Rathangan, County Kildare
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| Rathangan Ráth Iomgháin |
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| Location | ||
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WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates:
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| Irish grid reference N668196 |
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Leinster | |
| County: | County Kildare | |
| Population (2006) | 1,718 | |
| Website: www.rathangan.ie | ||
Rathangan (Irish: Ráth Iomgháin) is a town in the west of County Kildare, Ireland, with a population of 1,718. It is located 65 km (40 mi) from the centre of Dublin, and 14 km (9 mi) from Kildare, at the intersection of the R401, R414, and R419 regional roads. The Slate River and the Grand Canal run through the town.
Rathangan is situated beside the Bog of Allen, and is in close proximity to the lowlands of the Curragh. In recent years, the town has grown significantly to become a big commuter base for people working in Dublin, and a current housing boom will swell the population in the coming years.
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[edit] History
The rath or fort of Iomghain, from which the town gets its name, has been dated to between 600 and 700 AD, and is situated to the northwest of the modern town on the Clonbulloge road. The arrival of the Grand Canal in the late 18th century brought business and prosperity, which can be seen today in the architecture of the town.
Bord na Móna's increased activity in the 1940s boosted the population and the number of transient workers, but the closure of the canal systems and the decline of bog based interests of the company led to a decline in the town's fortunes. This in turn led to an increase in emigration by the town's young people.
The upturn of Ireland's economy in the 1990s again led to increased prosperity, and the extension of the M7 through the nearby towns of Kildare and Monasterevin has made Dublin more accessible, leading to a housing boom in the town.
[edit] Sports
The primary sporting activities in Rathangan are Gaelic football (Rathangan GAA), tennis, soccer, and hurling (cricket, rugby, polo, and chess are also played). Meggers, or horseshoe pitching, also takes place during the summer. Rathangan is famed for coarse angling for roach, bream, perch, and hybrids. Trout have been caught in the Slate River on occasion.
[edit] Culture
The Rathangan Lughnasa festival is held during the August Bank Holiday weekend, to celebrate the arts and crafts, music, literature, history, and sports of the town. Damien Dempsey, Jerry Fish and the Mudbug Club, The Blizzards, The Walls, Jack L, and John Spillane have all performed in the town as part of the Lughnasa since 2004.
[edit] People
- Brian Dowling; winner of Big Brother in 2002, ex-presenter of SMTV, and presenter of The Mint.
