portroe

The village of Portroe has a commanding view of the countryside, and another pleasant church in cream gritstone.

A simple headstone in the churchyard commemorates a Tipperary hurler-author of the landmark 1926 USA tour, Tommy Kenny, and his son Sean (1930-1973), who crossed the Atlantic with three others in an open ketch, Ituna studied with Frank Lloyd Wright at Arizona and became a celebrated designer for the London stage. The signpost indicated a German -owned tube factory originally built up by JB O'Driscoll , who in 1923 revitalised the slate quarries which were first worked in the late 1700's and once employed 400 men.

The new era lasted until 1956 ; the now ghostly workings supplied 'Killaloe' slates to a vast number of public and private buildings in Ireland, Scotland and Holland. Since 1991 slates are again being manufactured in this area.