Clondra – Past and Present
Clondra is a small waterside village nestled just off the main N5 road from Longford to Castlebar and situated on the banks of the rivers Shannon and Camlin. At the heart of Clondra is Richmond Harbour, the terminus of the Royal canal. The village is a crossing point from the Royal Canal and the Shannon river.
CLUAIN DÀ RÀTHA
Post Office Authorities give CLUAIN DEOCHRA as the Irish for Clondra but CLUAIN DÀ RÀTHA is in fact the correct name.
This place is mentioned a few times in the Annals and is identified by the Editor of the Onomasticon with Clondra in County Longford on the banks of the River Shannon. This identification does not seem to be correct as Clondra is frequently mentioned under its proper Gaelic designation, Cluain-dà-Ràtha, which is quite distinct from Cluain Deochra.
Let us first see Cluain Deochra as it appears in the Annals.
1. Under the year 977 we have: “Flann MacMaoilmhichil, fear leiginn Cluana Mic Nois epscop 7 airchindeach Cluana Deochra”.
2. Earlier still under date 765 we have the Four Masters:-
(a) Onomasticon, P 205
(b) Op.Cit. P 195.
(c) Vita Quinta Cap 115
(d) Onomasticon P 261
‘Conmac, Son of Brannain abb. Cluana Tochne, decc’, that is, ‘Conmac, Son of Brennan, abbot of Cluain Tochne, died’. O’Donovan says that Cluain Tochne is not identified, but by comparing the entry in the Annals of Ulster for the same year we see that it is but a variant for Cluain Deochra. ‘Mors Conmaic Abbatis Cluanna Cochra’. Death of Conmac, abbot of Cluain-Dochre. (Annals of Ulster).
Chronicum Scotorium a record under the year 977 is the same event as that recorded under the same year by the Four Masters and calls the place Cluain Deochra.
The Martyroloby of Donegal mentions 11th January as the feast of Ernan Cluain Deochra. ‘As do righre Colum Cille tairngire’ ‘Ernan of Cluain Deochra for whom Columcille made the prophecy’. It also adds that Cluain Deochra is ‘i gContae Longphort’, ‘in County Longford’.
From all these entries we learn that the place was variously called Cluain Deochr, Dochre, Dochra, Jochre, though this last is most likely a scribal error.
We also learn that it was the site of a monastery of some importance, that its abbot sometimes a bishop and that its patron and probable founder was St. Ernan, contemporary and friend of Columcille.
RICHMOND HARBOUR
Richmond harbour in Clondra was named after the the Lord lieutenant of the day who officially opened the canal in 1817. The canal had taken 28 years to complete, and cost more than twice as much per mile than the Grand canal. An old abbey dating from the 12th century stands beside the present church and two gravestones from the 5th century are located beside the church. This was originally the site of and early monastery and hospice. There was a distillery here in the early nineteenth century which produced 70,000 gallons of whiskey each year and employed 70 people. It later became a corn mill. The old corn mill became a tannery provided employment for more than 200 years and its produce was shipped from Richmond Harbour by barge to major towns and cities. The harbour was also the embarkation point for passengers emigrating to America during famine times.
THE ABBEY
The abbey can be found beside the present day church in the village of Clondra. The building is 12th Century but there is evidence to suggest that the lower part of the walls are 9th Century and the foundation is 4th Century. Parts of the south indicate that it was rebuilt in the 15th Century. There is reference to the monastery of Cluain dá Rath in the Annals of the Four Masters under the date 1323 we can read “Gilla-ainm O’Casey”. The O’Cathasaigh family were erengaghs or stewards of the Monastery lands which afterwards became the church lands of the parish.
THE CHURCH AND GRAVEYARD
Ancient Stones
The oldest ancient stone is a crudely carved headstone. It has a cross enclosed in a circle. It is dated sometime between the 4th and 9th century.
The second is an ancient decorated stone. It may have been a panel in an altar. It is probably from the 12th Century.
Inside the gate there is a stone used as a baptismal font or a holy water font. It dates about 12th Century. It is reputed that sick children and babies were brought here.There is a stone in the graveyard which says
‘Stay passerbys see where I lie,
as you are now, so once was I
As I am now so shall you be
Prepare for death and follow me’.
The stone is dated 1799. It has no name.
Grave Slab
This grave slab is very unusual in that it has no name or inscription on it. It shows a skull and crossed bones and is probably from the 18th Century. People say that it was a sailor’s grave.
18th Century Oubrick Family Headstone
There is a headstone from the 18th Century with the name of the Oubrick Family on it. It was erected Phelim Oubrick family in memory of his father Edmond Oubrick who died 17th June 1740 and also Jane Oubrick. From the carving of scissors and a head of hair inscription at the base of the stone it would appear that one of family may have a barber or hairdresser.
PRESENT CHURCH
Our present church was erected by Fr. Richard O’Farrell in 1835. He was born in Legan in 1777 and ordained in 1816. He dies in 1869. Killashee became the local church from the fall of the abbey until 1835.
