Roxboro, County Limerick facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Roxborough Baile an Róistigh
Townland
Roxborough Location in Ireland
Country	Republic of Ireland
Province	Munster
County	Limerick
Area
• Total	24.02 km2 (9.27 sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (IST (WEST))

Roxborough (in Irish: Baile an Róistigh) is a small area of land called a townland in County Limerick, Ireland. It covers about 24 square kilometers. Roxborough is located south of Ballysheedy and Routagh townlands. It is also east of Ballyclough. The northern edge of Roxborough is about three kilometers south of Limerick City. The main road from Limerick to Fedamore (R511) runs along its western side.

Historically, Roxborough was part of a larger area called the civil parish of Caheravally. It was also part of the Barony of Clanwilliam. Back then, it was measured as 526 acres, two roods, and five perches. Today, Roxborough belongs to the Roman Catholic parish of Donoughmore and Knockea. This parish is part of the Diocese of Limerick. It is also connected to the South Liberties GAA Club, which is a local sports club.

Roxborough is also known as an electoral division. This means it's a specific area used for elections and counting people. This division includes many smaller townlands. Some of these are Ashfort, Ballyclough, and Friarstown. In 2011, the Roxborough Electoral Division had 1,601 people living there. This included 810 males and 791 females. This number was a tiny bit lower than in 2006.

Roxborough's Past

The name Baile an Róstigh means "Roche's townland" in Irish. This name likely comes from the Roche family. They were connected to King James II. Dominic Roche was given a special title and a lot of land in Cahervally by the King. This land included what we now call Roxborough. He became known as Viscount Cahervalla.

Changes in Land Ownership

During a time called the Cromwellian Plantation, the Roche family's lands, including Roxborough, were taken away. They were given to a bank called the Hollow Sword Blade Company. Later, a man named Colonel Thomas Vereker bought the land from this company. This happened when Queen Anne was queen. Colonel Vereker then built Roxborough House. It is said he built his big house in a park with canals and gardens.

His son, Charles Vereker, was given the title Viscount Gort in 1817. The house was rebuilt in 1832. It was put up for sale in 1852 and 1853. The McMurray family might have bought it then, as they lived there by 1862. In the 1870s, John Ripley McMurray owned a lot of land in County Limerick. In 1879, the house's contents were sold. Eventually, Alexander W. Shaw, from The Shaw Bacon Company, took over the property.

Police Barracks in Roxborough

After the Acts of Union in 1800 and the Napoleonic Wars, there was a lot of trouble in the area. Because of this, many police stations, called barracks, were built. One of these was built at Power's Cross in Roxborough in the 1830s.

Learning in Roxborough

The history of Roxborough National School tells us that Alexander W. Shaw started a school in 1889. He lived at Roxborough House at the time. The first school was actually in the Gate Lodge of his house. This school had 64 students, 40 girls and 24 boys. Ms. Briget O'Brien was the first teacher.

New School Buildings

Work on a new school building began in 1911. It opened on May 6, 1912. This building was a typical school for that time. It had two classrooms separated by a wooden and glass wall. Each room had its own fireplace. There was an entrance porch at the front, allowing separate access to each room. This old school building is now protected by Limerick County Council.

The school continued to grow. More temporary buildings were added in the 1960s and 1970s. Thanks to a lot of fundraising, a new school was built. It was led by the principal, Sean Marrinan. This new school opened in 1985. It is located about 250 meters south of the 1911 school. Today, it is one of the biggest primary schools in County Limerick.

How Roxborough is Spelled

Sometimes, the name Roxborough is shortened to Roxboro. This is mainly because of the modern spelling of "Roxboro Road" in Limerick City. This road (R511) goes from William Street all the way to Roxborough.

Misuse of the Name

In recent years, some businesses in the Rathbane and Galvone areas of Limerick City have started using "Roxboro" as their address by mistake. They think that part of the city was once part of Roxborough townland. This mistake has also been made on road signs for a section of the N18 road. However, old maps from the Ordnance Survey of Ireland (1829–41) clearly show that this is not correct.