Rathdowney or Rathdowny () is a small town in southwest County Laois, Ireland. It lies some 32 km southwest of Portlaoise in the Irish Midlands, at the point where the R433 regional road from Abbeyleix to Templemore is crossed by the R435 from Borris-in-Ossory to Johnstown. The R433 provides access for Rathdowney to the Dublin-Cork M8 motorway, while the R435 links the town to the Dublin-Limerick M7. As of the 2016 census, the population of Rathdowney was 1,271. This locality of "Pyperath" within Rathdowny parish appears to have been a royal site associated with the medieval Mac Giolla Phádraig dynasty, as documents relating to meeting there in 1558 show.
The Croppy's Grave located in the town's central square is the still visible cobbled grave of a croppy revolutionary hanged and buried there in 1798. The site also contains a recent memorial.
The town was raided at least once by anti-treaty forces during the Irish Civil War of 1922 to 1923.
thumb|Panorama of Rathdowney with Church Street on the left, Ossory Street to the centre, Main Street on the right
Churches
Saint Andrew's Church of Ireland church, which overlooks the town's square, was built in the early 19th century. It stands on the traditional site of the pre-Reformation church. A Roman Catholic church was constructed on the main street in the 1830s, and this church served the Catholic population of the area for the next 120 years before it too was demolished; to be replaced by a shrine and carpark. A new larger Catholic church, the Church of the Holy Trinity, was designed by Simon Aloysius Leonard and built on the west side of the town in the 1950s.
There are a number of "mass pits" (outdoor areas used for Catholic masses during penal times) located in the vicinity of the town.
Economy
The Meadow Meats processing plant is part of the Dawn Meats Group and was the largest employer in the town. This factory stands on the old Perry's Brewery site, it was purchased by Lyons Meats in 1968 and converted by them to a meat processing facility, which went into production in 1971. Rathdowney is also something of a centre for several outlying villages and is a focal point for the surrounding agricultural hinterland.
People
- Tony Byrne, international footballer.
- Ned Campion, international showjumper.
- Kieran Patrick Kelly, suspected serial killer.
- Edward Ledwich, historian, antiquary and topographer, was curate in Rathdowney for a time.
- John Moyney, an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, was born in Rathdowney.
- James Pearson, also a Victoria Cross recipient from Rathdowney.
- Kieran Phelan, Irish politician, member of Seanad 2002–2010.
- Thomas Prior, author and founder of the Royal Dublin Society.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland