Craanford.
A
small well preserved village on the Gorey to Carnew road. This
village boasts one of the finest attractions in Wexford, a restored
17th century Corn mill. The property has been a focal point of
the village for many hundreds of years and is even mentioned in
the memoirs of the rebel leader Myles Byrne.
This
area is steeped in history, and many interesting remains can still
be seen there today. Two miles west of the village in the townland
of Rossminogue the remains of an old monastic settlement church
and cemetery can be seen. In the Protestant era, a school was
built there for the education of the English nobility. There is
also the site of a monastery at Clonmona close to the village.
Ruins
of ancient churches can also be found in Kilnahue and Knockbrandon,
not far from which a Penal Mass rock can be seen. Craanford parish
has very close connections with the 1798 Insurrection, the last
battle having been fought and won at Ballygullen on July 4th,
1798. There are bicentenery monuments at all these sites.
Also
in the district is the home of the notorious Hunter Gowan at Mount
Nebo, as it was then called. It was later re-christened Mount
Saint Benedict as the Benedictines founded a college there where
many of our former politicians were educated. The college closed
in the early 1920's.
Travelling further north to the parish of Monaseed you will find
the home of Myles Byrne, a famous leader of 1798. A parish hall
is built there in his memory. He later joined the French Army
and is interred in Paris.
Visit
Craanford Mills
