Collinstown

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This article is about the Collinstown Baile na gCailleach. For other meanings, see Collinstown (disambiguation).

Collinstown Baile na gCailleach
Location
WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53.64722° N 7.208201° W
Statistics
Province:	Leinster
County:	County Westmeath
Elevation:	128m
Population (2006)  - Town:  - Rural:	326  355
Website: www.westmeathcoco.ie

Contents 1 Introduction 2 Historical Interests 3 The Lough Lene Bell 4 Barbavila Manor 5 Sport Activities 6 Commerce & Industry 7 External Links

[edit] Introduction

Collinstown (or Baile na gCailleach) is a Westmeath (Iar Mhí) expanding village 18 km north east of the Westmeath county town of Mullingar. The old Irish name of this village, translated to town of the veiled women, in olden times were referred to irreverently as town of the hags, where there was once a convent established on the Nun's island of nearby Lough Lene. Collinstown (St. Mary's parish) was known in the past as Maypole, and has grown to a population of approximately 700.

[edit] Historical Interests

Collinstown has been an inhabited area from pre-Christian times, proven by the presence of a multitude of Ringforts many now over grown, and other historic relics, may be visited in the surrounding high ground surrounding Lough Lene. The area also boasts of ancient burial-grounds associated with Saint Colman who was responsible of 7 early Christian cells, of which Lene and Carric, are near by, and during peanal times there are the christian mass paths, and styles by which pilgrims travelled on foot through fields to Sunday mass. Turgesius the Viking had a fortress built upon the major Lough Lene Island nearby. These historical relics and others are clearly marked upon the ordinance survey maps no. 41 & 42 of the Ordinance Survey maps of Ireland (OSI).

West of Collinstown in the Ranaghan area, and south-west of Lough Lene, remain today different ringforts of which at least one is attributed to the tyrant Viking, Turgesius. From the high ground they overlook the lake and were easy to defend. Legend has it that he dwelled here before being killed by Melaghlin or Malachy the local Meath /Westmeath lord. In addition to this fort, Turgesius also had another upon the biggest island of Lough Lene which still today bears his name, Turgesius Island. Collinstown also has close historic links with the religious orders, the Irish name Baile na gCailleach associated to the Nuns convent upon the second island on Lough Lene, and finally, the saint Taurin, saint Fechan, and Evreux Benedectine monks who came from Normandy, associated with Fore Abbey.

The above mentioned ringforts, and recorded protected structures are marked with small turquoise circles here: Collinstown plan

[edit] The Lough Lene Bell

In 1882, the Royal Irish Academy was presented the Bell of Lough Lene by the Barbavila estate proprietor, Mr. William Barlow Smythe. The bell had been discovered in Lough Lene the previous year by a boy fishing for eels on Castle Island, which was owned by Smythe at the time.

Given the close proximity to the Fore Abbey , the estate owner Smythe concluded that the bell possibly belonged to the St Feichin Abbey; During the Viking and Anglo-Norman oppressions, it may have been transferred to Nun's Island, before being eventually being hidden upon Castle Island.

The Bell has a faint outline of the Christian Celtic cross upon opposing sides and has an ornamental peripheral border. Smythe pronounced that ornamentation was generally reserved for the cases or shrines for that era and was therefore most unusual. The bell appears similar to two other bells from that early Christian period. These had been found in Bangor, County Down in the year 1832, and another in Cashel, County Tipperary in 1849. Smythe, the Barbavila owner, believed that the Lough Lene Bell was contemporary to these bells which were believed to be from the 7th century, therefore supporting his theory that it was possible that it could have been a relic of St. Feichins. The Folklore Commission also hold an account of Kit "the Blade" Fagan's discovery of the bell, which consequentially triggered a local treasure hunt for further artifacts around Collinstown and Fore.

While the original Lough Lene Bell remains within the National Museum, a half sized replica holds a place of pride as the Ceann Comhairle's Bell in Dáil Éireann. This replica was presented to the Dáil in 1931 by the widow of Major Bryan Cooper, a former member of the House.

[edit] Barbavila Manor

During the last century, the Barbavila House & Estate provided much needed employment in the area. Houses, farm buildings, and animal dwellings were built from stone for employees throughout the immediate surroundings of Barbavilla in and around Collinstown. These stone houses, the old school, and farm buildings are protected through local heritage conservation laws, and have been well conserved for the beholding eye. The notable feature of these buildings of stone is the roofing tile baked from local red coloured clay, was manufactured within the Barbavilla estate for all of the constructed buildings, some of these remaining buildings are identified by the small moss-green circles, also in the above link.

Barbavilla was once home to the Smyth’s, an old English landlord, and is now become an industrial complex for automotive parts.

The sister parish of Collinstown, St. Fechin's of the village of Fore,[1] which also has a historic interest, an ancient monastery, a European centre of learning during the middle ages. The Fore village, next to the Benedictine Abbey ruin, is situated in the north of Westmeath, the lake-county of Ireland north of Lough Lene. Lough Lene where freshwater brown trout, crayfish (white-clawed, Austropotamobius pallipes, Lereboullet), perch, and other fish may be caught. Lough Lene is also known as the first inland lake to obtain a Blue flag [2] for its pollution-free water-associated resources. This blue flag has been allocated with regularity to Lough Lene because of the Lough Lene agricultural communities commitment to preserving this water resource and habitat, for fish and wild-life. Vandals have deteriorated the site and have regretfully, failed to obtain the treasured Blue flag in 2006.

[edit] Sport Activities

Bathing, Sailing, wind-surfing, for beginners, and authorised fishing, [3] jetty facilities are available at the Collinstown lake access point named locally as "The Cut" [4] about 2km north of the village.

The Pitch and putt club of Collinstown is also an obligatory stop for many European tourists.

[edit] Commerce & Industry

Since 1964, the IRALCO Irish Aluminum Company situated in the Barbavilla Estate have made automotive parts for major European car companies, employing personnel locally.

Other Industries: Goat cheese production, Electrical, Plumbing,

[edit] External Links

• Lough Lene Communities
• Westmeath County Council
• Ordenance Survey of Ireland (maps no. 41 and no.42)
• Viking Ireland Network school project
• Lough Lene Monks Boat
• Associated L.Lene boat text
• Lough Lene Gaels
• St. Colman (Colman Mac Luachain 6th/7th century)
• Betha Colmáin Maic Lúacháin, or, The Life of Colmán son of Lúachan