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The Normans

The Normans arrived in Ireland in 1169 at the invitation of the exiled King of Leinster Diarmuid MacMurough. The de Berminghams were given the area of “Offaly to the west of Offelon” The area they had control of seems to have been Tethmoy which later comprised of the baronies of Warrenstown and the northern part of Coolestown.



Drumcooley Motte and Bailey

This is an early Norman fortification built to protect the tóchar or causeway from Rathangan. It was a steep sided, conical flat topped mound, with an outer bank protecting an inner enclosure. The bank was topped by a paling of posts, woven branches and a plaster of mud, horse-dung, horse-hair and straw. The mound still exists but the present road cuts through the enclosure.



The de Berminghams

The de Berminghams controlled the land around Edenderry from the time of the arrival of the Normans up until the late thirteen hundreds. They held lands from “the west of Carbury to the east of Croghan, south of Castlejordan and to the north of Rathangan”. Theirs was a tempestuous and often limited control; they were involved in border disputes with other Norman lords and later plots against the English king. There were many battles with the Gaelic Irish who were led by the O’Connor’s, chiefs of Offaly.

In 1305, Piers de Bermingham, later known as the ‘treacherous baron’, threw from the battlements of Carrick Castle, Muircheartach Calbach O’Connor, on the occasion of his confirmation. Seeking peace terms Piers invited twenty eight of the O’Connor’s to a feast on Christmas Day 1305 in Carbury Castle. After the meal Piers had them surrounded and beheaded. This event was cited in the ‘Remonstrance of the Irish Princes’ sent to the pope by those Gaelic chiefs who supported the campaign of Edward Bruce in 1317.

The de Berminghams control of Tethmoy did not long outlast Piers. There were a number of de Bermingham lords between Piers and Walter the last de Bermingham lord of Tethmoy. John de Bermingham was appointed justicar, but was dismissed in 1323 and in 1329 was killed by his own people. His successor William, John’s brother, was involved in plots against the king and was declared a felon. In 1350 Walter de Bermingham died in England and the wardship of all the de Bermingham lands were granted to Maurice Earl of Kildare. In practice the land passed into the control of the O’Connor’s who were sometimes allied to the Earls of Kildare.



The O’Conors

In the 15th century the O’Connor’s improved their fortunes and gradually gained the upper hand in their battles with the Normans becoming the strongest military force in the area. In 1385 Murrough O’Connor was defeated at the bog pass near Croghan Hill, this forced him in 1394 to make submission to Richard II, but by 1406 he led his army to a victory at Geashill and followed this up by raids into the Pale which saw him abduct the High Sheriff for ransom in 1411 and win a battle at Lucan in 1416.

Later leaders of the O’Connor’s continued Murrough’s success, in 1439 Cahir O’Connor abducted the viceroy for ransom and in 1466 Con O’Connor defeated the Earl of Desmond in battle and held him prisoner in Castle Carbury. However the end of the 1500’s and early 1600’s saw the power of the O’Connor’s decline. The rise of the Earls of Kildare and infighting among the O’Connor’s, which culminated in the murder of Cahir O’Connor at the hands of his own people in 1511 were largely responsible.



The Offaly and Laois Plantation

In 1521 the new viceroy to Ireland, the earl of Surrey, laid siege to the O’Connor castle at Monasteroris. After a long siege it was captured by Surrey and retained in possession of the crown. A cannon ball used in the attack can be seen in Edenderry Library. By 1549 they had been suppressed and in 1550 the O’Connor’s were made outlaws and their lands confiscated, however by 1553 they had regained their lordship of Offaly but had no legal title to their lands. In 1548 Walter Colley was made surveyor general of Ireland and in 1549 after the suppression of the O’Connor’s was ordered to make a survey of Offaly. Only a portion of the area was surveyed, 16 miles in length and 3 wide. Many of the place names around Edenderry are present in the survey, Monasteroris, Ballyleakin, Ballyfore and Edenderry itself.

In 1556 the plantation of the area began under Mary and Philip with legislation to shire the area into King’s County (Offaly) and Queen’s county (Laois) with permanent garrisons at Marybourough (Portlaoise) and Philipstown (Daingean). The plantation proceeded through the 1560’s with settlers coming in from England, Scotland and Wales, some lands were also re-granted to O’Connor’s who swore oaths of loyalty to the crown. In 1562 Henry Colley was granted lands in Offaly by Elizabeth I. These included the manor and castle in Edenderry, Drumcooley, Castlecarbery and the rectories of Carbury and Ardnurcher as well as other lands in Offaly.

Edenderry became known as Cooleystown or Coolestown which was also the name given to the barony. In 1570 Marybourough and Philipstown were given charters, fortified and given permanent garrisons. In 1599 during the 9 Years War, the forces of Hugh O’Neill and 'Red Hugh' O'Donnell marched south. The Castle of the Colley's at Edenderry was attacked on the this occasion, indeed George Colley commented in a letter to Queen Elizabeth at this time that 'the Irish are almost at the door of the castle'.



Monasteroris Abbey

Monasteroris translates as “The monastery of the son of Piers”. This refers to John de Bermingham the Earl of Louth, who built the monastery for the Conventual Franciscans in 1325. The church dates from the same period.

The original grant of land was made in 1260, this was the date recorded by the chief of the four masters, Mícheál Ó Cléirigh in 1616 in his list of Francisan Foundations. He says:
“it was founded by the noble family of de Bermingham, and it was the abbey that they had their place of sepulture”

It is likely there was a church on the lands from at least 1290, as a holy water font taken from Monasteroris (and now in St. Mary’s) bears that date. In the 1302-06 Ecclesiastical Taxation of Ireland, a Church de Villa Castris is listed in Tethmoy in the Diocese of Kildare. This is likely the original Castro Petre, as if it was built in 1290 Pier’s would have built it. This would explain the double name of Monasteroris, this earlier church may not have been known as Castro Petre until after the friary was built or may have been taken down as part of the building work. The friary was occupied from 1325 until the dissolution of the monasteries by Henry VIII in 1541. It was granted to Nicholas Herbert in 1561 by Elizabeth I. At that time it was described as “two castles, a friary burned and razed, whereby the walls standeth, and there is an old mill place an orchard, land pasture, wood and underwood”. The Franciscans returned to Monasteroris in 1645 only to be expelled once again by the forces of Oliver Cromwell. The church was still used by the local Anglican population up until the building of the new Castro Petre church in 1777/8. Fr. Matthew Walsh, vicar of Daingean, who died in 1794, was the last friar of Monasteroris.