Carrick-on-Shannon
| Carrick-on-Shannon Cora Droma Rúisc
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 Carrick-on-Shannon
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| Coordinates: 53°56′38″N 8°05′42″W / 53.944°N 8.095°WCoordinates: 53°56′38″N 8°05′42″W / 53.944°N 8.095°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Connacht |
| County | County Leitrim |
| Elevation | 45 m (148 ft) |
| Population (2006)[1] | |
| • Town | 3,163 |
| • Urban | 2,595 |
| • Environs | 568 |
| Irish Grid Reference | M935996 |
| Website | www.carrickonshannon.ie |
Carrick-on-Shannon (Irish: Cora Droma Rúisc, meaning "the weir of the marshy ridge") is the county town of County Leitrim in Ireland. It is also the smallest main county town in the country[citation needed] . It is situated on a strategic crossing point of the River Shannon and is the largest town in the county. The population of the town was 3,163 in 2006.[1] It is in the barony of Leitrim.[2] and in the parish of Kiltoghert in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise[3]
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[edit] History
It has been regarded as the key to the west from Ulster for millennia as it is situated on a fording point of the Shannon. In the vicinity of the nearby village of Drumsna, on the County Roscommon border, may be seen remains of an Iron Age fortification, which points to the long felt need to prevent incursions and raids from that quarter. As an ancient stronghold of the O'Rourkes of Breifne and their ofttimes rivals, the O'Raghnaills (Reynolds) of North Roscommon, the town was granted a royal charter and named a borough with its own seal in 1607.
The remains of Carrick Castle can still be seen on the N4 By-Pass near the Carrick Bridge. Signposted walking tours of the town allow visitors to discover its interesting historical buildings, in particular the Workhouse and Famine Graveyard, Hatley Manor (a restored Georgian period home of the St. George Family, now under the benevolent care of MBNA), St George's Church of Ireland ( has an interactive Visitor Centre), and the Costello Chapel which is believed to be the smallest chapel in Europe. The Carrick-on-Shannon & District Historical Society is very active and holds monthly lectures for members and the general public as well as running trips to various places.
Carrick-on-Shannon nestles on a scenic stretch of the Shannon and is also surrounded by some of the most beautiful and unspoilt scenery in Ireland.[says who?] It is the gateway to the Shannon-Erne Waterway, Lough Key, Acres Lake and Lough Allen via the picturesque villages of Cootehall, Knockvicar, Jamestown, Leitrim Village, Drumshanbo and Keshcarrigan and is only a short distance away as are the spectacular[says who?] Glens of North Leitrim.
[edit] Local Media
Carrick-on-Shannon is served by the Leitrim Observer which is published every Wednesday and the fortnighty free Northwest Express newspapers.
[edit] Local Government
As of March 2009, three County Councillors, Sinead Guckian (Fianna Fáil), Gerard Reynolds (Fine Gael) and Liam McElgunn (Fianna Fáil) were from the town.
[edit] Places of Interest
[edit] Carrick Bridge & Quay
Until the early 19th Century, the head of the Shannon Navigation was Drumsna, where the famous English novelist, Trollope, was Postmaster. In the 1840s the improvement of the navigation entailed extensive dredging of the river, the cutting of Jamestown Canal, the construction of locks at Drumsna and Knockvicar, and the building of a new bridge and Quays at Carrick-on-Shannon. The new bridge, built in 1846, took the place of a nine arch stone bridge, which in turn replaced a wooden structure.
For over a century, until the closing of the Grand Canal Company in 1960, Carrick was a major depot for river trade; timber, cemnt, hardware, and especially Guinness stout (see the Old Barrell Store, right) were all transported here from Dublin, Athlone and Limerick. Nearby is the clubhouse of Carrick-on-Shannon Rowing Club, which has been one of the foremost in the country since its establishment in 1827. Its traditions are very much alive and visitors may observe club members in practice on the river.
The annual regatta at the August Holiday was a famed highlight of the festive season in the whole North West. M.J. McManus recalls that he watched...
"In August sunshine, the eights and the fours and the pleasure boats and the turf-cots competing on Carrick's day of days."
[edit] Water Music Festival
Since its inception in 2005, the Festival has brought a range of musical talent to Carrick-on-Shannon, the intention, to reinforce the image of the Northwest as a desirable place to live, work and visit. In 2008 the festival was extended from a five day event to a week long event.
[edit] Arts
The Dock is a multi purpose arts centre in Carrick on Shannon, Co. Leitrim with an extensive performing and visual arts programme and a vibrant community workshop programme. Housed in the renovated 19th Century courthouse building overlooking the river Shannon, The Dock was opened in August 2005. It houses an intimate theatre space with regular performances of music, theatre, comedy and more; three art galleries with monthly exhibitions showcasing the best of local, national and international work; artists' studios, workshop spaces, a coffee shop and theatre bar and The Leitrim Design House, a unique retail gallery with work from a wide array of local artists and designers.
