Newmarket-on-Fergus

Newmarket-on-Fergus Cora Chaitlín
—  Town  —
Ennis Road
Newmarket-on-Fergus Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°45′35″N 8°53′37″W / 52.7597°N 8.8935°W / 52.7597; -8.8935Coordinates: 52°45′35″N 8°53′37″W / 52.7597°N 8.8935°W / 52.7597; -8.8935
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	County Clare
Elevation	20 m (66 ft)
Population (2006)
- Urban	1,542
Time zone	WET (UTC+0)
- Summer (DST)	IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference	R391682

Newmarket-on-Fergus, historically known as Corracatlin^[1] (Irish: Cora Chaitlín, meaning "Caitlín's weir"), is a town^[2] in County Clare in the Republic of Ireland. It is 13 kilometers from Ennis, 8 kilometers from Shannon Airport, and 24 kilometers from Limerick.^[3]

History

The English rendering of the name 'Newmarket-on-Fergus' probably owes its origin to the fact that an older 'Market' at nearby Bunratty (on the Ogarney River) predated the 'newer' market located at the village and hence Newmarket-on-Fergus; there is also a popular myth attributing the name-change to Lord Inchiqin who supposedly renamed the village after the famous racecourse, and following a victory at the horse-racing centre in England having wagered Dromoland Estate on the race. In the grounds of his neo- Gothic mansion, Dromoland Castle, is the most extensive hill-fort in Ireland, Mooghaun Hill-Fort, with several acres of ground encompassed within its treble walls. It is supposed to have been the site of a prehistoric walled village and a meeting- place in about 500 BC. It is regarded as the oldest ring fort of its kind in Europe. The Gaelic name Cora Chaitlín is reputed to have its origins in 19th Century Famine where weirs where placed across the river Canny at Newtown Canny (i.e. Limerick Road near the present entrance to O'Regan Park) and Finn mill race, in which to snare ells, hence Cathline's Weir. The proper and original name is transliterated 'Tradaree' from the Gaelic 'Tradraigh'; the village being the centre of that ancient district of Tradaree which extended from from Bunratty to the south and to Latoon to the north.

One of the earliest known references to the area was in the Book of Survey and Distribution written in 1636 by James Frost. In it he mentions the main land owners of the area, among them the Earl of Thomond.^{[citation needed]}

There is also mention of Bonratty (later Bunratty) of which Newmarket was in the Barony of, in a 1574 document written by Edward White. His document was written to give an accurate account of the lands of Thomond of which at the time there had been several incorrect descriptions made.^{[citation needed]}

The Parish of Newmarket-on-Fergus is a union of seven ancient parishes: Bunratty, Fenloe, Kilnasoolagh, Drumline, Clonloghan, Kilconry and Kilmaleery. During the Penal Law period of 1744, the High Sheriff of Clare, John Westropp, had all the Churches in these seven Parishes closed.^[4]

In a letter to The Secretaries of the Baptist Irish Society dated December 20, 1823, a travelling preacher named W. Thomas stopped over in Newmarket for a night and wrote a letter the aforementioned Scoiety. In it he described the difficulties that people had in hearing a sermon with some people walking miles over land just to hear the word of God. He also gives an insight into the poverty of the time describing children in various states of dress akin to their poorness. He also describes the children's eagerness to learn scripture by heart.

In March 1854, about two miles from the centre of the village an immense amount of gold was found in what appeared to be a hastily hidden trove concealed in a stone chamber under a cam of slight elevation, near the lake of Mooghaun, or Lougha- traska. The find became one of the most famous finds of its kind in Ireland.

Newmarket has had a long military history also. This tale recounts the I.R.A.'s attempted seizure of arms from an R.I.C. barracks that was stationed in the village during Ireland's War of Independence. In the summer of 1920 Patrick Buckley, an R.I.C. Constable from north Kerry stationed at Newmarket-On-Fergus, began making efforts to contact the I.R.A. Buckley had decided to resign from the R.I.C. in protest at British atrocities in Ireland when he realised that he could strike a far greater blow for the Irish Republic if he could help the I.R.A. to capture his barracks. Pat Reidy, an I.R.A. Volunteer with the Mid Clare Brigade, met Buckley while he was on patrol in Newmarket-on-Fergus. Buckley told Reidy how badly the barracks was defended and how easily it could be captured. Reidy passed this information on to I.R.A. intelligence and Michael Brennan arranged to meet Buckley to discuss the possibility of raiding the barracks for arms. Brennan convinced Buckley to help the I.R.A. capture the barracks by leaving the window over the front door open when he was on duty. Michael Brennan’s first attempt to capture the building was a failure, when by chance one of the R.I.C. men inside the Barracks noticed locked the window that Buckley had opened.

On the 5th of August the I.R.A. made another attempt to capture the barracks. Buckley had arranged to leave the front door of the barracks unlocked. At midnight the I.R.A met at Convent Cross, a mile from Sixmilebridge. Sentries were posted on all roads leading to the village. The I.R.A. Volunteers removed their boots and crept towards the Barracks door with their revolvers drawn. Pat Reidy guarded the door of the barracks while Micheal Brennan lifted the latch and entered the barracks, followed by the other I.R.A. Volunteers. Sean Murnane entered the R.I.C. Constables quarters while Brennan went to tackle the barracks sergeant, Sergeant Porter: “I sent my three or four companions to capture the guard and two men in bed and I went along to the sergeants quarters myself. On Buckley’s plan I found his room easily and the light of my torch on his face woke him. He ignored an order to put up his hands and when I repeated it he snatched a revolver on the table beside him and levelled it at me. I found it impossible to fire at a man in bed, so I took a chance and hit his gun hard with my own. I was lucky and his gun rolled on the floor. After this he surrendered. I was warned that he would be though and he certainly was.”

