Castlepollard
|
|
Castlepollard (Baile na gCros in Irish, meaning "town of the cross") is a small town with a population of under 1000 in the north of County Westmeath in Ireland, near Mullingar.
| Contents |
History
The Pollard family built Castlepollard in the late 17th century under a Charter of Charles II . The town was well laid out, with an extensive triangular green at its centre. The green is still surrounded by 19th-century buildings today. A sculpture on the square depicts a scene from the famous legend of The Children of Lir. The setting of the legend is Lough Deravaragh, just a few kilometres south of the town.
Commerce/Industry
Mergon International is one of the main businesses in the town, manufacturing high quality moulded parts. The town has quite a small retail base, consisting of a handful of small shops, a few pubs and The Castlepollard Arms Hotel.
One of the best known residents of Castlepollard is the prominent businessman and TD for Westmeath, Donie Cassidy.
Sport/Education
The town is Westmeath's hurling stronghold. Unlike the rest of the county, Castlepollard tends to favour hurling over Gaelic Football. The main section of Westmeath's Taekwondo network is based in Castlepollard.
A new secondary school for the town was due to open in December 2004. It is hoped that this will encourage many who previously went to Mullingar for secondary education to stay in the town.
See also
List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
External links
Mergon International (http://www.mergon.com/eng_mergon/index.htm)