County Offaly: Difference between revisions
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*[[Mundy]], musician |
*[[Mundy]], musician |
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*[[Neil Delamere]], comedian |
*[[Neil Delamere]], comedian |
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*[[Caroline Lindsay]] of [[Ballyclare]], family historian |
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==Towns & Villages== |
==Towns & Villages== |
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Revision as of 12:28, 20 July 2010
Template:Infobox Place Ireland County Offaly (Irish: Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is one of the twenty-six counties of the Republic of Ireland, and also one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, located within the province of Leinster. It was named after the of Kingdom of Uí Failghe. Tullamore is the county town and largest town in Offaly, and is the 30th largest in Ireland. Offaly is the 18th largest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area and 23rd largest in terms of population.[1] It is the fifth largest of Leinster’s 12 counties in size and ninth largest in terms of population.
History
The lost city of Clonmacnoise in County Offaly is Ireland's leading Monastic site. Located at the river Shannon near Shannonbridge,it was the greatest centre of learning in Europe during the first millennium. It was regarded as the most important centre for learning, Arts and Crafts and Christianity in Europe and today tourists may see the famous Celtic Crosses of Clonmacnoise at the site.
Before the plantation of modern day Offaly by English settlers, the territories it comprises were controlled principally by the Ó Conchubhair Fáilghe clan in the North/East of the county and the Ó Céarbhaill of Ely in the south. The county was shired in 1556 by Mary I of England during one of the Plantations of Ireland. It was created from some of the remnant Gaelic captaincies on the borderlands of the ancient kingdoms of Meath, Munster and Leinster and therefore does not correspond to the territory of the Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was named King's County after Philip, the consort of Queen Mary I, who later ruled as Philip II of Spain. As a result, Daingean was renamed Philipstown. Both were renamed in 1922 after the Irish War of Independence. The Mooneys ruled there.
Geography
Offaly borders seven counties the second most of any county after Tipperary which borders eight. Offaly is bordered by the counties of Galway, Roscommon, Tipperary, Laois, Westmeath, Kildare and Meath. The Slieve Bloom Mountains are in the southern part of the county on the border with Laois. Offaly has the 24th highest county peak in Ireland. The highest point is Arderin (Irish: Ard Éireann) in the Slieve Blooms at 527 metres (1,729 ft). The Slieve Bloom Mountains contain the county's highest points including Stillbrook Hill and Wolftrap Mountain which are the county's second and third highest peaks. Croghan Hill rises from the Bog of Allen and is located in northern Offaly. Although only 234 metres high, it is know for it's view over the surrounding area and it stands out by itself.
In the northwestern part of the county is the floodplain of the River Shannon. The River Camcor runs throw the town of Birr and is a Wild Trout Conservation Area. The River Brosna runs across the county from Lough Owel in Westmeath to Shannon Harbour. Silver River runs through several towns in the south of the county before joining Brosna near the town of Ferbane. The Grand Canal also runs acoss the county from Edenderry on the north-east to Shannon Harbour before joining the Shannon. The county contains many small lakes from Lake Boora to Pallas Lake and it also contains 42 hectares of swamp. There are a number Eskers in the counties landscape including Esker Riada.
Offaly largely comprises a flat landscape and is known for it's extensive bog and peatlands. There are many large bogs in Offaly including the Bog of Allen, Clara bog, Boora bog and Raheenmore Bog which are spread out across the county with the Bog of Allen extending into four other counties. The county comprises of approximately 42,000 hectares of peatlands which is 21% of Offaly's total land area.
Offaly contains approximately 9,000 hectares (22,239 acres) of forest and woodland area, which only amounts to 4.5% of the county's land area. This includes woodlands within the Slieve Blooms and the Lough Boora Parklands. Roughly 75% of Offaly's forested area is Conifer High Forest.
Places of Interest
- A notable tourist attraction is the narrow gauge Clonmacnoise and West Offaly Railway in Blackwater Bog.
- Birr in the south of the county is best known for its castle and gardens. Birr Castle is owned by the Parsons family, (the family bears the title: 'Earl of Rosse') and is best known for its 19th century telescope.
- Sculpture in the Parklands around Lough Boora in Boora Bog.
- Charleville Castle located in Tullamore
- Ancient Christian monastic site at Clonmacnoise along with ancient examples of the Irish High Cross such as the 'Cross of the Scriptures', the round tower and visitors center.
- Kinnitty Castle
- Slieve Bloom Mountains with panoramic views of Counties Offaly and Laois
- Banagher on the river Shannon for cruises along the river.
