () was an institution of the Church of Ireland that was established in 1711 by Anne, Queen of Great Britain to build and improve churches and glebe houses in Ireland. This was funded from taxes collected on clerical inco ...

. It has an adjoining cemetery and, to the west, the remains of a medieval church. The nearby

glebe house Glebe (; also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s))McGurk 1970, p. 17 is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved ...

was designed by

Roscrea Roscrea () is a market town in County Tipperary, Ireland, which in 2016 had a population of 5,446. Roscrea is one of the oldest towns in Ireland, having developed around the 7th century monastery of Crónán of Roscrea, Saint Crónán of Roscrea ...

architect

James Sheane James Sheane (born 1772–78, died 1816) was an architect from Roscrea, County Tipperary, Ireland. Career Sheane designed St. Cronan's Church, Roscrea (Church of Ireland), as well as glebe houses at Modreeny and Kilrushall. Personal life Sheane ...

and constructed around 1813.

Modreeny ambush

An ambush took place near here on 3 June 1921, during the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and United Kingdom of Gre ...

. The ambush was an attack on an RIC and Black and Tan patrol en route to the local Petty Sessions in Cloughjordan Courthouse. It was undertaken by a

flying column A flying column is a small, independent, military land unit capable of rapid mobility and usually composed of all arms. It is often an ''ad hoc'' unit, formed during the course of operations. The term is usually, though not necessarily, appli ...

led by Sean Gaynor at

Kylebeg Kylebeg (''An Choill Bheag'' in Irish) is a townland in the historical Barony of Ormond Upper, County Tipperary, Ireland. Location The townland is located between Borrisokane and Cloughjordan along the R490 road, to the west of the townland of ...

Cross, between Borrisokane and Cloughjordan and resulted in the deaths of four RIC/ Black and Tan members.

Seán McCurtin Seán Patrick McCurtin (24 June 1896 – 12 November 1982) was an Irish Cumann na nGaedheal politician and National Army officer from County Tipperary. Active in the Irish War of Independence, McCurtin participated in many ambushes including t ...

was an IRA participant. A RIC patrol of twelve men led by Sergeant Jones were cycling from RIC barracks in Borrisokane to Petty Sessions in Cloughjordan courthouse. The Borrisokane courthouse had been badly damaged by IRA attack and the court sitting was transferred to Cloughjordan. Just before the ambush the cycle patrol was overtaken by a motorised patrol of sixteen men in cars from

RIC barracks under the command of DI Edmund Fitzpatrick. The RIC men who were killed : Con. James Briggs DCM MM (Borrisokane RIC from Garlieston, Scotland - a "Black & Tan") : Con. John Cantlon (Roscrea RIC from Ballyellin, Co Carlow) : Con. Martin Feeney (Borrisokane RIC from Culleenanory, Co. Roscommon) : Con. William Walsh (Roscrea RIC from Co. Kilkenny)PhotoBucket Album
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References

Townlands of County Tipperary Civil parishes of Ormond Lower {{Tipperary-geo-stub

Built heritage

Modreeny ambush

See also

References