Belturbet

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Belturbet (Irish: Béal Tairbirt, literally translated as "The Mouth of Tairbert Island") is a town in Ireland, located twelve miles from Cavan town , and sixty seven from Dublin city. Belturbet connects Cavan with Ballyconnell (N3 road).

It lies close to the border with Northern Ireland between the counties of Cavan and Fermanagh and is 20 mins drive from Enniskillen.

1 Statistics
2 History
3 Industry/Commerce
4 Eating
5 Political
6 External links

[edit] Statistics

The population of Belturbet in 2002 was 1,304, However it is expected that this should have reached over 2,000 in 2005. [1]

The town has located within it: 14 pubs, 4 local shops, 1 supermarket, 2 butchers, 1 bank ( Ulster Bank), 1 postoffice (An Post) 3 churches (1 Protestant, 2 Roman Catholic), 4 schools (Sisters of Mercy Primary School), St Marys Primary Boys School, St Bricins Vocational School for Girls and Boys [2] and 1 Protestant Primary school.

[edit] History

Belturbet Railway

Belturbet lies at one of the best places for crossing the River Erne. When the Anglo-Normans tried to conquer Cavan in the early thirteenth century, they built a small fort on Turbot Island. The fort was probably made of wood and it hasn't survived, though the steep mound of earth where it was built is still to be seen.

In the 17th century Belturbet was developed by Stephen Butler, a planter from England. It was an important trading centre, and it also had a garrison. Much of the original fortifications are in good repair.

The town retains much of its original lay-out, with the main street leading to the square or 'diamond' with all of the town's important buildings. The parish church dominates the sky-line; some of it dates from the early 17th century, and it was one of the first Anglican churches built in Ireland.

The railway station in Belturbet has recently been restored and is back to its former Schnice glory. It was built in 1885 and served two separate railway lines; The Great Northern to Cavan, and the small Cavan and Leitrim Railway, to Ballyconnell and Mohill.

[edit] Industry/Commerce

The town's main source of revenue is tourism , which includes fishing, boat cruising, the local railway station and country walks. The town also has its own festival, Belturbet Festival Of The Erne which also includes the Lady Of the Erne competition.

For employment, most of the locals work in either Cavan Town, Ballyconnel or other local areas, as there is very little else in Belturbet for employment, other than the tourism aspect, i.e. pubs, hotels, etc.

[edit] Eating

Belturbet has an ever-growing selection of food outlets. The Seven Horseshoes on the main street serves pub grub and carvery during the day. For fast food there are two Chinese restaurants, one Indian and one Italian take away. All of these outlets are on the main street. Lunches are also served in the Bedrock cafe and the BusStop Cafe on the Diamond, while most of the newsagents and shops serve rolls and sandwiches. Slightly more upmarket are the Lawn Hotel, the Harbour Bar (near the local boat jetties) and the French restaurant on Main Street. These all open for lunches and for dinner. (Schnice).