Laois Industrial Heritage

The Industrial Heritage of Laois.

There is a whole plethora of old industrial heritage and artifacts dotted throughout Laois, much of which are relics and bear witness to busier days in the County. 

Days when Laois was a central producer and manufacturer of many of the everyday goods used in Ireland.

Laois once produced Coal around the Wolfhill area and had a fully operational railway line there which is now disused.

 The area around the Swan produced Fire bricks and Fire clay and still does to a certain extent I believe.

 The photo below is of a railway bridge and what is left of the line at Wolfhill.

At Abbeyleix carpets were once woven while Durrow produced among other things the Durrow Brick.

Mountmellick had a huge Sugar Beet enterprise which only operated for a short while. 

It was set up by the famous railway engineer William Dargan and the somewhat notorious "Black Jack" Adair. 

The town was home to a Quaker settlement and had many mills and forges.

Both Portarlington and Mountmellick are dotted with many "Bridges to Nowhere". 

A casual visitor might wonder what these relics meant while the local is well aware that they crossed the Mountmellick branch of the Grand Canal which is now overfilled and gone.

The Midlands bogs were once busy and a major employer in the form of Bord na Mona. 

Bord na Mona extracted peat for burning in now defunct or gas operated Power Stations and for the trusty gardeners bag of Moss Peat. 

This industrial scale activity is gradually  being abandoned and hopefully the bogs will slowly become rewilded and possibly a place for visitors to enjoy.

Old and now abandoned  rail tracks can often be seen in the bogs, ethereal and waiting for a Ghost Train from the past to trundle by.

 The indelible signs of former large scale economic activity are all around us but perhaps we often overlook these simple relics.

Agriculture was and still is a large part of most local midland economies. 

Agricultural machinery is to be found everywhere and some have lovingly restored many beautiful examples of early machinery. 

Stradbally houses a Steam Museum. 

Bob's Bar in Durrow has a bicycle "High Nelly" museum and brightly painted agricultural machinery sits outside the Bar. 

 

Unfortunately whenever I pass the Steam Museum it's closed. A fantastic rally is held annually and a big investment and promotion of the museum would make sense in bringing visitors to the area.

Lime Kilns like the one below at Skirke are also found throughout the County. These were used to heat Limestone so that it could be crushed up to make Lime. 

Perhaps a ghost from the past stokes the dying embers as we sleep soundly at night.

  

There are many other relics scattered here and there which serve as reminders of the industrial and economic activity in the area. 

The photo below is of a former Forge at Luggacurran.

The old British Letter Boxes are often still in situ along with the old P&T Post Boxes, a reminder of the now defunct Department of Post and Telegraphs which ceased to exist in 1984.

 

The ER and VR remind us of both King Edward and Queen Victoria and our legacy of Imperial occupation and of Britain's former Empire on which "the Sun never set".

Much I have left out of this post. The topic would lend itself to a complete book or volume of books. 

Hopefully this quick post might jog a memory of times and working lives past.

In a short post there is only so much that can be covered so keep the wheels turning and the eyes open and you never know what you might spot right on your doorstep.

The old "Carlow" Waterworks at Killeshin in Laois.

 A "Bridge to Nowhere"

The Mountmellick Canal

There are numerous Mills, Forges, an occasional Windmill, Disused factories' and a host of other industrial relics that are too numerous to mention in this short post so I have actually included just a small fraction of the heritage that lies in the County.

My apologies to the County.

Tihilly High Cross, Loughaun, Offaly

Tihilly High Cross

A few miles outside Tullamore on the main road to Clara lies a beautiful and little known local antiquity, Tihilly (Loughaun) High Cross. 

The Cross is located on farmland and I called into a nearby house for permission to enter which was kindly granted by the landowner.

The Cross at Tihilly is also sometimes known as Loughaun High Cross. 

It is an elaborately decorated Cross which has seen previous damage and been repaired.

 

I wish the the OPW could provide small circular steel fences or grants for some type of protective fence or enclosure. 

These monuments are often used as Scratching posts by farm animals which adds to the destruction or loss of any carvings or artwork on the antiquities.

The head of the Cross is of the perforated "Celtic" type but it is badly damaged now. It stands on a damaged circular base, part of which is original to the Cross. 

