town information around north killkenny

In Irish, Ath na nUrlaidhe, "the ford of the sledgings" according to O'Curry, where by tradition a battle was fought in the 10th century in which "the Irish and the Danes did sledge each other's heads". The ford from which the name of the pretty town is taken is marked by the bridge which crosses the River Gowl between the old parish church and the Butler Castle of Urlingford. The pre-Reformation church, though in a ruined condition, has substantially perfect walls. A large church stood here...