Ardfinnan

Ardfinnan Ard Fhíonáin
Village
Ardfinnan Castle
Ardfinnan Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°18′35″N 7°53′07″W / 52.30974°N 7.88517°W / 52.30974; -7.88517
Country	Ireland
Province	Munster
County	Tipperary
Elevation	55 m (180 ft)
Population  (2022)[1]
• Total	978
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid Reference	S077174

Ardfinnan (Irish: Ard Fhíonáin, meaning 'High place of Finnian') is a village in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is situated on the River Suir and R665 regional road. The Catholic parish of Ardfinnan is made up of three areas: Ardfinnan, Ballybacon, and Grange. Ardfinnan is also a civil parish in the ancient barony of Iffa and Offa West.^[2] The village is located 14 km (9 mi) from the town of Clonmel and 10 km (6 mi) from Cahir via the R670 road. As of 2022, the village had a population of 978 people.^[1]

Saint Declán journeyed through here in the early 5th century on his famous early-christian pilgrimage route from his monastery at Ardmore to Cashel, “Saint Declan’s Way”. The ford in the Suir where the bridge is now was one of the most important waypoints for pilgrims.

It is traditionally believed that Saint Fíonán Lobhar (or Finnian the Leper) founded an abbey, with a leper colony here in the 6th century, high up behind the site of the now present castle, known as Ard Brennuin and later Ard Finnan in his namesake, where the village gets its name. The 10th century text Litany of Irish Saints II refers to it as “de muntir Fhinnio i nAird Brendomnaig”^[3] and closely means “monastery of Finnian on the hill of Brennuin”.

In c.631 AD the exiled Saint Carthage and his large cohort of monks travelled south in search of refuge, arriving at Ard Breanuinn on the bank of the river Suir. They were confronted by King Maolochtair of the Déisi and his noblemen to refute the ownership of the land. Afterwards, the King's wife (a daughter of the King of Munster) had a dream which she recalled to him upon waking:

"a flock of very beautiful birds flying above her head and one bird was more beautiful and larger than the rest.  The other birds followed this one and it nestled in the king's bosom". The King replied:  "Woman you have dreamed a good dream and soon it will be realised; the flock of birds you have seen is Mochuda (Saint Carthage)" "with his monks coming from Rahen and the most distinguished bird is Mochuda himself.  And the settling in my bosom means that the place of his resurrection will be in my territory.  Many blessings will come to us and our territory through him."^[4]

King Maolochtair met Saint Carthage again to make peace and granted him this land to establish the settlement of Ardfinnan around Ardfinnan Abbey. A similar place further south on the pilgrim path was also granted, considering the large number of monks, from which grew Lismore around his great centre of western learning Lismore Abbey.^[5][4]

In 908, King of Munster Cormac mac Cuilennáin bequeathed one ounce of gold, one ounce of silver, his horses, armour and sword to Ardfinnan Abbey. It was said that when Lismore Abbey was sacked by Cambro-Normans during the Norman Invasion of Ireland in 1178, the monks brought all the "Sacred Vessels with them" to Ardfinnan. Ardfinnan Abbey was also said to be fled, then plundered and burnt in 1178.^[6] Both abbeys of Ardfinnan and Lismore were replaced by Norman sister castles in 1185. Ardfinnan Abbey possibly reformed 4 miles north at Caher Abbey in Cahir.

A Carmelite abbey was later built on the opposite side of the river valley, known as Lady's Abbey, of which its ruin is still extant after it was destroyed during the English Reformation. There was also a monastery for Franciscan Friars, Third Order Regular.

A prominent feature of the village is the Anglo-Norman Ardfinnan Castle, built with its sister Lismore Castle by Prince John of England in 1185. It was likely built over and with the masonry of Ardfinnan Abbey. As Lord of Ireland, John issued royal charters from the castle during his brief stay there.^[7] The castle and surrounding manor was the site of numerous battles defending the border of Waterford. The 14 arch bridge was started soon after the castle was completed. The castle's list of former owners include the Knights Templar. The castle is now a private home and is not open to the public.^[8]

A 50 meter diameter fairyfort exists at the crest of the highest point in Ardfinnan, in the Spital-land townland.^[9]

Mulcahy, Redmond & Co. woollen mills were established by the Mulcahy family in the 19th century at the watermill of Ardfinnan Castle. The six-story mill was for a time leased as a gristmill to James Fennell (Quaker flour-milling family) by James Prendergast of Ardfinnan Castle. John Hogan Burke & Co. also had a weaving factory here.^[10] Factory Hill Road between the mill and St. Finnian's Church was known for cottage weaving and spinning. The monastic settlements, particularly Ardfinnan Abbey, would have brought milling and learned crafts to Factory Hill. It's believed the Knights Templar finished cloth woven on Factory Hill by fulling at the mill in the Middle Ages. A miller named William the Dyer was recorded in the medieval village of Ardfinnan, then on Factory Hill Road, in 1295.^[11] The old coach road between Cork and Dublin passed by here and the economy was stimulated by pilgrims. Alternately, the Countess of Donoughmore set up an annual clothing market after the famine, called the Ardfinnan Clothing Club.^[12]

The woollen mills became a leading firm in Irish textiles and was of great benefit to the village of Ardfinnan, providing employment to as many as 300 workers at its peak and electricity and gas for streetlights and homes in the surrounding area long before the Rural Electrification Scheme was introduced. King Edward VII visited the mills in 1904. It closed in 1973.

Ardfinnan was a location, used by Atari, for the manufacture of wooden video game arcade cabinets from 1974 to 1984. At its height 200 workers were building 2,000 arcade cabinets a month at the location just outside the village. The plant in Ardfinnan closed in 1989.^[13]

An insulation manufacturing company, Moy Isover, was also based in the village from 1974 until its closure in 2008.^[14]

In January 2017, €800,000 was allocated for essential remedial works on the bridge by the government. As a public safety initiative, a traffic light one way system was put in place on the bridge from the end of 2015 after significant structural damage was discovered.^[15]

During the week, the area is served five times a day in each direction by Bus Éireann route 245 linking it to Clonmel, Mitchelstown, Fermoy and Cork. At the weekend, there are three buses each way.

The local Gaelic Athletic Association clubs include Ballybacon-Grange GAA and Ardfinnan GAA. The former is primarily a hurling club. The latter, a Gaelic football club, won the Tipperary Senior Football Championship in 2005.

Ardfinnan Anglers have licensed fishing rights to approximately 15 km of river bank on the river Suir. Brown trout and Salmon can be caught in these waters. The river banks are maintained annually by club members who perform the work voluntarily before the commencement of the annual fishing season.

• List of abbeys and priories in the Republic of Ireland (County Tipperary)

• Ardfinnan.net website (archived 2009)
• Article from Ardfinnan Tidy Towns (archived 2014)