W. Thomas stopped over in Newmarket for a night and wrote a letter the aforementioned Society. In it he described the difficulties that people had in hearing a sermon with some people walking miles over land just to hear the word of God. He also gives an insight into the poverty of the time describing children in various states of dress akin to their poorness. He also describes the children's eagerness to learn scripture by heart. In March 1854, about two miles from the centre of the village an immense amount of gold was found in what appeared to be a hastily hidden trove concealed in a stone chamber under a cam of slight elevation, near the lake of Mooghaun, or Lougha- traska. At 5 August 1920, during the War of Independence the village was the scene of a successful attack on the police barracks. With help from a turncoat, the Irish Republican Army entered the barracks and captured the present members of the Royal Irish Constabulary. The IRA seized weapons and official police documents before leaving. In a 1962 published autobiography, 'My Father Marconi', Degna Marconi, the daughter of the inventor of the radio, Guglielmo Marconi, describes in detail holidaying on the Dromoland Estate in 1905. In late June 2004, the first summit to take place between the US and the enlarged EU 25 Member States took place in Newmarket at Dromoland Castle. In the Spring of 2007, six skeletal remains were found during the archaeological monitoring of improvement works to a local water network near Barnhill, Newmarket-on-Fergus. Dating showed that the remains were Pre-Christian. Geography The town is situated about 10 km from Ennis. As its name implies, it lies close to the River Fergus. The main N18 Limerick–Ennis road passed through Newmarket until the town was bypassed in 2003. That main bypass road was renamed as the M18 on 28 August 2009 as part of a national programme to increase the amount of motorways available to road users. Neighbouring towns and villages include Clarecastle, Ennis, Cratloe, Sixmilebridge, Quin and Shannon. To the west of the town is Lough Gash, a turlough (disappearing lake) of considerable size. People The earliest census to record the population of Newmarket took place in 1659. Newmarket, listed as Corraeathelin in the census as a part of the Barony of Bunratty showed the population as just 9 people living within the confines the