There is an interesting story behind the name ‘Baltinglass.’ It is an English soundalike of the town’s Irish name, which is ‘Bealach Conglais,’ Irish for ‘The Way or Pass of Conglas.’ Glas, supposedly a member of the mythical hunter-warriors called the Fianna, had a pack of dogs called a ‘conairt.’ One version of his story says that he and his dogs fell while chasing a wild boar where ‘Bealach Conglais’ is today. Another version says that they went into a nearby cave after the boar and were never seen again. The place became known as ‘Uaimh Bealach Conglais,’ or the ‘the cave of the pass of Conglas.’
Baltinglass Abbey, the key landmark in the town, dates from 1148 when it was established for the Cistercian Order by Dermot MacMurrough, in Irish Diarmaid Mac Murchada, then King of Leinster. MacMurrough is considered to be the person who brought the Anglo-Normans to Ireland. Having lost his kingdom in a battle, he sought the help of Richard de Clare, better known as Strongbow, the 2nd Earl of Pembroke in Wales. Strongbow agreed to help in return for the hand of Dermot’s daughter, Aoife, in marriage. Dermot agreed and the arrival of Anglo-Normans to Ireland began. The MacMurroughs continued to play a significant role as leaders and large landowners in Leinster. Descendants of the family, the MacMurrough Kavanaghs, continue to own Borris House on the Carlow side of the Blackstairs Mountains to this day.