The I.R.A. tied up the R.I.C. and searched the barracks seizing official police documents, valuable intelligence information, and police equipment. The I.R.A.’s main haul was the R.I.C. garrisons arms, six .45 Webbly revolvers, six Carbine rifles and a large quantity of ammunition. Before leaving, the I.R.A. cut the telegraph wires leading from the barracks to prevent the R.I.C calling for assistance. No damage was done to the building during the raid and none of the police had been harmed. Sergeant Porter was so disturbed by the raid that he tried to commit suicide by cutting his throat a few days later.^[5]

In a 1962 published autobiography, 'My Father Marconi', Degna Marconi, the daughter of the inventor of the radio, Guglielmo Marconi, describes in detail holidaying on the Dromoland Estate in 1905.

In late June 2004, the first summit to take place between the US and the enlarged EU 25 Member States took place in Newmarket at Dromoland Castle.

In the Spring of 2007, six skeletal remains were found during the archaeological monitoring of improvement works to a local water network near Barnhill, Newmarket-on-Fergus. Dating showed that the remains were Pre-Christian.^{[citation needed]}

Geography

The town is situated about 10 km from Ennis. As its name implies, it lies on the River Fergus. The main N18 Limerick–Ennis road passed through Newmarket until the town was bypassed in 2003. That main bypass road was renamed as the M18 on August 28, 2009 as part of a national programme to increase the amount of motorways available to road users.^{[citation needed]}

Neighbouring towns and villages include Clarecastle, Ennis, Cratloe, Sixmilebridge, Quin and Shannon.

To the west of the town is Lough Gash, a turlough (disappearing lake) of considerable size.^[6]}}</ref>

People

• The earliest Census to record the population of Newmarket took place in 1659. Newmarket, listed as Corraeathelin in the census as a part of the Barony of Bunratty showed the population as just 9 persons living within the confines of what we know as the village today.
• In 1782, a Michael O'Brien of Newmarket-on-Fergus, is listed in the Convert Rolls in the Public Records Office in Dublin, listing persons who converted from Popery to the Protestant religion, from the commencement of the reign of Queen Anne, in 1702, to the year 1789.
• In the 2006 census, the population of Newmarket-on-Fergus was given as 1,542.^[2]
• The town is the birthplace of Irish nationalist William Smith O'Brien.
• Irish President Michael D. Higgins, though born in Limerick, was educated in Ballycar National School.
• Tourism pioneer, founder of Shannon School of Hotel Management and founder of the culinary department of Shannon Airport and peace activist Brendan O'Regan spent his retirement years living in Newmarket-on-Fergus..

Commerce and tourism

The town has several small shops and public houses. The proximity of Shannon Airport, and the presence of several places of interest nearby (such as Bunratty Castle, The Burren Visitors' Centre, Lahinch Sea World Aquarium and Spanish Point) brings some tourism to the area, providing business for local bed and breakfast establishments and hotels.

Education

There are four primary schools in the town: Scoil na Maighdine Muire/Newmarket-on-Fergus National School, Ballycar National School, Stonehall National School and Clonmoney National School. Others are available in nearby towns. For secondary education, students attend schools in nearby Ennis and Shannon. The nearest university is the University of Limerick. Limerick also offers the Limerick Institute of Technology and Limerick School of Art and Design.

How to get to Newmarket-on-Fergus

By road

Newmarket-on-Fergus is located on the R471/R458. The N18/M18 is located 2 km away on the Newmarket-on-Fergus bypass giving access to Limerick via the N18, Ennis via the M18 or the R471/R458 then onto the R458, Galway through Gort via the M18 and then on to Dublin via the M6 from Galway & M50. Shannon Airport is 5 minutes away via the M18/N18 and the N19.

By rail

The nearest railway stations are in Sixmilebridge, Ennis and Limerick.

Gallery

• 

  Ballycar Road

• 

  Limerick Road

• 

  O'Regan Park

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  Knock-Saggart Road

• 

  View over Lough Gash to Killinasoolagh Church

• 

  Boheraroan Estate

• 

  Lough Gash

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

1. ^ "Cora Chaitlín/Newmarket-on-Fergus". Placenames Database of Ireland. The Placenames Branch (Department of Community, Rural and Gaeltacht Affairs), Government of Ireland. http://www.logainm.ie/?text=Newmarket-on-Fergus&uiLang=en. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "Table 5: Population of Towns ordered by County and size, 2002 and 2006" (PDF). Census 2006 Volume 1: Population classified by area. Central Statistics Office, Ireland. p. 37. http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/census2006_Table_5.pdf. 
3. ^ "I.T.A. Topographical and General Survey1942/3". County Clare Library website. http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/history/ita_survey_1942/newmarket.htm. 
4. ^ "Newmarket-on-Fergus: Historical Background". Clare County Library website. http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/nof_history.htm. 
5. ^ "War of Independence site". http://www.warofindependence.info/?page_id=144. 
6. ^ "County Clare Heritage: Site Brief". County Clare Library website. http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/heritage/site_brief.htm. 

External links

• Newmarket-on-Fergus National School
• Ballycar National School
• Obair Newmarket-on-Fergus
• Newmarket-on-Fergus Catholic Parish website
• The Burren Centre
• Lahinch Seaworld Aquarium & Leisure Centre
• Bunratty Castle & Folk Park
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