The shaft is covered in intricate interlaced knotwork and geometric patterns.

 

The craftmanship on the stonework is quite skillful  and a pleasure to see firsthand. I could make out some birds along with another unrecognisable animal. 

The figures of Adam and Eve were once discernible on the Cross but have long since been worn away. A Crucifixion scene is identifiable on the Head of the Cross.

There is the remains of a medieval Church beside the Cross and some scattered stones nearby which are from the ruins of a Well. 

Several Cross slabs are supposed to be here as well but I didn't see them on my short visit. Whether they are still there or not I don't know. 

It would have been wonderful to see the slabs in a small purpose built enclosure alongside the Cross. Hopefully they are still on the site somewhere.

Some of the less apparent historical structures which once stood locally at Loughaun are a possible stone enclosure, several burial sites, the Holy Well and the ruins of a later 18th century Mill.

Tihilly is roughly two kilometres from Durrow Abbey and five or six from Rahan as the Crow flies so it's probable that there was interaction between all of these ecclesiastical sites at some time in history.

A monastery was reputedly founded at Tihilly in the 5th Century, the running of which was handed over to a Saint Cera, sometime in the 6th Century.

Tihilly is well worth visiting although do check in with the landowner first. 

It's a bucolic setting and there are several mounds and depressions in the landscape which leaves you scratching your head trying to interpret your surroundings in a historical context.

Coordinates below :  

53°18'38.5"N 7°32'37.5"W
53.310692, -7.543752

Tihilly - Early Christian Sites in Ireland

Geashill, Offaly

 

Geashill is a small village in County Offaly. 

There is a Tower House of some sort here but at present it is  inaccessible.

   This small village is more often than not passed through without stopping which is a pity as it is a very picturesque village if you take the time to look carefully about the area.

There is a wonderful Sculpture here called "Bog Bodies" which has various animals carved into it. 

You have to look hard to find them as some are cleverly disguised in the wood.

The largest Swine Market in Ireland was purportedly held at Geashill.

There are many wonderful vernacular buildings scattered about the small village including Cottages, various Business premises and its old Church of Ireland.

A Lord Digby is associated with the local area. I had never heard tell of Lord Digby before. There is also a well cared for Glebe walk through a small wooded copse.

The Fort in Geashill - Duchas Schools Collection

There are also numerous information Plaques and Boards all around the village which are a great aid to interpreting the surrounding buildings and local history.

The Village is well maintained and local input and commitment to the environs are on obvious display.

Perhaps you have travelled "through" Geashill numerous times without a second thought. If that's the case I can highly recommending taking the time to stop off and wander about for a while.

Keep the wheels turning.

Plugger Martin, Dublin Champion of the World

 This links to an interesting article on Plugger Martin at "The Bike Comes First" Website.

"One of the most remarkable cyclists ever to emerge from Ireland, is a name that may be unfamiliar to many – 'Plugger' Bill Martin. Not only did he make his mark with his performances on the bike, but he has also been credited with some innovations which helped to revolutionise the sport."

It's a very insightful article and a glimpse into the early years of Cycling.

Plugger Martin - World Champion

Glenbower Bullaun Stone, Killeagh, Cork.

This Bullaun Stone sits beside what appears to be the base of some type of Cross at Glenbower Woods near Killeagh in Cork.

It's a mid sized single Bullaun. I have no information on the area other than it is a favoured spot for local walks through the Woods and the Dissour River runs through the area. 

The Bullaun sitting alongside the base of a Cross suggests a possible disappeared ecclesiastical tradition from a previous era.

 

Perhaps it was the site of a Mass Rock during the Penal Laws although that's just supposition on my part.

There is a memorial Plaque on a bridge which crosses the river in memory of Richard John Uniacke. 

An Attorney General for the Canadian province of Nova Scotia he was born in this general area.

The Bullaun Stone itself is located on a trail signposted for Fainin's Well. 

The land in this area was the property of the de Cappell family for almost 800 years.

It's a nice woodlands area with signposted walks and well worth a visit if in the area. The tree canopy is of mixed woodland rather than a Coillte Spruce "pulp factory".