Athenry

Infobox Irish Place
name = Athenry
gaeilge = Baile Átha an Rí
crest

motto =
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pin coords = left: 120px; top: 57px
north coord = 53.2964 | west coord = 8.7431 | irish grid = M505275
area = | elevation = 47 m
province = Connacht
county = County Galway
town pop = 3,205 | rural pop =
census yr = 2006
web = |

Athenry (pronEng|æθənˈraɪ ["Athenry" is pronounced like "Athens" without the "s", followed by "rye"; the accent is on the last syllable.] ; _ga. Baile Átha an Rí, pronounced|balʲɑːˈɾiː, transl. 'Ford of the King') is a town in County Galway, Ireland. It lies 25 km to the east of Galway city, and is also famous for the song "The Fields of Athenry." One of the attractions of the town is its medieval castle. Grid reference: gbmaprim|M501284|M 501 284.Named from the fact that a ford ('Áth') crossed the river Clare just east of the settlement. Because three kingdoms met at that point, it was called 'Áth na Ríogh', or 'the Ford of the Kings'. On some medieval maps of English origin the town is called Kingstown. The kingdoms were Hy-Many to the north-east, east and south-east; Aidhne to the south and south-west; Maigh Seola to the west and north-west.

History

In 1241, the Dominican Abbey was founded, a major institution before being sacked by Cromwellians.

Transport

Athenry lies on the Galway–Dublin main line of the Irish rail network, at the junction of that route with the currently disused Limerick–Sligo line (dubbed the Western Railway Corridor – see Irish railway history). Work is now underway ('West on Track') to re-open these passenger links, with the Ennis-Athenry section due for re-opening by 2008 and the Athenry-Tuam section by 2011. Athenry railway station opened on 1 August 1851. [cite web | title= Athenry station| work=Railscot - Irish Railways | url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | accessdate=2007-09-03]

port

*Athenry is very proud of its sporting tradition and is home to many successful sporting clubs.It boasts one of the most successful gaelic hurling teams of all time, [http://www.athenrygaa.com St. Mary's G.A.A. club] who have won numerous All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championships.
*Athenry also has a proud athletics history. [http://www.athenryac.com Athenry AC] has had a large juvenile section for many years and was complemented in 2002 by a growing senior section. The senior section now has over 100 members, approximately half of which are women. The club has produced two Olypmic sprinters, Martina MacCarthy, who is from Oranmore and Paul Hession who hails from the town itself. Martina represented Ireland in the women's 4 x 100 metres relay at the Atlanta games and Paul competed in the 200 metres at the Bejing games. A number of other club members have represented their country with distinction in both track and field and cross country across Europe and north America.
*Athenry is home to one of the most progressive soccer clubs in Galway, [http://www.athenryfc.com Athenry Soccer Club] and in 2006 reached the final of the [http://www.fai.ie/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=46&Itemid=60 FAI Junior Cup] , the most prestigious junior soccer competition in the country. In 2007 Athenry Soccer Club became the Galway Premier League Champions for the first time in the clubs 36 year history.

Twinning

Athenry is twinned with the town of Quimperlé in Brittany.

Notable natives

The following is a short list of natives of Athenry and its immediate environs.

* Slim Barrett (born 1960?) - artist/jeweller
* Ciarán Cannon (born 1966?) - leader of the Progressive Democrats
* Eugene Cloonan (born 1978) - sportsperson
* Patrick Darcy (1598–1668) - leading Irish Confederate
* Denis Daly (1747–1792) - landowner and politician.
* The Deans - dynamic young blues/rock band
* Meiler de Bermingham (1212–1262) - founder of Athenry
* Rickard de Bermingham (died 1322) - leader of Athenry army during the Second Battle of Athenry
* Padraic Fallon (1905–1974) - poet
* Julie Feeney (born 1978) - composer
* Joseph Patrick Haverty (1794–1864) - painter
* Niall Healy (born 1985) - sportsperson
* James Kilkelly (born 1974) - Horticulturist and newspaper columnist
* Adrian James Martyn (born 1975) - historian
* Lawrence Edward McGann (1852–1928) - U.S. Representative for Illinois
* Martin Naughton (born 1964) - former sportsperson
* Paul Hession (born 1983) - Irish Olympic sprinter

ee also

* Battle of Maigh Mucruimhe
* First Battle of Athenry
* Second Battle of Athenry
* The Sack of Athenry
* List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Galway)
* List of towns in Ireland

External links

* [http://www.athenry.net www.athenry.net]
* http://www.slimbarrett.com/2.about_slim_barrett.html

References