Newtownforbes
Brief History of the Area
Between the village and Lough Forbes lies the beautiful demesne of Castleforbes, a fine Castellated Mansion dating from the 17th century and is the seat of the Ears of Granard. The Forbes family resided in Castleforbes, which has its entrance in the centre of the village. The land around Newtownforbes was granted to the Forbes Family, during the plantations time, in 1621. The family was in service to the Crown and successive generations were promoted to Viscount, Baronet and eventually Earldom.
The family changed the name of the village from Lisbrack to Newtownforbes in around 1750 but the post office stamp used today still has the Irish version ‘An Lios Breac’. The last Earl (the ninth) died several years ago and having no male heir the title passed onto his nephew who sold the castle soon afterwards. Unfortunately there is no public access to the Castle or the grounds which are strictly private.The village of Newtownforbes lies in the heart of Clonguish Parish (also spelt Cluan Guish) meaning -the meadow of the swans.
The village and its townlands are steeped in history and stories and tales form famine times and before can still be heard from local storytellers and historians. Newtownforbes is a lively village, beautifully maintained by an active tidy towns committee, and is an ideal spot for tourist, visitor or friend.
ATTRACTIONS
Convent
The Sisters of Mercy came to Newtownforbes from Longford around 1896 at the invitation Lord Granard who gave them Nazareth House, which stood where the convent is today. They were invited to help combat the poverty and lack of education in what was a very depressed area after the Famine. They set about helping the poor of the area and in 1872 they opened an orphanage catering for up to 150 orphans at any given time. They started a secondary school in the 1940’s, operating a day school and boarding school for over 40 years.
St Paul’s Church of Ireland
At the end of the village stands St. Pauls Church of Ireland. This church of unusual charm and character is of late Georgian architecture, and was built by the Forbes family. It is one of the few Regency buildings of its type in Ireland, having been rebuilt in 1820 to replace to replace an older church dating back to 1600. The interior of the church, unchanged in all these years, is striking and speaks of a bygone era. Family pews are on either side of the main aisle with separate pew for each family. There is a vault beneath the church where members of the Forbes family are buried. The attached churchyard contains many old gravestones and a mausoleum where Countess Beatrice of Granard was buried in 1972.
St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church
St Mary’s Roman Catholic Church is situated in the centre of the village. It was built in 1861 on the site of a thatched chapel, which was built in penal times. Large-scale reconstruction took place in 1973 and the church in its present form was re-dedicated in 1973. At the back of the church there is a vault, which has two caskets holding the remains of the Forbes family who, unlike the rest of the family, were Roman Catholic
Clonguish GAA Club
The GAA club, known locally as Clonguish GAA Club, was established on the 20th of October 1889 in a pub known as Thompsons, now known as the Castle Inn. The club adopted the name of the Clonguish Gallowglasses and although it went out of existence for a brief period in the 1890s, it was reformed in 1902 and remains today. The club caters for several small teams in grades from senior down to schoolboy. The club can boast a Junior Championship win in 1918 and senior championship wins in 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1973 and 1981. The club owns a pitch n putt and sports complex known as Allen Park.
The Village Tea Shop
Newtownforbes has a thriving Development Group which operates the Village Tea Shop. Always worth a visit the Tea Shop is also home to a Tourist Information Centre and a splendid Craft Shop which showcases handmade crafts from all over the midlands. It also contains a second hand bookshop and provides a photocopier and fax service.