Bunclody is a small town located on the River Slaney

River Slaney

The Slaney is a river in the southeast of Ireland. It rises on Lugnaquilla Mountain in the western Wicklow Mountains and flows west and then south through counties Wicklow, Carlow and Wexford, before entering St George's Channel in the Irish Sea at Wexford town...

, on the border between counties 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...

 and Carlow

County Carlow

County Carlow 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 Carlow, which lies on the River Barrow. Carlow County Council is the local authority for the county...

, 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,...

. The R746 regional road

Regional road

A 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 a...

 intersects the N80 in the centre of the town. It is a picturesque town near the foot of Mount Leinster

Mount Leinster

At 796 metres Mount Leinster is the fifth highest mountain after Lugnaquilla 925m, Mullaghcleevaun 849m, Tonelegee 817m, and Cloghernagh 800m, in the province of Leinster, Ireland. It is the highest of the Blackstairs Mountains at 796 metres...

. Most of the town is situated in County Wexford. A small area at the north end of town is located in County Carlow.

The Irish artist of Italian extraction, Niccolo d'Ardia Caracciolo

Niccolo d'Ardia Caracciolo

Niccolo d'Ardia Caracciolo , known as Niccolo Caracciolo, was an Irish painter.Born in Dublin, he was the only son of Ferdinando Caracciolo, Prince of Cursi, a member of an old Italian family originally from Naples...

 (1941–1989), is buried in Bunclody. The geneticist Cian Murphy, specializing in complex disease, resides in Bunclody.

The town is well known for the Eileen Aroon Festival during the months of July and August.

Etymology

The Irish for Bunclody is Bun Clóidí, which means the 'end of the Clody', as it is the location of the confluence of the Clody and the Slaney rivers.

History

Although a hamlet already existed here, Bunclody was raised to the status of a post town

Post town

A post town is a required part of all postal addresses in the United Kingdom, and a basic unit of the postal delivery system. Including the correct post town in the address increases the chances of a letter or parcel being delivered on time. Post towns are usually based upon the location of...

 in 1577 by alderman

Alderman

An alderman is a member of a municipal assembly or council in many jurisdictions founded upon English law. The term may be titular, denoting a high-ranking member of a borough or county council, a council member chosen by the elected members themselves rather than by popular vote, or a council...

 James Barry, sheriff

Sheriff

A sheriff is in principle a legal official with responsibility for a county. In practice, the specific combination of legal, political, and ceremonial duties of a sheriff varies greatly from country to country....

 of Dublin. During the 17th century, the name of the town was changed from Bunclody to Newtownbarry, but was reverted to its original name in the 20th century, following Irish independence

Irish Free State

The Irish Free State was the state established as a Dominion on 6 December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty, signed by the British government and Irish representatives exactly twelve months beforehand...

. The change was made official by a Statutory Instrument enacted in 1950.

The town was the scene of the Battle of Bunclody

Battle of Bunclody

The battle of Bunclody or Newtownbarry as it was then called, was a battle in the Irish Rebellion of 1798, which took place on 1 June 1798 when a force of some 5,000 rebels led by Catholic priest Fr...

, a bloody repulse of Wexford rebels during the 1798 rebellion

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...

.

In the 19th century, a small canal was made, drawing water from the Clody river, to provide drinking water for the populace. The canal still flows along the centre of the town's main street.

In 1884 a metal bridge was erected across the River Slaney

River Slaney

The Slaney is a river in the southeast of Ireland. It rises on Lugnaquilla Mountain in the western Wicklow Mountains and flows west and then south through counties Wicklow, Carlow and Wexford, before entering St George's Channel in the Irish Sea at Wexford town...

 just upstream of where the existing bridge is today. It was constructed of iron from New Ross, and assembled in the bridge meadow beside where the bridge stood. This bridge was washed down in 1965 when a flood swept through the river. The remains of the bridge were visible from the bank of the river for many years, until it was removed in 2007, during the building of a golf course beside the river.

Among the amenities of the town there are number of 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...

 and soccer pitches, an outdoor swimming pool (open 2½ months of the year), a hotel, and primary and post-primary schools. Bunclody is among the country's most ethnically-mixed towns, with 10% of its population Polish

Poles

thumb|right|180px|The state flag of [[Poland]] as used by Polish government and diplomatic authoritiesThe Polish people, or Poles , are a nation indigenous to Poland. They are united by the Polish language, which belongs to the historical Lechitic subgroup of West Slavic languages of Central Europe...

, and 11% Irish Traveller

Irish Traveller

Irish Travellers are a traditionally nomadic people of ethnic Irish origin, who maintain a separate language and set of traditions. They live predominantly in the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom and the United States.-Etymology:...

 community.

Bunclody-Carrickduff is a census town split between County Carlow

County Carlow

County Carlow 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 Carlow, which lies on the River Barrow. Carlow County Council is the local authority for the county...

 and 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...

. It comprises the town of Bunclody and the adjoining village of Carrigduff, and had a population

Population

A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of 1,863 at the 2006 census

Census

A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...

.

Transport

Bunclody is served by Bus Eireann with 2 departures daily (Mon-Sat) to Dublin and 2 departures daily (Mon-Sat) to Rosslare Europort. The town is approximately 25 minutes drive to the M9 motorway. Like many small rural towns Bunclody was never served by rail.

Golf Course

Bunclody Golf

Golf

Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....

 and Fishing

Fishing

Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....

Club was officially opened in early 2009. The course is on the Carlow side of the town, with its entrance situated on the county border. The 18 hole course is set on 300 acres (1.2 km²) beside the river Slaney, and is home to Ireland's first on-course elevator, which links the 17th green to the 18th tee.