Charleville, County Cork

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Charleville Ráth Luirc
Location
WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 52°21′24″N 8°41′04″W / 52.356732, -8.684435
Irish grid reference R530230
Statistics
Province:	Munster
County:	County Cork
Population (2006)	2,984

Charleville or Ráth Luirc (Ráth Luirc or An Ráth in Irish) is a town in north County Cork, Republic of Ireland, situated in Ireland's Golden Vale, near the border with County Limerick. It is located on the "Glen" tributary river, which flows into the Maigue River, Co. Limerick. It is the second largest town between Limerick and Cork (Mallow is the largest), and is located on the N20 road between them. The Roman Catholic parish of Charleville is situated in the Diocese of Cloyne. Significant industries in the town include Kerry Co-Op and the booming construction and services sector.

Contents 1 History 2 TownScape 2.1 Architecture 2.2 Parks 3 Geography 4 Traditions 5 Demographics 6 Economy 6.1 Tourism 6.2 Retail 6.3 Social 7 Transport 8 Education 9 Sport 10 Places of Interest 11 Politics 12 Media and the Arts 12.1 Broadcast 12.2 Print 12.3 Arts 13 Climate 14 People 15 Twinning 16 See also 17 External links 18 References

[edit] History

Charleville was founded in 1661 by Roger Boyle, Earl of Broghill and first Earl of Orrery. The name 'Charleville' name comes from 'Charles Town', Charles II was the King of England at this time, showing the town's 17th century foundation. It was so named to impress him. The Irish version 'Ráth Luirc' was given official recognition in the 1920s by the Irish Free State. However, this name is rarely used; and perhaps with good reason, for it was the name 'An Ráth', and not 'Ráth Luirc', that was used by the last native Irish speakers. ´An Rath´ in English means ´The Fort´ and the sports teams in the locality have as their crest a fort.

During the Penal Laws, practising the Catholic faith was illegal. As a result, the parish of Charleville was amalgamated with the parishes Bruree and Colmanswell, both in the Diocese of Limerick. In 1704, Fr. Daniel Mac Namara of Bruree was registered as the Catholic priest for this very large pastoral area ^[1]. The fact that Catholics had now to attend Mass secretly meant that the old chapel in Holy Cross cemetery was abandoned. The remains of this church - now overgrown with ivy - are still to be seen in the centre of the above graveyard. Indeed, like so many other pre-1700 churches, the old church of Holy Cross literally became part of the surrounding graveyard, in that several gravestones, both marked and unmarked, are to be found within the building itself. Upon one such gravestone is a Latin epithaph to none other than Seán Clárach Mac Domhnaill (1691-1754), who was, in his time, the Chief Poet of Munster, as well as a native of Charleville.

[edit] TownScape

[edit] Architecture

[edit] Parks

Charleville has a Town Park, which contains two sports fields and overlooks the Glen tributary. It also holds two playgrounds one for the younger age group and one which contains an astro-turf pitch which is very highly valued to some people in Charleville.

[edit] Geography

Charleville is located in the Golden Vale region of Munster and it is 50 km from Cork City to the south and 35 km from Limerick City to the north

[edit] Traditions

Charleville has a strong Food tradition, with brands such as Charleville Cheese and Golden Vale produced by Kerry Co-Op.

[edit] Demographics

Charleville has a population of 2,984 (2006)

[edit] Economy

[edit] Tourism

Charleville is now home to a new luxury hotel, Charleville Park Hotel, which opened in February 2008.

[edit] Retail

Charleville has a strong retail sector, and it is home to award winning outlets such as Murrays and Malachy o´ Sullivans.

[edit] Social

Charleville has numerous Pubs and also a Nightclub, as well as a Theatre facility and is home to the North Cork Drama Festival

[edit] Transport

The Irish railway network also connects to Cork Tralee and Dublin, with the Cork–Dublin line running by. Formerly there was a junction at Charleville, for trains running directly from Limerick via Croom (see Irish railway history). Charleville railway station opened on 19 March 1849 and was closed for goods traffic travelling to Limerick on 6 September 1976.^[2]

Charleville is on the main Cork - Limerick -Galway bus route and has hourly connections with these 3 cities for most of the day

Charleville is situated on the R515 regional road which connects Newcastle West, Co. Limerick with Tipperary Town, Co. Tipperary.

[edit] Education

Secondary:

• CBS Charleville
• St. Mary's Secondary School
• Mannix College

[edit] Sport

• Charleville AFC
• Rathluirc GAA Club
• Charleville Camogie Club
• Charleville RFC www.charlevillerfc.com

Charleville RFC Founded : 1926 Grounds : Shandrum , Smith Rd , Charleville

Colours: Jersey: Red & White, Shorts : White. Hose , Red , White Top

President : Declan O Connell , Smiths Rd Charleville

Chairman: Donal O Brien

Hon Secretary : Theresa Leahy 75 Love Lane , Charleville

Club Pro : Damien Leahy 75 Love Lane , Charleville

Fixtures Secretary: Kevin Forde, Harrison Place, Charleville

Club Captain: Tadhg Cronin

Youth Officer : Donie Daly , Ballysally , Charleville

Referee Liaison Officier : Donal Forde, Deerpark Heights , Charleville

Club Referee: Andrew Doyle

Coaching Contact : Brian Buckley, Wilsons Bar , Chapel Street , Charleville

• Charleville Golf Club
• Charleville Pitch and Putt Club
• Rathluirc GAA Sports Centre Here are located excellent Squash, Badminton and Tennis facilities
• Handball Court This facility is located on Smith's Street, however, it is unknown whether it is operation or not.

[edit] Places of Interest

• Charleville Library - is a fine example of a historical building which has been put into use again after years of neglect. It was formally the Protestant Church of the Parish but went into disrepair in the 1950/1960s when the Protestant population of the area no longer existed.

[edit] Politics

Charleville has a Community Council and a Chamber of Commerce

[edit] Media and the Arts

[edit] Broadcast

• Charleville Community Radio

[edit] Print

Newspapers:

• The Vale Star
• The Irish Examiner
• The Corkman

[edit] Arts

• The Schoolyard Theatre
• North Cork Drama Festival

[edit] Climate

[edit] People

• Birthplace of Seán Clárach Mac Domhnaill (1691-1754) Chief Poet of Munster

[edit] Twinning

Charleville is twinned with the town Plouaret-Vieux-Marche, Brittany, France.

[edit] See also

• List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
• Market Houses in the Republic of Ireland
• Charleville (Parliament of Ireland constituency)

[edit] External links

Website: Charleville
Forum: Charleville Online

[edit] References

1. ^ 'From Bruree to Corcomohide' by Mainchín Seoighe
2. ^ Charleville station. Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved on 2007-08-31.