The Very Small Gallery is located in 'The Bush Craft Yard'. Sixty local artists are exhibited.
[edit] Churches
St. Mary's Catholic Church is on the left on the Main Street. Built in the Gothic style, it was designed by W.H. Hague, a distinguished Dublin architect. It was dedicated on 19 October 1879. The church is enhanced by its position on elevated ground and the flights of stone steps leading to it. Fr. Thomas Fitzgerald, the priest responsible for its construction, is buried within the chancel in front of the Blessed Sacrament Altar.
St. George's Church, which stands uphill to the left of Main Street at the top of St. Mary's Close, is the Church of Ireland parish Church. Prior to 1698, the parish church was situated at Kiltoghert. In that year it was transferred to its present site in Carrick. It was re-built in 1829 and the interior reconstructed in the years 1910-1914. Rev. W.A. Percy who was Rector from 1869 to 1886 was grandfather of the famous song writer Percy French.
Coming back down St. Mary's Close and further up Main St. "The Priest's Lane" was the old name for the road at the Swan Bar leading to St. Patrick's Park. This was where the Catholic clergy first lived after the relaxation of the Penal Laws. It is also reputed to have been the home of Turlough Carolan, the harpist and composer when he came to Carrick as a boy with his family from Nobber, Co. Meath in 1684.
[edit] Climate
Carrick on Shannon experiences a year-round mild, moist, temperate and changeable climate, due to the prevailing winds of the Gulf Stream. The town experiences a lack of temperature extremes, with temperatures below 0 °C (32 °F) and above 30 °C (86 °F) being rare. The town receives an average of 1,147 mm (45.2") of precipitation annually, which is evenly distributed throughout the year. Rain is the most common form of precipitation - hail, sleet and snow are rare in the town, though will sometimes be experienced during particularly cold winters. Carrick on Shannon is also consistently humid, with humidity normally ranging from 70% to 100%, and this can lead to heavy showers, and even thunderstorms breaking out when drier east winds, originating in the European continent, clash with this humidity particularly in the late summer.
The average January temperature in the town is 6.8 °C (40.6 °F) and the average July temperature is 16.0 °C (60.8 °F). This means that Carrick on Shannon is said to have a Maritime Temperate climate (Cfb) according to the Köppen climate classification system.
While extreme weather is rare, the town and county can experience severe windstorms that are the result of vigorous Atlantic depressions that occasionally pass along the north west coast of Ireland. Most of these storms occur between late autumn and early spring.
Due to the towns north westerly location, has long summer days. Daylight at midsummer is before 04:00 and lasts until after 23:00. In midwinter, daylight does not start until 09.00, and has gone by 16:00.
[edit] Transport
As its name implies, the town is located on the River Shannon, which is linked to the Erne via the Shannon-Erne Waterway. Carrick on Shannon railway station opened on 3 December 1862.[4] The town is located on the N4 National Primary Route, linking Dublin in the east to Sligo in the west. The road is of motorway status for much of its length.
A short drive from the town will leads across the bridge to County Roscommon. Carrick-on-Shannon also has a small village within its town called Cortober.
[edit] Sport
- Gaelic games - St Marys GAA Club, based in the parish of Kiltoghert.[5] The club was re-formed in March 1944. For 55 years, the club rented the Show Grounds on the Boyle Road.
- Golf - Carrick on Shannon Golf Club [6] The townland of Ballinamoney was first the first site for a golf course. In 1936 the club moved to a site nearer the town in Lisnagot. In 1944 it moved to its present location in Woodbrook.
- Rowing - Carrick on Shannon Rowing Club[7] The club was founded in 1836.
- Rugby[8]
- Soccer - Carrick Town FC was founded in 1976. The home ground is located at the Showgrounds on the Boyle Road. On 12 June 2011 Carrick hosted the Connacht Championship semi-final between Leitrim GAA and Roscommon GAA.
- Fishing. The locality is acknowledged nationally and internationally for the quality of its angling. It has hosted National and International Fishing Competitions. There are 41 lakes within a 10 km radius of the town, all of which are unrestricted and easily accessible. Anglers may expect to land roach, bream, rudd, tench, pike, perch, eel or trout. Boats, live bait, specialised fishing maps and a vast fund of local fishing knowledge and expertise are readily available throughout the town.
[edit] Twinning
Carrick-on-Shannon is twinned with the following places:
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ a b "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 2011-06-11.
- ^ Placenames Database of Ireland.
- ^ Roman Catholic Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise - map of parishes.
- ^ "Carrick on Shannon station". Railscot - Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
- ^ Gaelic games club website
- ^ Golf club website
- ^ Rowing club website
- ^ Connacht Rugby article
[edit] External links
- Tour of Old Carrick-on-Shannon
- Carrick on Shannon Chamber of Commerce
- The Dock Arts Centre
- Carrick-on-Shannon RFC
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