Tullamore
Tullamore
Tulach Mhór | ||
---|---|---|
Town | ||
Eircode routing key R35 | ||
Telephone area code | +353(0)57 | |
Irish Grid Reference | N335248 |
Tullamore (/ˈtʊləˌmɔːr/; Irish: Tulach Mhór, meaning "great mound") is the county town of County Offaly in Ireland. It is on the Grand Canal, in the middle of the county, and is the fourth most populous town in the Midlands Region, with 15,598 inhabitants at the 2022 census.[1]
The town retained Gold Medal status in the National Tidy Town Awards in 2015 and also played host to the World
History
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1821 | 5,407 | — |
1831 | 6,342 | +17.3% |
1841 | 6,343 | +0.0% |
1851 | 4,630 | −27.0% |
1861 | 4,797 | +3.6% |
1871 | 5,179 | +8.0% |
1881 | 5,098 | −1.6% |
1891 | 4,522 | −11.3% |
1901 | 4,639 | +2.6% |
1911 | 4,926 | +6.2% |
1926 | 4,930 | +0.1% |
1936 | 5,135 | +4.2% |
1946 | 5,897 | +14.8% |
1951 | 6,165 | +4.5% |
1956 | 6,147 | −0.3% |
1961 | 6,243 | +1.6% |
1966 | 6,874 | +10.1% |
1971 | 7,474 | +8.7% |
1981 | 8,724 | +16.7% |
1986 | 9,442 | +8.2% |
1991 | 9,430 | −0.1% |
1996 | 10,039 | +6.5% |
2002 | 11,098 | +10.5% |
2006 | 12,927 | +16.5% |
2011 | 14,361 | +11.1% |
2016 | 14,607 | +1.7% |
2022 | 15,598 | +6.8% |
[3][4][5][6][7][8][1] |
In the Middle Ages, Tullamore was within the Gaelic territory of Firceall ruled by the O'Molloy clan. Firceall was part of the Kingdom of Meath. The Tullamore area was part of the first English plantations in Ireland during the 1550s when land was confiscated from the native Irish and colonized with English settlers. Firceall was divided into the baronies of Ballycowan, Ballyboy and Eglish, with Tullamore located in Ballycowan.[9]
The Tullamore area, comprising some 5,000 acres, was granted by the English to Sir John Moore in 1622. At that time the Tullamore estate included a ruined castle, ten cottages and two water mills. Sir Robert Forth, who leased the lands from Thomas Moore (son and heir of Sir John), built a mansion house c.1641 in what is now the Charleville demesne. Charles Moore, Lord Tullamore, grandson of Thomas, eventually regained possession of the estate and when he died in 1674 it went via his sister to Charles William Bury. Charles William was later (1806) created the 1st Earl of Charleville in a second creation of the title.[10]
On 10 May 1785, the town was seriously damaged when the crash of a
rising from the ashes. The event is yearly commemorated by the Phoenix festival which celebrates Tullamore's resurrection from the ashes following the accident.The
Tullamore has a long history of
Following this period,
Culture
The Tullamore Phoenix Festival was an annual celebration of art, culture and heritage first held in August between 2000 and 2007.[citation needed] Festival events included hot air balloons, concerts, street entertainment, a parade, and fireworks.[citation needed]
The Queen of the Land Festival takes place in Tullamore each year on the second weekend in November. Primarily a personality contest, it seeks to find the best examples of a modern Irish woman. It is organised by Offaly Macra Na Feirme. Each year about 25 girls between the age of 17 and 35 compete to be crowned Queen of the Land. The festival provides a host of entertainment throughout the town over the weekend, primarily at night.
An annual Tullamore Show takes place on the second Sunday of August every year. It was cancelled in 2007 and 2008 due to heavy rain, though it ran again in 2009.[13] Agriculture was originally the show's main focus, but this has broadened to include entertainment, food, crafts, lifestyle, trade stands, food and refreshments, fashion and entertainment.[citation needed]
Hugh Lynch's Pub on Kilbride Street has been operating as a public house since the early 1800s. In the early 1900s it was bought by the Williams Group, founders of the D.E. Williams Distillery, and run as a public bar and grocery, along with many other outlets in the
The national Fleadh Cheoil was held in Tullamore for the very first time in August 2007. It returned in 2008 and returned for the third time from 21 to 23 August 2009.[14]
The National Ploughing Championships, Europe's largest Outdoor Exhibition and Agriculture Trade Show, was held in Screggan, Tullamore in 2016. The total attendance figures for the 2016 Championship came to a record-breaking 283,000. The show returned to Screggan in September 2017.[15]
Places of interest
The Tullamore Dew Visitor Centre on the banks of the Grand Canal focuses on the distilling, canal and urban history of the town.[16] Audio visual and self-guided tours are available.
