Vicarstown
Encyclopedia
Vicarstown, historically known as Ballynevicar, Ballyvicar and Ballyvicary , is a village in County Laois
, Ireland
. It stands at the point where the R427
regional road
crosses the Grand Canal of Ireland
.
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
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,...
. It stands at the point where the R427
R427 road
The R427 road is a regional road in Ireland, which runs southwest-northeast from the R425 in County Laois to the R417 in County Kildare.En route it passes through Vicarstown and Stradbally and crosses the Grand Canal and the River Barrow.The route is long....
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 Grand Canal of Ireland
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...
.
People
- Henry GrattanHenry GrattanHenry Grattan was an Irish politician and member of the Irish House of Commons and a campaigner for legislative freedom for the Irish Parliament in the late 18th century. He opposed the Act of Union 1800 that merged the Kingdoms of Ireland and Great Britain.-Early life:Grattan was born at...
, the great orator and politicianPoliticianA politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
, having been awarded £50,000 by the Irish Parliament in 1782 to purchase lands, bought property in this area from the Cosby family of Stradbally. - Francis Harrison Biddulph (1774-1827) long time Registrar Of Court of Exchequer in Dublin lived in Vicarstown House probably constructed by his father Francis Biddulph (1727-1806). He married Mary Marsh in 1797 and they had fourteen children. After a protracted dispute he finally got possession of the family ancestral home and estate at Rathrobin, Tullamore in 1824. After his death in 1827 the family appear to have left Vicarstown. Himself and his father were buried in Curaclone graveyard near Vicarstown and in his will he requested a simple headstone with their names and dates upon. Alas the headstone does not appear to have survived.
- William DunneDunneDunne is an Irish surname, derived from the Gaelic O'Duinn and O'Doinn, meaning "dark" or "brown."The name Dunne in Ireland is derived from the O'Duinn and the O'Doinn Gaelic Septs who were based in County Laois and County Wicklow. These septs in turn are descendants of the O'Regan noble family. It...
(1843-1915) Ballymanus House owner/breeder of two Irish Derby Winners Soulouque 1879, King of the Bees 1880 and one Grand NationalGrand NationalThe Grand National is a world-famous National Hunt horse race which is held annually at Aintree Racecourse, near Liverpool, England. It is a handicap chase run over a distance of four miles and 856 yards , with horses jumping thirty fences over two circuits of Aintree's National Course...
Winner 1867 Cortolvin. His racing colours were black with a pink cap.
Sport
- Annanough (Áth na nEac in IrishIrish languageIrish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
) is the local Gaelic footballGaelic footballGaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
team.
Facilities
- The village has a CatholicCatholicThe word catholic comes from the Greek phrase , meaning "on the whole," "according to the whole" or "in general", and is a combination of the Greek words meaning "about" and meaning "whole"...
church, a large community hall and a Gaelic Athletic AssociationGaelic Athletic AssociationThe 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...
field.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland