- Castlepollard
Infobox Irish Place
name = Castlepollard
gaeilge = Cionn Torc / Baile na gCros
crest
motto =
map
pin coords = left: 85px; top: 47px
north coord = 53.6472
west coord = 7.2109
irish grid =
area =
elevation =
province =Leinster
county =County Westmeath
dailconstituency = Westmeath
EU constituency = East
stdcode =
town pop = 1107
rural pop = included above| census yr = 2006
|Castlepollard ("Cionn Torc", "boars' hill", in Irish; also, "Baile na gCros", "cross town") is a small town with a population of under 1000 in the north of
County Westmeath inIreland , nearMullingar .History
The Pollard family built Castlepollard in the late 17th century under a Charter of Charles II of England. The village was well laid out, with an extensive triangular green at its centre. The green is still surrounded by 19th-century buildings today. A sculpture on the square depicts a scene from the famous legend of the
Children of Lir , along with a plaque outlining the story in several languages. The setting of the legend isLough Derravaragh , just a few kilometres south of the village. Amongst the manyRingforts in the surrounding high ground, there are two ancient forts of special interest. One of which, namedRandoon , is in the area called Ranaghan, south west ofLough Lene , and the second on the principal island of Lough Lene,Turgesius ' Island (named after the Viking leader who sojourned there on occasion and who is reputed to have conquered Dublin and Clonmacnoise).Castlepollard has two churches; one Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland. The building that currently serves as St. Peter's Centre was originally a notorious home for unmarried mothers run by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart.
Commerce/Industry
Mergon International, a manufacturer of moulded parts, is one of the main businesses in the village. The village has quite a small retail base, consisting of a handful of small shops and a number of pubs.
port/Education
The village is located in the stronghold of
Westmeath hurling and its local rivals areLough Lene Gaels and Ringtown hurling club. While Castlepollard tends to favour hurling overGaelic football ,there is also aGaelic football club in the area. There is also a Soccer club, Castlepollard Celtic which runs teams from Under 7 to Under 15 level at Schoolboys and Girls as well as two adult team. The club has approx. 200 members.Trivia
Castlepollard's Market House was burned circa 1921. It was repaired and is now a Fire Station.
In what became known as the "Massacre of Castlepollard" in 1831 a group of English stooges opened fire on a crowd at the Castlepollard Fair killing 13 people
ee also
*
List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
*Market Houses in the Republic of Ireland External links
* [http://www.mergon.com/eng_mergon/index.htm Mergon International]
* [http://www.ballycomoyle.com/ Ballycomoyle GAA Club]
* [http://www.pollardkarting.com/ Castlepollard Karting Circuit]
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