EDENDERRY, a market and post-town, in the parish of CASTROPETRE, barony of COOLESTOWN, KING'S county, and province of LEINSTER, 9 miles (E.) from Philipstown, and 32 1/2 (W.) from Dublin, on the mail coach road from Conard, and close to the bog of Allen; containing 1427 inhabitants.

This place, in the 16th century, obtained for a time the name of Coolestown from the family of Cooley, or Cowley, who had a castle here, which in 1599 was defended by Sir George Cooley against the insurgents in the Earl of Tyrone's rebellion, and in 1691 was sacked by a part of the army of Jas. II., under Lieut.-Col. O'Connor.

It is near the right bank of the Grand Canal, from which a branch has been carried for nearly half a mile close up to the town; the late Marquess of Downshire gave the ground, and contributed £1000 towards the expense. The town consists of one wide street, from which diverge several smaller streets, and contains 214 houses, well built of stone and slated; it is well paved and supplied with water, and is rapidly improving.

Adjoining, and now forming a part of it, under the name of Downshire Row, on the road to Monasteroris, are several tenements, formerly the small village of Glann, which the Marquess of Downshire has greatly improved and let to occupiers with about one rood of garden to each, at a nominal rent of one shilling per ann.

A coarse kind of worsted stuff is made here, affording employment to 30 families, and there are a tanyard and a brewery. The market, in which considerable business is transacted, particularly in the corn trade, is on Saturday; fairs are held on Shrove-Tuesday, the Thursday after Whitsuntide, and Nov. 4th.

A constabulary police force has been stationed here, and petty sessions are held on alternate Saturdays. The town-hall, a handsome building of stone, recently erected at an expense of £5000 by the Marquess of Downshire, proprietor of two-thirds of the town, affords in the lower part accommodation for the corn-market; and the upper part contains a large handsome room for assemblies and public meetings, with several offices, and in which the sessions and other courts are held. In the town is the parochial church, also a place of worship for the Society of Friends; and about 3/4 of a mile distant is a R. C. chapel.

There are some remains of the old castle, and about half a mile from the town are the ruins of the old abbey of Monasteroris, formerly a place of great strength; it held out for a considerable time against the Earl of Surrey, in 1521.