Cullohill

Cullahill or Cullohill (Irish: Cúlchoill / an Chúlchoill, meaning "the back of the woods/behind the woods")[1] is a small village situated on the R639 road in County Laois, Ireland. Cullahill takes its name from an ancient forest that covered Cullahill Mountain and extended down to Cullahill Castle.

Cullahill

an Chúlchoill
Town
Cullahill
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°49′06″N 7°28′32″W
CountryIreland
ProvinceLeinster
CountyCounty Laois
Elevation
100 m (300 ft)
Population
 (2006)
 • Urban
200
 • Rural
800
Time zoneUTC+0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid ReferenceS390761
Cullohill Castle

Public transport

Route 828 operated by M & A Coaches on behalf of the National Transport Authority provides a daily journey each way to/from Durrow, County Laois, Abbeyleix and Portlaoise. There is no Sunday service.

History

A priory of Augustine canons was founded here in 550 by O'Dempsey, under the invocation of St. Tighernach who is now the patron saint of the area.

The village is home to an impressive early 15th century tower house, once the principal stronghold of the MacGillapatricks of Upper Ossory.[2] The castle bears the image of a sheela na gig.

Under their patronage, a medical school flourished at Aghmacart towland, about a mile from the castle from before 1500 to c.1610. It was conducted by the Ó Conchubhair family. Its physicians included Donnchadh Óg Ó Conchubhair (fl. 1581-1611), Risteard Ó Conchubhair (1561–1625), Donnchadh Albanach Ó Conchubhair (1571–1647) and Cathal Ó Duinnshléibhe (fl. 1592-1611).

According to 1837 records Cullohill was listed as a village in the parish of Aghmacart. Aghmacart is now a townland of Cullahill and contains an old church and graveyard which are still in use.

It is now part of Durrow parish and is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ossory.

Activities

Cullohill is surrounded by wonderful Irish countryside and has several public walkways from leisurely rambles to challenging treks up the nearby hills. Description of Walks on Laois Tourism website

Sport

GAA

The local GAA club is The Harps GAA which was formed in 1984 as an amalgamation with Durrow. Up until then Cullohill had its own hurling team and had won the Laois senior hurling championship in 1955 and 1964. The 1955 team was captained by Lar Dunphy and the 1964 team by Martin Mahony.

Notable people

Darina Allen, née O'Connell, the well known TV chef and cookery book author, is a native of Cullohill. Her family remain there today where they own and run the local pub, The Sports Man's Inn, or O'Connell's, as it is more known locally.

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See also

References
  1. Placenames Database of Ireland
  2. http://irishantiquities.bravehost.com/laois/cullahill/cullahill.html
  • The medical school at Aghmacart, Queen's County, Aoibheann Nic Dhonnchadha, Ossory, Laois and Leinster 2, (2006)
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