Moneenroe
Encyclopedia
Moneenroe is a townland, electoral division and village in north County Kilkenny
, Ireland
. It is located in the province of Leinster
along the N78 road about 21 kilometres (13 mi) from Kilkenny
city in the south-east of the island of Ireland
. Moneenroe is a census town
with a population of about 688.
Moneenroe is approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Castlecomer
and 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from Carlow
town. Clogh
village is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) west.
which closed in the 1960s.
and Carlow
town, approximately 5 kilometres from Castlecomer and 16 kilometres from Carlow town. The village borders with County Laois
at several points, with Crettyard being the closest townland in County Laois.
Townlands in the electoral division of Moneenroe include Coolbawn, Croghtenclogh, Gorteen, Moneenroe, Smithstown and Uskerty.
Móinín Rua means "The little red bog" due to the marshy land in some parts of the townland.
Moneenroe is the most densely populated rural area in the county.
, Moneenroe’s population was 688. This was a 1.5% increase since 2002. There is exactly a 50%/50% split of males and females in the village.
church. The hall is called Moneenroe Parish Hall.
ethos. The school participates in the National Children’s Choir.
. Ballyragget
and its rural area forms an Electoral District which includes Attanagh, Ballyragget, Castlecomer, Clogh, Coon, Moneenroe, Ardra and Muckalee. The County Council representatives from the Ballyragget electoral district are Maurice Shortall, Mary Hilda Cavanagh, Pay Millea, Dan Brennan and Catherine Connery.
In European Parliament elections Moneenroe is part of the Ireland East constituency for voting purposes. The elected representatives in the 2009 elections for the East were Liam Aylward
, Nessa Childers
and Mairead McGuinness
.
is currently part of the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency
which is a parliamentary constituency
represented in Dáil Éireann
, the lower house of the Irish
parliament or Oireachtas
. The TDs serving the area are currently John J. McGuinness
, Phil Hogan
, Bobby Aylward
, M. J. Nolan
and Mary White
.
district has 60 farms. These range between 10 and 100 hectares with a total of 2003 hectares being farmed. There are 4451 cattle and 768 sheep, and farming is done with grassland machines, tillage machines, tractors, winter feeding and milking equipments. Specialist farms include beef production, dairy and mixed grazing livestock.
After the closure of the coal mines in the 1960s, there was mass emigration to the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia as people searched for work and a better life than that on the dole. Over the years there have been many factories which have closed in the locality leaving people to search for work in places such as Kilkenny, Carlow, Portlaoise and Dublin.
In the 1970s the building of the Avonmore
plant in Ballyragget
helped keep local young people in the area gain local employment and this continued with the jobs created when the plant was operational. The caravan manufacturing factory was briefly a large employer in the area. To the disappointment of locals this was closed down.
Castlecomer mills was also a major employer of clothing such as Lycra. However, this closed to a much cost-effective market in the Far East and has left a void for direct employment in the area since. Due to a lack of local support from Dáil members for industry in the area over the last ten years, there is a serious migration issue to Dublin and beyond.
However, further investment in the area came quickly when Roadstone (now called Ormonde brick) constructed a factory in Ardra for the manufacture of bricks for the building industry. However, this factory is as good as closed now because of high costs, the slowdown in the building industry and also fears about safety of employees and the local environment.
Old Road Villa soccer club – currently no team entered in Carlow soccer league Junior divisions.
A ladies team was entered in the Kilkenny and District league, which performed well on the maiden voyage in the cup competition.
Castlecomer Camogie Club comprises players from all of the local primary schools in the area including Clogh, Moneenroe, Castlecomer and Firoda.
bus route. Also, a private bus service Buggy’s of Castlecomer has a daily bus service to and from Carlow town. Ring a Link is a community based rural transport which operates a route in the Northeast of the county covering Castlecomer, Ballyraggett, Coan, Conahy, Muckalee, Ballyouskill, Clogh and Moneenroe.
Moneenroe was home to Nicholas Boran, a professed communist and union organizer in the Castlecomer mines.
County Kilkenny
County Kilkenny 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 city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...
, 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,...
. It is located in the province of Leinster
Leinster
Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...
along the N78 road about 21 kilometres (13 mi) from Kilkenny
Kilkenny
Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
city in the south-east of the island 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...
. Moneenroe is a census town
Census town
In India, a census town is one which has:# A minimum population of 5,000# At least 75% of male working population engaged in non-agricultural pursuits# A density of population of at least 400 persons per km2.In Ireland, a census town is;...
with a population of about 688.
Moneenroe is approximately 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) from Castlecomer
Castlecomer
Castlecomer is a town in the barony of Fassadinin, County Kilkenny in Ireland.The Irish name for the town translates to "The castle at the confluence of the rivers"; the "rivers" refers to the rivers Deen, Brocagh and Clohogue while the "castle" refers to the castle built by the Normans in 1171...
and 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) from Carlow
Carlow
Carlow is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2006 census. The...
town. Clogh
Clogh, County Kilkenny
Clogh is a village, a townland, and electoral district in County Kilkenny, Ireland.Clogh on the R426 road near Castlecomer.-History:In 1837 it lay along the road from Castlecomer on the road to Athy. It containing 116 houses and 582 inhabitants. Most people were employed in the neighbouring...
village is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) west.
