Roscrea: Difference between revisions
m Reverted edits by IF L U ii D (talk) to last version by OrphanBot |
IF L U ii D (talk | contribs) |
||
| Line 26: | Line 26: | ||
King [[John of England]] is credited with having erected a Castle at Roscrea, of which a circular tower and some sections of wall are still in existence. The later rectangular keep, known as Ormonde Castle is still standing. To the south east of Roscrea, near the [[County Laois]] border, are the Timoney Hills, where an area of over {{convert|100|acre|km2}} contains more than 300 standing stones. Two miles south west is the ruined '''Ballinakilt Castle''', built by Piers Butler of [[Paulstown]] in 1580. |
King [[John of England]] is credited with having erected a Castle at Roscrea, of which a circular tower and some sections of wall are still in existence. The later rectangular keep, known as Ormonde Castle is still standing. To the south east of Roscrea, near the [[County Laois]] border, are the Timoney Hills, where an area of over {{convert|100|acre|km2}} contains more than 300 standing stones. Two miles south west is the ruined '''Ballinakilt Castle''', built by Piers Butler of [[Paulstown]] in 1580. |
||
==Transport== |
|||
The town is at the crossroads of the [[N7 road|N7]] between [[Dublin]] and [[Limerick]] [[roads in Ireland|road]] and the [[N62 road|N62]] between [[Athlone]] and [[Horse and Jockey]] where it connects to the main [[N8 road]] between [[Dublin]] and [[Cork (city)|Cork]]. Construction work is underway on the N7 with the view of turning it into a complete motorway connecting Dublin and Limerick. This will completely bypass Roscrea and other towns on the road such as [[Moneygall]] and [[Nenagh]]. Roscrea is well connected by [[bus]] routes with two [[Bus Éireann]] lines going through the town. Route 12 connects [[Dublin]] and [[Limerick]] while route 71 connects [[Athlone]] to Cork. <ref>[http://www.buseireann.ie Bus Éireann]</ref> JJ Kavanagh also runs services through Roscrea and the town is well covered by private operators within the town such as Andrew Walsh and Johnny McDonnell coaches.<ref>[http://www.roscreaonline.com RoscreaOnline.com]</ref> Roscrea is connected to the [[rail transport in Ireland|Irish railway network]] on a branch from [[Limerick]] to [[Ballybrophy]] (where it joins the main [[Cork (city)|Cork]]-[[Dublin]] line). [[History of rail transport in Ireland|At one time]] there was a branch from Roscrea to nearby [[Birr]] in [[County Offaly]]. [[Roscrea railway station]] opened on 19 October 1857.<ref>{{cite web | title=Roscrea station | work=Railscot - Irish Railways | url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | accessdate=2007-09-07}}</ref> |
|||
HE ALSO TAKES IT UP THE ANAL |
|||
==Commerce== |
==Commerce== |
||
Revision as of 13:17, 8 May 2009
Template:Infobox Irish Place Roscrea (Ros Cré in Irish) is a small heritage town in County Tipperary, Ireland, located near the midlands. (52°57′N 7°49′W / 52.950°N 7.817°W). The placename comes from the Irish with Ros Cré meaning "wood of Cré", Cré being a female name of olden times. Historically Roscrea has been an important trading town. Roscrea has a population of 4,910[1] and it is located in the south midlands, 44 miles (71 km) from Limerick City and 76 miles (122 km) from Dublin City. Its main industries include meat processing and pharmaceuticals.
History
Roscrea grew around its ancient monastery. The Round Tower, on Church Street, has a doorway 15 feet (4.6 m) from the ground and is the oldest surviving part of the ancient monastery. The usual conical cap is missing as it was destroyed by cannon fire in 1798. The 8th century Book of Dimma, which belonged to Roscrea monastery, is preserved in Trinity College, Dublin. It contains a copy of the Gospels and a Missa Infirorum, and is enclosed in a shrine of bronze with silver plates ornamented with Celtic interlacing.
The Church of Ireland Parish Church is dedicated to St. Cronan and stands on the site of the ancient monastery, whose doorway forms the entrance to the grounds. There is a crude representation of the crucifixion on a monumental stone in the churchyard, which is known as the Shrine of St. Cronan and there is also a 12th century sculptured cross.
The Catholic Church is built on the site of the old Franciscan Friary, which was founded by the O'Carroll, Chieftain of the district, in 1490. Some portion of the walls of the old Friary has been retained in the modern church building. The altar portrays the crucifixion. Roscrea was the seat of a bishopric until the 12th century, when it was joined to the diocese of Killaloe. Mona Incha Priory, to the east of the town, displays 12th century Romanesque features, especially the rich chancel arch.
King John of England is credited with having erected a Castle at Roscrea, of which a circular tower and some sections of wall are still in existence. The later rectangular keep, known as Ormonde Castle is still standing. To the south east of Roscrea, near the County Laois border, are the Timoney Hills, where an area of over 100 acres (0.40 km2) contains more than 300 standing stones. Two miles south west is the ruined Ballinakilt Castle, built by Piers Butler of Paulstown in 1580.