Charleville Estate is located on the edge of the town. One of Ireland's most splendid Gothic buildings,
Tullamore is used as a base for the Slieve Bloom Mountains to the south of the county.[citation needed]
Just south of Tullamore are the unique '
10 km west of Tullamore is the village of
Within 5 minutes drive is the
There are four metal sculptures located on the
There are also a number of churches in the town, including Tullamore Catholic Church, Tullamore Presbyterian Church and St. Catherine's Church of Ireland church.
Tullamore Town Hall, which dates from 1786, used to be a private house known as Acres Hall.[20]
Economy
As the county town of Offaly, many government services are located here such as the headquarters of Offaly County Council, the Midlands Regional Hospital and HSE services. Government departments located in the town include the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine and the Department of Education.
Tullamore has traditionally been an important industrial, retail and services centre for County Offaly. When the
A number of industrial estates are located in the town. For example, in Srah Industrial Estate, employers include multinationals like Sennheiser, GeneMedix, Covidien, Isotron and Zannini.[citation needed]
Retail
The Bridge Centre, is one of the main shopping areas in the town centre, with shops including
Media
From 1975 until 24 March 2008 Tullamore was the home of RTÉ Radio 1's principal medium-wave transmitter, broadcasting the AM version of Radio 1 on 567 kHz, at a power of 500 kW. Before this, the main transmission centre had been sited near Athlone. Tullamore is also home to the headquarters of Midlands 103. It is home to a number of local newspapers including The Tullamore Tribune and The Offaly Independent.[citation needed]
Tullamore features in several books by the best-selling author Lyn Andrews.
Demographics
The population of Tullamore (and its environs) rose from 10,029 in 1996[22][23] to 15,598 in 2022, an increase of over 55%.[1]
Transport and access
Tullamore railway station, first opened on 2 October 1854,[24] is served by trains on the Dublin-Galway and Dublin-Westport/Ballina inter-city routes.
In association with the County Westmeath urban centres, Athlone and Mullingar, Tullamore forms part of what is known as the Midlands Gateway.
Tullamore lies on the N52 national secondary road. This connects to Birr in the southwest of the county and continues towards Mullingar which is located to the northeast. At Kilbeggan (about 12 km north of Tullamore) the N52 forms an interchange with the M6 motorway which connects Dublin and Galway. The N80 national secondary road connects Tullamore with Killeigh, Mountmellick and Portlaoise, travelling in a southwards direction. A number of regional roads run through the town such as the R420 connecting Tullamore to Moate, Clara and Portarlington, and the R421 which connects to Kinnitty.
N52 Tullamore Bypass
In 2009, Tullamore was
Sport
Tullamore has a number of sporting organisations, including Gaelic games, association football, rugby union and athletics clubs.[citation needed]
Association football (soccer) is represented by Tullamore Town F.C. This club was founded in 1941 and have teams in the Leinster Senior League, Combined Counties League (2nd team Women's and Youths) and the Midland Schoolboys League.[27]
Tullamore Rugby Club was founded in 1937 and is based in
Tullamore Harriers caters for athletics in the town, and was founded in 1953.[29]
Other leisure facilities include the Aura Leisure Centre Tullamore, located on Hophill Road, which has a full gym suite and a 25-metre swimming pool.[citation needed] Tullamore Golf Club has been situated at Brookfield since 1926 and has an 18-hole championship parkland golf course. It was rated among the top 25 parkland courses in Ireland in Backspin's 2014 Irish Golf Course Rankings.[30]
Education
This section needs additional citations for verification. (August 2022) |
Tullamore has several primary schools. There are several Catholic schools, a Church of Ireland school, a Gaelscoil and an Educate Together school. There are three secondary schools in the town; Tullamore College, a coeducational, multidenominational vocational school, the Sacred Heart School, a Catholic all-girls school and Coláiste Choilm, a Catholic all-boys school.
People
Notable current and former residents of Tullamore include:
- Conor Brady, former editor of The Irish Times[31]
- Yvonne Farrell (born 1951), architect[32]
- Gerald Gardner (1922–2009), geophysicist and social activist whose statistical analysis led to the banning of classified advertising segregated by gender in a 1973 ruling by the US Supreme Court[33]
- Alfie Lambe (1932–1959), missionary and founder of Legion of Mary in South America[37]
- Dónal Lunny (born 1947), traditional Irish musician and performer[38]
- James Nolan (born 1977), middle-distance athlete, silver medallist at the 2000 European Indoor Championships[39]
- Sister Genevieve O'Farrell (1923–2001), Irish educator and college principal[40]
- Tom Scully (1930–2020), priest and manager of the county football team[41]
- Pat Burke, the first Irish-born player to play basketball in the NBA.[citation needed]
Gallery
-
Hugh Lynchs Pub
-
Tullamore Court Hotel
-
Grand Canal
-
Columcille Street
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
- Market Houses in Ireland
References
- ^ a b c d "Census 2022 | Profile 1 - Population Distribution and Movement | F1015 - Population". data.cso.ie. Retrieved 29 July 2023.
