Historic town

The National Monuments Service's description

The historic settlement of Glenogra was described in the Urban Survey of Limerick as following; 'Glenogra is located on the west bank of the Camoge River in the centre of the county to the east of Croom. It is suggested that the placename derives from Gleann Ogra, "ogra's glen" (Westropp 1904-5, 433). After the coming of the Normans Glenogra was granted to William de Burgh (Empey 1981, 8) and it was only later in the thirteenth century that it passed into the hands of the Desmond Geraldines. An extent of the manor, made on the death of Thomas FitzMaurice in 1298, sheds information on the organisation of the manor and mentions that the burgesses of Glenogra then held six carucates of land and rendered 119s. 6d. annually in rent (Sweetman 1875-86, iv, no. 551: p. 255). In common with many of the other medieval boroughs of Limerick its subsequent history is unclear. Since it formed part of the property of the earls of Desmond it is possible that some form of settlement continued here until the sixteenth century but the documentary sources are silent on this fact. It is likely that the medieval borough was centred on the castle (LI031-038004-) and church (LI031-038005-) but no earthwork features survive. A large Fair Green is marked on the OS map to the south of the castle beside the road which suggests that although the borough may have perished the annual fairs, which would have been a vital part of its live, continued. Lewis (1837, i, 663) points out that in "the demesne of Cahir are traces of some buildings which are supposed to be the ruins of an ancient city". These "ruins" are the well-known medieval dwellings of Caherguillamore excavated by Ó Ríordáin (1942). Although the remains at Caherguillamore are substantial and are of the correct date it is unlikely, because of their distance from the castle and church, that they should be identified with the medieval borough of Glenogra. It is possible that the Fair Green may mark the site of
the market place' (Bradley et. al 1989, 137-8). The 1654-56 Civil Survey of Limerick recorded that Henry, Earl of Bath, was in possession of Glenogra on which there was a 'Castle a Bawne, 30 houses & Cabbins & a Mill together with a Court leet & Court Barron' (Simington 1938, 105).

Compiled by: Caimin O'Brien

Date of upload: 29 January 2019

See attached ASI aerial photograph ASIAP – 307/6 & 7 taken 13/09/2002 and 329/11 & 12 taken 05/10/2002.

References

Empey, C.A. 1981 The settlement of the Kingdom of Limerick. In J. Lydon (ed.), England and Ireland in the Later Middle Ages 1-25. Dublin. Irish Academic Press.

Lewis, S. 1837 A topographical dictionary of Ireland, 2 vols. London. Lewis and Co.

ASIAP - Archaeological Survey of Ireland Aerial Photographs (c. 1996 - c. 2010).

Simington, R.C. (ed.) 1938 The civil survey, AD 1654-1656. Vol. IV: county of Limerick, with a section of Clanmaurice barony Co. Kerry. Dublin. Irish Manuscripts Commission.

Westropp, T.J. 1904-5 A survey of the ancient churches of Co. Limerick. Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy 25C, 327-479.

Bradley, J., Halpin, A., and King, H.A. 1989 Urban archaeological survey - county Limerick (3 vols.). Unpublished report commissioned by the Office of Public Works, Dublin.

Sweetman, H. S. and Handcock, G. F. (eds.) 1886 Calendar of documents relating to Ireland Vol. 5, 1302-1307. London. Historical Manuscripts Commission.