Castlepollard
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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.
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[edit] 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, along with a plaque outlining the story in several languages. The setting of the legend is Lough Derravaragh, just a few kilometres south of the town. Castlepollard has two Churches; one Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland.
The building that currently serves as St. Peter's Centre was originally a notorious home for unmarried mothers run by the Sisters of the Sacred Heart.
[edit] 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 (Brady's being the best) and a number of pubs, the finest being Jeffrey Neas' pub Town and Country (locally known as the 'T&C') and the Pollard Arms Hotel.
One of the best known residents of Castlepollard is the prominent businessman and TD for Westmeath, Donie Cassidy.
[edit] Sport/Education
The town is Westmeath's hurling stronghold.(despite being in intermediate ranks for the year 2007). They tend to be in the shadows of local rivals Lough Lene Gaels and Ringtown hurling clubs (both senior clubs). While Castlepollard tends to favour hurling over Gaelic Football,there is also a strong Gaelic Football club operating in the area. Their website can be accessed at www.ballycomoyle.com (See link under external links below).. 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.
[edit] See also
List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
[edit] External links
