historical

Charleville is situated on the north eastern slopes of the extension of a ridge known in Ancient Ireland as Drom Iomnacht .

A North Cork town on the main road 23 miles from Limerick and 37 miles from Cork

Charleville was founded in 1661 by Roger Boyle , better known as Lord Broghill . He named the town after King Charles 11 of England . The borough of Charleville was granted a Royal Charter in 1670 and returned two members
to the British Parliament .

Lord Broghill set up manufactories of linen and woolen clothes and all other good trades . He supplied artists , looms and all sorts of instruments . He died in 1679 .

In 1690 the Duke of Berwick on returning from the Siege of Limerick burned to the ground Charleville Mansion , the residence of Lord Broghill and thus ended the Boyle connection with Charleville .

1769 A market house was built           corner of Broad Street ,           which is now used as the           Courthouse .
1791 The first Bianconi coach           came to Charleville .
1807 There were two Inns in            Charleville namely The            Duke of York and The            Military Hotel
1812 The Catholic Church was            built in Chapel Street
           ( Parochial Hall)

1821 Charleville to Newmarket Road cut
1831 The Charleville via Croom Limerick Road was cut .
1836 The Sisters of Mercy first came to Charleville . The order still exists here .
1843 Daniel O ' Connell " The Liberator " spoke at a monster meeting in the town
1844 Robert Browne , Bishop of Cloyne , born here

1849 The first steam train            arrived in Charleville .
1849 Father Croke was a            curate here            ( Archbishop Croke )
1854 The Charleville Fever            Hospital closed .
1870 Houses on the Main           Street converted    from           thatch to slate .

Dargans Lane Overlooking Stephens Glen, Dargans Lane extended from the present park gate on the Newline to the place on which stands “Glenard “. William Dargan was a contractor employed in the laying down of the Dublin-Cork railway. His name appears among the 1850 list of subscribers to the Charleville fever hospital. One of the first locomotives to pass through Charleville Station was named after him.	Rowlands Quay The name Rowland is coming sown from the Cromwellian days. Rowaland was an officer in the Cromwellian army. The quay that bears his name is that portion of the Glen River, which runs between the old Cork road and Bakers Lane. At one time there was a row of houses along this portion of the river. It was known as Rowlands Quay.	The Glen The name generally applied to that section of the valley, which lies between the New Line and Cork Road. In the early days of the last century, the Glen was a terrace of thatched houses, which were destroyed in an eviction of 1848. On the instructions of the Landlord Sanders a roofing of felt was put on each, and the houses were renovated for the purpose of making them the “married quarters” for the RIC in the early days of that force.
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Manor House The manor house was said to be second to none in the land standing in a domain of 800 acres, with fine gardens and pleasure grounds. The present Moatville house stands on the same site. Lord Broghill lived on at Charleville while he was Lord President of Munster. He died at Castlemartyr in 1679. Subsequent to his departure from Charleville the manor house was frequently without a Boyle. As a result when Berwick was returning through Charleville he called to the manor. None of the Boyle family was in resident. Before departing the Duke ordered the mansion to be set on fire. Next morning dawned showing flame and smoke belching through doors and windows of the stately building. The tall, gaunt walls besmirched with the grime of soot and smoke were all that now stood as a memorial to the thirty short years of the Boyles residence. The stone of the ruined manor house was later used to build much of the present day town of Charleville. Such was the course of events, which so affected the historical aspects of the district as to give birth to a new town with a name commemorative of an English King.	Industries BRICKMAKING The soil around Charleville particularly in the southern suburbs in a district known as Fortlands had a high calcium carbonate percentage in it. Clay with such mineral content was suitable for brick making and consequently fairly large brickwork’s thrived in Charleville until the suitable clay ran out in the second half of the 19th century. The brickworks must have been one of the oldest of the local industries. MILLS In 1846 there were two mills listed. One is known as “The Manor Meal Mill” and was owned by the O’ Shaughnessy family. Another mill – The Barrack Mill – is possibly the older one at the back of Moatville House, and was recently demolished. This was so called as it was built on the original site of the military barracks established in conjunction with the town of Charleville in 1672.	COMMERCE in the mid 19th Century Along with those mentioned we find there were three “tallow chandlers” (candle makers) five coopers, six blacksmiths, nine boot and shoe makers, thirteen bakers, thirteen butchers, three gunsmiths, two carpenters, three stone masons, seven wheelwrights, three tailors, one hatter, two straw bonnet makers, and one milliner, one painter and plumber, and one feather merchant. There were eight grocers and spirit merchants, seven irons and hardware men, eight public houses as well as three inns and hotels, six sundry shopkeepers. The greatest industrial development in the history of Charleville happened in 1947 when eleven cheese creameries combined to erect a factory adjacent to the site of the old mansion house. The growth and expansion of the industry encouraged its board to branch into other fields of activities resulting in the present Golden Vale complex.
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Holy Cross Church was built 100 years ago in the year 1902. The Following is a list of the Parish Priests who have served since then;
Rev. Patrick O'Callaghan           1895- 1918
Rev. Michael Madden               1918- 1923
Rev. Thomas Roche                   1923- 1935
Rev. John Burke                          1935- 1960
Rev Canon Daniel Murphy       1960- 1985
Rev Canon Seamus Corkery     1985- 1992
Rev. Father Brue                         1992- 1996
Rev Canon Sean Cotter              1996

                   Holy Cross     Pic

Holy Cross Church is the name of the most recent Catholic Church in Charleville. The foundation stone of this very beautiful Gothic-Revival building was laid by Dr. Robert Browne ( a native of Charleville), Bishop of Cloyne, on September 18th 1898. It was concreted and officially opened on 4th May 1902 by Dr. Browne. The spire and belfry were not completed until 1910.

Prior to the building of Holy Cross Church, Catholics worshiped in the church in Chapel Street, a church which was erected in 1812 and was in use up to the opening of the new church in1902. This gem of architecture was converted for use as a Parochial Hall in 1902.

A major refurbishment took place between October 1983 and January 1996; the front wall of the old church has been completely preserved and restored, and despite the ravages of time and weather, the building is in a remarkably fine condition.

It offers great community hall facilities these days.

Before the Protestant Reformation (1536), we accept that the Norman family of de Cogan, who ruled this area of north Cork built a church or monastery between 1241 and 1439 in the land now known as Ballysally cemetery; but after the church was ransacked - there are ruins in the cemetery to this day - there is no record to indicate where the Catholics worshiped between the time of the destruction and the building of the Parish Church in Chapel Street in 1812.

Very likely Mass houses, poorly furnished thatched cabins, open at one end, served for the purpose of worship where that was possible in Penal times. The church which was built in1812 catered for the catholic population of over 5,000. It originally had no belfry but one was added in 1829 and the bell, now on display in the Parochial Hall, is calmed to have been the first to be erected and rung when Daniel O'Connell gained Catholic Emancipation.