Kinnitty is a picturesque village, situated at the foot of Knocknaman, in the Slieve Bloom Mountains.
The village is seven miles south east of Birr, it is the most historic part of the midlands, with ancient monuments of every description. Surrounded with groups of mature trees, the village is very scenic. The most amazing monument in the village is the Bernard pyramid, the only one of its kind in Ireland.
The village has a great history attached to it.
The village is seven miles south east of Birr, it is the most historic part of the midlands, with ancient monuments of every description. Surrounded with groups of mature trees, the village is very scenic. The most amazing monument in the village is the Bernard pyramid, the only one of its kind in Ireland.
The village has a great history attached to it.
Our Local History
Kinnitty is a beautiful village in the centre of Offaly.
It has a small community. Our school is part of that community.
We are writing about the past because it is a very important part of our lives. We hope that others would like to find out about the history of our community. The ringforts are our only proof of the Celts actually being in Kinnitty. So we are going to begin our project with ringforts.
Kinnitty is a beautiful village in the centre of Offaly.
It has a small community. Our school is part of that community.
We are writing about the past because it is a very important part of our lives. We hope that others would like to find out about the history of our community. The ringforts are our only proof of the Celts actually being in Kinnitty. So we are going to begin our project with ringforts.
The Forts in Kinnitty
The Celts at least built four hillforts and three ringforts in Kinnitty. The Ringforts are usually circular shape. The forts are made of earth, stone and wood. The roof of the fort was made of straw. The fort was very well made, because there was a hole in the middle of the roof for the smoke. The ringfort in Newtown The men were normally farmers and in their spare time they used to go hunting and fishing. When the men came back from hunting the women would cook the animals for the dinner. Underneath the fort there was a storeroom where they kept their food and drink and in times of danger they used it as a hiding place. They used straw for their beds and they used animal skins for their blankets. The Celts grew wheat, barley and rye. Wheat was used to make porridge, bread and beer. The most common drink of the Celts was mead. It was made from honey and water. The cattle were valuable to the Celts. The cattle were used to provide meat, milk and cheese. Around the fort there was a wall made of wood to keep animals and enemies out. Where you can find these forts. Hillfort - Knocknaman Hillfort - Cumber hill Hillfort - Glenafelly Ringfort - Forelacka Ringfort - Lackaroe Ringfort - Castletown Ringfort - Newtown |
Kinnitty Castle
Kinnitty Castle is situated at the East of Kinnitty village. It was built in 1630 on the ruins of an Augustinian Monastery that was built by the Normans. William O' Carroll built the Castle and then he lost it in 1641. The Bernard family from Co. Carlow got the Castle then. It was burned during the Civil War in 1922. It was rebuilt in 1927. In 1951 the Department of Lands bought it and converted it into a Forestry Training Collage. In 1984 it was closed down. Then it was proposed to be an open prison but the local people of Kinnitty didn't approve of it. In 1994 the Castle was bought by Con and Kathleen Ryan from Co. Limerick. The entrance of the Castle is surrounded by a wood and in front of the Castle is the soccer pitch where Kinnitty Rovers play. Kinnitty Castle also has about 50 horses all running about in front of Kinnitty Castle.In 1997 Coillte held a timber show there. If you are ever in Kinnitty make sure to call and look at the Castle. |
St. Luna
The village of Cadamstown is about 4 miles east of Kinnitty. The ruins of Litter Luna Abbey are situated a little to the east of the present village of Cadamstown.
Litter is the Irish for marshy land and Luna was the saint who founded this famous Abbey.
Luna was a direct descendant of Conal Cheamach, prince of Laois. When he arrived he built his first church on the little hill and the old gable is still standing. It's not known where St. Luna is buried but he is supposed to be buried under a slab near the well beside a sycamore tree. The well is known as Tobar Magna. Tobar is the Irish for well and Magna is the Latin for big. It was here he baptised the local people and crowds also came here to be cured of many sicknesses. It was attacked first by the Danes and then later by the Normans. The Abbey existed up until the 1645 when Ireton son-in-law to Cromwell sent an army under General John Reynolds from Kilkenny to the Midlands-having destroyed the Abbey at Kilmanman near Clonaslee he sacked Luna. It is said that the monks fled to the mountains for safety never to return. (Told to me by my grandfather)
St. Finan
St. Finan was born in Kerry and he went to school there for about six years and worked as a baker. He wanted to build a monastery and he went to the Slieve Bloom Mts. He was to meet a flock of wild boars in the woods where the Church Of Ireland is now. It turned out to be a great monastery. It was built in 557 AD It was attacked by the Danes. It was attacked in 839 AD and rebuilt again. The present Church Of Ireland was built on the ruins of that monastery. The Church Of Ireland people called their church St. Finan's church. His feast day is on the seventh of April.
