Newport Town
“Here by the Mulcaire banks I sit, mid the lovely flowers in June.
The birds are singing merrily and the meadows in full bloom,
When on my boyhood days I think, the tears come rolling down,
For ’tis in the morning I must leave you, dear old Newport town.”
Local balladeer Michael Bourke wrote the song ‘Dear Old Newport Town’ capturing the essence of an essentially rural parish based around the village of Newport in North Tipperary. The parish of Newport stretches from the foothills of Keeper Hill as far as the Shannon river, taking into its ambit the picturesque villages of Toor and Birdhill as well as Newport itself.
Newport is a small, mainly residential town, situated in an area of great natural beauty. The town stands at the gateway to the scenic Slieve Felim Area, which is on the borders of Counties Limerick and Tipperary. It is close to the Silvermines Mountains and is just a few miles from the Shannon River and Lough Derg, Keeper Hill, Doonane and Ballyhourigan woods, the famous scenic Clare Glens and the renowned Benedictine Abbey at Murroe. The River Mulcair flows through the town centre and is intersected by the Cully River.
Newport enjoys a good level of prosperity, has a strong community base and is well served with educational and professional services. There are 2 secondary schools and 2 primary schools within the town, catering for up to 1,000 students, with primary schools also in the rural areas of Birdhill and Lackamore. In addition it has a rich tradition of Irish music, song, dance and drama and has many sporting activities.
The parish of Newport developed from the amalgamation of the old civil parishes of Kilvellane, Kilnerath and Kilcommenty in 1823. Historical records place it in the diocese of Killaloe, with the rest of North Tipperary, in 1118, as it belonged to the territory of Ely O’Carroll. However it was annexed to Cashel because of the influence of the Butlers of Ormond over the barony of Owney and Arra.
The traditional ruling families of the area included the McKeoghs, Lynches and O’Donegans, before the Ryans (a name still abounding in the area) and MacBriens held sway up to the mid 17th century. These were dispossessed during the Cromwellian land confiscations and vast tracts of their lands were granted to Englishmen such as Richard Waller, Henry Shrimpton and William Sheldon who had served as officers in Cromwell’s Army.
The Waller Family developed Newport mainly in the 18th Century. It became an important market town, its fairs being a significant element of local social life. In the mid 19th Century Newport had a large number of shopkeepers and publicans and boasted a huge variety of other occupations such as nail makers, shoe makers, tailors, stone masons, bakers, millers, slaters, carpenters, blacksmiths, saddlers, dress makers and bonnet makers etc. It still maintains a market town ethos today.
The town was originally known as Tulla (or Tullow) and was developed by the Wallers, but it is thought that the name originated with the Waller associates, the Jocelyns. Robert Jocelyn was born in England, but served as MP for Longford in 1725 and for Down in 1727. He became Attorney General in 1730 and was appointed Lord Chancellor and Speaker of the Irish House of Lords in 1739. He acquired a large estate in Newport in the 1730’s and was the owner of Newport town, then known as Tullo. He built a large house on his estate in the townland of Portnacasky. By placing the prefix ‘New’ before it and dropping the Gaelic sounding ending, Jocelyn quickly transformed the name to the more acceptable English version – Newport. His residence became known as ‘Newport House,’ the new town integrated with the old ‘Tullo’ and Jocelyn was created ‘Baron of Newport’ in 1743. The house had fallen into a ruinous state by the mid 19th century and the Wallers had acquired all the lands. However a link with the past is maintained in the old Irish name Tulach Sheasta (the hill which stands).
The population of Newport in 1841 is recorded as 8,700. Ten years later, following the ravages of the famine, it had decreased by 3,000. After a further 40 years, figures show 938 living in the town.
In the 2002 census, 887 persons lived in the town – the population of the District Electoral Division was 1,641. The town’s population had increased to 1286 in 2006, a clear indication of the influence of the building expansion which accompanied the Celtic Tiger.
From its very earliest days the GAA has been vibrant and always important in the affairs of the parish. While the club would never claim to be among the most successful in the county over the years, a modest stream of achievement has flowed towards the banks of the Mulcair. This includes three North Tipperary senior hurling titles as well as numerous football and hurling titles at Intermediate, Junior and under-age grades.
This website is designed to capture the character of the Newport club as well as to inform all locals and our many exiles of the happenings on home ground. As with the club itself we hope that it will provide enjoyment and flourish into the future.