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Castlecomer is a former coal mining town in County Kilkenny, Ireland, located in the province of Leinster. The town is positioned at the meeting of N78 and R694 roads about roads north of Kilkenny city in the southeast of the island of Ireland. At the 2011 census, by the Central Statistics Office, the 30.5 square kilometre Electoral District area of Castlecomer had a population was 2,293, with a population density of 75.2 persons per square kilometre. This saw a decrease of 4.5% from the 2006 figure of 2,407 persons.〔 (Alphabetical list of Towns with their population, 2002 and 2006 )〕 The Castlecomer rural area has a population of 8,484.〔 (Table 6. Population and area of each Province, County, City, urban area, rural area and Electoral Division, 2002 and 2006 )〕 Castlecomer rural area has an area of 23,417 hectares. The town is part of the Castlecomer Plateau. The upland plateau area that surrounds it forms a discrete area. It is bounded on the east by the River Barrow, the west by the River Nore and dissected in the centre by the River Dinnin. The name Castlecomer comes from the Irish ‘Caislean an Chumair’, which means ‘the Castle at the confluence of the Waters’, the "waters" referring to the rivers Deen, Brocagh and Cloghogue while the "castle" refers to the castle built by the Normans in 1171 on the mound opposite the gates to "Castlecomer Demesne". == Historical Background == The earliest record of a settlement at Castlecomer dates from circa 1200 when William Marshal, 1st Earl of Pembroke erected a motte and castle east of the existing bridge. The ruins of an ancient Norman Castle exist close to where the Rivers Dinin, Brokagh and Cloghogue meet. Until the 16th century, Castlecomer or comer as it is locally called was the home of the O’Braonáins. In 1635 Thomas Wentworth, earl of Strafford planted an area in Co.Kilkenny with six hundred Yorkshire men. Christopher Wandesforde was granted an area round the present town of Castlecomer. Castlecomer and the surrounding area was owned by the Wandesforde's until the present century.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 work=Castlecomer Locality )〕 The town was laid out in the 17th century by Christopher Wandesford who also established Castlecomer Demesne. The town developed from wealth generated from the mining resources of the immediate area. The town acted as a principal market town for North Kilkenny and as an ‘estate village’ for the Castlecomer Demesne of the coal mine owners; the Wandesforde family.〔(【引用サイトリンク】 url=http://www.kilkennycoco.ie/cdp/cdpvol2/vol2/castlecomerplan.htm )〕 Castlecomer House, the family home of the Wandesfordes, was located on the opposite side of the N78 road. The original house was built in 1638 and was burned down by rebels during the Battle of Castlecomer in 1798. The second house was built in 1802 by Lady Anne Ormonde upon the site of the older residence. This house was on a far grander scale than the original Wandesforde Manor at Kirklington, and was testament to the success of the Wandesforde enterprise in Ireland. The house itself was described as being castellated in its features, which are built to resemble a fortified castle. This may have come about due to the destruction of the previous house, so making it a more imposing building. It is reputated to have had 365 windows one for each day of the year. The entrance and lodge to the manor and house itself can still be seen today, and reminds us of what an impressive site the house would have once been. A sweeping avenue with a bridge over the river (formerly part of a moat protecting the house), continuing on to the house with its castellated porch way, gothic style windows and the family coat of arms adorning the outside. The house had fallen into disrepair by the mid 1970s, and was no longer occupied by the Wandesforde family. The bulk of the building was demolished in 1975. Nothing now remains of the house. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Castlecomer」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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