Castletown-Geoghegan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Castletown-Geoghegan Baile Chaisleain Mhic Eochagain |
||
| Location | ||
|
||
| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Leinster | |
| County: | County Westmeath | |
| Elevation: | 95m | |
| Population (2006) | 671 | |
Contents |
[edit] Geography
Castletown is situated south west of Lough Ennell, south of Mullingar, Ireland.
[edit] History
Introduction The history of Castletown Geoghegan reaches back beyond Niall of the Nine Hostages back before the Bronze Age and even back to the late Stone Age when elementary tilling and farming methods were applied on the fertile high ground of the lake county.
The MacEochagáins or Geoghegans have descended from descended from Fiacha, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages who is said to have take by force Saint Patrick, (born Maewyn Succat around the age of 16) to Ireland.
Other septs in the area, are the Foxes and especially the O'Melaghlins figure frequently in the Annals from the 6th century onwards, some 25 generations of Fiacha's Mac Eochagáin posterity pass unnoticed and unrecorded. [1]
IThe family group which were destined to become Geoghegans were probably relatively small during this period and confined to an area around Durrow on the Westmeath Offaly border. Other chiefstens of this area at this time, but not anything like as powerful as their neighbours - O'Melaghlin, Molloy, Kearney (Fox), Brennan (who also occupied the area around Castletown-Geoghegan).
The descendants of Fiacha, son of Niall of the Nine Hostages which of course included other families in addition to the Geoghegans, were collectively known as Cenel Fhiachaigh, anglicised as Kenaleagh or Kenalea and by this name the Geoghegan territory was known until Elizabethan times. During ths Elizabethan period, it became the Barony of Moycashel. The Moycashel name was taken from one of the principal Geoghegan castles which has since disappeared.
Other descendants from Nial also occupying the surrounding area were the Terrells, Ffertullagh On the north side situated was the Daltons' country, and O Melaghlins' country, to the west, between Geoghegans territory and Athlone was Dillons' country.
[edit] Sport
The popular local sport is that of gaelic football and hurling. The Castletown-Geooghegan Hurling Club has over the decades had exchanges with many of the other county rival clubs within the county. The club wears black-&-amber in Westmeath.