The village of Cadamstown is about 4 miles east of Kinnitty. The ruins of Litter Luna Abbey are situated a little to the east of the present village of Cadamstown.
Litter is the Irish for marshy land and Luna was the saint who founded this famous Abbey.
Luna was a direct descendant of Conal Cheamach, prince of Laois. When he arrived he built his first church on the little hill and the old gable is still standing. It's not known where St. Luna is buried but he is supposed to be buried under a slab near the well beside a sycamore tree. The well is known as Tobar Magna. Tobar is the Irish for well and Magna is the Latin for big. It was here he baptised the local people and crowds also came here to be cured of many sicknesses. It was attacked first by the Danes and then later by the Normans. The Abbey existed up until the 1645 when Ireton son-in-law to Cromwell sent an army under General John Reynolds from Kilkenny to the Midlands-having destroyed the Abbey at Kilmanman near Clonaslee he sacked Luna. It is said that the monks fled to the mountains for safety never to return. (Told to me by my grandfather)
St. Finan
St. Finan was born in Kerry and he went to school there for about six years and worked as a baker. He wanted to build a monastery and he went to the Slieve Bloom Mts. He was to meet a flock of wild boars in the woods where the Church Of Ireland is now. It turned out to be a great monastery. It was built in 557 AD It was attacked by the Danes. It was attacked in 839 AD and rebuilt again. The present Church Of Ireland was built on the ruins of that monastery. The Church Of Ireland people called their church St. Finan's church. His feast day is on the seventh of April.
Motte and Bailey in Kinnitty
Motte and bailey were built when a Norman knight defeated a chieftain. The knight built it himself so he and his people could defend themselves from their allies. A site was picked on a river bend or beside a big town. A large amount of earth was dug up and raised into a great mound. The top was flattened. The mound was called a motte. On the flat top of the motte a wooden house was built. It was a simple building with only two or three rooms. At the base of the motte was the area known as the bailey. The lord’s workers and soldiers lived in the bailey. A fence made of wooden posts, called a stockade surrounded it. The lord’s cattle may have been gathered into the bailey at night for safety The motte in Knockbarron is a good example of mottes in Ireland. It has a belt of muck around made by cattle from going around it. It is 20m high and there are whitethorn bushes on the top of it. It was built near the Camcor river and it probably drifted further away from the river. The Normans were descendants of Vikings who had settled in a part of Northern France called Normandy .In 1066 a Norman leader William Conqueror, defeated the English at the Battle of Hastings. Gradually the Norman’s took over most of England and Wales and William became king of England as well as most of France. The Bayeux Tapestry, a huge piece of embroidery was made within 25 years of the Battle of Hastings. The site for a castle was most important. The Norman Lord would choose a site that could be easily defended, even during a long siege. Many castles were built near a river or beside the sea. Often they were built on a high massive rock. They dominated the countryside and stood as grim warnings to the local people that the Norman’s were here to stay. The first Norman castles were very simple. A wooden keep was built on a motte of earth. An outer bailey was added, by digging a trench all round the outside of the castle. |
Tumulus
A tumulus is a circular mound of earth. It is about there metres high and eight metres wide. It was used for burying people. The Celts had great respect for their dead because they went through all that trouble to make a tumulus. It is a burial chamber a bit like Newgrange only not so big. There is a tumulus is in Forelacka in Kinnitty.
High Cross
The Kinnitty High Cross is in Kinnitty Castle grounds. There is another broken down high cross in Drumcullen monastery.
We are very lucky to have the high cross, as there are not many in the country.
It is likely that it was found and from from Drumcullen monastery.
It is said that Colman made it for the high king, Maelsechnaill, sometime in the twelfth century.
On the south side of the high cross is a picture of the Crucifixion, On the north side there is a picture of David playing the lyre.
The first inscription on the cross means “A prayer for king Maelsechnaill,” the second means “A prayer for Colman, the maker of the cross.
The Kinnitty High Cross is in Kinnitty Castle grounds. There is another broken down high cross in Drumcullen monastery.
