11th Sept: 1210, Nicholas de Lacy was born in Bruree Co Limerick

In 1210, Nicholas de Lacy of Bruree was born in Bruree Co Limerick, on the first of the de Lacys of Limerick estate sites. His father is recorded (but not proven) as William Gorm de Lacy. Nicholas married and had a son born c.1225, John de Lacy of Bruree. Nicholas died while still living in his hometown of Bruree. The village is situated on the River Maigue in southwest Limerick County, once held as the alternative capital of the ancient Kings of Munster, then known as Du’n Eochair Maigue, or the Fortress on the brink of the Maigue. Standing on higher ground overlooking Bruree village, the medieval ivy-clad Bruree Castle, also referred to as Ballynoe Castle, was reputedly built by the Knights Templar. In the 1400s, the castle was seized from the de Lacy family during the Cromwell confiscations. The local graveyard now surrounds the castle. Bruree became the first of the enclaves of the de Lacy family’s presence in Limerick. They have been living and growing there since the 1200s. The de Lacy family remained associated with Bruree for the next 400 years, until the 1650s, and other de Lacy castles emerged along the banks of the Maigue near Bruree. In modern times, Bruree was the childhood home of the former President of Ireland. Éamon de Valera’s mother, De Valera, attended school in the village. Another son of Bruree was Walter de Lacy-Bellingarry of Baltimore, USA, Author of “The Roll of the House of de Lacy,  published in 1928 (now out of print) . Walter claimed his ancestor as Otho de Lacy of Bruree, Limerick.
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