Black Jack Adair

Just outside the crossroads at Ballybrittas in Laois lies Rathdaire House (Belgrove/Bellegrove) which was the family home of John George Adair, AKA "Black Jack" Adair. It was burned in 1887 but the remains are still standing and serve as a reminder of what a beautiful building it must have been in it's heyday.

Adair died in 1885, presumed from dysentery in St. Louis, U.S.A. He commissioned the building of Glenveagh Castle in Donegal and was a shrewd investor and businessman building and conglomerating a huge ranch in Texas (The JA Ranch) of over 1.3 million acres which today is listed as an historic site.

He is most remembered for the Derryveagh evictions from his property in Donegal where over 200 tenants were dispossessed. He was also sometimes referred to as "the most hated man in Donegal".

Adair married a wealthy American widow, Cornelia Ritchie, who built the nearby (and stunning) Church of the Ascension in his memory. John George Adair is buried nearby at Lea Church of Ireland in Portarlington. 

Rathdaire - Church of the ascension.

Located just a little further from Rathdaire House is the Roman Catholic Church of the Sacred Heart. 

The Church was built on lands donated by one Edmund Dease M.P. and of which Adair initially opposed construction, sending several letters of objection in correspondence.

He seemed concerned that the view from his home would be disturbed but from his letters I can't seem to grasp the logic of his arguments as the Church is at least a mile away.

Edmund Dease M.P. is buried here in the Church grounds.

Rath - Church of the Sacred Heart.

John George Adair, Final Resting Place - Lea Church - Portarlington.

Google Maps Coordinates Rathdaire House : 

53.102331 - 7.124833 

Adair was also involved in Irelands first Sugar Beet processing factory at Mountmellick alongside famed railway engineer William Dargan in the 1850's. It only remained in operation for about 10 years.

The JA Ranch 

Texas State Historical Association

Ranches.Org.JA

Derryveagh Evictions 

Derryveagh evictions, 150 years on. 

Leinster Express

Mass Pit

I passed a sign for Ballyquaid Mass Pit recently. I had never heard of a Mass Pit so my curiosity was piqued and I headed in the direction the sign pointed me.

A Mass Pit is just a small hollow in the ground, usually behind cover where Mass was said during Penal Law times from a point in the 1600's onward. Various laws and acts would have been in place and preceded the actual codification of the full suite of what we call today the Penal Laws.

I am led to believe that some of the very last statues involved in the whole sorry business of the Penal Laws were only abolished or revoked in the early 20th century, amazing if true...

At Ballyquaid I am presuming that when it was used as a place of worship that the hollow was deeper than it is today. The local community have erected some nice memorials and an altar with overhead shelter on the site.

It's in south Laois and very rural, well off the beaten track. Below is a Font located at the site.

The coordinates are listed below taken from Bing but work fine with Google Maps as well, keep the wheels turning.

Bing Map coordinates :  52.902561, -7.6469

Thorgrimr Stone

The Thorgrimr Stone is both a Runic and an Ogham Stone.

It is the only known example in Ireland of a stone which contains both Scandinavian Runic and Ogham Script.

The stone is located in the beautiful Saint Flannan's Cathedral in Killaloe, Clare.
Probably at least 1000 years old it is now well protected indoors for posterity and future enjoyment.

There is a full page of comprehensive information in another post here :
Saint Flannan's Cathedral and Thorgrimr Stone

Keep the wheels turning.............

Skirk Standing Stone

The backroads around Newtown Skirk are a nice area to cycle, nice and quiet with little traffic on the small Boreens.

There are at least 2 Standing Stones at Skirk one of which I have visited and which is about 3 metres tall.

At first glance from a distance it looks tiny because it sits in the middle of a "Henge cum Motte" surrounded by tall briars and weeds.

It's well worth taking the time to have a closer look at the Stone. Funerary items and burial Urns found at the location suggest it's associated with the Bronze age.

Another hidden Megalith in Laois.... With so few in the County I often wonder why Laois hasn't come up with a decent strategy and some joined up thinking with local landowners in order to better promote its more ancient prehistoric heritage.

The site where the Stone stands was initially presumed to be a Henge where rituals were held. It was later transformed into a Motte for a castle. Just 100 metres away is a medieval Church and a later 1700's Church.

That's indicative of continuous human use throughout several millennia and as such would be a great area for story board interpretation. It would be nice if antiquities such at this were easily accessible to the public.

Google Coordinates below :

52°54'48.8"N 7°39'34.9"W

52.913551, -7.659705

Clopook Standing Stone

Near the small Townland of Clopook in Laois is a Standing Stone, The Standing Stone of Clopook sometimes known as Tullamoy Standing Stone.

Legend has it that the Stone was thrown from the Rock of Dunamase by a Giant who was competing against a fellow Giant to see who could hurl a stone the farthest. The stone was dropped in mid throw by the Giant and landed in Clopook where it stands today.

There aren't many Megaliths or Megalithic structures in Laois that have been discovered above ground and classified though this doesn't mean that there is a lack of them, perhaps they are there and have yet to be discovered.

In an effort to subdue rebellious and unruly areas Laois along with Offaly was "settled" in the mid 16th century by "Plantation" which involved the dispossession of local landholders, Chiefs, and figures of importance by "settlers" from England, Scotland, and Wales chiefly who were granted lands, titles, and estates.
Natives were able to avail of the disbursement of lands to those who were conquered, swore fealty, and subsequently submitted to English Crown rule, a program which had been ongoing for Centuries.

This ongoing process from the time of the Tudor reign of Mary took a while however it led to huge estates being formed in Laois and subsequent large scale farming and agriculture developed. That subsequent farming and agriculture may itself be a reason why so few Megalithic sites remain or have been discovered in Laois which has extensive tract's of flat arable lands.

It's possible that many small Megalithic structures have been destroyed or have been "ploughed under", into the ground in the intervening time period without landowners being aware of what they  were or represented. I don't know and this is just a supposition however looking at the scale of agriculture, and tillage in particular, this seems a likely probable cause for the lack of Megaliths in Laois.

The few I have seen are Ballycoolan Cairn, a likely Neolithic Burial Tomb (Unclassified) which needs further archaeological investigation, Manger Cist, a possible Bronze Age burial Cist (again Unclassified), The Giant's Grave at Cadamstown, which was some type of large Megalithic burial structure toppled in the search for buried treasure and the Standing Stone's of Clopook (Tullamoy) and Newtown Skirk.

All are interesting and historic relics of the County's distant prehistoric past. Most are hard to locate and some will require the permission of local landowners should you wish to gain access.

I've posted a few photographs throughout this post of the various Megaliths mentioned and although none are on a grand scale they nevertheless belie an interpretation of the landscape of Laois from times past. Most are located in scenic and beautiful area's well off the beaten track and each is worth a visit in its own right.

Traveling from place to place in the County you will doubtless pass numerous Raths, Hillforts, Mottes, Castles, Church Ruins and Abbey's.

These are some of the things we often pass yet seldom see.

Keep the wheels turning.