Muine Bheag

Muine Bheag Bagenalstown
—  Town  —
The railway station
Coat of arms
Motto: Uimhir gan choisc "The Irrepressible Number"
Muine Bheag Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52°42′04″N 6°57′25″W / 52.701°N 6.957°W / 52.701; -6.957Coordinates: 52°42′04″N 6°57′25″W / 52.701°N 6.957°W / 52.701; -6.957
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	County Carlow
Elevation	40 m (131 ft)
Population (2006)[1]
- Urban	2,532
- Environs	203
Irish Grid Reference	S683609

River Barrow flowing through the town

Muine Bheag or Muinebeag (meaning small thicket), also known as Bagenalstown, is a town and townland in County Carlow, Ireland.

Name

Muine Bheag is the official name of the town.^[when?] The name comes from the Irish for "small thicket".^[2] It was historically anglicised as Moneybeg.^[3] The motto on the town's coat of arms 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 Versailles in France, and the town's courthouse resembles that of Versailles. Bagenal built the town on the River Barrow 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.^[4]
• Ballymoon Castle is situated 3 km (2 mi) east of Muine Bheag, and is thought to date from the 13th century.^[5]

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.^{[citation needed]}
• Irish Set Dancing classes take place each Tuesday evening in The Railway Inn on Kilree Street, commencing at 8:30.

Sport

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 cricket. The local Bagenalstown Cricket Club was first formed in 1842 by the local millers, and is still in use. The club's logo is a grinding wheel, which was used in early milling.

Swimming

Bagenalstown swimming pool is situated on the approach road to the town from Leighlinbridge. The pool is an excellent attraction for families and children during the summer months.

Education

Muine Bheag has three primary schools and two secondary schools.

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 Championship (silver medalist), and world record breaking sculler Seán Drea
• Colour-Sergeant John Lucas who won a Victoria Cross during the Taranaki Maori War in New Zealand in 1861.
• Beauchamp Bagenal, (1741–1802) rake, duellist and reputedly "the handsomest man in Europe"^[6]
• Richie Kavanagh, 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 Barrow. It is centred on the junction of the R705 and R724 regional roads and lies on the eastern side of the N9 National primary route.
• It is connected to the railway network on the Dublin – Kilkenny line. This connects the town to nearby Carlow, as well as Kilkenny to the southwest. Bagenalstown railway station opened on 24 July 1848. It was permanently closed for goods traffic on 6 September 1976^[7] and re-named "Muine Bheag" in 1988.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Republic of Ireland

The town was twinned with the town of Pont-Péan, Brittany in 1999. The twinning charter is written in Irish, English and French, and it commits the two towns to "developing social, economic, cultural, touristic, and sporting links" between the two communities. Muine Bheag hosts a floral festival every August.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

1. ^ "Census 2006 – Volume 1 – Population Classified by Area" (PDF). Central Statistics Office Census 2006 Reports. Central Statistics Office Ireland. April 2007. http://www.cso.ie/census/documents/census2006_volume_1_pop_classified_by_area.pdf. Retrieved 14 June 2011. 
2. ^ [1]
3. ^ Placenames Database of Ireland
4. ^ "Ballyloughan Castle". Carlow Tourism – Castles. http://www.carlowtourism.com/castles.html. Retrieved 9 December 2007. 
5. ^ "Ballymoon Castle, County Carlow". Irelands Eye.com. http://www.irelandseye.com/aarticles/travel/attractions/castles/ballymc.shtm. Retrieved 10 December 2007. 
6. ^ Donaldson, William Rogues, Villains and Eccentrics: An A-Z of Roguish Britons Through the Ages pp 38–9, Phoenix, London, 2002
7. ^ "Bagenalstown station". Railscot – Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf. Retrieved 11 October 2008. 

External links

• Muinebheag Town Council
• Bagenalstown Cricket Club
• Bagenalstown parish
• [2]