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An article of my hometown: Thurles From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Thurles Durlas Location WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 52°40′44″N 7°48′52″W﻿ / ﻿52.67888, -7.814369 Irish grid reference S118583 Statistics Province: Munster County: County Tipperary Elevation: 99 m (328 ft) Population (2002) - Town: - Environs: 6,852 573 Website: www.thurles.ie Thurles (pronounced /θɜɹlɛs/, or locally /tɜrləs/; Irish: Dúrlas Éile) is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland, situated on the River Suir, with a population of around 8,000. It is twinned with Bollington in England and Salt Lake City, Utah, United States.

Contents [hide] 1 Geography 2 History 3 Sport 3.1 Gaelic games 4 Education 5 Commerce 6 Transport 7 See also 8 External links 9 References

[edit] Geography Geographically, Thurles is the largest town in North Tipperary and is surrounded by the Silvermines which are mountains to the north-west and the Slieveardagh Hills to the south-east. The town itself nestles in the heart of the beautiful Suir Valley. The mild climate and the waters of the River Suir have combined to produce some of the finest agricultural land in the world.[citation needed]

[edit] History The many castles and monastic settlements, which surround Thurles, bear lasting evidence to the area's rich and colourful history.

The town itself owes its development to the Norman Butlers and particularly to James Butler, who was created Earl of Ormond by Edward III in 1328. Two of the original family fortresses still remain in Thurles today.

[edit] Sport

[edit] Gaelic games Thurles is the birthplace of the Gaelic Athletic Association, founded in 1884 in Hayes' Hotel. Semple Stadium, where the centenary All-Ireland hurling final was played, is the second largest Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Ireland, second only to Croke Park. In addition, Lar na Pairce, a museum devoted to the Gaelic Athletic Association, is located in the town. Semple Stadium in Thurles is Ireland's second largest sports arena with a capacity of 55,000. It is the spiritual home of Munster hurling and many famous matches, especially Munster Finals, have been played there. It was also the site of the Féile rock festival during the 1990s.

[edit] Education There are numerous schools in Thurles. The Ursuline Convent was founded in 1737, the Presentation Convent in 1817, the CBS in 1818, St. Patrick's College in 1837, the Pallottine College in 1907 and Thurles Vocational School in 1928. A third-level college, the Tipperary Institute (formerly TRBDI), was established in 1998. A new arts centre & library, the Source, was completed in 2006.

[edit] Commerce Historic print depicting market day in Thurles (August 1848) Thurles December 2006Thurles has a well-developed industrial sector originally based on the traditional agri-based sector. It has also successfully attracted modern high technology industries to the area, with the establishment of the Thurles Technology Park.

[edit] Transport Thurles railway station opened on 13 March 1848.[1]

[edit] See also Kieron Connolly List of towns in the Republic of Ireland

[edit] External links Thurles Chamber of Commerce Thurles Town website Tipperary Institute

[edit] References ^ Thurles station. Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved on 2007-09-07. Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurles" Categories: Towns and villages in County Tipperary Hidden categories: All articles with unsourced statements | Articles with unsourced statements since November 2007

[edit] Famous people with Thurles connections Mary Hanifin-current Minister for Social and Family Affairs Boy George-English singer-songwriter and club DJ Pat Short-Actor,known for his roles in The Un'beliveables and Kilnaskully Des Hanifin-Former TD Kieron Connolly-Irish Novelist

Nenagh From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Nenagh An tAonach Location WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 52°51′48″N 8°11′58″W﻿ / ﻿52.8632, -8.1995 Irish grid reference R865787 Statistics Province: Munster County: County Tipperary Elevation: 72 m (236 ft) Population (2002) - Town: - Environs: 6,121 333 Website: www.nenaghtc.ie Nenagh (An tAonach in Irish) is a town in North Tipperary, Ireland. It is the capital town of North Tipperary and unofficially of the whole county. It has a population in 2006 of 7,415.[1]

Nenagh was originally a market town, and its name in Irish, An tAonach means "The Fair", a reference to Aonach Urmhumhan, the Ormond (East Munster) Fair, of which it was the site. Nenagh is today a busy commercial town and is governed by Nenagh Town Council[1]. The town's historic attractions include Nenagh Castle and the ruined Franciscan abbey.

Contents [hide] 1 Geography 2 History 3 Major Buildings 3.1 Nenagh Castle 3.2 St Mary's of the Rosary Catholic Church 3.3 St Marys Church of Ireland Church 3.4 Courthouse 3.5 Gaol and Governors House 3.6 New Civic Offices 3.7 Town Hall 4 Transport 4.1 Road 4.2 Rail 5 Sport 5.1 GAA 5.2 Rugby 5.3 Athletics 5.4 Soccer 5.5 Triathlon 6 Famous People with Nenagh Connections 7 References 8 See also 9 External links

[edit] Geography Nenagh lies on the Nenagh River, which empties into Lough Derg at Dromineer, 9 km to the north-west, a popular centre for sailing and other water sports.[2] The Silvermines mountains lie to the south of the town, with the highest peak being Keeper Hill (Sliabh Ciamalta in Irish) at 694m[3]. The Silvermines Mountains have witnessed mining for silver and base metals on and off over seven hundred years. Traces of 19th century mine workings remain[4].

