Muinebeag
Encyclopedia
Townland
A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...
in County Carlow
County Carlow
County Carlow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Carlow, which lies on the River Barrow. Carlow County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland.
Name
Muine Bheag is the official name of the town. The name comes from the Irish for "small thicket". It was historically anglicisedAnglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
as Moneybeg. The motto
Motto
A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...
on the town's coat of arms
Coat of arms
A coat of arms is a unique heraldic design on a shield or escutcheon or on a surcoat or tabard used to cover and protect armour and to identify the wearer. Thus the term is often stated as "coat-armour", because it was anciently displayed on the front of a coat of cloth...
is The Irrepressible Number and its Irish equivalent Uimhir Gan Choisc.
History
The English name Bagenalstown came from Lord Walter Bagenal, who based the town on VersaillesVersailles
Versailles , a city renowned for its château, the Palace of Versailles, was the de facto capital of the kingdom of France for over a century, from 1682 to 1789. It is now a wealthy suburb of Paris and remains an important administrative and judicial centre...
in France, and the town's courthouse
Courthouse
A courthouse is a building that is home to a local court of law and often the regional county government as well, although this is not the case in some larger cities. The term is common in North America. In most other English speaking countries, buildings which house courts of law are simply...
resembles that of Versailles. Bagenal built the town on the River Barrow
River Barrow
The Barrow is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest and most prominent of the three rivers...
to allow for trade and access to the town. He originally wanted the town to be called "New Versailles".
Places of interest
- Ballyloughan Castle is situated near Muine Bheag and comprises a twin-towered gatehouse and the hall and foundations of one of the corner towers of a large castle dating from approximately 1300.
- Ballymoon CastleBallymoon CastleBallymoon Castle is a National Monument situated east of Muine Bheag , County Carlow, Ireland. The castle is thought to date from the 13th century.-References:...
is situated 3 km (2 mi) east of Muine Bheag, and is thought to date from the 13th century.
Activities
- The 1st Bagenalstown BP Scout Group was set up in 2009 and meets in the McGrath hall. Their activities include hiking, camping, kayaking and games. The troop last year became the first troop in the history of the state to stay in an Army barracks.
- Irish Set Dancing classes take place each Tuesday evening in The Railway Inn on Kilree Street, commencing at 8:30.
Gaelic sports
Muine Bheag/Erins Own have been winners of the Carlow Senior Hurling Championship on fourteen occasions, they last won in 1970. Saint Andrews have never won the Carlow Senior Football Championship but were finalists in 1977 and 1978.Soccer
Muine Bheag currently has two soccer clubs both participating in the Carlow premier division, Bagenalstown F.C. and Kilree Celtic.Cricket
Muine Bheag has had a long tradition in cricketCricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
. The local Bagenalstown Cricket Club was first formed in 1842 by the local miller
Miller
A miller usually refers to a person who operates a mill, a machine to grind a cereal crop to make flour. Milling is among the oldest of human occupations. "Miller", "Milne" and other variants are common surnames, as are their equivalents in other languages around the world...
s, and is still in use. The club's logo is a grinding wheel
Grinding wheel
A grinding wheel is an expendable wheel that is composed of an abrasive compound used for various grinding and abrasive machining operations...
, which was used in early milling.
Swimming
Bagenalstown swimming pool is situated on the approach road to the town from LeighlinbridgeLeighlinbridge
Leighlinbridge is a village on the River Barrow in County Carlow, Ireland. The N9 National primary route once passed through the village, which was by-passed in the 1980s. It now lies on the R705 regional road....
. The pool is an excellent attraction for families and children during the summer months.
Queen of the Universe NS
Queen of the Universe NS founded by Bishop Keogh in 1957, is a primary school in Muine Bheag catering for boys (junior infants to 1st class) and girls.St. Brigid’s National School
St. Brigid’s National School founded in 1865,is a primary school in Muine Bheag catering for boys only from classes 2nd to 6th.St. Mary's National School
St Mary's National School is a co-educational school under Church of Ireland patronage, based in Bagenalstown (Muine Bheag) County Carlow.Presentation De la Salle College
Presentation De La Salle College is a secondary school in Muine Bheag established in 1983, this Catholic College is under the trusteeship of the De La Salle Brothers, the Presentation Sisters and Bagenalstown Parish.Muine Bheag Vocational School
Muine Bheag Vocational School is a secondary school in Muine Bheag. Opened in 1963, being, until the establishment of the Gaelcholaiste in Carlow, the last second level school established by Co. Carlow V.E.C.People
- Olympic, World Rowing ChampionshipWorld Rowing ChampionshipsThe World Rowing Championships is an international rowing regatta organized by FISA . It is a week long event held at the end of the northern hemisphere summer and in non-Olympic years is the highlight of the international rowing calendar.The first event was held in Lucerne, Switzerland in 1962...
