placenamesCappagh
An Cheapaigh
The Ussher estate preserves an older courtyard house alongside the Victorian home of Richard John Ussher.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- An Cheapaigh · Irish · main form · validated name
- Cappagh · English · main form
Place & story
The old courtyard house
Old Cappagh House encloses a courtyard, its wings extending behind a long front with raised end bays. Crow-stepped gables, a bowed rear projection and a spiral staircase distinguish the building’s architecture. The National Inventory of Architectural Heritage identifies it as already standing in 1768 and associates it with Arthur Ussher. Surviving joinery and plaster decoration record the craftsmanship of a house superseded as the family’s principal residence. [2]
A new house on higher ground
Richard John Ussher commissioned a new Cappagh House in 1875 on a more elevated site overlooking the parkland and lake. James Otway and Robert Watt, engineers associated with the Dungarvan–Mallow railway, designed it. A conservatory appeared in the plans but was never built. The Chavasse family acquired the house in 1944, beginning another chapter in the estate’s ownership while the older house and farmyard remained nearby. [3]
Richard John Ussher’s investigations
Born at Cappagh in 1841, Richard John Ussher became known for studying birds and exploring caves. An early interest in collecting eggs developed into observation of rare species and participation in the Irish Society for the Protection of Birds. His search for ancient bird remains also took him into caves in Waterford and other counties. Natural-history and archaeological journals published the results, connecting the Cappagh landowner with wider scientific work. [4]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Waterford
- Barony
- Decies-without-Drum
- Civil parish
- Whitechurch
- Coordinates
- 52.12474, -7.75175 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 1165714 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Cappagh. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Old Cappagh House, NIAH 22903010 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- Cappagh House: history and grounds · Cappagh House
- Richard John Ussher, 1841–1913 · William Fraher, Waterford County Museum
- Cappagh House, near Cappagh, County Waterford illustration: based on a Cappagh House, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford (2) by Mike Searle. AI-assisted watercolour and ink adaptation; cream paper margins added, incidental clutter omitted and fine details simplified. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0. Additional reference: Cappagh House, Dungarvan, Co. Waterford (1) by Mike Searle, CC BY-SA 2.0.
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2015-12-08. How this page was prepared.