Ardagh
Brief History of Ardagh
The early history of Ardagh begins a short distance outside the village at Brí Leith. This forested hill was once a famous centre of pre-Christian religious worship. The importance of the hill rested in the fact that it commanded extensive views over the surrounding countryside. With the coming of Christianity in the fifth century, the centre of religious worship moved away from Brí Leith to Ardagh itself. The name Ardagh, Árd Archadh in Irish, means the high field, which indicates that when St Mel first arrived here the area was unsettled with lots of open ground on which to build. While Ardagh’s importance declined with the coming of the Normans, a change in its fortunes was to occur with the arrival of a new family, the Fetherstons. The Fetherstons made Ardagh their new home and built the present Ardagh House in the early 1700’s.
In 1744 one of the most famous incidents in Ardagh’s history occurred. This was the visit of young Oliver Goldsmith who was fooled into mistaking the mansion (Ardagh House) for an inn. His endeavors to court the Fetherston daughters in the belief that they were servant girls formed the plot of his most successful play “She Stoops to Conquer”, a comedy which explores the contemporary themes of sexual morality and double standards.
The enduring legacy of the Fetherstons, however, is the village of Ardagh itself. The village and estate were managed by Sir George Ralph Fetherston and his English wife Frances Solly from Essex. It was Sir George’s nephew, however, who was to have most dramatic impact on Ardagh. He was to employ Victorian architect John Rawson Carroll to improve the village as a memorial to his late uncle George. Many of the buildings in the village were built at this time.
This beautiful and unique village is three-time Supreme Winner of the prestigious National Tidy Towns Competition, claiming the title in 1989, 1996 and 1999. Ardagh is also the 1998 European Winner of the British Airways – Tourism for Tomorrow Environmental Awareness Competition and in 1999 it was Overall Winner of the 32 county Ireland’s Best Kept Towns Competition. It has also claimed several other European Awards.
ATTRACTIONS
Ardagh Neighbourhood Park
Created during 1990, the Ardagh Park was the site of the first official planting of the sessile oak, the national tree of Ireland, by An Taoiseach Charles J. Haughey in March of that year. The park contains over two thousands broadleaved trees.
Ardagh House
Ardagh House, which is now a school, was originally owned by the Fetherston family. In 1744 Oliver Goldsmith visited here. The present building displays a typical early to mid-nineteenth century style. It was originally a three-storey building, but only two storeys survived a fire in 1949. The stable court at the side of the house was added during the nineteenth century.
Gate Lodge
The estate walls surrounding Ardagh House were built mostly during the famine in the 1840s where they provided relief work for the local population. The gate lodge was used to control access to the estate.
The Rectory
The rectory is set back from the road on the right hand side. It was built in 1823 at a cost of £1,300. It has been uninhabited since the 1960’s.
Ruined Church
Some authorities suggest that a medieval church originally stood on this site. The interior contains some tombs of the Featherston family. Paddy Farrell, who was killed in the Battle Granard in 1798, is buried in the churchyard.
Towards the Village
On the road from the Rectory into the village stands the Demesne National School, which was built in 1892 and is now the Community Centre. Beyond this is a group of buildings that were built to the design of J. Rawson Carroll during the mid-eighteen hundreds. The first was the old post office, the second was the house where all the rents were paid to the landlord’s agent and the third was the Royal Irish Constabulary barracks.
Ardagh Clock Tower
The focal point of the village green is the clock tower. Built during 1862-3, it commemorates Sir George Ralph Fetherston. Other features of interest here include the ‘Travellers Rest’ seat in the churchyard wall and the neat flowerbeds. The village courthouse was one of the buildings surrounding the village green. In the centre of the main green stands the village pump.
Saint Patrick’s Church
St Patrick’s Church of Ireland was built in 1810. The entrance to the churchyard is marked by a lych gate where the coffins of the dead were traditionally met by a clergyman. Close by are the ruins of St Mel’s Cathedral, dating back to the 8th Century. An earlier timber building preceded this ruin.
St Brigid’s Churchyard
This church of neo-gothic architectural style came out of the great building period of church architecture of post-emancipation Ireland. It was built 1881 to a design by William Hague, the brilliant pupil of the famous Agustus Welby Pugin. It incorporates Irish (Watson of Youghal) and German (Mayer of Munich) stained glass and furnishings in Irish and Italian marble. The high altar and altar rail was carved by James Pearse, father of the patriots Padraig and Willie Pearse, to the design of William Hague. Reliable authorities suggest that St Brigid’s is one of the most ornate of William Hague’s churches. The presbytery built in complementary style was added some years later. Recently, the church has been extensively renovated.
Ardagh Heritage Centre
An old schoolhouse, built in 1898 is the location of the Ardagh Heritage centre. It houses an exciting exhibition that outlines the history of this exquisite village. The exhibition draws on the fabric of Ardagh life down through the ages, from the roots of the village in Irish mythology, to its development as an important early church and its emergence as a model estate village.