- ^ "Tullamore Dew opens Irish distillery". Drinks Industry Ireland. 17 September 2014. Archived from the original on 18 January 2017. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
- ^ "Census for post 1821 figures". Archived from the original on 9 March 2005. Retrieved 25 July 2009.
- ^ "HISTPOP.ORG - Home". www.histpop.org. Archived from the original on 28 August 2009. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ "Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency - Census Home Page". Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2013.
- Clarendon Press.
- hdl:10197/1406. Archived from the originalon 4 December 2012.
- ^ "Sapmap Area - Settlements - Tullamore". Census 2016. CSO. 2016. Archived from the original on 13 January 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
- ^ "Molloy Omolloy Clan Rally Firceall Molloy Family Geneaology Family Tree Ancestors Offaly Ireland - Omolloy Molloy Ireland Molloys". Omolloy.com. Archived from the original on 21 February 2012. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ "Charleville Demesne & The Burys, 1600–1900". Archived from the original on 19 October 2013. Retrieved 15 December 2012.
- ^ Byrne, Michael. The Tullamore Balloon Fire – First Air Disaster in History Archived 16 December 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Offaly Historical and Archaeological Society website, 9 January 2007 (retrieved 7 July 2011), which in turn cites:
- Faulkner's Dublin Journal, 14 May 1785, and
- Finn's Leinster Journal.
- ^ a b c Harman, Murtagh (1980). Irish Midland Studies: Essays in honour of N. W. English, Athlone. pp. 213–228.
- ^ "Tullamore Show cancelled for second year after downpours". Irish Independent. 11 August 2008. Archived from the original on 18 October 2012. Retrieved 7 March 2009.
- ^ "The 2009 Fleadh Ceoil". Archived from the original on 11 February 2009. Retrieved 8 March 2009.
- ^ O'Shea, Cormac (19 September 2017). "Ploughing championship 2017 LIVE: Good weather in Tullamore as it kicks off". Irish Mirror. Retrieved 9 September 2022.
- ^ "Irish Whiskey Distillery Tours & Tastings". Tullamore DEW. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- tv.com. 10 September 2002.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 4 June 2009. Retrieved 6 March 2010.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Error - Offaly County Council". www.offaly.ie. Archived from the original on 12 November 2019. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ "Tullamore Town Hall, Cormac Street, Kilcruttin, Tullamore, County Offaly". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
- ^ "Stores – Bridge Centre Tullamore". Retrieved 3 August 2022.
- ^ "Demographic context" (PDF). Offaly County Council Development Plan 2009 – 2015. Archived from the original (PDF) on 30 October 2008. Retrieved 28 June 2008.
- ^ "Tullamore (Ireland) Agglomeration". citypopulation.de. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ "Tullamore station" (PDF). Railscot – Irish Railways. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 7 September 2007.
- ^ N52 Tullamore Bypass Scheme[dead link] – www.nra.ie Archived 24 April 2012 at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Saints and Scholars Tullamore By Pass". Offaly County Council. 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2023.
- ^ "Home". www.tullamoretownfc.com. Archived from the original on 28 September 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2022.
- ^ "Tullamore Rugby Club, Offaly, Ireland". Archived from the original on 4 May 2013. Retrieved 24 December 2012.
- ^ "Tullamore Harriers". Tullamore Harriers. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 12 November 2019.
- ^ "About Us | Tullamore Golf Club". www.tullamoregolfclub.ie. Archived from the original on 19 June 2017. Retrieved 1 December 2016.
- ^ "Sunday with Miriam - Conor Brady". rte.ie. RTÉ. 17 January 2016. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ "Tullamore native awarded highest honour in world of architecture". offalyindependent.ie. Offaly Independent. 12 March 2020. Archived from the original on 7 June 2020. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ Weber, Bruce. "Gerald Gardner, 83, Dies; Bolstered Sex Bias Suit" Archived 28 March 2019 at the Wayback Machine, The New York Times, 28 July 2009. Accessed 29 July 2009
- ^ "The Covid-19 Poverty Tsunami". Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice in Ireland. 24 April 2020. Archived from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
- ^ "Tribute to Michael J. Kelly SJ". www.jesuitmissions.ie. Archived from the original on 19 July 2020. Retrieved 18 July 2020.
- ISBN 9789766371807. Archivedfrom the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 3 October 2020 – via Google Books.
- ^ "Servant of God Alfie Lambe". Legion of Mary. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ "Moving On". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 19 September 1996. Archived from the original on 24 September 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2020.
- ^ "Tullamore coach leads Irish athletes to fourth Paralympic Games". offalyindependent.ie. 15 July 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2021.
- ^ McHardy, Anne (9 January 2002). "Sister Genevieve O'Farrell: Resolute head whose dreams of educational excellence surmounted Belfast violence". The Guardian.
- ^ Nolan, Pat (7 April 2020). "Former Offaly football manager Fr Tom Scully dies after contracting coronavirus". Irish Mirror. Archived from the original on 9 April 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2020.