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. It is also a
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 ...
within the barony of Galmoy. The town is in the north west of the county, along the boundary with
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 ...
, 16 km north-east of
Thurles
Thurles (; ''Durlas Éile'') is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is located in the civil parish of the same name in the barony of Eliogarty and in the ecclesiastical parish of Thurles. The cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Arch ...
.
Access
The town lies on the R639. The M8 motorway runs just west of the town, from which both Urlingford and nearby Johnstown are accessed via Junction Four. Urlingford is a bus hub, with major operator JJ Kavanagh and Sons based there. Situated from
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 from Cork, Urlingford has long been a resting point for travellers halfway between the Republic of Ireland's two largest cities. As a result, until May 2012 the
Bus Éireann
Bus Éireann (; "Irish Bus") is a state-owned bus and coach operator providing services throughout Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with the exception of Dublin, where bus services are provided by sister company Dublin Bus. It is a subsidiary of C ...
Dublin to Cork bus service called here. It is now replaced by route 828 from
Portlaoise
Portlaoise ( ), or Port Laoise (), is the county town of County Laois, Republic of Ireland, Ireland.
It is in the Midland Region, Ireland, South Midlands in the province of Leinster.
Portlaoise was the fastest growing of the top 20 largest town ...
which connects with express bus at
Cashel
Cashel (an Anglicised form of the Irish language word ''Caiseal'', meaning "stone fort") may refer to:
Places in Ireland
*Cashel, County Tipperary
**The Rock of Cashel, an ancient, hilltop fortress complex for which Cashel is named
** Archbishop ...
and the 858 Portlaoise to Thurles service also serves the town.
Toponymy
The Irish name means "ford of the slaughter" and has been anglicised as ''Aghnenurlin'', ''Aghnenoorlin'', ''Awnanoorlin'' and similar.
History
In 1526, Piers Butler, 8th Earl of Ormond, gave possession of the lands of Urlingford to John Tobin and Nicolas Mothing (chaplins). The earlier settlement was focused around the castle, church and graveyard.
The town had an organised planned growth with traditional plot patterns. It was built over a cut-over bog, an extension to the Templetuohy Bog, much of which has been reclaimed. Urlingford is a linear town around the focused primary axis, the Main Street. In 1837 it was the centre of manufacture of coarse stuffs, flannels, and worsteds, and carries on an extensive retail trade with the surrounding districts.
The town was recorded on
Griffith's Valuation
Griffith's Valuation was a boundary and land valuation survey of Ireland completed in 1868.
Griffith's background
Richard John Griffith started to value land in Scotland, where he spent two years in 1806–1807 valuing terrain through the examin ...
in 1864. Urlingford has taken part in the Tidy Towns Competition.
Rivers
A minor tributary of the River Nore, the River Goul, enters the town from the southeast. It sources 6 kilometers away from the town in the Slieveardagh hills. The river passes under the Main Street and towards the bridge at Urlingford Castle (and mill).
Buildings
There is a library in Urlingford which is based in the old courthouse.Urlingford Castle and mill are located in Urlingford.
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 ...