placenamesBarrowhouse
Teach na Bearú
Military records and a centenary interview preserve Barrowhouse’s connections with the War of Independence.
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
- Teach na Bearú · Irish · main form · non-validated name
- Barrowhouse · English · main form
Place & story
A company in the Carlow Brigade
The Military Archives places Barrowhouse’s IRA company in the Carlow Brigade’s Fifth Battalion alongside Athy, Moone, Ballylinan, Moat and Castledermot. The battalion numbered 230 across all ranks on 11 July 1921 and 160 on 1 July 1922. These are battalion totals, rather than the strength of Barrowhouse’s company. [2]
William Connor and James Lacey
William Connor and James Lacey died during the attempted attack on an RIC party at Barrowhouse on 16 May 1921. In a centenary interview, family researcher Nessa O’Meara described the volunteers moving their planned position away from the school because children were due to leave. Her account preserves the family’s understanding of that decision. [3]
The centenary in 2021
Church bells and wreath laying marked the ambush’s centenary at two local historical sites. O’Meara was then preparing a history prompted by conversations with an older relative. The interview connects public commemoration with family research, showing how memories of the men continued to be gathered a century after their deaths. [3]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Barrowhouse. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Carlow Brigade, Third Eastern Division: brigade activity report overview · Military Archives
- Barrowhouse Ambush: centenary interview with Nessa O’Meara, 24 May 2021 · Steven Miller, LaoisToday
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.