Location

Clogga is a picturesque area set in the countryside found in the south of Kilkenny. It is the largest townsland in the parish of Mooncoin(or Pollrone). It is said to have been given its name because of the mountains and hills which surround it. The spelling changed throughout history. In a census from 1659 Clogga was spelt "Cloghagh". It was also once spelt "Clogath". The modern gaelic(Irish name) for Clogga is "Clagga".

There is more than a thousand acres in Clogga. The main route from Piltown to Kilmacow passes through it. Clogga is over-looked by the Walsh Hills, the Comeragh Mountains and Slieve na mBan. Clogga begins around Sinnotts Cross and stretches as far as Maguires cross. It also goes up as far as Tubrid by the newline which was opened in the 19th Century. This road then goes around to connect to Kellys cross(including Cloneen). Kilnaspic church, which is part of the parish of Mooncoin(or Pollrone), serves the people of Clogga. It is of very close proximity. The population of Clogga is 110 (approx.) people.

New line	Maguires/Ardera cross

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Agriculture in Clogga

Clogga is mainly an agricultural area. The majority of the inhabitants are farmers. Dairy and beef farming is predominant. Farming has been practised in the region for hundreds of years due to the fertile soil.

Here are some accounts from a local farmers diary in the 40's/ 60's & other pictures:

Click on picture to Enlarge.

Diary from 1946	Diary from 1947	Diary from 1960's	Diary from 1943	Bulider Walsh brothers cutting corn in 1920's
Clogga Farmhouse	Farmhouse	Cattle!

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Walsh's of Clogga

Five different families of Walsh's (not related) existed in Clogga up until the 1960's. For distinguishing purposes they were given nick-names. These were the "Doran" Walsh's, the "Jobber" Walsh's, the "Big Pat" Walsh's, the "Martin Walsh's" and the "Swithin" Walsh's. Four different Walsh families still remain.

The Swithin Walsh's get their name from Bill Walsh (RIP), who was born on St. Swithins day (15th July) 1910. This name then stuck with him through his life.
The "Jobber" Walsh's got their name because the family used to "job" in cattle. This meant trading and dealing with cattle.
The "Martin" Walsh's get their name because the man of the house was named Martin.
The "Big Pat" Walsh's get their name because, again, the man of the house was called Patrick.

At the present day in Clogga there are four "Mrs. A. Walsh's" which can be confusing for the postman!

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Clogga Census from 1821

In 1821 a census was carried out of all the townslands under the Barony of Iverk (Piltown). Clogga is under the parish of Polerone along with:
Ballybrassil, Donnane, Polrone, Grange, Afaddy(Silverspring), Nicholastown, Kilcraggan, Ballytarsney, village of Mooncoin, and Middlequarter.

Census 1821

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Clogga Mill

Clogga Mill was owned by the Mennell family until the 1920's. It was then bought by Jimmy McDonald. He and his sister Peg resided there till their deaths in the 1970's and 1980's. It was then passed on to their nephew Wattie Hogan RIP who resided their until his death in 1999. It is still in the posession of the Hogan family.

The mill was used to grind corn to meal to be used for animal feed stuffs. It was run for many years by Jack O'Shea who also lived in the mill until his death in the 1960's.

The mill is still standing today and has the original water wheel and grinding stone. There was also a shop which sold sweets, cigarettes etc. The mill and shop closed in the early 80's. It was forced to close with the introduction of silage and the mass production of feedstuffs.

The Mill	Grinding stone	The Mill	Mill Wheel	Mill Wheel	Mill Shop

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Clogga Post Office

A post office was opened in Clogga in the late 1800's . It was situated at "Sams" which was just beside Larrisseys shop. Because of a bad education system in Ireland at the time, the postman in Clogga was illiterate. His wife, who sorted the letters in the post office, put different colour thread on each of the different letters to distinguish the different families eg. A letter for the Kelly family had a blue colour thread put on it. Later the post box was moved to the home of the Walls were it ceased working some years later. The post office closed in the first half of the 1900's. It can be seen on the old map on the picture page. The post box still exists at the home of the Walls today.

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Clogga Forge

The blacksmiths forge was run by the Kelly family. The forge was situated at their home on the main road in Clogga near Kellys cross. Besides horse shoes, they also made other metal objects such as the band used on cart wheels and different types of tools.

The remains of the forge are still in place today. There is a horse ring to tie horses and the original horse water trough, which was also used to cool the metal, are still in place. Also, the mould for making the band on a cart wheel can still be seen outside the forge.

Forge	Forge entrance	Water trough	Band mould

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Larrissey's Shop

One of the main focal points of the community in Clogga was Larrissey's grocery shop. It was situated on the main road in Clogga near "Kellys cross".

It was owned by Jack Larrissey. It had been in the Larrissey family for generations. It sold a wide variety of food and also animal foodstuffs. Jack Larrisey himself, was said to have "a heart of gold" and often helped people in Clogga giving them lifts with his horse and cart. He also had a book policy, were people would get their food "on tick". This meant they would get their food and pay for it when they could afford it.

Jack Larrissey died in 1966. The shop was then inherited by the Doyle's. After that the shop was run by the Browner family for many years. It was then run by Peter Fennelly (brother of Kate Browner) for a short time. In the early 80's it was purchased by the Kearns who ran it until its closure in the late eighties. The shop is now demolished.

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Clogga Band

In the 1920's a music band was formed in Clogga. It was made up of local men. They played at sporting events, in pubs etc. and were very popular in the parish and surrounding parish's. They played traditional songs but also wrote their own material. Or sometimes they would change the lyrics of a traditional song and add in their own lines making reference to Clogga and its people.

Here is an extract from a hurling match report from 1927:
June 1927. At Ashgrove. School Hurling League-Cup Final. Kilmacow 2-3, Carrigeen 2-0. "Metz" was re-echoed to the sound of the much admired Drum and Fife Clogga Band, smart in their uniforms, under the baton of Staff Major Foley on their way to Ashgrove. The game was brilliant.

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(copyright 2003)clogga ireland (eoin walsh)