We are very lucky to have the high cross, as there are not many in the country.
It is likely that it was found and from from Drumcullen monastery.
It is said that Colman made it for the high king, Maelsechnaill, sometime in the twelfth century.
On the south side of the high cross is a picture of the Crucifixion, On the north side there is a picture of David playing the lyre.
The first inscription on the cross means “A prayer for king Maelsechnaill,” the second means “A prayer for Colman, the maker of the cross.
Stone in the Church Of Ireland Porch
This stone is said to come from St. Finan's monastery. It has spirals all around it. It has a cross in the centre. There is a design in the left top corner. On the opposite side there is another cross. At the bottom centre there is another cross. Altogether there are five crosses on the stone. The Pyramid in Kinnitty is a burial tomb and is located on the foot of Knocknaman at the rear of the Church of Ireland. It was built approx. in the year 1830 by one of the Bernard family. He was an architect and an engineer who did military service in Egypt. He decided to build a copy of one of them, at a smaller scale. The Pyramid has featured on radio and television programs in recent years. |
Landlords
The landlords left Kinnitty with a lot of big houses including the Castle, Moneyguineen house, the vault and Churches. In Kinnitty there are a lot of big houses including the rectory, Ballyshane house, Cadamstown mill and a inciant high cross which was built in honour of the high king Maelsechnail who was king in Ireland from 864 to 862. The first mill in Cadamstown was built in 1604. The Bernards built Kinnitty in 1835. The vault was built about 1830 by a member of the Bernard family.It is a burial tomb at the back of the church of Ireland. Construction began in 1830 and was completed in 1834. It is thirty feet high. Steps go down about eight feet below the ground level where coffins are placed. The Vault is about 170 years old. The Bernards were Landlords of Kinnitty and built Moneyguineen and the castle. The Bernards built Kinnitty for their own tenants and slaves. All of the landlords buildings that we have mentioned are still standing. The Community Centre was a court and Church of Ireland school at the same time. Pigeonstown house has two ringforts near buy. The house is two and half miles from Cadamstown. There also is Lettybrook house. The house was called after one of the droughts. Letitia who died at a young age there Cadamstown house it is about one mile from the town and the basin it is also surround by about 30 acres. Coolacrease house is less than a mile away from Cadamstown. A man called Odlum built Coolacrease house in a small townland of Knockroe. |
St. Finan's Well :
St. Finan is the patron saint of Kinnitty. His well is on the road to Forelacka. Every year people come to celebrate the feast day of Saint Finan on the 7th of April.
St. John’s Well :
St. John's well is on the top of Knockbarron Hill. When people visit St. John`s well they put money in the well because people believe that it will bring them good luck
St. Molua’s well:
St. Molua’s holy well is situated in the graveyard in Roscomroe. People from all over the parish come to celebrate the feast day of St. Molua on the 4th of August. St. Molua is believed to have brought a large block of sandstone from the top of Beaugh Mountain. On the stile leading in to the graveyard there is an imprint of a Saint’s foot, St, Molua died in 606 or 607.
St. Luna’s well :
St. Luna’s well is situated up Litter Avenue.
Paddy Heaney and Paddy Lowry built the well. People from all over the country visit St. Luna’s well. The water from St. Luna’s well cures illness and provides the gift of telling the future
St. Finan is the patron saint of Kinnitty. His well is on the road to Forelacka. Every year people come to celebrate the feast day of Saint Finan on the 7th of April.
St. John’s Well :
St. John's well is on the top of Knockbarron Hill. When people visit St. John`s well they put money in the well because people believe that it will bring them good luck
St. Molua’s well:
St. Molua’s holy well is situated in the graveyard in Roscomroe. People from all over the parish come to celebrate the feast day of St. Molua on the 4th of August. St. Molua is believed to have brought a large block of sandstone from the top of Beaugh Mountain. On the stile leading in to the graveyard there is an imprint of a Saint’s foot, St, Molua died in 606 or 607.
St. Luna’s well :
St. Luna’s well is situated up Litter Avenue.
