Kilmacthomas
Encyclopedia
Kilmacthomas or Kilmactomas , often referred to locally as "Kilmac", is a town on the River Mahon
in County Waterford
, Ireland
. It lies on the R677 immediately north of the N25
national primary road from Dungarvan
to Waterford
.
The town has a population of some 1,200 people. The chief tourist attraction of the locality are the Mahon Falls.
, in December, 1649, Oliver Cromwell
, marched from Waterford to Kilmacthomas during the Siege of Waterford
. The weather was wet and stormy and the river was in flood, so the army couldn't cross. Two nights were spent in the field that is now the public park. Cromwell was said to have described Waterford county on his march from Waterford to Kilmacthomas in the winter of 1649 as being a craggy and desolate place.
Daniel O'Connell
passed through Kilmac' on a campaign trail and he wrote:
In the early 1870s the influence of the industrial revolution reached Kilmacthomas when the Waterford to Mallow railroad came to town. There is an example of a stone viaduct in the town spanning the Mahon River.Although the last passenger services ceased in the late 1960s the railway continued to operate with the haulage of oil and magnesite for another couple of decades. This railway is now disused. The viaduct at Kilmacthomas has been preserved.
, the eastbank is known as Kilmacthomas and the westbank as Gruaigeshuneen. The postal area of Kilmacthomas can include Newtown, Ballylaneen
, Lemybrien
, Kill, Mahon Bridge
, The Nire, and Kilrossanty. The N25
bridge over the River Mahon is named after local sporting hero Percy Kirwan.
The Mahon River has a stock of wild brown trout. The salmon run mostly in the autumn and winter, but start running from the end of June. Salmon trout (know locally as "Pale") are also found in the river. Sea trout run in late July and August. There has been a collapse in fish stocks in the 1980s and 1990s but stocks are on the rise once more since a moratorium on netting has been emplaced.
Geologically Kilmacthomas gives its name to the "Kilmacthomas Formation", which is composed of Palaeozoic deep marine metasediments and metavolcanics. Evidence of manganese nodules have been noted in the new bypass cutting recently constructed near the village.
Kilmac' is located halfway between Waterford City and the county capital; Dungarvan. West of the village are the foothills of the Comeragh mountains, while five miles to the south is the 'Copper Coast' with the beach of Bonmahon / Bunmahon
(Bún Machan).
Clubs:
River Mahon
The River Mahon flows from the Comeragh Mountains in County Waterford, Ireland.Falling down the 80-metre Mahon Falls and proceeding past the "Fairy Bush", the river then passes through the village of Mahon Bridge and on past Flahavan's Mill and under the 8-arched rail bridge in Kilmacthomas...
in County Waterford
County Waterford
*Abbeyside, Affane, Aglish, Annestown, An Rinn, Ardmore*Ballinacourty, Ballinameela, Ballinamult, Ballinroad, Ballybeg, Ballybricken, Ballyduff Lower, Ballyduff Upper, Ballydurn, Ballygunner, Ballylaneen, Ballymacarbry, Ballymacart, Ballynaneashagh, Ballysaggart, Ballytruckle, Bilberry, Bunmahon,...
, 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...
. It lies on the R677 immediately north of the N25
N25 road
The N25 road is a national primary road in Ireland, forming the route from Cork to Rosslare Europort via Waterford City. The road is part of the E30 European route and a short section is also part of the E01 European route...
national primary road from Dungarvan
Dungarvan
Dungarvan is a town and harbour on the south coast of Ireland in the province of Munster. Dungarvan is the county town and administrative centre of County Waterford. The town's Irish name means "Garbhan's fort", referring to Saint Garbhan who founded a church there in the seventh century...
to Waterford
Waterford
Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...
.
The town has a population of some 1,200 people. The chief tourist attraction of the locality are the Mahon Falls.
History
During the Cromwellian conquest of IrelandCromwellian conquest of Ireland
The Cromwellian conquest of Ireland refers to the conquest of Ireland by the forces of the English Parliament, led by Oliver Cromwell during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. Cromwell landed in Ireland with his New Model Army on behalf of England's Rump Parliament in 1649...
, in December, 1649, Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
, marched from Waterford to Kilmacthomas during the Siege of Waterford
Siege of Waterford
The city of Waterford in south eastern Ireland was besieged from 1649–50 during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. The town was held by Irish Confederate Catholic and English Royalist troops under general Thomas Preston...
. The weather was wet and stormy and the river was in flood, so the army couldn't cross. Two nights were spent in the field that is now the public park. Cromwell was said to have described Waterford county on his march from Waterford to Kilmacthomas in the winter of 1649 as being a craggy and desolate place.
Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell
Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell Daniel O'Connell (6 August 1775 – 15 May 1847; often referred to as The Liberator, or The Emancipator, was an Irish political leader in the first half of the 19th century...
passed through Kilmac' on a campaign trail and he wrote:
- We breakfasted at Kilmacthomas, a town belonging to the Beresfords but the people belong to us. They came out to meet us with green boughs and such shouting you can have no idea of. I harangued them from the window of the inn, and we had a good deal of laughing at the bloody Beresfords. Judge what the popular feeling must be when in this, a Beresford town, every man their tenant, we had such a reception.
In the early 1870s the influence of the industrial revolution reached Kilmacthomas when the Waterford to Mallow railroad came to town. There is an example of a stone viaduct in the town spanning the Mahon River.Although the last passenger services ceased in the late 1960s the railway continued to operate with the haulage of oil and magnesite for another couple of decades. This railway is now disused. The viaduct at Kilmacthomas has been preserved.
