County Offaly
map | |
---|---|
Basic data | |
Country: | Ireland |
Administrative headquarters: | Tullamore |
Province: | Leinster |
Irish name: | Uíbh Fhailí |
Surface: | 1990 km² |
Residents: | 78.003 (2016) |
License Plate: | OY |
Offaly ( Irish County Offaly ) is a county ( county ) in the Irish province Leinster that the counties Galway , Roscommon , Westmeath , Meath , Kildare , Laois and Tipperary borders.
geography
The county consists largely of a plain that is bounded to the west by the River Shannon . Only in the southeast do the Slieve Bloom Mountains rise . The Grand Canal , which connects Dublin with Ballinasloe , runs through the county .
history
Stone Age traces can be found at the Greenville menhir .
In the Middle Ages, the Principality of Offaly was located here, which in addition to today's county also included parts of Tipperary , Laois and Kildare . This principality has long been under the rule of the O'Connor clan. Turlough O'Connor (1088-1156) who lived at the time of the Synod of Rathbreasail (1111 in Offaly) and Roderick O'Connor (1116-1198) were kings of Connacht . In the 16th century it came to the English crown. In 1556 the county was established under the name King's County .
economy
Agriculture consists of cattle, sheep and pig breeding as well as the cultivation of wheat and brewing barley. There is a textile industry, distilleries, as well as furniture manufacturing and jute processing.
politics
Offaly forms a constituency that sends three MPs to the Irish Parliament ( Dáil Éireann ). In the 2016 election, Fianna Fáil , Fine Gael and Sinn Féin each won one seat.
The distribution of seats in the county council after the local elections on May 23, 2014:
Political party | Seats |
---|---|
Fianna Fáil | 8th |
Fine Gael | 3 |
Sinn Féin | 3 |
Non-party | 5 |
Cities
Attractions
There are only two large stone graves in Offaly. They are in the Slieve Bloom Mountains. Because of their poor state of preservation, it is impossible to classify them. They are located in Ballywilliam in Barony Ballybritt and in Gorraun in Barony Clonlisk.
- Clonmacnoise , ruined monastery
- Clonfinlough stone
- Dowris hoard
- Durrow High Cross & Well
- Leap Castle
- Leviathan (telescope)
Personalities
- Brian Cowen (* 1960), Minister, Tánaiste , Taoiseach from May 2008 to March 2011 and chairman of the Fianna Fáil party from May 2008 to January 2011 .
Coordinates: 53 ° 13 ′ N , 7 ° 36 ′ W