[edit] History Nenagh is located in the Barony of Ormond which was the traditional territory of the O'Kennedy's in pre-Norman times. This land was included in the grant made by King John to Theobald, eldest son of Hervey Walter of Lancashire, England. Theobald was subsequently appointed Chief Butler of Ireland[5].

Nenagh Castle was built c1216 and was the main castle of the Butler family before they moved to Gowran, County Kilkenny in the later 14th century, and later still to the castle in Kilkenny city [5]. The castle remianed in Butler hands for over 500 years. The town was one of the ancient manors of the Butlers who received the grant of a fair from Henry VIII. The Butlers also founded the medieval priory of St John, just outside the town at Tyone. A small settlement grew up around the castle, but it never seems to have been of any great importance other than as a local market throughout the medieval period[6]. An important Franciscan friary was founded in the town in 1252 in the reign of Henry III which became the head of the Irish custody of West Ireland and was one of the richest religious houses in Ireland.[5]. The Abbey was in use for six hundred years, Fr. Patrick Harty, who died in 1817, being its last inhabitant.

The town seems to have been refounded in the 16th century. In 1550 the town and friary were burned by O'Carroll. In 1641 the town was captured by Owen Roe O'Neill, but shortly afterwards it was recaptured by Lord Inchiquin. It surrendered to Ireton in 1651 during the Cromwellian period and was burned by Sarsfield in 1688 during the Williamite Wars. Apart from the Castle and Friairy most of the town's buildings date from the mid-1700s onwards when its sale out of Butler onwership led to the large-scale grant of leases and the subsequent growth of industries and buildings. The town's growth and development was accelerated in 1838 when the geographical county of Tipperary was divided into two ridings and Nenagh became the administrative capital of the North Riding[5]. In this period Daniel O'Connell held one of his Monster meetings for Repeal of the Act of Union at Grange outside of Nenagh.

In the nineteenth century Nenagh was primarily a market town providing services to the agricultural hinterland. Industries included brewing, corn processing, coach building and iron works with the addition of cottage industries such as tailoring, dressmaking, millinery, shoemaking, carpentry, wood-turning, wheelwrighting, harnessmaking, printing, and monumental sculpting. The Nenagh Co-operative Creamery was established in 1914 providing employment in milk processing and butter-making[5].

[edit] Major Buildings

[edit] Nenagh Castle Nenagh CastleThis fine Norman Keep was built c1200 by Theobald Fitzwalter the first Butler and completed by his son also Theobald c1220. [7] The Butlers later became Earls of Ormonde and Nenagh remained their principal seat until 1391 when the seat was moved to Kilkenny Castle where it remains to this day. The circular keep is over thirty metres high, and has a base of sixteen metres and is one of the finest of its kind in Ireland.[7] The crown of mock crenellations and ring of clerestory windows were added at the instigation of Rev. William Flannery in 1861. The intention was that the keep would become the Bell tower of a Pugin-designed cathedral which was never built. [7] Though not true to historic character these additions have ensured the iconic status of the keep which ensures that it features on the logos of many local clubs and businesses including Nenagh Town Council [2]. A project is currently under way to develop the castle and its surrounds. This project will position the castle as the main tourist attraction in the area.

[edit] St Mary's of the Rosary Catholic Church This neo-gothic church was built in 1895 to a design by architect Walter G Doolin. [8] It was constructed by John Sisk using Lahorna stone and Portroe slate with the Portland stone of the arches being the only imported material.[8]

[edit] St Marys Church of Ireland Church The adjacent Church of Ireland church was built in 1862 to a design by the architect Joseph Welland.[5] It is striking in its simplicity in contrast to its larger and more ornate neighbour.

[edit] Courthouse Nenagh CourthouseNenagh Courthouse was built in 1843 to the design of Architect John B Keane.[5] The design was similar to his previous courthouse in Tullamore which in turn followed William Morrison's designs for Carlow and Tralee.[5] The courthouse has recently been refurbished following the moving of the County Council offices to the new Civic Offices. The grounds of the refurbished courthouse nearby have recently become the site of bronze sculptures of three Olympic gold medallists with Nenagh links.

[edit] Gaol and Governors House The old gaol, with its beautiful octagonal governor's residence, has been happily reduced to the status of an historic monument. Only one Gaol block remains intact. The Governor's Residence and Gaol Gatehouse currently house Nenagh & District Heritage Centre.