Paddy Heaney and Paddy Lowry built the well. People from all over the country visit St. Luna’s well. The water from St. Luna’s well cures illness and provides the gift of telling the future
The Community Centre Before the community centre there was a primary school and a courthouse. In 1965 the school was closed. Then in 1994 they decided to do up the school and turned it into a Community Centre. Bishop William Walsh and Enda Kenny officially opened the centre in 1996. Lots of activities go on in the centre. Here are some of the activities in the centre: The foroige: Club is mainly for secondary students from Kinnitty village. They meet every Thursday and play games. Information centre: The information centre is for tourists who visit Kinnitty village. They are given leaflets about the village. Weddings: Are very popular village because of the lovely scenery. Many local people choose to have their wedding reception in the centre. Many local women volunteer to cook and serve on the day. Apostolic work: The apostolic sale of work is held every year for the priests. Some of the women make vestments to send out to the missions. Playschool: Playschool helps the children to get ready for the years ahead. |
My view of our community.
I am not very clear on the people of our community in the past. But I am sure they lived a hard but happy life. They had to work very hard to get water from wells streams or rivers because they didn’t have the luxuries that we have today. Their houses or huts if you prefer were very small with a thatched roof. The animals were very important because they were their source of food along with the potatoes. We know for a fact that during the famine the number in Kinnitty Parish decreased during the famine but after the number did increase slowly. You may ask yourself how did they live without televisions, radios, computers and dvds but the thing is that they didn’t know about technology and they were happy with their lives despite the hardship and problems they had to face. But no matter how big the problem they would face it together. Kinnitty village may be small but it is beautiful in it’s own way. It is a small picturesque village situated at the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mtns. There are two churches, one Catholic and one Church Of Ireland, a drapery, a hair salon, a few sweet shops and two pubs. There is also a beautiful castle.
Kinnitty has a good reputation for hurling and camogie. Both teams are main contenders in the leagues in which they take part. Both the hurling and camoige teams contribute to the county teams.
Kinnitty takes part in projects like the Tidy Towns. I think it is the younger generation that brings Kinnitty alive, and makes it what it is. Kinnitty is a nice quiet tranquil place. The people are friendly and helpful. Kinnitty Castle has provided employment to the teenagers of the parish. Now, I come to the older people of our community. They are always there for you and can give you helpful advice. They hold the community together and hopefully when our generation reach their age we will have people saying the same about us.
I don't know will I always be in Kinnitty but if I leave, I will take some good memories of my friends and neighbours with me. If I came back to Kinnitty in thirty years time, hopefully nothing much will have changed because I like Kinnitty the way it is. But if changes are made I hope that they will be good for the community. I think we should protect our past because it is important. The ringforts and the motte and bailey are signs of past civilisations and we should make sure we maintain them properly, so that the next people in Kinnitty can see them.
(A present pupil’s view)
I am not very clear on the people of our community in the past. But I am sure they lived a hard but happy life. They had to work very hard to get water from wells streams or rivers because they didn’t have the luxuries that we have today. Their houses or huts if you prefer were very small with a thatched roof. The animals were very important because they were their source of food along with the potatoes. We know for a fact that during the famine the number in Kinnitty Parish decreased during the famine but after the number did increase slowly. You may ask yourself how did they live without televisions, radios, computers and dvds but the thing is that they didn’t know about technology and they were happy with their lives despite the hardship and problems they had to face. But no matter how big the problem they would face it together. Kinnitty village may be small but it is beautiful in it’s own way. It is a small picturesque village situated at the foot of the Slieve Bloom Mtns. There are two churches, one Catholic and one Church Of Ireland, a drapery, a hair salon, a few sweet shops and two pubs. There is also a beautiful castle.
Kinnitty has a good reputation for hurling and camogie. Both teams are main contenders in the leagues in which they take part. Both the hurling and camoige teams contribute to the county teams.
Kinnitty takes part in projects like the Tidy Towns. I think it is the younger generation that brings Kinnitty alive, and makes it what it is. Kinnitty is a nice quiet tranquil place. The people are friendly and helpful. Kinnitty Castle has provided employment to the teenagers of the parish. Now, I come to the older people of our community. They are always there for you and can give you helpful advice. They hold the community together and hopefully when our generation reach their age we will have people saying the same about us.
I don't know will I always be in Kinnitty but if I leave, I will take some good memories of my friends and neighbours with me. If I came back to Kinnitty in thirty years time, hopefully nothing much will have changed because I like Kinnitty the way it is. But if changes are made I hope that they will be good for the community. I think we should protect our past because it is important. The ringforts and the motte and bailey are signs of past civilisations and we should make sure we maintain them properly, so that the next people in Kinnitty can see them.
(A present pupil’s view)