Demographics
The 2006 population figure for County Offaly is the highest for the county since 1881[2]. The Central Statistics Office estimates that the increase in population between 2002 and 2006 (7,205) comprised a natural increase of 2,026 people with the balance of 5,179 accounted for by net in-migration from within Ireland as well as abroad. Offaly’s population growth during the period 2002-2006 (11.3%) has been stronger than the National average (8.2%). This may be attributed to proximity to the Greater Dublin Area, recent increased accessibility to Dublin (M6, M7, and improved rail services) and the differential in house prices between Dublin and Offaly.[2]
The population of many towns has risen dramatically over the period 1996 to 2006: Birr +21.5%, Tullamore +28.8% and Edenderry +53.9%. Portarlington has had a population increase of 50.1% from 2002 to 2006 alone.[2]
In 2006 the age profile of the population is as follows[2]:
- <15 years ... 22.52%
- 15-64 yrs ... 66.54%
- >65 years ... 10.95%
Economy
Traditionally, agriculture and industry have been the main driving force of the economy in the county. Offaly has extensive bogland particularly in the northern parts of the county that forms part of the Bog of Allen. Bord na Mona was founded in 1946 and provided employment to hundreds of people in Offaly by making peat briquettes (for home domestic use) and supplying peat to power stations operated by the ESB. Peat briquettes are currently made at the Bord na Mona factory at Derrinlough near Birr. Consequently with vast reserves of peat the ESB has a number of power stations providing energy to the national grid. Today, power stations are operating at Shannonbridge and Edenderry. With the continuing depletion of the bogs a number of power stations have closed down in recent years. The ESB power station at lumcloon, Ferbane was also a major employer in the midlands but closed in 2001. Rhode power station also closed down soon afterwards. These were major landmarks in Offaly with large cooling towers that were visible for miles around Offaly and beyond, but were demolished soon after the power stations closed. Many bogs are now used as wildlife reserves or for tourism activities such as lough Boora. The opening of the Grand Canal in the 18th century brought prosperity to towns such as Banagher and Tullamore. Both towns were important stops on the Dublin to Limerick navigation which supported a number of industries and brought cheap and efficient water transport to the county in that era. The Celtic tiger also brought an increase in economic activity to Offaly with business enterprise and industrial parks opening in Birr, Edenderry and Tullamore. Many people particularly in the east of the county are within an easy commuting distance to Dublin where many find employment.
Transport
Offaly has a number of train stations, these including Tullamore railway station, Birr railway station, Clara railway station and Portarlington railway station. Tullamore and Clara railway stations are on the main Dublin to Ballina/Galway/Westport railway line with regular trains serving the area especially for Dublin commuters. There are no main national primary routes in the county , however, the M6 skirts the county to the north and the N/M7 skirts the county to the south through Moneygall. This provides greater access to regional cities such as Dublin, Galway and Limerick. The N52 road is a major road in Offaly connecting Birr and Tullamore. It also connects Offaly to the M6 at Kilbeggan and the N/M7 at Roscrea via the N62 road from Birr. Bus Eireann provide public transport services throughout the county with regular bus services to Limerick and Waterford from Athlone bus station. Other private bus coach services provide direct bus services from Birr to Dublin such as Kearns bus service who run several services daily.
People
- The current Taoiseach, Brian Cowen, was born in Clara, County Offaly on 10 January 1960. He now lives on the outskirts of Tullamore.
- The short story writer, novelist and playwright William Trevor (KBE) was born in County Offaly, and raised in County Cork.
- The world-famous scientist John Joly was born at Bracknagh in 1857.
- The current Irish Open champion, golfer Shane Lowry.
- William Parsons, 3rd Earl of Rosse, astronomer
- Barry Glendenning, journalist
- Mundy, musician
- Neil Delamere, comedian
Towns & Villages
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1653 | 7,654 | — |
| 1659 | 8,310 | +8.6% |
| 1821 | 131,088 | +1477.5% |
| 1831 | 144,225 | +10.0% |
| 1841 | 146,857 | +1.8% |
| 1851 | 112,076 | −23.7% |
| 1861 | 90,043 | −19.7% |
| 1871 | 75,900 | −15.7% |
| 1881 | 72,852 | −4.0% |
| 1891 | 65,563 | −10.0% |
| 1901 | 60,187 | −8.2% |
| 1911 | 56,832 | −5.6% |
| 1926 | 52,592 | −7.5% |
| 1936 | 51,308 | −2.4% |
| 1946 | 53,686 | +4.6% |
| 1951 | 52,544 | −2.1% |
| 1956 | 51,970 | −1.1% |
| 1961 | 51,533 | −0.8% |
| 1966 | 51,717 | +0.4% |
| 1971 | 51,829 | +0.2% |
| 1979 | 57,342 | +10.6% |
| 1981 | 58,312 | +1.7% |
| 1986 | 59,835 | +2.6% |
| 1991 | 58,494 | −2.2% |
| 1996 | 59,117 | +1.1% |
| 2002 | 63,663 | +7.7% |
| 2006 | 70,868 | +11.3% |
| [3][4][5][6][7][8] | ||
- Tullamore (County Town)
- Ballinagar, Ballyboy, Banagher, Birr
- Cadamstown, Clara, Cloghan, Clonygowan, Clonbullogue, Clonmacnoise, Crinkill, Croghan
- Daingean
- Edenderry
- Ferbane
- Geashill
- Horseleap
- Kilcormac, Killeigh, Killoughey, Kinnitty
- Moneygall, Mountbolus
- Portarlington (half of which is in County Laois, the River Barrow forming the county boundary)
- Rahan, Rhode
- Shannonbridge, Shannon Harbour, Shinrone
- Walsh Island
See also
References
- ^ Corry, Eoghan (2005). The GAA Book of Lists. Hodder Headline Ireland. pp. 186–191.
- ^ a b c d "Demographic context" (PDF). Offaly County Council Development Plan 2009 - 2015. Retrieved 2008-06-28.
- ^ For 1653 and 1659 figures from Civil Survey Census of those years, Paper of Mr Hardinge to Royal Irish Academy March 14, 1865.
- ^ Census for post 1821 figures.
- ^ http://www.histpop.org
- ^ http://www.nisranew.nisra.gov.uk/census
- ^ Lee, JJ (1981). "On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses". In Goldstrom, J. M.; Clarkson, L. A. (eds.). Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in Honour of the Late K. H. Connell. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
- ^ Mokyr, Joel; O Grada, Cormac (November). "New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700-1850". The Economic History Review. Volume 37 (Issue 4): 473–488. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0289.1984.tb00344.x.
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