The History of Our Local Area
Bracknagh and St. Broghan
The name Bracknagh can mean a speckled place but because of St. Broghan it is more likely to come from “Farran na Brachan “ which means territory of St. Broghan.
Where will you find a headache cure?
St. Broghan lived with his monks at a monastery in Clonsast in the 7th century. He built a church and well there. There is a stone located at the site which is said to have an impression of St Broghan’s head in it and if you take water from the well and put it in the stone and then place your head in the stone it is supposed to cure headaches. For hundreds of years the pattern of Clonshannon was held to honour St. Broghan. People gathered at the well and said mass and held sporting events on the 29th of June each year. The pattern was celebrated for many years but has stopped in the last 20 years. The feast day of St. Broghan is the 19th of December.
Ballynowlart
The ruins of an old church are located in Ballynowlart. It was burned by English soldiers when Cromwell was in Ireland in the mid 1600’s. It was attacked when men, women and children were at mass on Christmas day. On October 1917 excavation work began on the church. The remains of 108 people were found about 18 inched below ground The remains were
removed and re-buried in the grounds of St. Broghan’s church and a plaque was erected in their memory .
What was the Cattle Drive?
During the famine Lord Ashton was landlord of the Ballynowlart Estate. Working alongside him was a Mr Charlie Trench who was a cruel man. In the 1860’ s Trench knocked down 57 houses in one day. Most of the people evicted left Bracknagh and never came back. In 1913 Trench was evicted and the cattle were to be put on estate land. Local people were outraged by this and on 15th May 1913 a cattle drive took place. 300-400 people gathered at the estate and drove the cattle onto the roads. 17 men were arrested and tried at court in Tullamore.
G.A.A
In 1910, Mr. Edward Carvill a local teacher introduced Gaelic football to Bracknagh. A club was formed in 1973 and Bracknagh won the county Intermediate Championships titles in 1978 and 1983.
A new roof for the Church.
In 1798 mass was said under a tree near the Millgrove bridge. The field was called “The Priests Field." In the 1800’s horse racing took place in Clonshannon. Wally Swinburn was a horse trainer that lived at Millgrove. In 1978 he held Donkey Derby to raise money to roof the church. Famous jockeys rode the donkeys. A tug–of-war competition took place between local men and the jockeys. The local men won. There were lots of prizes and a raffle for a pony.
St. Broughan’s Park
Bracknagh is located in a rural area close to the bogs of the midlands. Bord na Mona has had a factory in the area for many years. In 1948 a number of houses were built in St. Broughan’s to provide houses for the workers of Bord na Mona. To be eligible for a house you had to have a permanent job with Bord na Mona. There are 50 houses altogether in St. Broughan’s park. It is called “ The Ring” because the houses are built in the shape of a ring. Before the houses were built people lived in camps in Ballydermot and Clonsast. People came from all over Ireland to work for Bord na Mona. Some people even came from Poland.
In 1798 mass was said under a tree near the Millgrove bridge. The field was called “The Priests Field." In the 1800’s horse racing took place in Clonshannon. Wally Swinburn was a horse trainer that lived at Millgrove. In 1978 he held Donkey Derby to raise money to roof the church. Famous jockeys rode the donkeys. A tug–of-war competition took place between local men and the jockeys. The local men won. There were lots of prizes and a raffle for a pony.
St. Broughan’s Park
Bracknagh is located in a rural area close to the bogs of the midlands. Bord na Mona has had a factory in the area for many years. In 1948 a number of houses were built in St. Broughan’s to provide houses for the workers of Bord na Mona. To be eligible for a house you had to have a permanent job with Bord na Mona. There are 50 houses altogether in St. Broughan’s park. It is called “ The Ring” because the houses are built in the shape of a ring. Before the houses were built people lived in camps in Ballydermot and Clonsast. People came from all over Ireland to work for Bord na Mona. Some people even came from Poland.