Muinebeag
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| Muinebeag Bagenalstown |
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| Uimhir gan choisc "The Irrepressible Number" |
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| Irish Grid Reference S683609 |
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| Province: | Leinster | |
| County: | County Carlow | |
| Elevation: | 40 m | |
| Population (2002) - Town: - Rural: |
2,540 649 |
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Muinebeag (from Irish), also spelt Muine Bheag, or as more commonly known Bagenalstown is a town in County Carlow, Republic of Ireland. The area is between the midlands of Ireland and the southeast. The county town of Carlow is to the north of Muine Bheag. The town is the second largest in the county.
The English name "Bagenalstown" is more commonly used, but "Muinebeag" is the official name of the town while the variation "Muine Bheag" is more commonly used, and is often used in speech as "Muinebeg". Iarnród Éireann train services always use the written timetable station of "Muine Bheag", whilst the spoken announcements on trains are usually for "Bagenalstown".
The English name came from Lord Bagenal. Bagenal based the town on Versailles in France, and the town's Courthouse resembles that of Versailles. Bagenal built the town on the River Barrow to allow for trade and access to the town. Bagenal originally wanted the town to be called "New Versailles". It was built in the 18th century. Railway first arrived in Bagenalstown in 1846.
The town is a small distance from the main N9 Dublin–Waterford road, but is connected to the railway network on the line between those two cities. This connects to the town to nearby Carlow, as well as Kilkenny to the southwest.
The name Muinebeag comes from the Irish for a small thicket of thorns. The motto on the town's Coat of Arms is "The Irrepressible Number" and its Irish equivalent, Uimhir gan choisc, represent "9", which is the number of town councillors.
The town was twinned with the town of Pont-Péan, France in 1999. The twinning charter is written in Irish, English and French, and it commits the two towns to "developing social, economic, cultural, touristic, and sporting links" between the two communities. Muine Bheag hosts a floral festival every August, and visitors from far and wide come to visit it.
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[edit] Cricket
Muinebeag has had a long and prestigious tradition in cricket when the local Bagenalstown Cricket Club was first formed in 1842 by the local millers which is still used close to McGrath Park today. The logo for the club is a grinding wheel which was used in early milling which represents the long tradition of cricket in Muine Beag over the generations.
[edit] People from Muinebeag
- Olympic, World Rowing Championship (silver medalist), and world record breaking sculler Sean Drea
- Colour-Sergeant John Lucas who won a VC during the Taranaki Maori War in New Zealand in 1861