HE ALSO TAKES IT UP THE ANAL
Commerce
The main business in town is Glanbia which makes and distributes meats product all over the world.
In 2008 Glanbia sold off its pig meat operations.The 2 former Glanbia plants in Roscrea are now part of the Rosderra Irish Meats Group.It still uses the Glanbia brand under licence.[2] Taro Pharmaceuticals is a large plant in the town that employs approximately 80 people, covering Research and Development, Manufacturing and Security. There are numerous supermarkets including Tesco, SuperValu, Lidl, Spar and Londis. A Dunnes Stores recently opened and this brings further employment and commerce to the town. There are also lots of small local businesses to compete with the supermarkets. In the restaurant field, Roscrea has an Italian restaurant- La Serenata, 3 Chinese restaurants, numerous cafes, and national and international chains like Supermacs and McDonalds. Roscrea has two hotels which are the Damer Court hotel and Racket Hall hotel.
Education
The town is home to many educational institutions. Primary Schools are provided with schools like Scoil Chrónáin Naofa Dromakeenan,[3] Scoil Eoin Naofa, Scoil Íosaf Naofa Corville, Sacred Heart Primary School, Dunkerrin N.S., Lismackin N.S. and the school for Persons with Intellectual Disabilities St Anne's. The solitary secondary school in the town is Coláiste Phobal Ros Cré.[4] This school was formed when the Sacred Heart Convent, the Christian Brothers School and the Tech amalgamated to form one public school in 1999. Just outside Roscrea is the Cistercian College. This is a private school located on the grounds of the Mount St Joseph Cistercian Monastery. Third-level courses, accredited by FETAC are provided at the Colaiste. The nearest Third-Level Institute is Tipperary Institute in Thurles.[5]All local schools and colleges are excellently catered for by the presence of educational specialists and suppliers such as Patricia's Corville Stores, Mike's Good News, and www.roscreabookshop.com
Jobs and Economy
Highly-skilled jobs are lacking in Roscrea. Taro Pharmaceuticals and Glanbia Meats provide most employment but this is mostly low-paid work. Enterprise Ireland is encouraged by the local Chamber of Commerce and new businesses are regularly set up by budding entrepreneurs but most don't prosper. Local students look for part-time work in the Summer and this is provided in places like Spar, SuperValu, Xtravision and Spencer-Spillane.
New developements in the town include the opening of a new Dunnes Stores and also new business parks on the outskirts. Shannon Development have a business park near Ashbury in the town. This houses local businesses like Walsh Printers and JS Hygiene (Upholstery cleaning). The other business park is at Benamore on the Dublin road. Roscrea Express Delivery Services, Minogue Furniture, Looby Tiles and the Civil Defence all have branches here, the latter being the result of decentralisation. Many locals travel to the town of Nenagh to work in the factory there, Proctor & Gamble, where cosmetic products are produced. Some even make lenghty commutes to Dublin or Limerick for highly-paid jobs at Dell, AOL and Microsoft etc.[6]
Places of interest
- It is home to Monaincha Abbey which has been described in the 10th century publication The Annals Of The Four Masters as the 31st Wonder of The World. Two miles from the town is a Cistercian monastery, Mount St. Joseph Abbey, and well-known boarding school for boys, Cistercian College.
- Roscrea town itself has many architectural features of note, including the Round Tower, Roscrea Castle and Damer House] Complex, and the "Fancy Fountain." This latter feature was re-located from the old "Market Square" at the foot of Main Street to its present site in Rosemary Square, which is home to a number of Roscrea's longest-established retail businesses. The town is not far from the Slieve Bloom Mountains. It is positioned where in ancient times, the five main routes in Ireland, or the Slighe Dhála, converged.
Sport
There is a strong rugby following in the town. Roscrea Rugby Club has been twinned with Holybush in Wales for over 50 years.[7] There are also some football (soccer) teams in the town — Killavilla F.C. and Streamstown Celtic F.C. being the biggest names. There is also a strong GAA following in the town although this has waned somewhat in recent years. The local club, Roscrea GAA has won some trophies in its time including the recent U12 County Final win, played in Semple Stadium in Thurles. In Gaelic football, Inane Rovers are the local club. In football, Killavilla Utd. has recently developed new playing facilities at Engtek Park just outside Roscrea. The new facilities are a great asset to the town. Roscrea has a top quality golf course and also tennis facilities. There is an athletics club, a badminton club and many more sporting clubs. A swimming pool is currently under construction and this long awaited project should be ready for 2009/2010.
Other Organisations
Roscrea is home to a strong scout troop, Roscrea Scout Troop, founded in 1971, covering all sections from Beaver Scouts to Venture Scouts. The troop is part of the Slieve Bloom Scout County [8] in the South-Eastern Province in Scouting Ireland.
The international speaking organisation, Toastmasters also have a branch in town. Recently, Roscrea Active Citizenship Association was set up, bringing together all the organisations to try and aid the development of the town.