- Scotshouse
"'Scotshouse" is a small agricultural village about 7 kilometres (5 miles) away from the border town of
Clones , inCounty Monaghan ,Republic of Ireland . It is close to the border with bothCounty Cavan andCounty Fermanagh . Cavan town is eleven miles away and Monaghan town seventeen miles away.The village derives its name from an English soldier named Willie Scot in Cromwell's army who settled in the area in the early seventeenth century. He sold hardware products locally. He used his home base to sell his products with many locals calling to the house, and when asked where they were going they would invariably reply “Scot's house”. This house was located in the
townland of Aghnahola and was situated behind the currentChurch of Ireland parochial house.South of Scotshouse lies the Black Pig Dyke or the Worm Ditch which was the old
Ulster boundary. Many a battle took place in the area in bygone days and the area would have a bloody history.Scotshouse is a small village of approximately forty-five houses. Since 2005, around seventy-five houses have been built in the same townland where Willie Scot resided.
Scotshouse has produced some very gifted people through the years and the most recent talented people to come from Scotshouse were the late Thomas Fitzpatrick, former chairman of the
Dáil , and the late Professor Seamus P. O'Mordha, Professor of Irish in St Patrick's Teaching Training College. There are also two up and coming gifted people namely Dr. Eamonn O'Ciardha lecturer in University of Ulster and graduate of Cambridge University and Dr. Eoghan O'Mordha, historian and archaeologist and a graduate of Oxford University.In the sporting field Scotshouse have supplied the County team with some great footballers from the likes of the late Jimmy Murphy of Lauralhill, the late Hubert Kearns of Coolnacarte, the Late Eugene Moore of Dunsrim, the late Michael Moore of Dunsrim,the late Philly Clerkin of Killyfargy,Dermot Beattie of Dunsrim, Hugo Clerkin of Dunsrim and Dick Clerkin of Lisnalee.
The only ever Scotshouse person to ever play in a Senior All-ireland Final is Ellen Clerkin McCarron daughter of the legendary Ray McCarron( who won a All-Star in 1985) and her uncle is none other than the Legendary Hugo "QC" Clerkin.
Not many Currin players have won Ulster Medals but the first to win a Ulster Medal was the legendary Packie Smith of Cavany in 1914. The last person to win a Ulster Medal was Hugo Clerkin in 1985. The late Eugene Moore won a Ulster Minor championship medal in the 1940s - the only Currin man ever to win such a medal.
There is much debate in the village about the irish version of the village. Some elements of the village like to call the Village "Teach an Stocaigh" after Willie Scot. However some people take offence at the village being called after this soldier and insist that the Village is called Achadh na hAbhla. Some find the calling of Scotshouse in irish as Achadh na hAbhla as somewhat bizzare as this is the very townland( Aghnahola) that Willie Scot's house was located.
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