• Owning House formerly Sue Ryder
    For many years Sue Ryder provided care for the elderly in beautiful surrounds in Owning.
    Each person or couple had individual accommodation.
    Residents shared a common dining room for meals.
    This year April 2012 saw the St.John of God Nuns depart Sue Ryder for the last time.
    The Parish had a moving tribute to the Nuns who had ministered for over one hundred years.
  • Templeorum Parish Templeorum in Summer
    This image is taken on a summer's day from the school yard
  • "2004 Tsunami in Phuket
    The Tsunami did untold damage in Phuket and other areas.
    People of Templeorum Parish raised money to purchase two fishing boats.
    Boats meant either life or death for those fisher men and families
    Over 250 thousand lives were lost.
  • Waterford's new Bridge
    The new bridge is the most modern landmark to be seen from around Templeorum village and surrounds .
    It takes traffic from the city to Cork and Rosslare.
    Oficially opened by the then Minister for the Environment Mr. Martin Cullen.
    A product of public and private partnership. This is a Tolled road.
  • Temleorum and Corbally Hill
    Corbally Hill overlooks Templeorum and the Suir Valley .
    Taken from Templeorum School.
    Communication Masts send signals from ESB, TV, Broadband, etc.
  • Fiddown Wooden Bridge
    Built to take workers to the Tannery in Portlaw.
    It was a "Toll Bridge". Became dangerous with passing time.
  • Tybroughney Stones
    Tybroughney Stones in the Garaveyard in Tybroughney.
    Maintained by interested people of Tybroughney.
    Old graveyard cleared up in recent years.
    Adjacent to "Tybroughney Castle" which is open to the public once a year.
  • Unity Singers Kilkenny
    The "Unity Singers" and "American University Singers" performing in Piltown Church at a concert.
    There is an annual Church concert bringing the best in musical talent together.
  • Sunset over the Suir
    Sunset over the Suir from "Fiddown Bridge".
  • Fiddown Bridge
    Replacement bridge at Fiddown.
    No "Toll" on this bridge.
    Oficially opened by the then Minister for the Environment.
    Gateway to Waterford.

Welcome To Templeorum Parish Co. Kilkenny

The Black Lady of Willmont Uncovered...

Scenes by the Way..When Noelle Stephenson died on the 23rd of may 2010 it brought closure on one of the oldest families in Piltown. It is not clear if the family were in any way connected to the inventor of the steam engine, nevertheless they played  no small part in the goings on in Piltown.

In their younger days Noelle and her brothers Eddie started a tennis court in the attendant grounds of their family home "Willmont House". While Eddie was small in stature it is said that he was a very good tennis player. Both Eddie and Noelle were life long members  of the Iverk Show, Eddie in charge of farm produce and Noelle in crafts etc. At that time  in Piltown "Whist" as a very  popular card game and Noelle in particular was  was a great organiser of the local whist drive.

Noelle and Eddie's grandfaher Robert was born in 1835.  Robert worked as a commercial clerk at the steamship company "Coy", whose Waterford headquarters was at  The Mall in Waterford. He also farmed lands at "Willmont" but it is said he did not have much interest in agriculture other than apples and fruit  of their walled garden.

Robert and his wife Susan  had four children,  Annie, Edward ( father of Eddie and Noelle) Susan and Christina Felicica "Chrissie".  Chrissie  was born in 1878 and throughout her life she had a great interest in the fledgling art of "photography". She even persuaded her father to turn an out-office into a dark room for the purpose of developing her images.. Not only did she develop her own pictures she went one step further and made them into "post cards" which she would post to her cousins and friends.

In the Spring of 1906 Chrissie was struck down with a heavy fever. The Summer came and went and there was little improvement. Chrissie died on her 28th birthday on the 23rd of September 1906 and is burried in the family plot in Graigueavine Cemetry.
Thereafter all her photos were thrown out and burned and her dark room returned to a fowl house, consequently no on knows much about her works. One of Chrissie's closest friends however was  "Miss Harvey" from Potlaw who by coincidence kept a scrapbook "Scenes by the Way" and in it are some of Chrissie's snaps, including a selfprortrait. When taking photographs back then some people wore a black cloak for the purposes of keeping out the light and Chrissie used this method.
The Black lady of Piltown ChrissieOne of the photographs in Miss Harvey's scrapbook is of  "Willmont House" and was taken from near the Main Street in Piltown. The by-standers were watching as they do in Piltown and of course  they all saw a "Witch", hence the  "Black Lady of Willmont" was christened.

For "Heritage week" 2011 "Keep Piltow Tidy" invited some heritage boat owners to Piltown and they moored  their crafts beside  an area that was once known as "The Bog Garden" where incidentally one of Chrissie's snaps was taken from  " Musical Miscellany".

The boats stayed a week which was the week after the Iverk Show. Only one owner however named Ronnie Byrne owner of a 72m kept guard and stayed  nights also. Ronnie skiddadleed early on the Saturday morning, one wonders did he see something...!

by Patrck Walsh.