Monasterevin
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| Monasterevin Mainistir Eimhín |
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| Irish Grid Reference N624102 |
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Leinster | |
| County: | County Kildare | |
| Population (2002) | 2,583 | |
Monasterevin (Mainistir Eimhín in Irish) is a town in County Kildare in the Republic of Ireland. The town, with a population in 2002 of 2,583, lies on the River Barrow and the Grand Canal. Monasterevin is known wordwide as "The Venice of Ireland".
Situated 63 km from Dublin on the R445 road, Monasterevin has been relieved of much through traffic by the opening in 2004 of a new section of the M7 motorway bypassing the town on the N7 Dublin to Limerick route. Monasterevin is well connected by rail, with trains from Dublin to the southwest (Cork, Limerick, and Tralee) and west (Galway and Mayo) all serving the town.
Monasterevin is a small town, with Georgian houses, on a flat expanse of country, and occupies a right angle bend on the river Barrow, as it changes direction from east to south. Located in County Kildare, which is situated on the west side of the Wicklow Mountain range in Ireland, on the N7 road from Dublin to Cork, Monasterevin has a population of about 2,300 people.
The land which merges from pastoral to bog gets its name from St. Eimhin's (Evin) Monastery, which was built in the 6th century. This gave place in the 12th century to a more prestentious house dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary by Dermot O'Dempsey, Prince of Offaly, whose mitred abbot sat as a baron in the Irish Parliament. This house disappeared and Moore Abbey was built in 1607, which was modernised in 1846, and was the seat of the Earls of Drogheda from the 18th century onwards. Count John McCormack the famous Irish tenor, rented the house for 9 years in 1936. The Abbey is now a convent, belonging to the Sisters of Charity.
A Celtic Cross in the square of the town is in memory of Father Prendergast, who was hanged here for the part he played in the 1798 Rising.
An aqueduct built in 1826 carries the Grand Canal over the River Barrow. Monasterevin is noted for its unusually high number of bridges
Monasterevin is 39 miles from Dublin, 12 miles from Athy and 13 miles from Port Laoise. Items of interest are Moore Abbey and Monasterevin House. Other features are its angling, the Monastervin Canal festival, and its sporting activities which include Gaelic Athletic Association, badminton, golf, boating, gymnastics and shooting. The Hazel Hotel is well known as a stopping place on the way to Cork on the N7 road. An hour's drive from Dublin, it offers a restful place to have a beverage. Also nearby is the Curragh Race Course.
