Knockaderry is a village within County Limerick, Ireland. The name Knockaderry is from the Irish Cnoc an Doire, meaning 'the hill of the Oak'. There is still an oak grove evident near the village. It is a long single-street village. The other village in the parish is Cloncagh, originally spelt 'Clouncagh', which comes from the Irish: Cluain Cath, meaning 'the meadow of the battle'. During the ministry of Canon Lyons as parish priest, the "u" in Clouncagh was dropped, although it can still be seen on some of the signs entering the parish. The population of the Knockaderry electoral division is approximately 500 people.
Amenities
There is one pub called Hanley’s Bar. The last Hanleys to own and run the bar were the late Seán and Peig Hanley, who also ran a shop on the premises. Seán Hanley took over the bar from his uncle John Hanley, whose name still sites over the door of the main entrance. There is also a Gaelic Athletic Association field near the village, where the local hurling, camoige and Gaelic Football teams play. It is located at the end of the cul de sac that begins Hanley’s Bar. There’s also a soccer club called Knockaderry FC. There is a community centre in the village, as well as a Roman Catholic church. Knockaderry also has a drama group that performs in the community centre.
History
Not far from the village is Knockaderry House, the ancient seat of the D'Arcy family. Reported on the that a patent was granted to John Jephson in 1711 for the holding of fairs in Knockaderry. The village of Knockaderry was burned to the ground in 1789 when, according to Begley, a maid "Carelessly left a candle lighting when retiring to rest. This set fire to some straw in the room and the flames spread rapidly to the little street consuming all before it, but fortunately no lives were lost." There used to be a post office which was previously a police barracks. In a part of Knockaderry a school called Scoil Mhuire Achadh Lin was originally built in a part of Knockaderry before entering it. It was built in the early eighty's. Then in 1963 the present school was built with a total 6 staff members.
