Raharney

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Raharney
Ráth Athairne

Location

WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates:
53°31′21″N 7°05′33″W / 53.5225, -7.0925

Statistics

109m

Population (2002)

232

Raharney (Irish: Ráth Athairne, Aharny's fort) is a village in the east of the County Westmeath. It has a population of 232 (2002 Census). It is located on the R156 road about 18 km (11 mi) from Mullingar and 60 from Dublin. It is in the Parish of Killucan, The village of Killucan is located a further 3 km (1.9 mi) towards Mullingar (to the west). Major employers in the area include Shay Murtagh precast.

[edit] History

The village of Raharney exists because of its geographic location. It has a bridge on a river and is the last settlement of the county on the edge of bogland that separates Westmeath from County Meath. The bridge links the roads that run north-south alongside the River Deel on one side and alongside the bog on the other (road from Delvin and on through Riverdale). The River Deel is a tributary of the Boyne. The roads into the village all slope down towards the river suggesting that before the bridge was built there was a ford at this point. Looking westward to Mullingar the town is located in the gap between three large lakes. Raharney, therefore, lies on the route of a path of what probably was, in the past, difficult terrain through the midlands. The three east-west roads were the Athboy-Delvin-Mullingar road, the Clonard-Kinnegad-Athlone/Mullingar road and Trim-Raharney/Killucan-Mullingar road.

A feature of the village is an old, unused graveyard, perched on-top of a small hill on the bend of the river as it leaves the village.

[edit] Sport

In Raharney there is a Gaelic Athletic Association club, having been County Westmeath senior hurling champions on nine occasions; 1913, 1914, 1919, 1967, 1973, 1984, 1992, 1994 and 2006.