[2][3] The new town begun by Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery in 1661 was named Charleville after Charles II, who had been restored to the throne the previous year.

[3] The name Ráth Luirc ["Lorc's rath"] was first attached to Charleville in an 1849 collection of 18th-century Irish-language poems with English translations.

[n 1] The translation of an aisling by Conchúbhar Máistir Ó Ríordáin interpreted Ráth Loirc as denoting the town of Charleville.

[2] D. A. Binchy felt the term, also used by Aogán Ó Rathaille, did refer to a specific place, but likely somewhere in Muskerry, not Charleville.

[2][3][5][6] After the 1920 local elections, Sinn Féin-dominated councils loyal to the self-proclaimed Irish Republic often sought to replace placenames having British monarchic allusions with older Gaelic names.

Although Rathgoggan was mooted by Charleville Rural District Council, Risteárd Ó Foghladha ["Fiachra Eilgeach"] advised that Ráth Luirc was the old name, and it was changed to Rathluirc in 1920.

[14] The fact that Catholics had to attend Mass secretly meant that the old chapel in Holy Cross cemetery was abandoned.

Upon one such gravestone is a Latin epitaph to none other than Seán Clárach Mac Domhnaill (1691–1754), who was, in his time, the Chief Poet of Munster, as well as a native of Charleville.

William Alcock Tully, commissioner of Crown lands in the Kennedy and Warrego pastoral districts and 2nd Surveyor General of Queensland spent his formative years here.

Charleville is also home to stores and restaurants such as Lidl, Supervalu, Centra, Supermacs, Elverys Sports, Aldi and Amber.

Numerous spin-offs both in the town of Charleville and the surrounding area were created when Golden Vale Engineering closed its doors in 1983.

[citation needed] Ireland’s largest independent powered access company CPH www.cphireland.ie is headquartered in Charleville Golden Vale (part of the Kerry Group) continue to make cheese products in the town.

[citation needed] Charleville has numerous pubs as well as two theatre facilities and is home to the North Cork Drama Festival which is held in the Parochial Hall.

[citation needed] The Ráth Luirc GAA Sports Centre has squash, badminton and tennis facilities.