CLOGHER HOUSE
Clogher House was owned by Valesius Skipton. He built the houses alongside Clondra Harbour. We know this because his initials (V.S. 1825) is engraved in the wall of the Richmond Inn and in other houses along the Harbour (V.S. 1821). He called himself Valesius Skipton, Gentleman. Clogher was a water spring behind the house where people got water. Springfield is now owned by Walshe’s. The house is at least 160 years old.
RHYNMOUNT HOUSE
According to ‘Farrell’s History’, 1891: ‘It is a very old erection and was at one time the residence of a Montfort Family’. The Montforts later lived at Middleton House, Killashee. In 1761 Henry Montfort was a Grand Juror. (In the days of the Planter).
It is believed to have been owned by the Gouldsbury Family and later by the Dudgeons. Matilda Dudgeon, widow of Charles Dudgeon and was the last of her family to live there. She left in 1900 at the time of the land agitation.
The O.S. field name books 1836–1837 states ‘It is a good dwelling house with some plantation about it’. In 1854 the Rev. George Moore resided there. Their P.L.U. was £10.00.
It was rented by the church for some time and then bought by them on 23rd November, 1905. It was then sold to the Byrne Family 1971.
HOLY WELLS
Ardneeves Well
There is a holy well in Killashee by the name Ardneeves Well, which had certain miraculous powers attached to it.
It is said that if a baby was sick and dipped in the waters of the well it would be cured of its illnesses. Ardneeves means Ard-na-Naomh, ‘The Height of the Saints’, or even Ardnaomh ‘the Great Saint’. Anyhow the holy well is now dried up.
People speak of it as St. Brendan’s Well, which may be a mistake for St. Briuinseach, virgin daughter of Criamhtham of Magh Trea, whose feast was celebrated on 29th May. Magh Trea was one of the sub-division of ancient Annally, lying along the Shannon in the present parishes of Killashee and Clonguish.
Lochan Lee
In the townland of Templeton is a closed up well know to the older people as Lochan Lee (perhaps Loch-na-Lapigh or pool of the calf), which mothers used to bring sick children to be bathed in its healing waters.
A STUDY OF THE 1838 ORDANCE SURVEY MAP
The 1838 Ordnance Survey Map of Royal Canal had a huge effect on the area with its locks, stores and warehouses. A further study shows some very interesting features. The R.C. Chapel, Abbey and school house (probably a private one where the pupils paid the teacher) are shown. A police barracks is shown in Nugents field, what is said to be Sentry posts are still there today. By 1884 the police barracks (p.i.u valuation £6) was located in Clondra in the house now owned by John Bourke.
The Quarry was shown in Mollaghan’s field. This was a large limestone quarry, the number of limestone kilns in the area. There were 24 houses (note no post office) from the present turn to Clondra to the corner. There are only 15 today most of them built within the last 20 years. There are houses located at Aughareevang and Werren, but presumably not the present ones as they are believed to have been built in 1855 by the Fleming Family. Rhynmount, Clogher (Springfield), Nugents, Egans old house and a substantial house on such sites are shown.
There are villages containing clusters of houses – now non-existent at lower Derrenn, Fisherstown, north of Begnagh Bridge and also in Knappogue at Barn Street, High Street and Grinagh Street.
There is quite a lot of woodland both deciduous and coniferous.
Note also the no longer used Mullaghnashee in the townland of Aghnagore “the mound of the fairy fort” at the location of the ring fort in Nugents field.
Castletown is situated at the crossroads near Tarmonbarry village. Jamestown and Bobstown are due south of it
Fisherstown: The OS Studies of 1836–1837 refer to a castle at Fisherstown. The map also refers to a townland called Castletown.
RICHMOND MILLS, CLONDRA
The early history of Richmond Mill is difficult to ascertain due to a lack of documentation prior to the 1830s. It is believed locally to have been established as a corn mill by a Mr Reddy in 1777 and was known as Church Field Mills. However, its size and architectural quality are more indicative of a flour mill in which wheat is ground into flour, rather than a corn mill, where oats are converted to oatmeal.
We cannot be certain that the present mill complex dates from the 1770s. Flour mills such as these were being erected in Ireland during the last quarter of the nineteenth century as a result of government subsidies to encourage flour production and its carriage to Dublin. However it would be surprising if such a large mill was erected at this remote location in 1777, particularly as it was to be another 40 years before the Royal Canal was built. It is not impossible, however, that there was an earlier, smaller, building devoted to oat milling. Taylor and Skinner’s 1777 map (published the following year) cites the ruined (medieval) church but does not show any mill buildings. This may not be a genuine absence as a water channel – possibly a head race – is shown passing under the road bridge. The lack of buildings could well be a consequence of the small size of mill existing at this time and the map’s lack of detail owing to its half-inch scale.
Edgeworth’s 1813 map of County Longford shows Clondra Bridge, a chapel and ruined church; buildings are also depicted in the vicinity of the present mill block. Although their functions are not given, their situation suggests that they are almost certainly mill related. Whether they are one and the same as the present buildings is not determinable.
