Ballymahon
Encyclopedia
County Longford
County Longford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Longford.Longford County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It is located at the junction of the N55 National secondary road
National secondary road
A national secondary road is a category of road in Ireland. These roads form an important part of the national route network, but are secondary to the main arterial routes which are classified as national primary roads. National secondary roads are designated with route numbers higher than those...
and the R392
R392 road
The R392 road is a regional road in Ireland linking Lanesborough, County Longford on the N63 to Mullingar, County Westmeath.Its route takes it in an arch roughly west of the Royal Canal, which it crosses three times. The main town en route is Ballymahon, where it crosses the N55 and the River...
regional road
Regional road
A regional road in Ireland is a class of road not forming a major route , but nevertheless forming a link in the national route network. There are over 11,600 kilometres of regional roads. Regional roads are numbered with three digit route numbers, prefixed by "R" A regional road in Ireland is a...
. Ballymahon derives its name from Gaelic Baile Mathuna Town of Mahon. Mahon (Mathgamain mac Cennétig
Mathgamain mac Cennétig
Mathgamain mac Cennétig was King of Munster from around 970 to his death in 976. He is the elder brother of Brian Bóruma and the ancestor of the McMahon family of County Clare in Western Ireland ....
) was a southern chieftain, the elder brother of Brian Boru
Brian Boru
Brian Bóruma mac Cennétig, , , was an Irish king who ended the domination of the High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill. Building on the achievements of his father, Cennétig mac Lorcain, and especially his elder brother, Mathgamain, Brian first made himself King of Munster, then subjugated...
, who in 960 fought a battle in the vicinity of Ballymahon at Shrule, in Irish Sruaith Fhuil, River of Blood. Mahon defeated O'Rourke of Cavan at this Battle and laid claim to lands in the area. Hence the town of Mahon originated. In comparison to other towns and villages in Co. Longford, Ballymahon is a young town. The earliest documentary evidence was in the year 1578. The map of the 'Down Survy' 1654 by Sir William Petty shows Ballymahon as a group of houses situated at the southern end of the present town, on the right bank of the Inny River. Two main families, the Shuldham family of Moigh House and the King-Harmans of Newcastle House developed the town in the mid-nineteenth century. The buildings in the town are of late Georgian architecture, with two and three storey gabled houses, colour-washed and in rows of three and four. A special feature of the town is its wide main street.
Geography
The River InnyRiver Inny
The River Inny is a river in Ireland. It flows from Lough Kinale under the Bridge of Finea into Lough Sheelin in County Cavan and heads south to Lough Derravaragh...
, a tributary of the River Shannon
River Shannon
The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...
, flows westwards through Ballymahon in the direction of Lough Ree
Lough Ree
Lough Ree is a lake in the midlands of Ireland, the second of the three major lakes on the River Shannon. Lough Ree is the second largest lake on the Shannon after Lough Derg. The other two major lakes are Lough Allen to the north, and Lough Derg to the south, there are also several minor lakes...
three miles from the town.
The Royal Canal also passes westwards through Ballymahon from Dublin to Clondra, Co. Longford and has now been restored.
Buildings of note
- Ballymahon Courthouse and Market House, is a 3 bay 2 story commodious building and has recently been renovated into a new branch library, one stop shop and community facility. It is situated in the centre of the town (built 1819).
- St. Catherine's Church with its graceful narrow spire is a prominent feature in the town (built 1800)
- Ballymahon Mill now renovated and restored into apartments on the southern end of the town and adjacent to the town bridge and River Inny is a fine mid 19th century six story building, (built 1839)
- St. Matthew's Church is an impressive and richly detailed Gothic-style Church and dominates the northwest side of Ballymahon (built 1906)
- Other Buildings of interest in the area are Newcastle House (built 1710 to 1860), Castlecore House (built1740 to 1765), Ledwithstown House (built 1746), Bank of Ireland (built 1869), Convent of Mercy (built 1882)
Transport & communications
- Ballymahon is on the N55 road, a major route leading from Athlone, about 22 kilometres to the south, towards BelfastBelfastBelfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
and Northern IrelandNorthern IrelandNorthern Ireland is one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. Situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, it shares a border with the Republic of Ireland to the south and west...
. The county town of LongfordLongfordLongford is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It has a population of 7,622 according to the 2006 census. Approximately one third of the county's population resides in the town. Longford town is also the biggest town in the county...
lies about 22 kilometres to the north-west.
People
- The author Oliver GoldsmithOliver GoldsmithOliver Goldsmith was an Irish writer, poet and physician known for his novel The Vicar of Wakefield , his pastoral poem The Deserted Village , and his plays The Good-Natur'd Man and She Stoops to Conquer...
was born in the nearby townlandTownlandA townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...
of Pallas on 10th November 1728. Ballymahon has a fine monument on the main street commemorating the poet. - The area is also the centre of John Keegan "Leo" Casey the Fenian Poet whose best known work was the 'Rising of the Moon' who was born in 1846 and died on St. Patricks Day, 17th March 1870
- Ballymahon is the birthplace of Mary Flynn. As a teacher in Dublin, Flynn told stories of a rabbit named Cornelius and his friends to her pupils. These later became a series of books, the best known of which is Cornelius Rabbit of Tang.
Culture & sport
- Ballymahon is home to the Bog Lane Theatre.
- The Ballymahon Scout Troup are active in the area.
- The town has a Gaelic Athletic AssociationGaelic Athletic AssociationThe Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
Gaelic footballGaelic footballGaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
club. - The town has a Soccer Club Ballymahon AFC
- The Inny Kayak Club is also in the town.
- Angling on the River Inny and Royal Canal. (Trout,Pike,Perch,Bream,
Roach,Chub and Hybrids)
- The early twentieth century music-hall star, Gertie Gitana, had a hit with her nostalgic song "There's a cottage in ballymahone. [sic]"
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
- Market Houses in IrelandMarket Houses in the Republic of IrelandMarket houses are a notable feature of many Irish towns with varying styles of architecture, size and ornamentation making for a most interesting feature of the streetscape. Originally there were three, four or even five bays on the ground floor which were an open arcade. An upper floor was...