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MOUNTMELLICK AND PORTARLINGTON |
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Mountmellick and Portarlington are typical of the few little
settlements that grew up independently of the great houses, and both
were communities of outsiders. MOUNTMELLICK , about six miles north of
Portlaoise on the N80, was founded in the seventeenth century by Quakers
and still has a spacious eighteenth-century feel to it. You need
imagination to see the houses as the elegant buildings they must once
have been, but Mountmellick in its heyday was undoubtedly both cultured
and prosperous - it had 27 industries, including brewing, distilling,
soap- and glue-making and iron foundries. It was also famous for
Mountmellick work , white-on-white embroidery that used the forms of
flowers and plants to create elegant designs. Displays on this, and on
the town's Quaker heritage, can be found in the renovated Codd's Mill
which now acts as the town's heritage centre (daily 9am-5pm; tel
0502/24525); take the first right after Market Square to the Portlaoise
Road, and the centre along with the fine Old Mill restaurant are on the
right.
PORTARLINGTON , six miles northeast of Mountmellick along the R423, was
founded in 1667 by Sir Henry Bennett, Lord Arlington, and settled by a
group of Huguenot refugees in the late seventeenth century. They built
elegant Georgian houses with spacious orchards and gardens, which once
grew exotic fruit such as peaches and apricots; particularly fine
mansions are to be seen in Patrick Street. Testimony to the town's
French heritage can be seen in some of the French inscriptions on the
tombstones of St Michael's Church, still known as the French Church,
where names such as Champ and Le Blanc survive. The town's elegant
Huguenot menfolk used to sit outside the Tholsel, or Market House, in
Market Square, sipping the exotic new beverage, tea, from porcelain
cups. This idyll had its darker side though: a channel was dug to
encircle the town, already surrounded on three sides by the River
Owenmass, with water to protect it from the displaced Irish, who had
gone to live in the bogs. Today, the town's heritage is celebrated in a
French week - complete with snail-eating competition - in July. The
People's Museum (Sun 11.30am-1pm & 3-5.30pm; free) in the Catholic Club
on Main Street, has exhibits ranging from four thousand-year-old
axe-heads to twentieth-century artefacts.
There are few eating options in the town but for a quick snack try
Matthews café/homebakery on Main Street, which as well as serving good
coffee has a fine collection of books and pamphlets relating to local
history.
Set on the banks of the tranquil River Barrow, between Portarlington and
Monasterevin, the ruins of Lea Castle are an impressive sight. The best
way to reach the castle is to leave Portarlington on the main Dublin
road where, after one mile, there is a sign for Killenard on the right,
while the road to the castle is shortly afterwards on the left; to
access the castle walk through the farmyard near the road or,
alternatively you can head along a pleasant river walk beginning in the
village of Monasterevin four miles to the east. The castle dates back to
the thirteenth century when it was the stronghold of Maurice Fitzgerald,
a member of the powerful Anglo-Norman family who controlled this area.
In 1315 it was burned by Edward Bruce (brother of King Robert Bruce of
Scotland), who had been invited to Ireland by the Irish chieftains to
create trouble for the Anglo-Normans. The castle later provided refuge
for Silken Thomas, another Fitzgerald, after he rebelled against Henry
VIII, and in 1650, like most castles in the area, it fell foul of Oliver
Cromwell's forces after they had taken Dunamase.
One of the few really big estates in County Laois is Emo Court ; take
the R419 from Portarlington (or if approaching from Portlaoise turn off
the N7 at New Inn). Designed by James Gandon for Sir Henry Bennett
around 1790, but not finished, and not entirely according to Gandon's
plans, until the mid-nineteenth century. It's a massive domed building
which has been impressively restored by its present owner after years of
neglect when it was run as a Jesuit seminary. The house is now
administered by the Office of Public Works, and open for guided tours
(mid-June to mid-Sept Tues-Sun 10.30am-5pm; £2/¬2.54; Heritage Card).
You can also wander through the extensive grounds during daylight hours.
The nearby Coolbanagher Church is a modest and graceful building also
designed by Gandon, but unfortunately is only open for services).
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