Broadford in County Limerick remembers Dáibhí Ó Bruadair through a village monument, close to the district where his Fitzgerald patrons supported Irish poetry.
Illustration, Springfield Castle near Broadford, 22 June 2012 — reconstruction
⊕Recorded locationBroadford52.34489° N · 8.97819° WInteractive map supplied by OpenStreetMap.
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
Béal an Átha· Irish · main form · validated name
Broadford· English · main form
Place & story
People & connections
Poetry at Springfield and Tullaha
Dáibhí Ó Bruadair, born around 1625, was among the last poets trained in the older Irish learned tradition. His patrons included Sir Edmond Fitzgerald and his son Sir John of Springfield, near Broadford. A poem mourning Sir Edmond in 1666 describes the castle's hospitality and the surrounding landscape. Nearby Tullaha had a poetry school conducted by Cúchonnacht Ó Dálaigh, who died in 1642. Ó Bruadair's attendance there remains uncertain, but this local network of learning and patronage helps explain his connection with the district.[2]
A church built from local limestone
Broadford's church was built in 1844 to serve the area's growing population. Limestone was quarried locally for the building. Fr Quaid added the belfry in 1856; an inscription on the tower records his name and that year. Further renovations took place in 1985–86. Behind the altar, stained-glass windows depict St Anthony, the Passion and St David. David MacMahon donated them in 1903 in memory of David and Johanna MacMahon. These dated contributions preserve the names of people involved in shaping the church over successive generations.[3]
Remembering Ó Bruadair in the village
Across from the church stands Clíodna Cussen's monument to Ó Bruadair. President Mary McAleese unveiled it on 4 May 1998, three centuries after the poet's death. Her address considered how the political upheavals of his lifetime affected both the poet and his patrons. The commemoration brought a seventeenth-century literary figure into the centre of the modern village. It also complemented an earlier plaque at the entrance to Springfield Castle, placed there in 1970 to mark his association with the Fitzgerald estate.[4][5][2]
Both counts use the 2016 settlement boundary, allowing like-for-like comparison. CSO supplies the 2022 count on this older boundary for comparison only. The official 2022 Built Up Area has different boundaries.
View population figures
Broadford — Census 2016 settlement footprint — census population
Broadford, Limerick — Census town, CSO 2006 report
2002–2006: census town
313people · 2006
These are the historical areas published in the 2006 census report. Boundaries may differ between censuses and from modern settlements. Legal towns, environs and suburbs are shown separately; none has been combined into a modern settlement total.
View population figures
Broadford, Limerick — Census town, CSO 2006 report — census population
Broadford, Limerick — Census town, CSO 1996 report
1991–1996: census town
271people · 1996
These are the historical areas published in the 1996 census report. Boundaries may differ between censuses and from modern settlements. Legal towns, environs and suburbs are shown separately; none has been combined into a modern settlement total.
View population figures
Broadford, Limerick — Census town, CSO 1996 report — census population
Broadford, Limerick — Census town, CSO 1986 report
1981–1986: census town
309people · 1986
Figures cover the historical town area printed in the 1986 report. Boundaries may have changed between censuses. Legal town, environs and suburb totals remain separate and differ from modern settlement boundaries.
View population figures
Broadford, Limerick — Census town, CSO 1986 report — census population
These figures use different area definitions. Read the boundary note before comparing them.
Broadford, Limerick
Published census settlement populations
276people · 2016
Settlement boundaries changed during this period. Differences may reflect boundary changes as well as population change. Where a 2011 legal-town-and-environs count is shown, it has not been recalculated onto the 2016 settlement boundary.
Springfield Castle near Broadford, County Limerick illustration: based on a Castles of Munster: Springfield, Limerick (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.
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