The best way to get an idea of the history of Shinrone is by listening to Joe Cleary, member of the Shinrone Heritage Group on a tour that tells the story of the town then and now through its most important locations.

The O'Carrolls were the chieftains of this area before they were dispossessed in the plantations by the 1660s. On top of the hill is what is known as Cloughmoyle Castle.

A 17th-century fortified house. The McAuliffes lived there, the sub-chieftains of the O'Carrolls.

Shinrone village developed from around this castle.

On the oldest side of town stands Saint Mary's Church of Ireland church built in 1821. It has played an important social role for nearly two centuries, with its three-bay nave, three-stage tower, a single-storey vestry to north and the incredible clock.

The church is also a powerful link to American former president Barack Obama’s ancestry.

Our second stop is a meaningful store, right in the centre of Shinrone’s main street, in a house that dates to the late 1700s. For most of the 20th century, this was a very busy shop. It sold literally everything. You had drapery on one side, groceries on the other. It was run by the Ryan family, particularly the three Ryan sisters, May, Annie and Breed. They closed in 1995. When you went in the door, you had to take your time, not like your modern supermarket. You sat back on a chest and waited your turn.

“The family who owned it were really an institution in the village.”

The store was not only a key part of day-to-day life, but also a powerful symbol of community. It was a place where everyone from the area was looked after and where real bonds were the base of human interactions.

The village centre has changed a lot over the years.

Where the sports hall and gym now stand, in the 1950s and 60s was Hockter's sawmill where a lot of locals were employed before they closed. There was a handball alley and the forge in the same area. It was run by Joe Thier who was very well known as a blacksmith, and later, Ollie Burton.

The current primary school was built in 1883, putting an end to the gendered boys' school and girls' school which preceded it.

The last cobbler, Jack Martin, lived in the same row of houses as the last dressmaker Liz Henry and John Clear, the blacksmith in the village.

Shinrone used to have four pubs. They were once thriving businesses but two of them have closed.

“That's a feature of the villages, is that in the past, a lot of the trades people lived in the villages…that has changed a bit

The final stop of the tour is the central spot that used to host fairs, one in November, one in June. On the same green in the 50s and 60s, Shinrone held its famous marquee dances when the show band scene was at its peak. Dances five nights a week with buses bringing people from the whole area around into Shinrone. It started off two nights and grew from there. It took a lot of voluntary effort from the community to maintain.

However, in the early 1980s the large community centre that stands there today was built. It opened in 1984. Some international acts like Arlo Guthrie and Nancy Griffith played there as well as all the big Irish acts, the Waterboys, Daniel O'Donnell, Christy Moore, Shane McCowan. This is the place where Shinrone came back to life.

Now, with many of those small businesses, trades and concerts gone, buildings stand empty. The village centre and local focus has shifted to the GAA, soccer facilities, the gym and a smaller number of surviving services like the post office and Liffey Mills agribusiness.

As our journey through Shinrone comes to an end, it seems clear how the town is animated by a strong sense of community and belonging, as well as a true pride in the mesmerising history and culture that is palpable everywhere.