Geography
The village is situated on the River MahonRiver Mahon
The River Mahon flows from the Comeragh Mountains in County Waterford, Ireland.Falling down the 80-metre Mahon Falls and proceeding past the "Fairy Bush", the river then passes through the village of Mahon Bridge and on past Flahavan's Mill and under the 8-arched rail bridge in Kilmacthomas...
, the eastbank is known as Kilmacthomas and the westbank as Gruaigeshuneen. The postal area of Kilmacthomas can include Newtown, Ballylaneen
Ballylaneen
Ballylaneen is a small village in County Waterford, Ireland, approximately halfway between the villages of Kilmacthomas and Bunmahon on a hill by the River Mahon.-Features:...
, Lemybrien
Lemybrien
Lemybrien is a small Irish village on the N25 road, linking Cork to Waterford City. It lies in the foothills of the scenic Monavullagh Mountains in an area of County Waterford known as "The Déise"...
, Kill, Mahon Bridge
Mahon Bridge
Mahon Bridge , also spelled Mahonbridge, is a village in the parish of Kilrossanty in mid County Waterford, Ireland, located on the main Carrick on Suir to Dungarvan road. The nearest town is Kilmacthomas....
, The Nire, and Kilrossanty. The N25
N25 road
The N25 road is a national primary road in Ireland, forming the route from Cork to Rosslare Europort via Waterford City. The road is part of the E30 European route and a short section is also part of the E01 European route...
bridge over the River Mahon is named after local sporting hero Percy Kirwan.
The Mahon River has a stock of wild brown trout. The salmon run mostly in the autumn and winter, but start running from the end of June. Salmon trout (know locally as "Pale") are also found in the river. Sea trout run in late July and August. There has been a collapse in fish stocks in the 1980s and 1990s but stocks are on the rise once more since a moratorium on netting has been emplaced.
Geologically Kilmacthomas gives its name to the "Kilmacthomas Formation", which is composed of Palaeozoic deep marine metasediments and metavolcanics. Evidence of manganese nodules have been noted in the new bypass cutting recently constructed near the village.
Kilmac' is located halfway between Waterford City and the county capital; Dungarvan. West of the village are the foothills of the Comeragh mountains, while five miles to the south is the 'Copper Coast' with the beach of Bonmahon / Bunmahon
Bunmahon
Bunmahon Village , also called Bonmahon, is a coastal village in County Waterford, Ireland, at the mouth of the River Mahon.-History:Bunmahon was a mining village. Copper was mined here between 1827 and 1877. The population of the village swelled to over 2000 at that time. A temperance hall was built...
(Bún Machan).
Economy
- The town is noted for its Flahavan'sFlahavan'sFlahavan's is Ireland's oldest privately owned family company. It has been run by the Flahavan family for over six generations...
Porridge Factory. Flahavan's have been milling Irish oats for 200 years, supplying breakfast porridge for generations. - Alaska Fireplaces make fireplaces at a cold spot in Kilmacthomas (hence the name due to being exposed to the Cuteen wind) which are sold nationwide. Now located in the former Work House, which has been converted into Kilmacthomas Business Centre.
- Kilmacthomas acts as a dormitory town for Waterford and Dungarvan.
Education
There are 3 schools in Kilmacthomas. St Declan's Community College is the largest second level school in the county area, with in excess of 500 pupils. The (Kilmac') Convent Primary school caters for the younger children, while the pre-school boys and girls attend the Naíonra on the High Road.Bars
Pubs in the town include: Powers, Dannys (Kirwans), Kielys, Keatings/Lynns (Main Street), Philomena Flynns (Newtown), Morrisseys (the Square), Lenihans (Newtown), Harleys Bar (River Street), and Kierseys Bar & Restaurant (Main Street).Sports clubs
Gaelic Athletic AssociationGaelic 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...
Clubs:
- John Mitchels GAA Club, Kilnagrange, Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford
- Kilmacthomas GAA Club, Union Road, Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford
- Kilmacthomas Juvenile GAA Club, Union Road, Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford
- Saint Mary's Juvenile GAA Club, Dunphy's Pub, Newtown, Kilmacthomas, Co. Waterford
People
- Birthplace of Tyrone Power (1795-1841)Tyrone Power (1795-1841)William Grattan Tyrone Power , known professionally as Tyrone Power, was an Irish stage actor, comedian, author and theatrical manager....
, actor, comedian, author and theatrical manager. - Lord of the DanceLord of the Dance (musical)Lord of the Dance is an Irish musical and dance production that was created, choreographed, and produced by Irish-American dancer Michael Flatley, who also took a starring role...
and Feet of FlamesFeet of FlamesMichael Flatley's Feet of Flames is an Irish dance show directed by Michael Flatley and scored by Ronan Hardiman.-Feet of Flames:Hyde Park:Feet of Flames was created in 1998 by dancer Michael Flatley, made famous by the musical Riverdance...
original lead Gillian NorrisGillian NorrisGillian Norris is an Irish dancer and model best known for her work in Lord of the Dance and Feet of Flames....
currently lives and works in Kilmacthomas, where she runs her own beauty salon and spa. - Educational giant Jack Giles had a long and prolific career as a primary school teacher in the area before he retired to become the star of a string of unsuccessful sitcoms including the universally panned Grumpy Jack. Giles is regarded as a local hero in the area for his years of service, in particular his weekly Dangers of Alcohol seminars which he would invariably teach whilst severely intoxicated, specifially to demonstrate the effects of alcohol, in an attempt to deter his pupils from drinking. Jack Giles Day is held each year in the local park, whereby past pupils and colleagues assemble and share their favourite Jack stories. Giles currently fronts The Jack Hammer, a current affairs comedy show on The Word Channel. In 2011 Giles took The Jack Hammer on the road with The Jack Hammer Live-The Lumbered with Jack Tour, opening in Wexford on March 5. Thus far, the tour has been a critical and commercial failure.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland