a native Irish Chieftain. In 1771, Francis Dunne, then head of the Dunne Family, became a Roman Catholic and built a thatched parish chapel in the village. This was located close to the site of the present church. The Dunne family continued to finance the construction of landmark buildings in the village. The parish church was erected in 1814 under General Dunne (known locally as 'shun-battle Ned' because of his rumoured refusal to fight at the 1815 Battle of Waterloo). The construction of the church was aided by a gift of £800 and a loan of £300 from the former Board of First Fruit. In 1830, the same board donated £50 towards the construction of Glebe House. The village continued to grow quickly from the 1800s to the 1830s. This was largely due to the development of the Mountmellick to Birr road in 1814. This period also saw the arrival of civic facilities such as the post office, police station and other offices of civil administration. The population of the village peaked at 561 inhabitants in 1841. However, in 1901 this fell to a low of 287 persons. As of the 2016 census, the recorded population was 566. Amenities Local walks and trails include Slieve Bloom Forest Park, the Giant's Grave, and Brittas Lake and Forest - the latter of which is managed by Coillte. The ruined tower of Brittas Castle, largely destroyed by fire in the mid-20th century, has a gateway from Clonaslee's main street. Clonaslee–St Manman's is the local Gaelic Athletic Association club. References External links http://www.clonasleeparish.com Towns and villages in County Laois Townlands of County Laois