Magheracloone
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Magheracloone Machaire Cluana
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| Town | |
 Magheracloone
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| Coordinates: 53°54′17″N 6°44′06″W / 53.9046°N 6.7349°WCoordinates: 53°54′17″N 6°44′06″W / 53.9046°N 6.7349°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Ulster |
| County | County Monaghan |
| Area | |
| • Total | 52.415 km2 (20.238 sq mi) |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Irish Grid Reference | N825994 |
Magheracloone is a parish in south County Monaghan. Its name comes from the Irish Machaire Cluana which means 'plain of meadow'. This is a strange name for such a hilly parish; it is derived from its most important place in ancient times; a flat area of land in the townland of Camaghy, on which the sports ground and ancient church of St. Molua were located. The parish covers 12,952 statute acres in area, making it the largest parish in South Monaghan. The parish borders three neighbouring counties; Cavan, Louth and Meath. (Magheracloone is the only parish in Monaghan to border Meath).
The parish contains numerous natural resources such as gypsum, which is mined locally. During the 1840s, the population numbered approximately 9,000; today, it is approximately 2000, but is again growing as a result of economic growth and construction, among other factors. The parish's location on the commuter belt, within 50 statute miles of Dublin (approximately 80 minutes' driving time), and 20 minutes from the M1 motorway, make for an idyllic and tranquil place to live, convenient to major urban centres and the capital.
The absentee 'Shirley Family' landlords once owned the majority of land in the parish. Their holdings have since been reduced to include a 4000-acre walled estate, just outside Carrickmacross, where the family seat, Lough Fea house, is located. They also technically own the west side of Carrickmacross Main Street, and continue to collect ground rents from most businesses located there, much to the ire of locals (the case for ground rent has been upheld in the Irish courts).
The 'Battle of Magheracloone' occurred in 1843 at Ss. Peter & Paul's Roman Catholic church. The text now follows of a plaque recently erected there in memoriam:
" In 1843 the tenants on the Shirley estate, of which Magheracloone was a part, refused to pay their rent until their complaints had been addressed by the landlord. Attempts by the bailiffs to seize cattle or goods from the tenants who would not pay were stopped by the activities of ‘The Molly Maguires’. The centre of British rule in Ireland, Dublin Castle, agreed to provide troops to protect the agents who were serving notices of eviction to tenants. On June 5, 1843, a bailiff from the Shirley Estate along with a company of troops marched toward the church of Saints Peter and Paul (this very church) in Magheracloone. The intention was to post a notice of eviction to several tenants in the area, on the door of the church. They were met by a large, howling and hooting crowd who blocked their path. The troops fixed their bayonets and moved forward, only to be met with a shower of stones. Several of the troops were hit with stones and at the same instant the entire company discharged one round each from their guns into the crowd. The crowd backed off. The Company Commander, fearful of a greater slaughter, called his troops back to their carriages and they beat a speedy retreat, followed all the way by angry remnants of the crowd. However, back on the road in front of the church a young servant boy lay dead. Peter Agnew from Lisnaguiveragh, Carrickmacross was at service with Owen Smith of Corrybracken Two days later the coroner’s jury (composed of six Protestants and thirteen Roman Catholics) held that as it was not known whose shot had killed the boy, no responsibility could be assessed. But the jury pointedly commented that ‘it has not been sufficiently proved to us that at the time of the firing the party of Constabulary were in imminent risk of their lives’. (Outrage Papers). While this incident may be described as a mere skirmish with one fatality, reporting of the event in the local, national and international newspapers prompted questions to be raised in the House of Commons ".
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Wikipedia