Piltown, historically known as
Ballypoyle , is a small village in
County KilkennyCounty Kilkenny is one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is located within the province of Leinster. It was named after the town of Kilkenny and has a population of 87,558....
,
IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
. It lies on the R698
regional roadA regional road in Ireland is a class of road not forming a major route , but nevertheless forming a link in the national route network. There are over 11,600 kilometres of regional roads. Regional roads are numbered with three digit route numbers, prefixed by "R" A regional road in Ireland is...
, which was the N24
national primary roadThe island of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, has an extensive network of tens of thousands of kilometres of public roads, usually surfaced, existing throughout the island. These roads have been developed and modernised over centuries from trackways suitable only for walkers...
before the locality was bypassed in 2002.
Approaching Piltown from
Carrick-on-SuirCarrick-on-Suir is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. As the name – meaning "the rock of the Suir" – suggests, the town is situated on the River Suir...
in the west is the landmark of "the Tower" ( Sham Castle ) which forms a roundabout in the road. This monument, dedicated to the son of a local landowner, dates back to the Napoleonic era.
Piltown, historically known as
Ballypoyle , is a small village in
County KilkennyCounty Kilkenny is one of the traditional counties of Ireland. It is located within the province of Leinster. It was named after the town of Kilkenny and has a population of 87,558....
,
IrelandIreland is a country in north-western Europe. The modern sovereign state occupies about five-sixths of the island of Ireland, which was partitioned on 3 May 1921. It is a parliamentary democracy and a republic...
. It lies on the R698
regional roadA regional road in Ireland is a class of road not forming a major route , but nevertheless forming a link in the national route network. There are over 11,600 kilometres of regional roads. Regional roads are numbered with three digit route numbers, prefixed by "R" A regional road in Ireland is...
, which was the N24
national primary roadThe island of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, has an extensive network of tens of thousands of kilometres of public roads, usually surfaced, existing throughout the island. These roads have been developed and modernised over centuries from trackways suitable only for walkers...
before the locality was bypassed in 2002.
Approaching Piltown from
Carrick-on-SuirCarrick-on-Suir is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. As the name – meaning "the rock of the Suir" – suggests, the town is situated on the River Suir...
in the west is the landmark of "the Tower" ( Sham Castle ) which forms a roundabout in the road. This monument, dedicated to the son of a local landowner, dates back to the Napoleonic era. Today its upper section serves as a water tower.
Piltown is also home to Ireland's largest Horticultural and Agricultural College, Kildalton College and hosts a fair, called The Iverk Show the first Thursday of every September.
History
Piltown also has a unique place in
English history as it was the only place on the island of Ireland to see a battle in the
Wars of the RosesThe Wars of the Roses were a series of dynastic civil wars between supporters of the rival houses of Lancaster and York, for the throne of England. They are generally accepted to have been fought in several spasmodic episodes between 1455 and 1487...
. In the Battle of Piltown (1462) the
Earl of DesmondThe title of Earl of Desmond has been held historically by lords in Ireland, first as a title outside of the peerage system and later as part of the Peerage of Ireland....
, on the side of the
House of YorkThe House of York was a branch of the English royal House of Plantagenet, three of whom became English kings in the late 15th century. The House of York was descended in the paternal line from Edmund of Langley, 1st Duke of York, the fourth surviving son of Edward III, but also represented Edward's...
, defeated the Butlers of Kilkenny, fighting for the
House of LancasterThe House of Lancaster was a branch of the royal House of Plantagenet. It was one of the opposing factions involved in the Wars of the Roses, an intermittent civil war which affected England and Wales during the 15th century...
, resulting in more than 400 casualties for the Butlers . Local folklore claims that the battle was so violent that the local river ran red with blood, hence the names Pill River and Piltown (
Baile an Phuill - Town of the blood).
Education
Piltown is also home to Ireland's largest Horticultural and Agricultural College, Kildalton College.
Culture
Host Ireland's longest running fair, called The Iverk Show, on the first Thursday of every September. The Iverk Agricultural Show, started in 1826, was founded by a member of the Bessborough family. The family resided at Bessborough House, which is now Kildalton Agricultural College.
Sport
Piltown GAA club was initially formed as far back as 1887 and then reformed in 1953. The Club played in two Senior County Finals in 1904 and 1910. The original grounds were purchased from the Land Commission in 1947.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
- List of Market Houses in Ireland
Market Houses are a notable feature of many Irish towns with varying styles of architecture, size and ornamentation making for a most interesting feature of the streetscape. Originally there were three, four or even five bays on the ground floor which were an open arcade. An upper floor was...
External links