Banagher
| Banagher Beannchar Banagher |
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| Coordinates | 53 ° 11 ′ N , 7 ° 59 ′ W | ||
| Basic data | |||
| Country | Ireland | ||
| Leinster | |||
| county | Offaly | ||
| ISO 3166-2 | IE-OY | ||
| Residents | 1760 (2016) | ||
Banagher ( Irish Beannchar ) is a country town on the Shannon with 1760 inhabitants (as of 2016) in County Offaly in the Republic of Ireland .
location
Banagher is relatively central on the Irish Island, 106 km west of Dublin . Down the Shannon it is 85 km to Limerick and 27 km upstream to Athlone . The city was historically an important transition point across the river to the eastern parts of the Connacht province .
history
Banagher arose at a ford across the Shannon on a higher area on the east bank of the river that could not be flooded. The first bridge over the Shannon was built in 1049. The Shannon crossing was strategically important; further crossings were only possible in Athlone, Shannonbridge and Portumna .
The Kingdom of England increased its military presence in the area in the 16th century and built various fortifications. As a result of the decrees of James I , the British "Plantations" reached the area around Banagher from 1621. The town of Banagher was founded by a decree of Charles I on September 16, 1628. In the same year a military base was built, which existed until 1863 with brief interruptions. In 1685 a stone bridge was built over the Shannon. In the 17th century, Banagher was a center of the wool trade.
Banagher experienced an upswing from 1800 with the construction and opening of the Grand Canal , which flows into the Shannon a few kilometers north of the city. The population doubled from 1500 to 3000 inhabitants. After 1850 the place lost its importance again. From 1841 to 1844 the English writer Anthony Trollope lived in Banagher, where he worked for the local post office.
Culture and sights
- Banagher Horse Fair , traditional annual horse market in September
- Cromwell's Castle , 17th century fortifications
- Banagher Bridge, stone bridge over the Shannon from 1843
- St. Paul's Church of Ireland
- St. Rynagh's Catholic Church
education
There are three educational institutions in Banaghar: St. Rynagh's National School, Banagher College and St. Rynagh's CC.
Personalities
sons and daughters of the town
- Pat Moylan (* 1946), Irish politician, Senator in the upper house of the Irish Parliament from 1997 to 2011 , from 2007 to 2011 as Cathaoirleach its chairman
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Banagher (Town) on citypopulation.de, accessed on December 28, 2017
- ↑ a b c d Banagher - A Brief History : Civic Week Booklet (1951)
- ↑ Christopher Moriarty, Places to Visit - Banagher , The Sacred Heart Messenger, March 1997
- ↑ Banagher - The Midland Boroughs in the 1830s ( Memento of July 24, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ OHAS, Banagher as a Corporate Town ( Memento on 10 October 2009 at the Internet Archive )