Westmeath

Architecture

Architecture

An early foundation (about the middle of the seventh century a.d.) which falls within this province is that of St Feichin, at. Fore, situated on the north side of Lough fene, Co. Westmeath. The church of St Feichin has a remarkable Cyclopean doorway with sloping jambs and a massive lintel. Above tlie door is a projecting tablet, having carved upon it a cross contained in a circle. This massive doorway, with its sloping jambs and cross- inscribed lintel, is similar to doorways in Syria : it furnishes another link between early Irish Christianity and the East. Close to the church is an anchorites cell, used by a succession of hermits, the last being Patrick Biglin, who died in a.d. 1680. Walter de Lacy built a monastery here in 1209 dedicated to St Ecichin and St Taurin, and filled it with Benedictine monks from the abbey of St Evreux in Normandy. The ruins of this abbey and St Feichins church have recently been vested in the Irish Board of Works. Other re- mains at Fore include the ancient gateways of the town and some Termon crosses.

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Posted on April 17th, 2008 under Architecture. Tags: Architecture, athlone castle, geoffrey de costentin, st evreux, st taurin, st. ecichin, st. feichin, termon, walter de lucy, Westmeath. Comments: 1

Pubs in Westmeath

Situated in the heart of Ireland, Westmeath is one of the most historical counties in the country. There is a lot to see here and the region is rife with little towns and villages. Many marvellous lakes and rivers run through the charming countryside. The towns of Mullingar and Athlone are the two main commercial centers in the county providing Westmeath’s inhabitants with a range of fine boutiques and modern shopping centres. Home of the good life, Mullingar offers sporting facilities, pubs, restaurants and nightlife are second to none. Athlone is a busy and flourishing town with plenty of interesting tourist attractions and first-rate restaurants each with its own distinctive character catering to everyone.

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Posted on April 17th, 2008 under Entertainment. Tags: dr cuppaige's, Entertainment, gertie browne's pub, pubs, sean's bar, Westmeath. Comments: None

Antiquities

Antiquities

Some twelve crannogs have been recorded for West Leinster ; that of Ballinderry in the parish of Kilcum- reragh, near Moate, Co. Westmeath (Holiday Apartments, Westmeath, Ireland), is the most important. A large number of bronze pins, bone pins, and iron tools, etc., there found are now preserved in the National Museum, Dublin.

There are three High Crosses at Kilkieran close to Carrick-on-Suir. Two of these are wheel crosses, decorated with various ornamental interlaced and fret patterns; they have detached caps. The third is a plain Latin cross 13 ft. high. No trace remains of the ancient church of St Ciaran, but some late inscribed headstones and a holy well called Tobar Cille Chiarain are to be seen

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Posted on April 17th, 2008 under Antiquities. Tags: Antiquities, crannogs, high crosses, national museum, st. ciaran, tobar cille chiarain, Westmeath. Comments: None

History

History

The name for Westmeath (Holiday Cottages, Westmeath, Ireland) comes from the Gaelic an Lar Mhi, meaning West of Meath. Westmeath was once part of the territory of the Kingdom of Meath, but was declared seperate in 1542.

One of Westmeaths premier towns, Athlone, is considered to be the Heart of Ireland. It is here that the Irish High Kings were enthroned 2 centuries before the coming of St. Patrick to Ireland. The Anglo-Normans established themselves in Westmeath in approximately 1170. Many of their fortifications can still be viewed today.

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Posted on April 17th, 2008 under History. Tags: castlepollard, gaelic an lar mhi, History, kilbeggan, moate, mullingar, Westmeath. Comments: None

Geology

Geology

The wet lowland of water-logged limestone known as the Hog of Alien stretches westward from New-bridge to beyond the Shannon. The bogs on it are a vast extent, though not continuous, and record the milder and damper climate that succeeded the dry epoch at the close of glacial times. The south-easterly trend of the depressions in which the numerous bogs of Longford and Westmeath have accumulated indicates a series of grooves determined by the ice-movement during the maximum glaciation. The hollows in the surface were first filled by lakes, which became converted by the growth of Sphagnum into bogs.

The soils of the area have been greatly influenced by the transport of limestone boulders from the plain into hollows of the mountains, and across the shales and sandstones of the flanks and the northern part of the up- land of the Leinster coalfield. Except where it is drift- covered, the Old Red Sandstone supports only a poor soil, suitable for heather and coniferous trees ; but the clays and loams on the adjacent Ordovician and Silurian tracts form arable land.