Oughter Ard
Encyclopedia
Arthur Guinness and Other Notable Burials
Until the construction of the turnpike road in the adjoining valley in 1729, Oughterard was situated on the main road from Dublin to Limerick and Cork. According to "Arthur's Round" (see below) Arthur GuinnessArthur Guinness
Arthur Guinness was an Irish brewer and the founder of the Guinness brewery business and family.He was also an entrepreneur, visionary and philanthropist....
's grandfather William Read, a local farmer, started selling home-brewed ale from a roadside stall in 1690 to troops en route to the battles in the Jacobite wars. Guinness was taken back to Oughterard to be buried in the Read family plot in January 1803. Local tradition holds that Guinness was born at the Read household, where his mother returned to her childhood home, in the tradition of the time, to give birth. Three prospective birth sites have been identified, imost likely at Oughterard 53.27626°N 6.56126°W., but also possibly at Read homesteads the adjoining townlands of Boston 53.26611°N 6.50584°W., Castlewarden 53.26561°N 6.54465°W. and Huttonread53.28413°N 6.56126°W. which takes its name form the Read family., all within Oughterard parish.
Later in 1803 Arthur Wolfe, Lord Kilwarden who lived at Newlands, Co Dublin—the most famous victim of Robert Emmet
Robert Emmet
Robert Emmet was an Irish nationalist and Republican, orator and rebel leader born in Dublin, Ireland...
's 1803 rebellion—was buried here in the Wolfe mausoleum
Mausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
, a grave that dates to 1650. James Phipps, "A Captain of Insurgents" who took part in the Battle of Ovidstown
Battle of Ovidstown
The battle of Ovidstown, was a clash between British military and Irish rebels during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. It took place at 19 June 1798 at Ovidstown Hill, about three miles south-west of Kilcock in County Kildare.- Background :...
in 1798, and then moved to America where he died in 1826, is commemorated. William Kennedy from nearby Bishopscourt
Bishopscourt, County Kildare
Bishopscourt is a townland and historic site in County Kildare, Ireland near Kill, Ardclough and Straffan and beside the N7 road. The estate was once held by the Bishops of Kildare.-Calendar and historical references:...
, who was posthumously decorated for bravery having lost his life in the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Duel
Daniel O'ConnellDaniel 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...
(1775–1847) fought a duel with John D'Esterre on February 1, 1815 in an adjoining field, then a part of the Ponsonbys'
Ponsonby
Ponsonby is a surname which may refer to:*Arthur Ponsonby, 1st Baron Ponsonby of Shulbrede was a British politician, writer, and social activist...
Bishopscourt
Bishopscourt, County Kildare
Bishopscourt is a townland and historic site in County Kildare, Ireland near Kill, Ardclough and Straffan and beside the N7 road. The estate was once held by the Bishops of Kildare.-Calendar and historical references:...
estate, now owned by the King family. O’Connell described a Dublin Corporation provision for the poor as “beggarly” on Jan 24 and was issued the challenge from John D’Esterre, a champion of the conservative and Protestant cause at the time. D'Esterre died as a result of his wounds. A detachment of cavalry sent out from Dublin arrived too late to prevent the duel taking place. A commemorative boulder having been removed, the exact site was re-established in 2007 after consultations with local people.
Trivia
In the film Mission: ImpossibleMission: Impossible
Mission: Impossible is an American television series which was created and initially produced by Bruce Geller. It chronicled the missions of a team of secret American government agents known as the Impossible Missions Force . The leader of the team was Jim Phelps, played by Peter Graves, except in...
, Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
's character is told that the American President is unavailable "because he is fishing in Oughter Ard Co Kildare." The Grand Canal
Grand Canal of Ireland
The Grand Canal is the southernmost of a pair of canals that connect Dublin, in the east of Ireland, with the River Shannon in the west,via Tullamore and a number of other villages and towns, the two canals nearly encircling Dublin's inner city. Its sister canal on the Northside of Dublin is the...
holds fish and runs about 1 km to the north. There is no river in Oughter Ard, although the nearby Morell
Morell
Morell may refer to:* Morell, Prince Edward Island, Canada* Rowanne Morell, a fictional police officer on the television police procedural The Bill* Tanja Morell, a fictional character on the television police procedural The Bill...
and Liffey rivers are known for their fishing, and the absence of a water source has been commented on as unusual by historical geographer Tadhg O’Keefe and others for such an important medieval manor and borough.