Athea
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Athea (Irish: Áth an tSléibhe) is a small town in west County Limerick, Republic of Ireland, located near Newcastle West in the mid-west of Ireland. The settlement did not flourish until the building of a road from Abbeyfeale to Glin in the 1830s, resulting in Athea being at a crossroads with the road from Listowel to Limerick. Athea has a church, and the town is the centre for the Catholic parish of Athea, encompassing several townlands.
Con Colbert, the youngest man to be executed by the British after the Easter Rising in 1916, was born in the parish of Athea in 1888.
The folklorist and historian Kevin Danaher was born and raised about a mile outside the town. There were also a number of other famous sons from Athea, including the Ahern brothers of Olympian fame, David Quaid served with The Royal Munster Fusiliers from 1897 - 1909 he fought at the battles of Belmont, The Modder River and The Relief Of Ladysmith during The Boer War in South Africa 1899 - 1902, he later served in India under Lord Kitchener. David Quaid is buried in the "Old Graveyard" in Templeathea.
Contents |
[edit] The Village
Athea is built on the river Galey and the crossroads of the R523 (Reens - Listowel) and R524 (Glin - Abbeyfeale). There are two streets in Athea, Con Colbert Street (the main street) and Dalton Street (fomerly Barrack Street). The Parish of Athea is currently the largest in County Limerick, even surpassing Limerick City in size. St. Bartholomew's Church is located on Colbert Street and the village is home to two graveyards, Holy Cross and The "Old Graveyard" in Templeathea. The village has been suffering economically over recent years. Closures of businesses are slowly downgrading the social status the town once had. Pubs, shops and the local petrol station are some of the hardest hit businesses.
[edit] Education
The village is home to Athea National School which has over 100 pupils enrolled. Recently the school was awarded €750,000 by the Department of Education for redevelopment and renovation is scheduled to be complete by September 2008. While the village has no post-primary schools, Bus services run from the village to nearby Abbeyfeale (St. Joseph's, St. Ita's and Abbeyfeale Vocational School) and Tarbert (Tarbert Comprehensive School).
[edit] Transport
There is little public transport provided for the village only one weekly bus service from Limerick to Tralee stopping in Athea each Wednesday. Locals have lobbied Bus Éireann to increase the level of service in the village.
[edit] Amenities
There is a post office, two newsagents, a fastfood takeaway, a Chinese takeaway, a butcher shop, two funeral homes, a medical clinic, garages, a library, a beauty parlour, hair salons, pubs, a community centre, a sports complex, a printing/publishing office and a credit union in the village.
[edit] The Athea Road Races
This is an annual event which draws thousands to the village each June. It is considered very important to the local economy. Last year an estimated 18,000 descended on the village according to Gardaí. The Motor Cycle Races are a two day event taking place on a Saturday and Sunday at the end of June. This year's event takes place on the 28th and 29th June. The races attract spectators from all over Ireland, the UK and indeed even further afield. Names such as Martin Finnegan and William Dunlop have taken part in the event in the past. A fun fair is usually brought to the village the week before the festival.
[edit] See also
