CHURCHTOWN

"CHURCHTOWN, (or Rheban), a parish in the barony of West Narragh and Rheban, in the county of Kildare, province of Leinster, Ireland. It contains part of the town of Athy, and is bounded on the E. by the river Barrow, and on the W. by the Grand canal. It is supposed to be the Rheba mentioned by Ptolemy, and in the vicinity is an ancient camp. The living is a vicarage united with Athy, in the diocese of Dublin, Glendalagh, and Kildare, in the patronage of the archbishop.

"RHEBAN CASTLE, a fortress in the county of Kildare, Ireland, 4 miles N.W. of Athy. It is a stronghold built by De St. Michael in the 13th century, to command the valley of the river Barrow, and is supposed to occupy the site of Rheba, the capital of Venicnii mentioned by Ptolemy. It was several times taken and retaken in the wars between the English and Irish in the Middle Ages, and was finally dismantled by O'Neil in 1648."

[Transcribed from The National Gazetteer of Great Britain and Ireland 1868. Copyright Colin Hinson ©2018]