Swan or The Swan is a small village in County Laois

County Laois

County Laois is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It was formerly known as Queen's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The county's name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix. Laois County Council...

, 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 near the County Kilkenny

County Kilkenny

County Kilkenny 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 city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...

 border where the R430

R430 road

The R430 road is a regional road in Ireland, which runs west-east from the N7 in Mountrath, County Laois to the N9 in Carlow, County Carlow.The route is long.-See also:*Roads in Ireland*National primary road*National secondary road-References:...

 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...

 crosses the R426

R426 road

The R426 road is a regional road in Ireland, which runs north-south from the N80 in Portlaoise, County Laois to the N78 in Castlecomer, County Kilkenny.The route is long.-References:* – Department of Transport...

. The village lies within the townland

Townland

A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...

 of Slatt (Lower), in the civil parish of Rathaspick.

Features

The village is linear, developed along the regional road (R430) to Carlow

Carlow

Carlow is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2006 census. The...

. The Swan has a low level of services and facilities. No definite village centre exists and the village is serviced with a public house only. No shops are available. This is a purely residential community with some institutional uses. In the last five years the village has experienced a reasonably low level of growth despite a number of new residential developments. The Community Centre in the centre of the village is used by local groups and caters for a wide catchment area.

History

The Swan is one of the newest villages in Laois and is named after a local public house, The Swan Inn. In 1935, to create employment, a fire clay

Fire clay

Fire clay is a term applied to a range of refractory clays used in the manufacture of ceramics, especially fire brick.High grade fire clays can withstand temperatures of 1775°C , but to be referred to as a "fire clay" the material must withstand a minimum temperature of 1515°C...

 factory was opened because of local fire clay deposits while coal deposits provided a local energy source.
Local population is

Economy

Fleming's Fireclays was started by PJ Fleming in 1935. It generated employment for the village and the surrounding areas and provided housing for many of its workers. These houses constituted nearly all the dwellings in the village until 2003, when two new housing projects began and the number of houses has almost doubled as a result. The factory utilises fireclay, which is an abundant local resource, to make bricks and chimney flues. The factory currently employs over 40 people.

People

• PJ Fleming, the founder of Fleming's Fireclays, was a prominent member of the Irish Republican Army
  Irish Republican Army
  The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
  
   which orchestrated the Easter Rising
  Easter Rising
  The Easter Rising was an insurrection staged in Ireland during Easter Week, 1916. The Rising was mounted by Irish republicans with the aims of ending British rule in Ireland and establishing the Irish Republic at a time when the British Empire was heavily engaged in the First World War...
  
   of 1916.

Sport

• Gaelic players in the village play for St Josephs
  St Josephs GAA
  St. Josephs GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association gaelic football club in County Laois, Ireland. It is a parish team and is made up of the four small areas represented on the club crest: Ballyadams, Luggacurren, The Swan and Wolfhill....
  
   along with players from Luggacurren, Wolfhill and Ballyadams. Some players of note from the Swan over the past number of years are Tom Kelly
  Tom Kelly (gaelic football)
  Tom Kelly is a former Gaelic football player from Laois in Ireland.His club is St Josephs GAA. He usually plays at centre back for Laois and in 2003 won an All-Star award and was part of the Laois team that won the Leinster Senior Football Championship title for the first time since 1946.Kelly...
  
   and Joe Higgins, both of whom received GAA All Stars Awards
  GAA All Stars Awards
  The All Stars Awards, currently sponsored by Vodafone, are given annually since 1971 by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the best player in each of the fifteen positions in Gaelic football and Hurling in Ireland. Additionally, one player in each code is selected as the player of the year...
  
   in 2003 after Laois's successful Leinster
  Leinster
  Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...
  
   campaign. Joe Higgins also brought boxing glory to the village with a total of 9 Leinster Titles and 2 All-Irelands
  All Ireland
  All-Ireland is an attributive which emphasises the island of Ireland. It contrasts with expressions such as the South or Northern Ireland which apply only to regions. Many sports are organised on an all-Ireland basis....
  
  .
• The local soccer team, Wolfhill Athletic, play in the Premier Division of the Carlow League after a hugely successful 2008/2009 season which saw them gain promotion and record the Division 1 league and cup double. In 2006/2007 they lost the Divisional Cup Final to Burrin Celtic after penalties but had won their previous 5 cup final appearances in the past 7 years. Their most successful year was arguably 2004/2005 when they won the Carlow Challenge cup. There is also highly successful Over 35's team which has won their league in 2006/2007, 2008/2009 and 2009/2010.
• Former jockey turned trainer, Kevin O'Brien, and his stable of horses have established themselves in the village. Recent successes include Unique Moment and Duty, horses owned by a local syndicate.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland