New Inn

History

The village lies within the townland of Loughkent, and the village was formerly known by this name. It is derived . Older anglicisations include Lochken and Loghkean. Another old name for the village was Graigkent (likely ). At that time the R639 was not the main Dublin to Cork route (it did not exist north of Cashel until 1739, nor south of Cahir to Fermoy until after 1811). It is probable that the present settlement developed after the turnpike road-building drive of the 18th century was substantially complete by the early 19th century, when Charles Bianconi ran regular coach services throughout the region from 1815, establishing several inns along popular routes in the process. On 22 November 1940, a local woman named Mary McCarthy (known as Moll Carthy) was murdered in a field at Marlhill. An unmarried mother of seven, McCarthy was shot in the face at close range. Her neighbour, a man named Harry Gleeson, who had discovered the body, was arrested, charged and convicted of her murder, and hanged in Dublin. The Murder at Marlhill, as the event has become known, continues to spark controversy both in the local community and historical circles, with many maintaining Gleeson's innocence. A book and two RTÉ television programmes have documented the event. In March 2015, the Irish Justice Minister Frances Fitzgerald granted a pardon to Henry Gleeson and an apology for his hanging after a conviction that was "unsafe".

Most-observed species

• White-tailed Bumble Bee

  Bombus lucorum (Linnaeus, 1761) · Insecta
  288
• Western Jackdaw

  Coloeus monedula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  278
• Common Carder Bee

  Bombus pascuorum (Scopoli, 1763) · Insecta
  248
• Rook

  Corvus frugilegus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  195
• European Robin

  Erithacus rubecula (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  184
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  167
• Eurasian Blackbird

  Turdus merula Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  152
• Hooded Crow

  Corvus cornix Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  137