Bannow
Encyclopedia
Bannow is an area situated in the south of County Wexford
County Wexford
County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...

, in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

. An early Norman town was founded at Bannow. This town has since disappeared for unknown reasons, although the ruins of an early Norman
Norman architecture
About|Romanesque architecture, primarily English|other buildings in Normandy|Architecture of Normandy.File:Durham Cathedral. Nave by James Valentine c.1890.jpg|thumb|200px|The nave of Durham Cathedral demonstrates the characteristic round arched style, though use of shallow pointed arches above the...

 church can still be seen there today (which dates from the 13th century). The Norman church is located near the former Island of Bannow. It was a parish church, dedicated to St. Mary. It consists of a nave
Nave
In Romanesque and Gothic Christian abbey, cathedral basilica and church architecture, the nave is the central approach to the high altar, the main body of the church. "Nave" was probably suggested by the keel shape of its vaulting...

 and chancel
Chancel
In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar in the sanctuary at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building...

. The church was originally impropriated to the monks of Canterbury.

There is a small village located at nearby Carrig-on-Bannow (often called Carrig).

History

It is believed that the Vikings had a strong early presence in the area, due to the survival of numerous Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....

 place-names in the locality. The area is also famed as the site of The Buried City of Bannow reputedly silted up by the tides hundreds of years ago. Locals claim that,on a clear day, one can still the chimneys of the houses above the water. Indeed, one local wag used to say that, on a really good day, smoke could be seen rising from the chimneys!

It was near here that the Normans
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...

 first landed en masse in 1169, during their invasion of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 at the behest of Diarmait MacMurrough. In that year, a group of Normans commanded by Robert Fitz-Stephen
Robert Fitz-Stephen
Robert Fitz-Stephen was a 12th century Cambro-Norman soldier, one of the leaders of the Norman invasion of Ireland, for which he was granted extensive lands in Ireland. He was a son of the famous Nest, daughter of Rhys ap Tewdwr, the last king of Deheubarth . His father was Nest's second husband,...

 sailed into Bannow Bay and landed near Bannow in three ships. They landed at the island of Bannow, which is no longer an island today - the channel dividing the former island from the mainland has since silted up and the island is now joined to the mainland.

Another group of Normans under Raymond le Gros
Raymond Fitzgerald
Raymond FitzGerald , nicknamed Le Gros, was a Cambro-Norman commander during the Norman invasion of Ireland....

 landed near Bannow in 1170, but at a different location. This time they landed at Baginbun, which was then called Dún Domhnaill, on the opposite side of Bannow Bay on the Hook Peninsula
Hook Peninsula
The Hook Peninsula is a peninsula in County Wexford, Ireland. It has been a gateway to south-east Ireland for successive waves of newcomers, including the Vikings, Anglo-Normans and the English....

. The Irish 'Dún' signifies a 'fort' and at Baginbun Head there was then located a small promontory fort, easy for the Normans to defend and thereby ensure a safe landing in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

.
Another famous Norman soldier and officer who landed in the first invasion was Meiler Fitzhenry
Meiler Fitzhenry
Meilyr FitzHenry was a Cambro-Norman nobleman and Lord Chief Justice of Ireland during the Lordship of Ireland.-Background and early life:...

, whose son adopted his father's name, and thus began the Meyler family of Co. Wexford, who later were prominent in the Irish Rebellion against English rule in the Rising of 1798.
During the Irish Rebellion of 1798
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...

, the fleeing Wexford loyalist garrison crossed the nearby Scar at Barrystown on their way to Duncannon
Duncannon
Duncannon is a village in southwest County Wexford, Ireland. Bordered to the west by Waterford harbour and sitting on a rocky promontory jutting into the channel is the strategically prominent Duncannon Fort which dominates the village.Primarily a fishing village, Duncannon also relies heavily on...

 Fort.

Bannow had borough
Parliamentary borough
Parliamentary boroughs are a type of administrative division, usually covering urban areas, that are entitled to representation in a Parliament...

 status and it returned members to the Parliament of Ireland
Parliament of Ireland
The Parliament of Ireland was a legislature that existed in Dublin from 1297 until 1800. In its early mediaeval period during the Lordship of Ireland it consisted of either two or three chambers: the House of Commons, elected by a very restricted suffrage, the House of Lords in which the lords...

 until 1800, when under the Act of Union
Act of Union 1800
The Acts of Union 1800 describe two complementary Acts, namely:* the Union with Ireland Act 1800 , an Act of the Parliament of Great Britain, and...

 the borough was disenfranchised.

In the later 19th century, the area was very involved in the Land War
Land War
The Land War in Irish history was a period of agrarian agitation in rural Ireland in the 1870s, 1880s and 1890s. The agitation was led by the Irish National Land League and was dedicated to bettering the position of tenant farmers and ultimately to a redistribution of land to tenants from...

.

The most prominent local landlords in Bannow, from the late 17th century onwards, were the Boyse family. They lived at Bannow House. The last member of the Boyse family left the area in 1948.

Details

There is a R.C. church located at Carrig-on-Bannow village, though the church is officially referred to as Bannow church. This church dates from 1856, though it has been largely altered since it was originally built. It has an adjoining cemetery.
Irish : Cuain on Bainbh (the place of the young pig)

Carrig-on-Bannow village also contains a number of pubs, and a Garda
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...

 Station. A small village, Carrig also contains a school, a church, a handball alley, a post office, and 3 pubs! A km away is the Church of Ireland at Balloughton, now rarely used.

There is also a number of beaches located near the village - on Bannow Island, Cockle Strand & Cullenstown
Cullenstown
Cullenstown is a small village located on the south coast of County Wexford, in Ireland.-Details:There is a small beach located nearby. It is home to the famous "Shell cottage."...

 Beach (home to the famous "Shell Cottage")

At nearby Grantstown is located an Augustinian Priory
Priory
A priory is a house of men or women under religious vows that is headed by a prior or prioress. Priories may be houses of mendicant friars or religious sisters , or monasteries of monks or nuns .The Benedictines and their offshoots , the Premonstratensians, and the...

.

Gaelic games

The local GAA
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...

 Club is Bannow-Ballymitty GAA Club, whose pitch is located at nearby Grantstown (about a mile from the current RC Church of Bannow shown in the photo on this page). Great players who have passed through the club include Philip White, GAA legend.

Music

There is also a great tradition of Traditional Irish Music in the Parish. Founded by Martha Torpey, John Marshall, Kathleen Hayes, & Fr. Harry Sinnott, Andy Monahan, in the late 1970s. They formed the Danescastle Music Group (Bannow C.C.E.) witch has over 150 pupils today. It is a Co. Wexford branch of Comhaltas. Other members of Comhaltas Ceolteori Eireann in the parish include the Gleeson family, the Murphy Bros, Sean Stafford, Nick Bennett and many more traditional musicians and singers.
Colfers pub is a popular venues for traditional sessions. Also the Phil Murphy Weekend is held every year in Carrig on Bannow.
Bannow 1s well known for weekend music sessions, particularly Barretts 'Brandane Inn', and Colfer's pub, Carrig-on -Bannow.

See also

  • List of towns and villages in Ireland
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