History
In the past many from Moneenroe worked at the coal mines at Deerpark MinesDeerpark Mines
Deerpark Mines, located about 3Km north of Castlecomer, County Kilkenny, were the largest opencast coalmines in Ireland, giving great employment to the area. Producing anthracite, a natural smokeless fuel, the mines were connected to the rail system in Ireland in 1919...
which closed in the 1960s.
Geography
It is located on the N78 main road between CastlecomerCastlecomer
Castlecomer is a town in the barony of Fassadinin, County Kilkenny in Ireland.The Irish name for the town translates to "The castle at the confluence of the rivers"; the "rivers" refers to the rivers Deen, Brocagh and Clohogue while the "castle" refers to the castle built by the Normans in 1171...
and Carlow
Carlow
Carlow is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2006 census. The...
town, approximately 5 kilometres from Castlecomer and 16 kilometres from Carlow town. The village borders with County Laois
County Laois
County Laois is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It was formerly known as Queen's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The county's name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix. Laois County Council...
at several points, with Crettyard being the closest townland in County Laois.
Townlands in the electoral division of Moneenroe include Coolbawn, Croghtenclogh, Gorteen, Moneenroe, Smithstown and Uskerty.
Móinín Rua means "The little red bog" due to the marshy land in some parts of the townland.
Moneenroe is the most densely populated rural area in the county.
Demographics
As of the 2006 census, by the Central Statistics OfficeCentral Statistics Office (Ireland)
The Central Statistics Office is the statistical agency responsible for the gathering of "information relating to economic, social and general activities and conditions" in Ireland, in particular the National Census which is held every five years. The office is answerable to the Taoiseach and has...
, Moneenroe’s population was 688. This was a 1.5% increase since 2002. There is exactly a 50%/50% split of males and females in the village.
Landmarks
There are two local churches and a community hall. The Catholic Church is called Moneenroe Church of the Sacred Heart and the foundation stone was blessed in 1928 and was dedicated September 14, 1930. The most striking feature inside this Church is the windows. There is also a Church of IrelandChurch of Ireland
The Church of Ireland is an autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. The church operates in all parts of Ireland and is the second largest religious body on the island after the Roman Catholic Church...
church. The hall is called Moneenroe Parish Hall.
Education
Moneenroe National School is a co-educational school with a catholicCatholic
The word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
ethos. The school participates in the National Children’s Choir.
Goverence
The local government is Kilkenny County CouncilKilkenny County Council
Kilkenny County council is the local authority for County Kilkenny in Ireland. The council is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The county council has 26 elected members...
. Ballyragget
Ballyragget
Ballyragget is a small town in County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated along the river Nore in the north of the county. It is located in the province of Leinster in the south-east of the island of Ireland. Ballyragget situated on the N77 north of Kilkenny and has a population of 1,451...
and its rural area forms an Electoral District which includes Attanagh, Ballyragget, Castlecomer, Clogh, Coon, Moneenroe, Ardra and Muckalee. The County Council representatives from the Ballyragget electoral district are Maurice Shortall, Mary Hilda Cavanagh, Pay Millea, Dan Brennan and Catherine Connery.
In European Parliament elections Moneenroe is part of the Ireland East constituency for voting purposes. The elected representatives in the 2009 elections for the East were Liam Aylward
Liam Aylward
Liam Aylward is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician and a Member of the European Parliament for the East constituency. He was a Teachta Dála for Carlow–Kilkenny from 1977–2007....
, Nessa Childers
Nessa Childers
Nessa Maria Vereker Childers is an Irish Labour Party politician who is currently a Member of the European Parliament for the East constituency....
and Mairead McGuinness
Mairead McGuinness
Mairead McGuinness is an Irish politician and Member of the European Parliament for the East constituency. She is a member of Fine Gael, part of the European People's Party.-Education and media career:...
.
is currently part of the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency
Carlow–Kilkenny (Dáil Éireann constituency)
Carlow–Kilkenny is a parliamentary constituency represented in Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Irish parliament or Oireachtas. The constituency elects 5 deputies...
which is a parliamentary constituency
Parliamentary constituencies in the Republic of Ireland
The lower house of the Oireachtas , Dáil Éireann, contains 166 Teachtaí Dála , representing 43 parliamentary constituencies throughout the Republic of Ireland. Depending on its size, each constituency must have at least 3 members and a maximum of five members. The most recent ratio indicates that...
represented in Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann
Dáil Éireann is the lower house, but principal chamber, of the Oireachtas , which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann . It is directly elected at least once in every five years under the system of proportional representation by means of the single transferable vote...