[edit] New Civic Offices New Civic Offices have recently opened on the Limerick Road housing both North Tipperary County Council and Nenagh Town Council. Designed by Ahrends Burton & Koralek, they have won international recognition for their striking modern design. [9]

[edit] Town Hall The Town Hall in Banba SquareThis distinctive building, which until 2005 housed the offices of Nenagh Town Council and up until the 1980s Nenagh Public Library, was built in 1895 and designed by the then Town Engineer Robert Gill (grandfather of Tomás Mac Giolla).[5]

[edit] Transport This section does not cite any references or sources. (May 2008) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

[edit] Road Nenagh is situated on the R445 Regional Road, which links it to the N7 National Primary Route (which bypasses the town to the south) between Limerick and Dublin, as well as the N52 National Secondary Route to Birr (and through the Midlands to Dundalk).

[edit] Rail Nenagh has a station on the railway line between Limerick and Ballybrophy. Passengers can connect at Ballybrophy to trains heading northeast to Dublin or southwest to Cork or Tralee. Nenagh railway station opened on 5 October 1863.[10] The railway line is lightly used. Lack of upkeep means that the line is restricted to a maximum speed of 40 km/h and the existing trains are poorly timetabled for commuters. A committee (the Nenagh Rail Steering Committee) working in conjunction with Irish Railway News, had a meeting with the national railway company Iarnród Éireann (IÉ) on 1 September 2005 to present the results of a traffic study funded by Nenagh Town Council and North Tipperary County Council, and to seek a morning and evening service between Nenagh and Limerick which would increase commuter traffic. IÉ agreed to delay an afternoon service from the December 2005 timetable and to work towards an early service when equipment permitted from 2007. While the twice-a-day service on the Ballybrophy/Limerick line is poor, Nenagh is only 37 km from Thurles, which is on the main Dublin/Cork line, and which has around 18 trains daily in each direction, including non-stop services to and from Dublin.

[edit] Sport This section does not cite any references or sources. (May 2008) Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

[edit] GAA Nenagh Éire Óg ColoursÉire Óg Nenagh is the local Gaelic Athletic Association club and has had a deal of success in County Championships in both football and hurling. The club has been strongly represented on All-Ireland winning Tipperary hurling teams with players such as Mick Burns, Michael Cleary, John Heffernan, Conor O'Donovan and Hugh Maloney.

[edit] Rugby Local Rugby Union club Nenagh Ormond RFC were promoted to the third division of the Rugby AIB League in 2005. The club has produced two full Irish International players: Tony Courtney in the 1920s and more recently Trevor Hogan.

[edit] Athletics Statue of Olympic gold medalists Hayes, McGrath and Tisdall in Nenagh, Co Tipperary, IrelandThe local athletic club Nenagh Olympic were named after three men (Johnny Hayes, Matt McGrath and Bob Tisdall) with Nenagh connections who won Olympic Gold Medals and the badge of the club is three interlocking Olympic Rings in green, white and orange. A statue of the three has been erected in Banba Square in the grounds of the Courthouse. The club has produced many fine athletes including recently Gary Ryan who also represented Ireland at the Olympics. The club also possesses Ireland's first and to date only international standard indoor athletics track at Tyone. Many championships are held there including munster championships and even all Ireland championships

[edit] Soccer Home to Nenagh A.F.C.(1951) and Nenagh Celtic F.C.(1981). Nenagh A.F.C.'s home grounds are Brickfields and Islandbawn. Nenagh Celtic's home ground is Lisbunny.

[edit] Triathlon The Nenagh Triathlon Club was formed in 2007 to cater for the growing number of triathlon enthusiasts in the town. [3]

[edit] Famous People with Nenagh Connections Helen Maria Bayly - wife of Irish mathematician William Rowan Hamilton. J.D. Bernal - scientist Gerard Corrigan - Social Commentator and creator of Hardy Drew and the Nancy Boys Patrick Donohoe - Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross John Doyle - journalist with Canada's Globe and Mail Bernadette Flynn - Irish dancer Julian Gough - novelist and singer with Toasted Heretic Johnny Hayes - Olympic Marathon gold-medalist T.P. Gill MP of the Irish Parliamentary Party and agriculture pioneer Billy Hassett - lead singer and guitarist with Mod band The Chords Trevor Hogan - Irish Rugby International Jack Jones - British Labour politician Seán Kenny - Theatre Designer Tomás Mac Giolla - Former Workers' Party president, Dublin West TD and Lord Mayor of Dublin Shane MacGowan - singer and songwriter Matt McGrath - Olympic Hammer-throwing gold-medalist Dan Morrissey - Government Minister Nuala Ní Dhomhnaill - Irish poet Michael O'Kennedy - Government Minister and European Commissioner Mary Redmond - Sculptor Father Alec Reid - Facilitator of the Northern Ireland peace process Dudley Smith -operatic singer Bob Tisdall - Olympic 400m hurdlesgold-medalist