placenamesRathangan
Ráth Iomgháin
A community history traces the farming and industrial connections of Rathangan’s Quaker settlers.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Ráth Iomgháin · Irish · main form
- Rathangan · English · main form
Place & story
Taking leases in 1728
Laurence Fullam’s local research dates the move of the Quaker meeting to Rathangan to 1728. A group approached the Earl of Kildare when land became available to rent. Most settled on surrounding farms, while Joseph Chamberlin leased the town and lands of Rathangan and John Stephenson leased two grist mills and a fuller mill. [2]
From flax to flour
Around 1760 James Spencer and John Clibborn established a bleach green, with Joshua and Robert Pim operating a nearby flax mill. The mill later became a flour mill known as Sally Mills. The Hanks family, who arrived in Rathangan in 1807, subsequently acquired it. These enterprises connected the parish’s farming district with processing and manufacturing around the town. [2]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Civil parish
- County
- Kildare
- Barony
- Offaly East
- Barony
- Offaly West
- Coordinates
- 53.21111, -6.99879
- Mapped area
- 46.38 km²
- Logainm ID
- 1219 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Rathangan. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- The Story of Rathangan’s Quaker Community · Laurence Fullam; Rathangan Community heritage project
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-08-27. How this page was prepared.