placenamesArdee
Baile Átha Fhirdhia
Ardee’s parish history includes changing ecclesiastical boundaries and a school site whose records span several educational arrangements.
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
- Baile Átha Fhirdhia · Irish · main form · validated name
- Ardee · English · main form
Place & story
A union extending beyond Ardee
Lewis's 1837 survey traces the Church of Ireland union to the addition of Kildemock's rectory in 1700, followed by Shenlis, Smarmore and Stickillen. The Catholic district covered that union and Maplestown as well. This distinction matters when using parish records: an ecclesiastical district could reach beyond Ardee's civil parish, and the two denominations did not share identical boundaries. [2]
The schoolrooms and their funding
The Erasmus Smith foundation's boys' schoolroom was built in 1806 and the girls' room in 1817. Lewis puts the combined cost at £600. The corporation contributed £450 and a site on the fair green; William Parkinson Ruxton supplied £150. Seven private fee-paying schools also operated, giving the parish a broader educational provision than the endowed institution alone. [2]
Saint Mary’s later records
Louth County Archives identifies Saint Mary's school on Dundalk Road as attended by both boys and girls, and by Catholic and Church of Ireland pupils. Its catalogue records national-school status from February 1954 and Ardee Educate Together's opening on the site in September 2002. Sixteen surviving volumes cover 1954–2002, including daily reports, rolls and registers. These records were donated to the archive in 2011. [3]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Ardee. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Ardee: A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, 1837 · Samuel Lewis
- Saint Mary’s Church of Ireland National School, Ardee, SCH009 · Lorraine McCann; Louth County Archives Service, 2013
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.