Horseleap

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Horseleap
An Chapail

Location

WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates:
53°23′34″N 7°34′55″W / 53.392709, -7.582047

Statistics

128m

Population (2006)

Horseleap (Irish: An Chapail) is a town situated upon the Offaly, Westmeath county border in Ireland, on the R446, formerly the main Dublin to Galway road. The village itself possesses a church, primary school, a garden centre, a pub, and a petrol station. Horseleap dates back to the 12th century steeped in Ui Neill, Geoghegan history.

1 History
2 Transport
3 See also
4 References

[edit] History

De-Lacy's.. Mc-Geoghegan's Stallion?

The village was originally known as Ardnurcher (Irish: Átha an Urchair, meaning 'the ford of the cast, or shot'), also sometimes spelled Ardnorcher or Ardnocher; the name probably derives from the legend that Conchobar mac Nessa was killed here.^[1] The origin's of Horseleap's present name dates back to 1192. The Norman lord Brian Fitzgerald had been riding through the lands neighbouring his castle in Danore. He came across members of the Mac Geoghan clan who had long disputed De Lacy's claim to the lands. Following a dispute, De Lacy was forced to flee on horseback from the Mac Geoghans. On approaching his castle he discovered that the drawbridge was raised forcing De Lacy's horse to jump the castle's moat. De Lacey survived the jump and escaped almost certain death at the hands of the Mac Geoghan clan.^{[citation needed]}

The battle of Ardnocher took place here in 1329 between the forces of Thomas Butler and William MacGeoghegan. MacGeoghegan won and Butler and many of his soldiers were killed.

[edit] Transport

The Midland Great Western Railway once maintained a railway station here. Horseleap railway station opened on 1 December 1876, closed to passenger and goods traffic on 27 January 1947 and finally closed altogether on 1 July 1965.^[2]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

^ Eugene O'Curry, Lectures on the Manuscript Materials of Ancient Irish History, (Dublin 1861), page 593.
^ Horseleap station. Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved on 2007-10-16.