Castlepollard

History

Nicholas Pollard, an English Army captain from Devonshire, arrived in Ireland in 1597 during the Nine Years' War. He fought under the Earl of Essex's command against the Gaelic Irish forces. After that campaign, Captain Pollard was settled on land in the Mayne area. Cionn Torc (Kinturk), a valley between the lakes, was granted 'in capite' by the ageing Queen Elizabeth I to Captain Pollard. He built a small castle at Rathyoung which he called Castle Pollard. Walter Pollard, first son of Nicholas, married Ismay Nugent of Roscommon. He received a regrant of the demesne during the restoration period, following the Civil War and Cromwellian confiscations. The grant was made by charter from King Charles II, and approved by the Irish Parliament. In addition, he was granted a permit for a weekly market and a fair which was held four times annually. The Pollard family was reconfirmed in the manorial title by the edict of William and Mary. Serving as Commissioner for Supplies during the War of the Three Kingdoms, Pollard sat in the Irish Parliament, and became High Sheriff of the county in 1692. The family gradually improved the residence and the estate. They rebuilt the adjoining out buildings and developed the village of Castlepollard. They intermarried with the Dillon family of Ladyhill, the Pakenhams, the Duttons, the Tuites, and other landed county families. The descendants of Nicholas Pollard lived at Kinturk into the early twentieth century. On 23 May 1831 members of the paramilitary Royal Irish Constabulary force (which Britain established to police Ireland) arrested a man following a fight at Castlepollard's fair. The crowd surrounded them until they released the man. At approximately 5pm that day, members of the same force returned, this time armed with muskets. is…

Most-observed species

• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  111
• Common Chaffinch

  Fringilla coelebs Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  105
• Eurasian Wren

  Troglodytes troglodytes (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  97
• Hawthorn

  Crataegus monogyna Jacq. · Magnoliopsida
  92
• Barn Swallow

  Hirundo rustica Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  92
• Meadowsweet

  Filipendula ulmaria (L.) Maxim. · Magnoliopsida
  90
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  89
• Common Buzzard

  Buteo buteo (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  80