Edenderry

Employment

The town enjoyed some growth in the 1950s and 60's particularly with the building of peat burning power stations at Rhode, Allenwood and Portarlington by the Electricity Supply Board ESB. Board Na Mona BNM built peat briquette factory's at lullymore and Mountlucas.In addition they also harvested on a seasonal basis peat at Derrygreenagh and lullymore, producing and harvesting machine turf at Rathangan. Most of these factory's and works are now closed. BNM has diversified with the harvesting of peat and a provider of Resource Recovery,Feedstock, Retail services, Environmental services and Power generation.

The town could be classified as a dormitory town, where a high percentage of the available work force travel to jobs that require at least an hour's commuting time, Counties Dublin and Kildare being the primary destinations. This was evident around 2005 - 2008 when housing was in very high demand within the town, resulting in an unprecedented growth in population and housing Stock.

History

In the 16th century, it had the name of Coolestown, after the family of Cooley or Cowley, who had a castle here, defended in 1599 against the Earl of Tyrone's rebellion. This subsequently passed by marriage to the Blundell family and was sacked in 1691 by the army of James II.

The Blundells' land passed subsequently to the Marquess of Downshire who reversed the earlier opposition of the Blundell sisters to the establishment of a branch to the Grand Canal to Edenderry and paid for the £692 cost of the project, which was completed in 1802.

By 1716 there was thriving woollen cloth manufacturing, established by Quakers, which employed around 1,000 people. By 1911 the town had grown to 2,204 people. Other industries included the factory of Daniel Alesbury who made a variety of woodwork as well as the first car manufactured in Ireland, the Alesbury, in 1907.

MGWR

A single railway track connected Edenderry to nearby Enfield or Innfield until 1963. The line provided both passenger and goods service until 1931, and goods only until it closed. In the years up to 1963 the line saw very infrequent service, and mostly carried livestock, sugar beet, and turf, as well as private excursions. Little remains of the line, except for occasional landmarks, such as the station house near the town center on the Dublin road which is now a commercial business known as Station House Enterprises.

Most of the station yard and structures were intact until the late 1980s, with dual engine sheds, warehouse, loading gantries, a water tank, complete with a gantry hose, platforms and station master office. There was also a turntable basin located just behind the engine sheds, formed into the side of the hill with a 30' circular retaining wall on two sides, allowing engines to run in be turned and run out. locally the town municipal water supply was highly chlorinated and at times impossible to drink. After the station was closed and the turntable was removed a spring in the turntable basin provided fresh water, and was known locally as "Coughlin's well! ". It continued to be used into the 1980s with Offaly County Council maintaining this site for a while. The spring was reached by a set of steps just beside the station master's house off Father Kearns street.

The line was begun in 1873 1 1/2 miles west of Innfield as a branch line, the Up only junction being called "Nesbitt Junction". Finance was provided by a Mrs. Nesbit. It was built by railway contractor Bagnell and opened four years later in 1877. Running and maintenance was by the Midland Great Western Railway (MGWR). With no through running for scheduled passenger traffic, it was considered a branch or slip line. For the journey to Dublin passengers from Edenderry would have to wait in the detached coach for an scheduled Up bound train coming through the station, continuing on to Dublin or change platforms for west bound trains.

Demographics

The population of Edenderry has almost doubled from 1996 to 2012:

Notable people

Famous visitors & residents

Infamous visitors

Malcolm Edward MacArthur (convicted murderer)

Local news publications

The Offaly Express Newspaper

Local Clubs

Events