According to McGlynn (S. McGlynn, A Family on the Shannon: the Flemings of Richmond Harbour, County Longford, Ireland), a William Fleming (born c.1791) came into possession of the site int he 1820s. She also notes that it was converted into a whiskey distillery in 1827. The latter function is confirmed by the 1837 OS 6” map (Co. Longford, sheet 13) which explicitly cites the distillery. The mill house is shown along with blocks 2, 3 and a long range running north-south at the rear. A large block is also shown abutting the west side of block 2. However this has a different footprint and alignment to the present block as was probably demolished when the latter was erected.
Samuel Lewis, writing in 1837, notes that Clondra was an important centre for the marketing of corn (S. Lewis, 1837, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, vol. 2, p. 514). He goes on to state: ‘Here is the extensive distillery of Mr Wm. Fleming, producing annually more than 70,000 gallons of whiskey, and employing upwards of 70 persons’.
Interestingly, Fleming does not appear to have any experience of distilling as his previous employment was as a tobacconist and tanner in Athlone. He was perhaps encouraged to take up distilling on account of the reduction in duty brought about by the Distillery Act of 1823. The distillery’s proximity to the canal and Shannon would also have guaranteed its output ready access to the Dublin and Limerick markets.
In the absence of contrary evidence, it is tempting to speculate that the present complex was erected not as a flour mill in the 1770s, but as a distillery in the 1820s. It seems improbable that so much capital would have been invested at what would have been a relatively remote situation prior to the coming of the canal, and one which was not reputed for its cereal growing. One might also have expected the buildings to have featured more prominently on the 1777 and 1813 maps. The fact that the site was earlier called Church Field Mills but became Richmond Mills after the canal was opened could also suggest a new building and break with the earlier corn milling tradition. That distilleries had a similar architecture to flour mills is also evident elsewhere, e.g. Locke’s Distillery, Kilbeggan, Co Westmeath.
Although we know that a distiller existed in 1837, the townland Valuation House Book is missing from the National Archive so we have no knowledge of the size and function of the various buildings depicted in the OS map. Fortunately, the Valuation Field Book of 1841 does survive although it does not give the same amount of detail. It notes William Fleming as holding a store with a ratable valuation of £4.12s.0d and a house and offices rated at £72. It is highly significant that there is no explicit mention of any manufactory even though the offices’ high valuation indicates that the mill complex was part of the portion being rated. The fact that it is not cited indicates that it was not in operation at the time of its valuation.
McGlynn notes that distilling ceased in 1843 as a result of Fr Mathew’s temperance crusade and that the remises reverted to corn milling. However, the valuation evidence suggests that distilling may have cased several years earlier and that there was not an immediate resumption of milling.
At the time of the 1854 Griffith Valuation the complex was once again working, but this time as a corn mill. Given the changes in land use brought about by the Famine, it is likely that oatmeal milling rather than flour milling was now the norm and more animal feed was probably also being produced. The mill was still owned by William Fleming and had the highest ratable valuation in the entire townland. He also held one-third of the townland and the ratable value of his holding amounted to just over half that of the entire townland.
Although William lived to 1881, the Valuation revision books suggest that his son, also William (born 1817), took over the mill around 1873. The second edition OS 6” map of 1883 shows the mill complex in its present form, along with the gatehouse and associated sheds to the north; it is captioned ‘corn mill’. This configuration of the building indicates that blocks 4 and 5 were added sometime between 1837 and 1883. The north-south range also seems to have a slightly different footprint to its earlier depiction and suggests a rebuild. These additions are also reflected architecturally in that the new blocks all have dressed stone voussoirs. Unfortunately the valuation revision books give no clue as to when exactly this expansion took place as the premises’ rating remains constant at £95 throughout this period. There is, however, mention of a new house and offices in 1877 which have and additional valuation of £20.5s.0d. Given this relatively high figure, it is conceivable that some of the so-called offices could encompass the new blocks, although this is speculation.
William Fleming is described in the 1901 census as a ‘miller and farmer’. His wife had died by this time and he lived with his unmarried son James Watson Fleming (born 1854) who is also cited in the same occupation. On his death in 1905 the mill passed to James. The 1911 OS map shows no change in the site’s configuration and it continues to be captioned as a corn mill. However, it appears to have cased work around this time as it is noted as being ‘at rest’ in the Valuation book entry of the same year.
On James’ death in 1918 the property was sold to Joseph Clyne. The Valuation revision books indicate that the mill recommenced working in 1926, although this possibly happened a few years previously. The only significant development thereafter appears to have been the installation of a water turbine for generating electricity for use in the mill, mill house and for battery charging. The mill was worked by Joseph until his death in 1954 and for a short time afterwards by his son. It finally ceased milling in the late 1950s.
The premises lay disused until acquired by Matt Lyons around 1960 for use as a meat and bone meal processing plant. Towards the end of the decade it was taken over by the Irish Argricultural Wholesale Society who used it as a farmers’ supplies store. Around 1995 the premises were acquired by Irish Tanners. Hides were tanned until 1999, after which only curing took place. Irish Tanners ceased trading from Richmond mills around the year 2000.