Murroe (), officially spelt Moroe, is a village in

County Limerick County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

Environs

Murroe is in the north-eastern part of County Limerick, surrounded by the

Slieve Felim Mountains The Slieve Felim Mountains () are a mountain range in Munster, Ireland. They cover parts of County Limerick and County Tipperary. Historically, the name "Slieve Felim" meant the whole mountainous area between Murroe, Silvermines, Borrisoleigh and ...

. It is around 15 km east of

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

city and close to the

County Tipperary County Tipperary () 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 after the town of Tipperary (tow ...

border. Nearby towns include

Cappamore Cappamore () is a small town in northeast County Limerick in the midwest of Ireland. It is also a parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. Location and facilities Cappamore is 20 km east of Limerick city, on the bank ...

and

Newport Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay * Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of t ...

. The village is on the R506 road.

History

The first Roman Catholic church was erected in Murroe village around 1731. This was replaced by a second church on the main street in 1807. The parish priest in 1808 was Daniel O'Brien. This second church was described as by Samuel Lewis in 1837 “a large and handsome building”. The third and final church was erected in 1905. There were two fairs held in the village (in April and October) from at least 1825. The village expanded in the late 1820s with the arrival of the Anglican Rev. Thomas P. Le Fanu (father of

Sheridan Le Fanu Joseph Thomas Sheridan Le Fanu (; 28 August 1814 – 7 February 1873), popularly known as J. S. Le Fanu, was an Irish writer of Gothic literature, mystery novels, and horror fiction. Considered by critics to be one of the greatest ghost ...

) to the neighbouring parish of Abington and Sir Matthew Barrington (1788–1861), 2nd

Barrington baronets There have been two baronetcies created for people with the surname Barrington. As of one creation is extant. * Barrington baronets of Barrington Hall (1611) * Barrington baronets of Limerick (1831) Set index articles on titles of nobility

of Limerick to Glenstal Castle. In 1828, Le Fanu and Matthew Barrington established a dispensary on the main street. In 1926, Glenstal Castle became

Glenstal Abbey Glenstal Abbey is a Catholic Church, Catholic Order of St. Benedict, Benedictine monastery of the Congregation of the Annunciation located in Murroe, County Limerick, Ireland. It is dedicated to Saint Joseph and Saint Columba. In July 2024, Col ...

monastery and boarding school. Murroe once had eight primary schools in the area. Each of the schools, called Murroe, Clonkeen, Eyon, and Kiskiquirk, were split into a boys' and girls' school. John Canon Hayes, founder of

Muintir na Tíre Muintir na Tíre (, meaning "People of the Country") is a national Irish voluntary organisation that promotes community and rural development. Canon John Hayes founded the organisation in 1937. Past presidents *Canon John Hayes Founder: 19 ...

, was born in Murroe in 1882. He was a priest of the Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, ordained at the Irish College, Paris in 1913 and died at

Bansha Bansha (; ) is a village in County Tipperary in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The village is part of the parish of "Bansha and Kilmoyler" (united in 1858) in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. It is in the historical Barony (I ...

, County Tipperary, where he was the parish priest, in 1957.

Landmarks

The village contains the Murroe Memorial Cross, a War of Independence memorial in the form of a decorated modern Celtic high cross. It was erected in May 1923 to commemorate the men of the east Limerick and Mid Limerick brigades of the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various Resistance movement, resistance organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dominantly Catholic and dedicated to anti-imperiali ...

who lost their lives in the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the 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 Unite ...

. It is believed to be one of the first such large-scale memorials erected in the State after the war.

Clonkeen Church Clonkeen Church is a medieval church and a National Monument in County Limerick, Ireland. Location The church is located on the R506 road, near Barringtonsbridge approximately southeast of Annacotty, north of the River Mulkear. History A m ...

was founded as a monastery c. AD 600, is located approximately west of the village Murroe is also situated near an older monastic settlement of Abbey Owney and is home to a number of historical houses and buildings, such as Brittas Castle and Thomond Scout centre.

Amenities

The

Slieve Felim Way The Slieve Felim way is a long-distance trail through the Slieve Felim Mountains in Ireland. It is long, beginning in Murroe, County Limerick and ending in Silvermines, County Tipperary. It is typically completed in two days. Management The ...

, a

long-distance trail A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, equestrianism or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents exc ...

through the Slieve Felim and

Silvermine Mountains The Silvermine Mountains or Silvermines Mountains () are a mountain range in County Tipperary, Ireland. The highest peak of the range is Keeper Hill or Slievekimalta at high. Traditionally, the mountains were deemed to be part of the Slieve F ...

, has a trail-head in the village. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the

Irish Sports Council Sport Ireland (), formerly the Irish Sports Council, is a statutory authority that oversees, and partly funds, the development of sport within Ireland. It is located at the National Sports Campus in the townland of Sheephill near Abbotstown Hou ...

and is managed by

Shannon Development Shannon Development (legally the ''Shannon Free Airport Development Company Limited'' formerly known as SFADCO) was an important regional development body for the Shannon Region of Ireland. Its area in the lower River Shannon basin comprised al ...

and

Coillte Coillte (; ; meaning /) is a state-owned commercial forestry business in Ireland based in Newtownmountkennedy. Coillte manage approximately 7% of the country’s land, and operates three businesses - their core forestry business, a 'land solut ...

. The gardens and lands of Glenstal monastery are accessible to the public. The Clare Glens wooded area along the banks of the Clare River is located on the edge of the townland towards

. Sporting and cultural organisations in Murroe include Murroe Boher Amateur Dramatic Society, the Marion Active Retirement Club, Mulcair Men's Shed, Glenstal walkers, Murroe AFC (situated in Tubber), Murroe/Boher GAA, and Murroe-Boher Scouts.

Gallery

File:Church of the Holy Rosary, Murroe.jpg, Church of the Holy Rosary File:Muintir na Tire Murroe.JPG, Muintir na Tíre File:Ryan coat of arms at Valley Inn pub, Murroe, Co. Limerick 2009.jpg, Ryan coat of arms at Valley Inn pub

References