(silver medalist), and world record breaking sculler Seán Drea - Colour-Sergeant John LucasJohn Lucas (VC)John Lucas VC was born in Glasgomy, Bagenalstown, Co Carlow and was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces.-Details:Lucas was approximately 35 years old, and a...
who won a Victoria CrossVictoria CrossThe Victoria Cross is the highest military decoration awarded for valour "in the face of the enemy" to members of the armed forces of various Commonwealth countries, and previous British Empire territories....
during the Taranaki Maori War in New Zealand in 1861. - Beauchamp BagenalBeauchamp BagenalBeauchamp Bagenal was an Irish rake, buck, duellist and politician.He was born in County Carlow in 1741 and inherited the family estates aged 11. Bagenal gained a reputation as a hell raiser and serial heartbreaker, and was reportedly described as the handsomest man in Ireland...
, (1741–1802) rake, duellist and reputedly "the handsomest man in Europe" - Richie KavanaghRichie KavanaghRichie Kavanagh is an Irish entertainer who writes and performs his own songs. Famous for the song Aon Focal Eile, he now has a number of hits to his name...
, an Irish entertainer who writes and performs his own songs. Famous for the song Aon Focal Eile, he now has a number of hits to his name. Richie was born and raised in Raheenwood, Fenagh, Muine Bheag, County Carlow in Ireland and he still lives there.
Transport
- The town is situated in the River BarrowRiver BarrowThe Barrow is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest and most prominent of the three rivers...
. It is centred on the junctionIntersection (road)An intersection is a road junction where two or more roads either meet or cross at grade . An intersection may be 3-way - a T junction or fork, 4-way - a crossroads, or 5-way or more...
of the R705R705 roadThe R705 road is a regional road in Ireland which runs north-south from the M9 at Leighlinbridge in County Carlow and through Muine Bheag before crossing into County Kilkenny....
and R724R724 roadThe R724 road is a regional road in County Carlow, Ireland. From its junction with the N9 at Royal Oak on the western edge of Muine Bheag Town it takes an easterly route crossing the River Barrow, the R705 regional road and the Dublin – Kilkenny railway line in the town.It continues east to...
regionalRégionalRégional Compagnie Aérienne Européenne, or Régional for short, is a subsidiary airline wholly owned by Air France which connects hubs at Paris, Lyon, Clermont-Ferrand, and Bordeaux to 49 airports in Europe. The airline operates in Air France livery, retaining its name in small titles and logo on...
roads and lies on the eastern side of the N9 National primary routeRoads in IrelandThe island of Ireland, comprising Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, has an extensive network of tens of thousands of kilometres of public roads, usually surfaced. These roads have been developed and modernised over centuries, from trackways suitable only for walkers and horses, to...
. - It is connected to the railway networkRail transport in IrelandRail services in Ireland are provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland.Most routes in the Republic radiate from Dublin...
on the Dublin – KilkennyKilkennyKilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...
line. This connects the town to nearby Carlow, as well as Kilkenny to the southwest. Bagenalstown railway stationMuine Bheag railway stationMuine Bheag halt serves the town of Muine Bheag in County Carlow The station opened on 24 July 1848 as Bagenalstown. It was closed for goods traffic on 6 September 1976, but re-opened, re-named, in 1988...
opened on 24 July 1848. It was permanently closed for goods traffic on 6 September 1976 and re-named "Muine Bheag" in 1988.
International relations
The town was twinned with the town of Pont-PéanPont-Péan
Pont-Péan is a commune in the Ille-et-Vilaine department in Bretagne north-western France.-Demographics:Inhabitants of Pont-Péan are called Pont-Péannais.-References:* ;* -External links:* * *...
, Brittany in 1999. The twinning charter is written in Irish, English and French, and it commits the two towns to "developing social, economic
Economy
An economy consists of the economic system of a country or other area; the labor, capital and land resources; and the manufacturing, trade, distribution, and consumption of goods and services of that area...
, cultural
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
, touristic
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
, and sporting links" between the two communities. Muine Bheag hosts a floral festival every August.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
External links
- Muinebheag Town Council
- Bagenalstown Cricket Club
- Bagenalstown parish
- http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/2006_prelim_table04.pdf