Ballymore Eustace - History

History

Ballymore Eustace in the 13th century - at the time simply known as Ballymore - was the site of a castle, which in 1244 was granted an eight day fair to be held on site by Henry III. The upkeep of the castle was given to Thomas Fitzoliver FitzEustace as constable in 1373, whose family name came to be associated with the town, lending it its present name. Several of Thomas' descendants also held the office of Constable, including his grandson Sir Richard FitzEustace ( appointed 1414 ) and his great-grandson Sir Robert FitzEustace ( appointed 1445). No trace of the castle exists today, but the importance of Ballymore is emphasized by the fact that Parliament was held there in 1389. It was a border town of "the Pale", giving it strategic importance in the area, but also leading to its raiding by local families.

The first reference to a church is in 1192, but the existence of two High Crosses in St. John's Graveyard indicates pre-Norman church site.

The town and surrounding lands formed for centuries one of three detached portions of the barony of Uppercross, County Dublin. These lands, originally part of Dublin because they belonged to religious foundations there, were among the last such exclaves in Ireland, being merged into Kildare only in 1836.

The town was the scene of one of the first clashes of the 1798 rebellion when the British garrison were attacked by United Irish rebels on 23 May but managed to defeat the attack in the Battle of Ballymore-Eustace. In the 19th century, the town's largest source of employment was a cotton mill (owned by the Gallagher family), the ruins of which still stand by the river at a spot known as the "pike hole". This mill employed in the region of 700 people and a row of single-storey houses were built nearby to accommodate a number of their families - this terrace today known as "Weaver's row", running alongside and down the hill from the Catholic church.