In 1622, Geoffrey Fitzpatrick of Ballagharahin erected a cross in the neighbouring townland of Errill. This was in memory of his parents, Florence Fitzpatrick and Katherine Moore, Lord and Lady Upper Ossory. Florence was a younger son of Brian Oge (Barnaby) Mac Gilla Patraic, who submitted to King Henry VIII in 1537. Geoffrey died in 1638, but he is recorded in the Down Survey in 1641 as the owner of Ballagharahin. His land was confiscated and became a Protestant land holding.
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| Errill Wayside Cross, opposite St Kieran's Church. Google Street View 11 March 2024 |
In 2022, the Fitzpatrick Clan Society held a 400th centenary commemoration at the Fitzpatrick Wayside Cross. It was Geoffrey's older brother Edmond of Castle Fleming, whose son Andrew's sons (Edward d.1696 and Richard, first Baron Gowran) were made heirs of John of Castletown in 1693. Thereby, Richard became the great-grandfather of John Wilson Fitzpatrick (b.1809, 1st Baron Castletown) who was the lessor of Ballagharahin townland, occupied in 1851 by Joseph Fitzpatrick, his father Charles and grandfather John (d. 1784, buried at Errill).
The Stone Cross is marked on the Errill townland map in Griffith's Valuation 1850. It is south of Errill village on the boundary with Ballagharahin townland, described with its geographic location at County Laois Ballagharahin Wayside Cross.
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| Griffith's Valuation, Errill townland, Rathdowney Parish askaboutireland.ie 2 February 2024 |
Thady Fitzpatrick died in Dublin in 1674 and so was buried in St James' churchyard. His Will had requested if he died in Ossory, he be buried at Errill, in his parents' grave. The Will of Thady Fitzpatrick
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| Errill townland, Rathdowney Parish. townlands.ie 5 February 2024. |
It is clear that the Ballagh and Errill townlands had long association with the Fitzpatrick family.
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