Collon (Irish: Collann)[3] is a village and townland in the south west corner of County Louth, Ireland, on the N2national primary road. The village is home to the Cistercian Abbey of New Mellifont, and to Collon House, the ancestral home of the Foster family. The village is in a civil parish of the same name.[4]
The Church of Ireland parish church at the lower end was built in 1810 to a design by Daniel Augustus Beaufort who was the rector between 1789 and 1821. There is a memorial in the graveyard at the front of the church to men of the parish who died during the 1914–18 Great War, inscribed on the front is the name of Lt. James EmersonV.C. who was born in the village. The church has been described as "dramatic and atmospheric" and hosted the 2008 Ardee Baroque Festival.[5]
The Foster Family first settled in Dunleer in County Louth in 1660 until they moved into their estate in the heart of Collon in 1744, which can still be seen today.[6] At the time the family estate was our 6,000 acres. The Foster family, who came to Ireland from Cumberland in the seventeenth century, were for several generations the dominant influence in Dunleer, which they represented in the Irish House of Commons. Collon House, the family seat was built about 1740 by Antony Foster, Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer, and extended in the 1770s by his son John Foster, 1st Baron Oriel, the celebrated "Speaker Foster". During the middle of the eighteenth century, Anthony Foster followed by John Foster developed a new estate in the hills of Collon. For John's public/ work image as a politician and economic expert it was crucial for his estate to be planned out as a 'model village'. New roads were developed going up through the hills in order to help form new farmland.
The village of Collon was planned around the big house and land surrounding it. This landscape that the Fosters had helped develop around Collon is still how the village is laid out today.[7] Anthony Foster made his attributions to the land by improving fertility, drainage and overall agricultural improvements to the land and John Foster made his attributions to the land by beginning the linen industry which created huge success and employment in the village and he also helped promote Protestant dwellers to live here.[8]
John Foster was both a politician and businessman who encouraged the growth of the linen industry in Collon by facilitating the construction of mills which employed Protestant weavers who settled in the area.[9] The northern line weavers helped attribute to the Collon linen industry.[7] The freestanding red brick chimney that remains standing today, dates back to the 1860 linen mill located on the west side of School Lane, Collon (Coordinates – 300184, 281694).[10] South of Collon, where the linen factory was located, was known as the Bleach Green. Gillian Darley wrote in 'Villages of Vision' that Collon has "two intersecting streets around Foster's cotton manufactory: when Lewis' Guide was compiled the linen industry had collapsed, the cotton was still continuing".[11] Employees carried out spinning and weaving, where often at times the bleaching of linen could take up to forty acres.[12]
The Foster family brought in huge amounts of workers to the mills and linen factories in Collon, but most especially Protestant dwellers due to their English descent.[13] The Collon linen industry was continued by the De La Hoyde family post John Foster. They developed three corn mills alongside the River Mattock which were a big enough success to export oatmeal across the channel to England.[14] Currently standing in Collon is a freestanding chimney that has been dated back to 1860 that was used for the local linen mill. The chimney is a square plan with red brick English bond shaft, located on the west side of the main road. This chimney is a great reminder to the local people of the industrial history this village has. The chimney would have been surrounded by mills and people constantly at work, creating an economic flow into the village but now it stands alone.[15]
In 1840, Collon was described as “a remarkably neat” town and credit was given to its proprietors the Fosters.[16] The town consisted of a market-house that improvements were made to by the Fosters during the end of the 18th century and into the 19th century. It was common at the time for landlords to invest in urban projects and improvements such as these market houses and expect in return tenants would make their improvements to their own properties, this allowed Collon to grow more attractive to new tenants.
The Foster family were political, therefore the market house was used to register land tenants to vote in the parliamentary elections.[16] John Foster had reliable tenants who would vote due to the convenience of the Collin market house, which put him at an advantage over other political candidates.
At one point there was a Russian language school in the village, which was founded by White Russian emigres, Nicholas Couris and his wife.[17] It is rumoured that the British spies Philby, Burgess and Maclean visited the school as part of their Russian language training.[citation needed]
The village is home to three longstanding public houses; Matthews Bar (est. 1896), Watters Bar (est. 1954) & Donegans Pub.[citation needed]
Development
The early developments of Collon can be found on the south side of the village. Nowadays the village is expanding out towards the East and the N2, this is where the majority of the current housing developments are being built. Collon really expanded in the Industrial Revolution mostly due to the linen industry and mills created by James Foster, this was when the model village was created. This was developed around the village's crossroads. Pushed back from the main street the model village was set out to be green and an open-air market. Considerably back in the 1990s and 2000s during the Celtic Tiger period, Collon gained huge development and people to the area. In recent years development has been cut short due to huge areas of free land not being able to be used for developments as they are designated as OpenSpace, home to the river Mattock and many mature trees.[18]
Collon House on Drogheda Street, at the crossroads
In 2015 Mattock, amalgamated with Hunterstown Rovers and Glen Emmets, won the under-21 county championship by defeating Noaimh Finbarrs/O'Connells on a scoreline of 0–15 to 0-06.[19] In 2019, the club won the Leinster Intermediate Club Football Championship.[20]
County Louth is a coastal county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Ireland, within the province of Leinster. Louth is bordered by the counties of Meath to the south, Monaghan to the west, Armagh to the north and Down to the north-east, across Carlingford Lough. It is the smallest county in Ireland by land area and the 17th most populous, with just over 139,100 residents as of 2022. The county is named after the village of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county.
Earl of Drogheda is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1661 for The 3rd Viscount Moore.
Ballymote is a market town in southern County Sligo, Ireland. It is around 20 km south of Sligo town in the province of Connacht, which is in the north-west of Ireland. Ballymote lies in the barony of Corran. It is a commuter town with a strong history of independent enterprises along with firm local health, school, and transport services. Ballymote is on the main Dublin to Sligo Train Line, and 10 minutes from the N4 / N17 roads. The town serves a large hinterland area in south east County Sligo.
Ardee is a town and townland in County Louth, Ireland. It is located at the intersection of the N2, N52, and N33 roads. The town shows evidence of development from the thirteenth century onward but as a result of the continued development of the town since then much of the fabric of the medieval town has been removed. The town is in a civil parish of the same name.
Dunleer is a town and townland in County Louth, Ireland. Dunleer is situated midway between Dundalk and Drogheda and is located on the junction of the R132, R169 and R170 regional roads that intersect the town. As of the 2022 census, the town had a population of 2,143.
Mellifont Abbey, was a Cistercian abbey located close to Drogheda in County Louth, Ireland. It was the first abbey of the order to be built in Ireland. In 1152, it hosted the Synod of Kells-Mellifont. After its dissolution in 1539, the abbey became a private manor house. This saw the signing of the Treaty of Mellifont in 1603 and served as William of Orange's headquarters in 1690 during the Battle of the Boyne.
John Foster, 1st Baron Oriel PC (Ire) was an Anglo-Irish politician and peer who thrice served as Chancellor of the Exchequer of Ireland and also served as the last speaker of the Irish House of Commons.
Shercock ; Irish: Searcóg) is a small town and civil parish in the east of County Cavan, Ireland. As of the 2016 census, the population of the town was 588.
This is a list of people who have served as Lord Lieutenant of Louth.
Tullyallen is a village, civil parish and townland 6 km north-west of the town of Drogheda in County Louth, Ireland. It is in the historic Barony of Ferrard. It is located in the historical Boyne Valley, in the Catholic parish of Mellifont ; it is also close to Newgrange, Knowth and Dowth burial mounds, Monasterboice monastery, and to the Battle of the Boyne site.
John Foster of Dunleer was elected member to the Irish House of Commons for the constituency of Dunleer, in County Louth. He formerly held the position of Mayor of Dunleer Corporation.
Anthony Foster, of Collon, County Louth, was an Anglo-Irish politician and judge.
Hunterstown Rovers is a Gaelic football (GAA) club located in Ardee, County Louth, Ireland. The club's pitch is located about 3 kilometres south of Ardee on the main Dublin-Derry Road (N2). Hunterstown has teams at all age levels starting from U5's through to senior level.
The High Sheriff of Louth was the Crown's representative for County Louth, a territory known as his bailiwick. Selected from three nominated people, he held his office for the duration of a year. He had judicial, ceremonial and administrative functions and executed High Court Writs.
Drumcar is a village and a historical parish, in the barony of Ardee in County Louth, Ireland.
Athclare Castle is a Tudor tower house in the Dunleer area of County Louth in Ireland. Built in the 1550s, Athclare was built for the Barnewell family, and is typical of defensive architectural structures built in the Pale during the Tudor period in Ireland. Athclare has been extended and adapted in the centuries since its construction and is classified as a site of National social historical importance by the Irish National Inventory of Architectural Heritage.
Ferrard is a barony in County Louth, Ireland.
Mattock Rangers Gaelic Athletic Association is a Gaelic football, camogie, hurling and ladies' Gaelic football club based in Collon, County Louth, Republic of Ireland.[1][2][3][4]
The Mattock River is a river in Ireland. It is a tributary of the River Boyne.
The Louth Junior 2B Football Championship is an annual knockout gaelic football competition organised by Louth GAA, contested by the second teams of Intermediate and Junior clubs in County Louth.
↑ National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. "School Lane, COLLON, Collon, LOUTH". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 1 December 2021.
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