Foundation and development Carrickmacross is a market town which developed around a castle built by the
Earl of Essex in 1630. The Convent of St Louis now stands on the original castle site, as the castle itself was destroyed in the late 17th century during the
Williamite Wars. The town developed further as a market town during the 18th century, with the population decreasing from 2,063 in 1861 to 1,779 inhabitants by 1891.
Built heritage Among the historic buildings in the town is the
Roman Catholic church which was completed in 1866 and is dedicated to Saint Joseph. It contains ten stained-glass windows which were designed by the artist
Harry Clarke in 1925. The town's
Church of Ireland church, dedicated to Saint Finbarr, is older, and was built c.1770 before being remodelled c.1845. Magheross Church, located on the outskirts of the town, is also of historical interest, and originally dates from c.1550. Other notable buildings include the Carrickmacross Courthouse (built in 1837) and the restored Poor Law Union Workhouse (built in 1841). The grave of
Patrick Byrne (1794–1863), the last major exponent of the
Gaelic harp and the first Irish traditional musician ever photographed, is in the area.
Lacemaking The town is known for the lace bearing its name.
Carrickmacross lace is worked in an individual style, devised by Mrs Grey Porter, wife of the rector of Donaghmoyne, who introduced it in 1820. When she left the district the teaching of Carrickmacross lacemaking was continued by Miss Reid of Rahans, but it was only after the
Great Famine in 1846, when a lace school was set up by the managers of the Bath and Shirley estates at Carrickmacross as a means of helping their starving tenants, that the lace became known and found sales. Subsequently, the lacemaking declined, but in the last decade of the 19th century the Sisters of St Louis founded their own lace school to revive the craft, and this was quite profitable for several years. Although the outbreak of the 1914–18 war marked the virtual end of commercial production of hand-made lace in Europe, the lace school kept the technique alive throughout most of the 20th century. In 1984 the St Louis Sisters assisted in the formation of the Carrickmacross Lace Co-operative, which maintains the tradition to this day.
Luftwaffe attack Although Ireland was neutral during World War Two, there were some incidents during the period. On 20 December 1940, as well as two bombs falling on Sandycove in Dublin, two more fell on Shantonagh near Carrickmacross, causing minor damage to house property. ==Transport==