The Irish army of King James II, after leaving Dundalk, made Ardee their headquarters for a time in 1689, the artillery bastion may have been constructed in anticipation of an encounter with the Williamites. However, on the approach of William’s forces in the autumn before the battle of the Boyne, James II and his army retreated to Drogheda.
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The earliest detailed depiction of the town is Richardson’s map of 1677 and the sense of enclosure is particularly strong in this image. It indicates that the town had four gates: Bridge Gates to the south: and unnamed gate to the west (which is called Ash Walk Gate), Head Gate to the north and Cappock’s Gate to the east.
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The original list was compiled in 1766 by the Vicar of Ardee, William Lill, most likely from the Parochial Tythes Book. Tythes were another form of taxation and constituted a levy raised by the Church upon the population to fund its institutions.
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On 30th May 1842 the first of many inmates (described as the destitute poor) were admitted. Initially the numbers remained between 200 to 600 but, as the potato crops failed from 1845 to 1849, causing the Great Famine, the numbers shot up to over 1,000 which, as we shall see below, was to lead to many health issues and deaths in the Ardee Workhouse.
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A fascinating mystery involves the Ruxton/Fitzherbert intermarriage which is even more confusing than I had outlined above as William Ruxton, the Surgeon General in 1754 purchased Blackcastle (Registry of deeds Dublin) - presumably Letitia’s sons got it back. I'm indebted to Trevor Fitzherbert of Swynnerton (current spelling) for the following narrative. Taken from Co Louth Archaelogical archives
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With the dawn of the fourteenth century the people of Ardee awakened to a period of increase lawlessness in Ireland in general and in the areas north of Ardee in particular. Its position on the very frontier between the Norman Lordship and the Gaelic North influenced the way of life of Ardonians as they must have lived a frontier lifestyle. Taken from Ardee Facebook page - post by Kevin McKenny
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Taken from Ardee Facebook page by Kevin McKenny. The coming of the Pippards opens a new chapter in the history of Ardee because it was them who, as Lords of Ardee, developed the area from the sparse pre-Norman settlement it had been into a vibrant town.
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Whereas the Carmelites, who first appear leading an eremitical life on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land, began to move across Western Europe from the first half of the 13th century. Their mode of living changed during this migration until they came to be reckoned as mendicants. In due course they made their way to Ireland and one of their first foundations in Ireland was at Ardee. Taken from ...
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Joe Dolan was a leading Ardee figure of his time. He knew many of the leading figures of the 1916 rebellion including Paidraig Pearce and Douglas Hyde, the first president. He had a particular interest in promoting the interests of Ardee and was instrumental in the establishment of St Brigid's hospital.
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It is known as The 1917 to 1921 Service Medal. This medal was awarded to those who were deemed to have taken part in the Irish War of Independence on active service. Taken from Ardee Facebook page - courtesy of Kevin McKenny
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