Clane, Clongoweswood and Bodenstown

CHAPTER XXIII

To visit the district described in this chapter, the most convenient route for cyclists on the outward journey is via Celbridge, which can be reached either by Lucan or Glondalkin, as may be desired. On entering Ceibridge, we proceed along the village street towards the southern end, past the old mill, and keep straight ahead along the Clane road, ascending gradually for about a mile, through a well wooded country. At a distance of two miles from Celbridge, we pass, on the left, in a field beside the cross-roads, St. Patrick’s Chapel, a diminutive ruined building, and a short distance further, St. Patrick’s Well, enclosed and protected by stonework. This well is much resorted to for deafness, sore eyes, and other ailments, and the overhanging bushes bear ample evidence of the survival of the interesting old custom of attaching offerings. Adjoining the well is St. Patrick’s Hill, rising to a height of 308 feet. A narrow and somewhat uninteresting road passes hence to Clane, through a country which evidently was at one time swampy, but has since been reclaimed by drainage.

At a distance of twenty miles from Dublin, we enter Clane, a neat village with a wide street running nearly north and south, and possessing modem churches for both the Catholic and Protestant denominations, as well as the ruins of an ancient ecclesiastical establishment. There is a legend that in the 6th century St. Ailba of Ferns, who, like Romulus and Remus, is fabled to have had a wolf for foster mother, founded a religious community at Clane; and in 1162 a diocesan synod was held there. In this, as in other communities throughout the

country, however, a complete change was effected by the advent of the Anglo-Normans - new fashions, new ceremonials, and new foreign orders were introduced, and about the year 1260 this place was selected as a settlement for the Franciscans, for whom Gerald Fitzmaurice, Lord of Offaly, built a Stately abbey, the ruins of which still stand in a conspicuous Position a short distance south of the village.

In the Patent Rolls, it is recorded that on the 14th March, 1391, the King granted to the Provost, Bailiffs and Commonalty of Clane, the right to impose for a period of seven years, duties upon goods entering their town, in order to provide funds for the erection of a new bridge over the Liffey or Annaliffey as it was then called. The bridge at Clane, and also that at Millicent, about 1½ miles to the south, are each built close to the site of an ancient ford, and the former of these fords having been known as Clane Ath, originated the modern name of the locality. About half a mile from Millicent bridge, down the river, is a place bearing the apparently meaningless name of Castlesize, the ancient and correct form of which, however, sheds an interesting side light on the perilous conditions of travel in former times. “Casan,” meaning a path, points to the existence of a pathway down to the river, and “size” - doubtless a corruption of “sojilse,” a light, would indicate that a light was, on dark and stormy nights, exhibited at some point on the river, to guide travellers to the ford. A glance at the Ordnance Map wjll show that the cross road from Sherlockstown is abruptly deflected from its course here, its original route having been probablY in a direct line across the river by the ancient ford, close to where Castlesize House now stands.

The village of Clane doubtless originated with the Celtic ecclesiastical establishment, in later times becoming a mere appanage of the great Anglo-Norman Abbey, and the inhabitants almost wholly dependent upon the wealthy and influential community that occupied it. The geographical position of Clane on the border of the English Pale, invested it with an importance out of proportion to its deserts, and led to its incorporation in the 15th century, as a borough with a portreeve and burgesses. Its distance from the coast, though a serious disadvantage to it as an English settlement, for centuries saved it from the attentions of the Danes, their only visit to the place, in 1035, resulting disastrously to the marauders, who were overtaken near Dublin and annihilated by the exasperated inhabitants.

