Rathvilly
Rathvilly (Irish: Ráth Bhile, meaning "ringfort of the trees")[2] is a village in County Carlow, Ireland. The village is located on the River Slaney near the border with County Wicklow, 11 km from Tullow and 8 km from Baltinglass. It is also on the N81 national secondary route. The area has the family seat of Baron Rathdonnell. Rathvilly won the Irish Tidy Towns Competition in 1961, 1963, and 1968.[2]
Rathvilly
Ráth Bhile | |
---|---|
Village | |
Rathvilly | |
Rathvilly Location in Ireland | |
Coordinates: 52.881°N 6.695°W | |
Country | Ireland |
Province | Leinster |
County | County Carlow |
Dáil Éireann | Wicklow |
Elevation | 120 m (390 ft) |
Population (2016)[1] | 944 |
Irish Grid Reference | S880817 |
History
In the centre of the village there is a statue dedicated to Kevin Barry, an 18-year-old who was executed for his part in the Irish War of Independence on 1 November 1920. Though from Dublin, Barry had family locally, and had attended the national school in Rathvilly.[3]
Places of interest
Rathvilly Moat, a medieval structure, is found one mile off the village on the Hacketstown road. The Lisnavagh Estate lies just outside the village of Rathvilly.
Sport
Rathvilly GAA club is the village's Gaelic Athletic Association team. The teams play in Green and Gold jerseys and have won the Carlow Senior Football Championship 8 times in their history. The club's most recent championship win came in 2014. Rathvilly's Brendan Murphy has represented his country in the annual AFL series on several occasions. In 2015, a Rathvilly team won the Under 16 Carlow A Championship. In 2013, the Rathvilly Junior-A team completed the double, winning both championship and league finals.
Transport
Rathvilly railway station opened on 1 June 1886, closed for passenger traffic on 27 January 1947 and finally closed altogether on 1 April 1959.[4][5]
References
- "Sapmap Area - Settlements - Rathvilly". Census 2016. Central Statistics Office Ireland. April 2016. Retrieved 26 December 2019.
- The Tidy Towns of Ireland "Celebrating 50 years"
- ""Do not worry... I'll be going to a much better place": Letter by executed Kevin Barry up for auction locally". kclr96fm.com. KCLR 96FM. 22 April 2018. Retrieved 27 December 2019.
Kevin Barry – who went to school in Rathvilly, and whose family owned a farm in Carlow – was just 18 when he was executed in 1920 for his involvement in the ambush of three British soldiers
- "Rathvilly station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-11-23.
- Disused stations - Rathvilly