, the lower house of the Irish
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...
parliament or Oireachtas
Oireachtas
The Oireachtas , sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the "national parliament" or legislature of Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of:*The President of Ireland*The two Houses of the Oireachtas :**Dáil Éireann...
. The TDs serving the area are currently John J. McGuinness
John J. McGuinness
John J. McGuinness is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency since 1997...
, Phil Hogan
Phil Hogan
Phil Hogan is an Irish Fine Gael politician. He has been a Teachta Dála for the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency since 1989, and is the current Minister for the Environment, Community and Local Government.-Early and private life:...
, Bobby Aylward
Bobby Aylward
Bobby Aylward is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician and was a Teachta Dála for the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency from 2007 to 2011. He also works as a farmer....
, M. J. Nolan
M. J. Nolan
M. J. Nolan is a former Irish Fianna Fáil politician. He served as a Teachta Dála for the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency from 1982–97 and 2002–11....
and Mary White
Mary White (Green Party politician)
Mary White is an Irish Green Party politician. She was a Teachta Dála for the Carlow–Kilkenny constituency from 2007 to 2011, and served as a Minister of State from 2010 to 2011.-Early and personal life:...
.
Industry
Agriculture employs about 100 people. The CastlecomerCastlecomer
Castlecomer is a town in the barony of Fassadinin, County Kilkenny in Ireland.The Irish name for the town translates to "The castle at the confluence of the rivers"; the "rivers" refers to the rivers Deen, Brocagh and Clohogue while the "castle" refers to the castle built by the Normans in 1171...
district has 60 farms. These range between 10 and 100 hectares with a total of 2003 hectares being farmed. There are 4451 cattle and 768 sheep, and farming is done with grassland machines, tillage machines, tractors, winter feeding and milking equipments. Specialist farms include beef production, dairy and mixed grazing livestock.
After the closure of the coal mines in the 1960s, there was mass emigration to the USA, Canada, the UK and Australia as people searched for work and a better life than that on the dole. Over the years there have been many factories which have closed in the locality leaving people to search for work in places such as Kilkenny, Carlow, Portlaoise and Dublin.
In the 1970s the building of the Avonmore
Glanbia
Glanbia plc is an international nutritional solutions and cheese group, headquartered in Ireland. Glanbia is listed on the Irish and London Stock Exchange . The Group has four segments; US Cheese & Global Nutritionals, Dairy Ireland, Joint Ventures & Associates and Other Business...
plant in Ballyragget
Ballyragget
Ballyragget is a small town in County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated along the river Nore in the north of the county. It is located in the province of Leinster in the south-east of the island of Ireland. Ballyragget situated on the N77 north of Kilkenny and has a population of 1,451...
helped keep local young people in the area gain local employment and this continued with the jobs created when the plant was operational. The caravan manufacturing factory was briefly a large employer in the area. To the disappointment of locals this was closed down.
Castlecomer mills was also a major employer of clothing such as Lycra. However, this closed to a much cost-effective market in the Far East and has left a void for direct employment in the area since. Due to a lack of local support from Dáil members for industry in the area over the last ten years, there is a serious migration issue to Dublin and beyond.
However, further investment in the area came quickly when Roadstone (now called Ormonde brick) constructed a factory in Ardra for the manufacture of bricks for the building industry. However, this factory is as good as closed now because of high costs, the slowdown in the building industry and also fears about safety of employees and the local environment.
Sport
Railyard Gaelic football team or Railyard GFC was founded mainly by members of Moneenroe FCA in 1943. The Railyard colours of red and white are steeped in glory for years. The Railyard GAA team was a great source of enjoyment to the mining community when the majority of local men worked there in the early to mid 1900’s. Senior club Gaelic football championships were the norm and this encouraged children to gain a great appetite for the sport. The club were Senior football league winners as recently as 2009 as a new crop of talent filters through.Old Road Villa soccer club – currently no team entered in Carlow soccer league Junior divisions.
A ladies team was entered in the Kilkenny and District league, which performed well on the maiden voyage in the cup competition.
Castlecomer Camogie Club comprises players from all of the local primary schools in the area including Clogh, Moneenroe, Castlecomer and Firoda.
Transport
Moneenroe is situated on the Dublin to Clonmel Bus EireannBus Éireann
Bus Éireann provides bus services in Ireland with the exception of those operated entirely within the Dublin Region, which are provided by Dublin Bus. Bus Éireann, established as a separate company in 1987, is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann. The logo of Bus Éireann incorporates a red Irish...
bus route. Also, a private bus service Buggy’s of Castlecomer has a daily bus service to and from Carlow town. Ring a Link is a community based rural transport which operates a route in the Northeast of the county covering Castlecomer, Ballyraggett, Coan, Conahy, Muckalee, Ballyouskill, Clogh and Moneenroe.
Culture
It is known as the Unofficial Capital of North Kilkenny.Moneenroe was home to Nicholas Boran, a professed communist and union organizer in the Castlecomer mines.