On January 23, 1454, the Portreeves and Commons of Clane, Naas, and some neighbouring towns, presented a joint memorial to the Duke of York, Lord Deputy of Ireland, setting forth that, “This land of Ireland, was never at the point finally to be destroyed sethin the conquest of this lande, as it is now, for the trew liege people in this partiss dar ne may not appier to the King’s Courtes in the said lande, ne noone other of the trew liege people ther to go ne ride to market towns ne other places, for dred to be slayne, to take or be spoiled of ther godes; also the mysrule and misgovernaunce had gone, and dayly contynued by divers gentlemen of the counte and your liberte of Mith, the Countes of Kildare and Uriell, and namly of a variance had betwixt the Erie of Wiltshire, Lieutenant of this said lande, and Thomas FitzMorice, of the Geraldines, for the title the maners of Maynoth and Rathmore, in the Counte of Kildare, had caused more destruccionne in the sayde Counte of Kildare and liberte of Mith within some tyme now late passed, and dayly doth, than was done by Irish enemys and English rebelles of long time before and is likely to be fyflall destruccionne in the sayd Counte of Kildare and liberte of Mith. For Henry Bonyn Knyght, with Edmond Botiller, and William Botiller, with ther sequie of which most part was Irish enemys and English rebelles, came and burned and distrued divers and many towns and paroche churches of the trew liege people, and take dyvers of them prisoners, and spouled ther godes. And, after the departure of the sayd Henry and Edmond, the sayd William, abyding in the sayd Counte of Kildare, by ther avice and counsaill, did so grete oppressionne that vifloc townes and more, which was well enhabke in the feste of Seynte Michael lass passed, been now wasted and destrued.”

Nearly opposite Clane Abbey, and on the banks of the Butterstream, is a large block of stone, with a hollow cut in it, supposed by some to be the pedestal of a cross, by others believed to be what is known as a bullaun, or rock-basin, a relic of pre-Christian times, used in certain ceremonials connected with pagan worship. The rain-water which collects in the basin is reputed to be a cure for warts, in consequence of which it is locally known as “The Wart Stone.”

A short distance south of the village, and immediately to the right of the road before reaching Clane Bridge, is the Moat of Clane, traditionally reputed to mark the grave of Mesgegra, King of Leinster, who, in the first century, was slain in single combat with Connall Cernach, a famous warrior of the Red Branch Knights, and champion of Ulster. At the ford of Clane, near where Clane Bridge now stands, these two warriors met, and after a brief combat, the Ulster champion beheaded the ill-fated Leinster King, and carried off his head in his chariot. Soon afterwards he met Queen Buan, the Royal consort of Mesgegra, attended by her retinue, who, in reply

to Connall’s inquiry, informed him that she was Mesgegra’s Queen. Connall then told her that he had her husband’s head in his chariot, whereupon she raised a loud cry of lamentation, and fell down dead. A detailed account of this tragedy is given in an old romance, entitled “The Siege of Howth,” in the Book of Leinster. The moat at Mainham, a conspicuous object in the little village, about a mile and a half north of Clane, is believed to mark the resting-place of the brokenhearted Queen, who, it is recorded in the old romance, was buried by the wayside, where in time a hazel tree grew over her grave.

It was in the neighbourhood of Clane that the rebellion commenced in 1798, and at the adjacent village of Prosperous, the temporary barracks occupied by the North Cork Militia and “The Ancient Britons,” was attacked by the insurgents and burnt. Prosperous had been built only 18 years previously by Captain Brooke, who established there an extensive cotton factory, but ruined himself by the expenditure. Portion of Clane Parish Church was burnt during the disturbances, and about the same time all the old parochial records mysteriously disappeared.

In the early part of the last century there lived at Clane a lady of considerable literary repute - Mrs. Griffiths, wife of Richard Griffiths, of Millicent, and mother of the Sir Richard Griffiths, who carried out the famous valuation o~ Ireland associated with his name. Her husband, as Major of the Clane Yeomanry, fought in the first battle with the insurgents at Clane.

About a mile north of Clane is the well-known Catholic College of Clongowes Wood, for nearly a century one of the foremost public schools in Ireland. The earliest recorded mention of this locality is in a Roll of Henry IV., under date of 24 Feb., 1417, assigning as portion of the dower of Anastatia Wogan of Rathcoffey, one-third part of the “Sylva de Clongow” (the Wood of Clongowes). Clongowes next fell into possession of that great territorial family, the Eustaces, who, though at first zealous members of the Anglo-Norman garrison, gradually became by intermarriage with Irish families, very divided in their sympathies. During the troubled times of 1641, when this neighbourhood was the scene of much strife and bloodshed, James Eustace, of Clongowes, mortgaged his estates, and fought on the side of the Irish. A detachment of troops, with their officer, Captain Hues, was at this time quartered at Clongowes Wood Castle, where they were hospitably entertained by Mrs. Eustace, a venerable old lady, 90 years of age, who was, however, barbarously murdered in her own house by her ungrateful guests because, according to tradition, she reflised to surrender the key of a secret stronghold in the castle, retaining it in her mouth until her jaws were broken by the soldiers.

