Rathdangan () is a village in

County Wicklow County Wicklow ( ; ga, Contae Chill Mhantáin ) is a county in Ireland. The last of the traditional 32 counties, having been formed as late as 1606, it is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is bordered by t ...

, Ireland. It is in the Electoral Division of Rathdangan, in Civil Parish of Kiltegan, in the Barony of

Upper Talbotstown Upper Talbotstown () is a barony in County Wicklow, Republic of Ireland. Etymology Upper Talbotstown derives its name from Talbotstown village, near Kilbride. Location Upper Talbotstown is located in west County Wicklow, covering much of th ...

History

Evidence of habitation is shown by a Bronze Age burial cist, a fort dating from at least the eight-century and a Norman

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

at Killamoat. A 1668 survey records 18 houses in the village. Due to its mountainous elevation, in the severe winters of 1947, 1963 and 1982, Rathdangan was isolated for weeks.

Toponymy

In Liam Price's extensive survey of place names of County Wicklow he recorded that in the Down Survey, dated 1655-9, the name is first noted as Radangin, but the 1660 the Books of Survey and Distribution now uses the spelling Radanginge. A few years later, in 1668, Rathdangin is stated in the

Hearth Money Roll A hearth tax was a property tax in certain countries during the medieval and early modern period, levied on each hearth, thus by proxy on wealth. It was calculated based on the number of hearths, or fireplaces, within a municipal area and is cons ...

of County Wicklow, followed by Radangin in the 1685 Hiberniæ Delineatio. Finally the current village name is shown in A.R. Neville's Map of County Wicklow from circa 1810.

Geography

Rathdangan is at an elevation of 207m. and is located on the road from Aughrim to

Baltinglass Baltinglass, historically known as Baltinglas (), is a town in south-west County Wicklow, Ireland. It is located on the River Slaney near the border with County Carlow and County Kildare, on the N81 road. Etymology The town's Irish name, ''Bea ...

joining the east and west of County Wicklow. To the north-east the terrain rises up to the summit of Lugnaquilla, the highest mountain in Leinster while

Keadeen Mountain Keadeen Mountain () at , is the 152nd–highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 184th–highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the ...

at lies to the north. The village has experienced severe weather with heavy snowfall, cutting off the village for days, during the winters of 1947, 1963 and 1982.

Places of interest

Rathdangan once had two pubs, two shops and a post office. Only one pub now remains, and while known by locals as Junior's the name over the door is Byrne's, per the family name. A community shop operates most mornings, in the parish hall "The Village Pantry". An amenity park and playground was opened in July 2018.

Tober Owen Well

A holy well, Tober Owen, or St. John's Well, is a short distance from the village on the left side of the road leading to the Glen of Imaal. A festival used to take place on the saint's day, June 24. An ancient tree used to grow over the well and a man called Moore was eventually hanged on the tree, having been on the run for quite some time, for murdering Hume of Humewood who hunted rebels of the

1798 rebellion The Irish Rebellion of 1798 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1798; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ''The Hurries'') was a major uprising against British rule in Ireland. The main organising force was the Society of United Irishmen, a Irish republicanism, ...

. The tale goes that nothing grew upon the limb on which Moore was hanged and when the tree was blown down in a storm, it was used as firewood by some locals but those pieces of the branch used to hang Moore exploded and scattered all around the place. A memorial to Moore was erected beside the well.

Saint Mary's Catholic Church

The local church at Killamote, about 1 km the village, is Saint Mary's Catholic Church, built in a classical style in 1847 and renovated in 1968. The tall windows, mainly of stained glass have semi-circular heads and two of them are by the stained-glass artist Harry Clarke. They depict the Crucifixion (1920), and the Nativity (1925).

Post office

A post office had been opened in 1895 and closed in mid-2007.

Shoeing stone

Until the 1950s, the large flat circular stone, inside the bridge wall, was used to install iron bands on wooden cart wheels.

References

External links

dúchas.ie 1938 Schools report about St. John Well

PURE Mile 2011
Heritage updates related to Rathdangan
The Murder of Mr Hume of Humewood
(details of Moore hanging pg 30–38)
A Village with Vision
YouTube video

Historical Videos - YouTube video {{County Wicklow Towns and villages in County Wicklow