History of Foxhall Glebe Church and the Foxhall Stone Man

Foxhall House and Foxhall Glebe Church were built by Sir Nathaniel Fox, who was granted the lands of Rathreagh in 1620. 

The church is all that remains. Now roofless, the 17th-century church is situated within a graveyard.

A plaque over its doorway dates from 1772. It commemorates the extensive refurbishment and enlargement of the Church of Ireland church, including an elaborate classical-style doorway.

The interior of the church is dominated by the stone coffin sarcophagus of Nathaniel Fox, which dates from 1634.

A canopied structure forms the backdrop to a limestone altar tomb on which sits an effigy of Sir Nathaniel. He is depicted as a knight in full armour lying on his side. The head and left leg of the effigy have been lost, leaving only the torso and thigh. Originally, the head would have been propped on the right arm.

Behind the figure is an Ionic structure with friezes and architectural decoration including Jacobean scrollwork, putti, urns, obelisks and the winged sphinx.

A carved orb and skull are found at the knight’s feet. 

Find out more at the National Built Heritage Services website, BuildingsofIreland.ie.

History of Abbeyshrule Cistercian Abbey

In 1150, Abbeyshrule Cistercian Abbey, or the ‘Abbey of Shrule’, was founded by the Cistercians from Mellifont Abbey under the patronage of the O’Farrells of Annaly. There may, however, have been an earlier Christian foundation on this site. It was dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary around 1150. Rectangular in structure, it housed a chapel, sacristy, kitchens, pantry and refectory. Its location on the banks of the River Inny allows for easy access to Lough Ree, Clonmacnoise and the town of Kilbixy. 

In 1228, its affiliation changed to Bective Abbey.

The abbey flourished until it was burned by an invading English army in 1476. It was later restored but was suppressed in 1541 by Henry VIII. It was then leased to a succession of English settlers until 1595, when Red Hugh O’Donnell marched through Annaly and destroyed all properties occupied by the English.

In 1569, Queen Elizabeth I granted the abbey to Sir Robert Dillon, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, which was one of the four courts of Ireland.

The structure of the Abbey and its ruins

The ruins of the abbey consist of the church, the outline of the cloister garth and a later tower house to the south-east. The church shows three major phases of construction and change, beginning with the original 13th-century aisle-less church.

The structure of the ruins shows the impact of the abbey’s change of fortunes and ownership. Sections of the 13th-century church walls remain extant, particularly the east and north walls. The crossing arch beneath the distinctive double bellcote also remains intact.

Further modifications took place in the 15th or 16th century, reducing the size of the chapel.

In the 17th or 18th century, walls were inserted in the original chancel area to the east. This modified the space into a smaller parish chapel.

The graveyard has several interesting historic gravestones and the shaft of a high cross.

The four-storey tower house is located approximately 30 metres from the abbey church in the south-east corner of the cloister area. The upper floors were accessed by a stone spiral staircase, leading onto mural passages within the thickness of the walls. The tower house was likely built after the dissolution of the monasteries and probably dates to the late 16th century.

History of Granard Motte and Bailey

Granard Motte and Bailey was built by Risteárd de Tiúit (anglicised as Richard Tuite) in 1199. De Tuite was granted lands in east Longford and into Westmeath in 1180 under King Henry II of England. He was later made the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. Risteárd de Tiúit was a patron of the Cistercian monastery in the nearby Abbeylara. His remains were laid to rest there after he died in 1210. 

The motte was a large manmade earthen mound. Like many motte and baileys in the county, Granard Motte and Bailey was constructed on the site of an earlier ringfort, reusing the earlier native Irish defensive building type.

Located at the base of the motte, the bailey consisted of a courtyard with living accommodation, animal sheds and storage areas. Granard Motte actually had a double bailey, signifying its importance.

The bailey would have been protected by a fence constructed of closely placed, vertical wooden stakes. A series of ramparts and ditches known as the ‘fosse’ also protected the bailey.

Originally, the motte would have had a timber structure called a keep on top. This would have been located at the heart of the castle complex.

In 1210, King John stayed at Granard Motte during his campaign against Hugh de Lacy.

Granard Motte and Baily was most likely the location of the inauguration site of the Ó Fearghaill Bán, the local branch of the O’Farrell Clan.

Patrón saint of Ireland, St Patrick, is said to have visited Granard in his mission to convert the Irish to Christianity. In 1932, to mark the 1500th anniversary of Patrick’s arrival in Ireland, a statue was erected in his honour on the summit of the Motte.

The land is now in private ownership, with its monument under the guardianship of the State.

There are no dedicated paths to the top of the Motte, and it is not to be walked upon so that the Motte is protected.

Drumlish

The Land War Memorial stands in the town of Drumlish as a commemoration of The Land War, which took place in the 1870s. At this memorial, you will learn of the events which led to The Land War and its outcomes. 