The Eustaces, on account of the part they took in the rising, never recovered their Clongowes estates, which were forfeited, and many members of the family then went abroad, some of their descendants fighting in the army of James the Second, while others attained to positions of distinction in the service of France.

After its confiscation, Clongowes Wood was purchased by Sir Richard Reynell, who in 1667 sold it to the Brownes, and by the latter its name was changed to Castlebrowne.

fly inter-marriage with the Wogans of Rathcoffey, an ancient and distinguished Catholic family of this neighbourhood, the Brownes became the Wogan-Brownes, who are still extant. One of the Brownes became a Marshal in the Austrian service, and fell in action at the battle of Prague in 1757, while another of them - the last that owned Clongowes Wood - General Michael Wogan Browne of the Saxon Army - fought under Napoleon in the Grand Army before Moscow.

A most circumstantial story is told in the records of the family, of the appearance of Marshal Browne at Clongowes on the day of his death. It appears that while he was abroad, the house was occupied by his two sisters, who, on the day in question, were upstairs engaged with needlework. Opening off the spacious hall of the mansion was a room, used as a laundry, which, on account of the necessary fire there, was a favourite resort for the servants. The door of this room, and also the hall door were open on this occasion, when the servants assembled there were much astonished to see enter the hall, an officer, flilly accoutred, holding his hands to his breast, from which blood was flowing and staining his white uniform. Immediately afterwards they followed him upstairs to the room where the two Misses Browne were working, but no trace of him could be discovered there, and the two ladies stated that they had seen nothing, although they at once suspected that what the servants had seen was the apparition of their brother, who, they surmised, had met his death on some foreign battlefield. So confident were they that this was the case, that they forthwith ordered mourning, had Masses celebrated, and even held a wake with all the lavish hospitality of the Irish gentry in those days. A fortnight after this incident, a communication arrived at Clongowes from abroad informing the family of the Marshal’s death at the battle of Prague, on the day and at the very hour when the servants had seen his apparition.

About the year 1810 Clongowes Wood came into possession of the before-mentioned General Michael Wogan-Browne of the army of Saxony. He found the estates encumbered, and there being little inducement to return to his native land owing to the oppressive laws in force against his coreligionists, he decided to sever his connection with the place, and accordingly sold it, in 1813, to the Irish Jesuits, who, after some opposition on the part of the Government, opened it in the following year as an educational establishment. For its subsequent history, which is outside the scope of this chapter, the reader is referred to *The Story of Clongowes Wood, *by the Rev. T. Corcoran, S.J., published by the Catholic Truth Society of Ireland.

Returning to Clane, we pass at the southern end of the village, the ruins of the Abbey, a large rectangular building, bare and unattractive in appearance. Continuing along the high road, closely following the green wooded banks of the Liffey, in about two miles from Clane, we turn to the left at Castlesize, passing immediately on the right Bodenstown Church, an ancient edifice with an abundant growth of ivy, and celebrated as being the burial place of Wolfe Tone. The original tombstone marking the family resting place is supplemented by a more recent ornamental memorial, and the whole is enclosed by a massive iron cage to protect the monuments from injury or desecration.

A pretty by-road conducts us hence over the G. S. & W. Railway by a high bridge, from which on a clear day is obtained a fine view of the western fringe of the Dublin range extending intO Kildare - a succession of softly rounded hills, exhibiting varied tints according to the nature of the cultivation. In the immediate foreground is the wooded hill of Oughterard, and in the distance may be seen some of the higher elevations towards the southern portion of Wicklow. Shortly after passing the railway we cross the Grand Canal by Devonshire Bridge, and at length meet a road at right angles, where turning to the right we presently reach Kill, whence our homeward journey lies along the well-known Naas road.

The total length of the circuit described in this chapter is 42 miles.

In the preparation of this article the following contributions to the Journals of the County Kildare Archaeological Society have been consulted, viz.:- Vol. III., *Clane Abbey, *by the late Rev. Professor George Stokes, D.D.; *The Moat at Clane, *by T. Cooke-Trench, Esq., D.L.; *Clongowes Wood, *by the Rev. Matthew Devitt, S.J.; Vol. I., *The Grave of Buan, Near Clane, *by the Rev. Matthew Devitt, S.J.; *Notes, Antiquarian and Historical, on the Parish of Glane, *by the Rev. Canon Sherlock; Vol. IV., Further article on same subject by the same writer.

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