Ancient history The ancient territory of
Éile obtained its name from pre-historic inhabitants called the Eli, about whom little is known beyond what may be gathered from legends and traditions. The extent of Éile varied throughout the centuries with the rise and fall of the tribes in occupation. During this century however Éile appears to have reached its greatest extent, stretching from Croghan Bri Eli (Croghan Hill in Offaly) to just south of Cashel (in Corca Eathrach Eli). The southern part of this territory embraced the baronies of Eliogarty and
Ikerrin, a great part of the modern barony of
Middle Third, the territory of Ileagh (or
Ileigh) and a portion of the present barony of
Kilnamanagh Upper. By the 8th century, the territory of Ancient Éile had broken up into a number of petty kingdoms: the O'Carroll occupied the northern portion, the O'Spillanes held Ileagh, the
Eóganacht Chaisil had annexed
Middle Third. The ancient name of the district on which the town now stands was
Tuatha Corca Teine. Teine was supposed to have been the son of the King of Connacht, arriving in the district shortly after Saint Patrick. Monastic settlements were located at the site of Teine's fort, 'Land of the Monks' (). A holy man named
Silean (anglicised as Sheelan) is reputed to have accompanied St Patrick and to have established a monastery in the area. There is no townland called Templemore. The townland on which the town is built is Kiltillane (), meaning Saint Sheelan's Church.
Feudal period |thumb|right With the
Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169, a powerful
Norman family – the
Butlers – became the new overlords. Early in the 14th century, they were raised to the
Earldom of Ormond and held
palatine rights in
County Tipperary. The ruins of Templemore Abbey, which may have been established by the
Knights Templar, lie to the north of the town in the Town Park, the
demesne of the Carden family. The Blackcastle, as it is locally known, was built in the Town Park in 1450 by
James Butler, 4th Earl of Ormond. This building and its manor lands were occupied by the Butlers and were later leased to the families of Purcell of Loughmore (Loughmoe) and Morris of Knockagh. The O′Fogarty clan held what is now the barony of Eliogarty, while to the north of them, at least some time later, were O'Meaghers of Ikerrin.
Carden family Around 1695 the Butlers sold extensive lands to an English family called
Carden from
Cheshire, who settled in the area and also located at
Barnane and Fishmoyne. Over the next 200 years, this family was to play a significant part in the development of the town and district which has the nickname of "Carden's Wild Demesne", after the popular 19th-century poem. Following the burning of the Blackcastle, Carden built a new estate. He built a mansion known as the Priory on the edge of the town. The architecture of the Priory was in the style of the Elizabethan era. The Priory was surrounded by a
demesne which had a formal garden with paved paths around an artificial lake. Quoting from a contemporary newspaper commentary of 1861, when the Priory was still under construction: There were extensive gardens and a lot of money was spent on them: The Cardens kept the ruins of the old church and graveyard. At the entrance on the Borrisoleigh Road is the gatekeeper's lodge. After 1860, the Priory was renamed the Abbey. Lewis' directory of 1837 lists the principal landowners in the locality at the time:
McCan Barracks McCan Barracks, originally called "Richmond barracks", was constructed in 1809 on the site donated by the town's founder and largest landowner Sir John Carden, ancestor of
Sir John Carden, 6th Baronet (1892–1935), who also donated the adjoining for training and recreation. It replaced an earlier barracks located near the Ursuline convent.
George Borrow resided there when he accompanied his father's regiment to Templemore in 1816. The new barracks consisted of 2 squares, surrounded by company lines, stores, married quarters, officer's mess, military prison, church and hospital. Completely surrounded by a high wall, with protective/defensive posts at each corner, it had accommodation for 25 officers, married quarters for 48 other ranks, and 767 unmarried personnel. A total of 36 hospital beds and 15 guardroom cells were located within the complex as well as stabling for 27 officers' horses. The surrounding area was quickly developed, with names such as
Talavera Place,
Vimeiro Mall and
Regent Bridge, reminders of the victories of the British in the
Peninsular War taking place at the time of the construction of the barracks. In late summer 1920, Templemore was the site of
alleged Marian apparitions. The town briefly became a popular pilgrimage destination. ==Templemore today==