At the memorial, you will also learn the names of some of the local people involved in the Land League in the Drumlish-Ballinamuck area, many of whom were imprisoned as part of their involvement in The Land War.

The Land War

For nearly 300 years, the land of Ireland was owned by a landlord class who were nearly all of English or Scottish origin. They rented the land to tenant farmers, the majority of them native Irish.

By the 1870s, the 12,000 acres of Drumlish-Ballinamuck land had a population of 4,500. It was farmed by 1,000 tenants but belonged to only 12 landlords. The 7th Lord Granard was one of the major landlords in County Longford at the time, with an annual rental income of £7,000 in 1871, the equivalent of €1,000,000 today.

In the 1870s, bad summers led to poor crops, and tenants were unable to pay their rents. Landlords evicted these and replaced them with paying tenants. This led to the Land War in Drumlish. 

The Irish Land League was in place by the end of the 1870s. This organisation fought landlordism throughout Ireland. Its leader in the Drumlish area was James McDonnell of Melkagh.  

Evictions now took place under police escort. On 12 January 1881, a court official attempted to serve notice of eviction on Thomas Rogers of Derawley and a large crowd of locals and those adjoining parishes tried to prevent this.

Local police called for reinforcements from Longford town and were joined the next day by cavalry from the Barracks in Longford.

Bloodshed was avoided due to the intervention of the local parish priest, Fr Tom Conefrey. He persuaded the tenants to disarm and the police and military to withdraw. The eviction notice was not served.

Soon after, 85 local men were arrested and 10 were sent for trial, but later released without penalty.

In 1882, several local landlords, backed by superior force, carried out 300 evictions. The evicted families were helped by the Irish Parliamentary Party, the Ladies Land League and private charity. Most returned to their homes when the arrears were paid. 

Throughout the late 1880s, changes in the law brought about a system of fairer rents and some security of occupation.

As time passed, the law made it possible for the tenant-occupiers to buy their farms with loans given by the Government. By 1903, nearly all had become owners of their farms, and 300 years of serfdom were at an end.

History of Esker Hall

Opened in 1869, Esker School was a place of learning for boys and girls from the local community for its first 46 years. 

Esker then passed to the trust of the parish. A stage and kitchen were added for the grand opening of the Killoe Temperance Hall on 11 June 1915. Over the next 75 years, the Hall provided a centre for the rural social and cultural life.

Even before 1915, Esker Hall was a place of entertainment, as well as learning. The Killoe Brass Band was based there and held their annual concert and variety show. The Spinners and Weavers also used it as their base.

After 1916, the local Irish Volunteers met and carried out their drills there. At the hall, they were addressed by leading political figures, including Countess Markiewicz, General Seán MacEoin and Sean Connolly.

In 1921, the Black and Tans attempted to burn the Hall. It survived the Irish War of Independence and was reinstated as a thriving centre for the local community.

From the 1950s, the Hall was an important local venue for dances, a travelling cinema, local amateur drama, entertainment acts, Wren Day celebrations, election polling and GAA meetings.

It was also a place for Muintir na Tíre rallies, the national association for the promotion of community development in Ireland. The founder of Muintir na Tíre, Canon John Hayes, addressed a gathering at Esker Hall. 

It was also a base for the Killoe Show and, for many years, drew crowds from far and wide. 

However, by the early 1980s, the building was no longer in use and fell into disrepair. By 1987, a new community centre was constructed on the site of the old school in Enybegs.

Local people remember Esker Hall with great fondness as an invaluable place of belonging, culture and entertainment for the people of a rural parish.

Today, the derelict remains of Esker Hall were reduced for conservation, and its surroundings landscaped. At the site, you can view the engraved stone, which was a window sill from Esker Hall. 

History of Coolamber Hall House

An Anglo-Norman ruin dating from the 13th century, Coolamber Hall House is a two-story structure with a long, rectangular plan and a large first-floor hall. A doorway in the north-east corner gives access to the tower. This would have been via an external wooden or stone staircase.

The building also has a four-storey service tower to the south-east corner. Interestingly, a late-medieval church is situated to the north-west of Coolamber Hall House. This indicates the power and prestige that the owners would have derived from their association with the church during the Middle Ages. The structure is located on a semi-circular platform, which was once enclosed by a stone wall.

The hall house has the remains of a barrel vault at its northern end on the ground floor. The south end is grass-covered and may conceal two other barrel-vaults. A relieving arch located directly above the barrel vault in the hall suggests that the service tower may be a later addition.

Some architectural features which date from the 16th century remain, including fireplaces and ogee-arched windows.

Historically, the site of the house was strategically important as it was at the boundary of the English Pale, the area under full control of the English Crown, in the 17th century.

Coolamber Hall House was the possible residence of Thomas Nugent, one of the commissioners for the Plantation of Longford in 1620 under King James I.

Coolamber Hall House was besieged by Oliver Cromwell during his invasion of Ireland after 1649.