Edgeworthstown
| Edgeworthstown Gaelic: Meathas Troim | |
| County Roscommon | |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | N256719 |
| Location: | 53°41’48"N, 7°36’35"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 2,339 (2016) |
| Post town: | Edgeworthstown |
| Postcode: | N39 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Longford |
Edgeworthstown or Mostrim is a town in County Longford. It lies is in the east of the county, near the border with Westmeath. Nearby towns are Longford 7½ miles to the west, Mullingar 16 miles to the east, Athlone 25 miles to the south and Cavan 26 miles to the north.
Name
The area was named Edgeworthstown in the 19th century after the Anglo-Irish Edgeworth family. An estate was built there by Richard Lovell Edgeworth. His family—which includes Honora Sneyd (his second wife), novelist Maria Edgeworth (his daughter), botanist Michael Pakenham Edgeworth, economist Francis Ysidro Edgeworth, and priest Henry Essex Edgeworth—lived at the estate.
The area's original name was the Irish Meathas Troim or Meathas Truim. This was anglicized as Mastrim, Mostrim, and so forth. These names continued to be used by the locals. In 1935, at the behest of the local Town Tenants' Association, Longford County Council officially changed the town's name to Mostrim.[1] However, in 1974, a local government order reverted the name to Edgeworthstown.[2] Today, both names are in use.
Infrastructure
The town is built where the N4 Dublin-Sligo/ N5 Dublin-Castlebar road crosses the N55 Cavan-Athlone road. The town also has a railway station on the Dublin–Sligo railway line. Edgeworthstown railway station opened on 8 November 1855.[3] Edgeworthstown expanded significantly during the first decade of the 21st century with many new housing developments and updated transport infrastructure including a bypass. The N4 National primary route formerly ran along the Main Street until the town centre was by-passed in July 2006. The N55 route from Athlone to Cavan still passes through the town centre.
Industry
Industries include animal feed processing and pet food manufacturing. Both Paul&Vincent Ltd. and C&D Foods Ltd. employ hundreds of people from the surrounding locality.
Sport
- The local G.A.A. club is named Mostrim. The club has won three Longford Senior Football Championships, in 1974, 1985 and 1992. The club colours are green and red.
- Gaelic Football is by far the dominant sport in the County, however Edgeworthstown is one of the strongholds of Hurling in the county. The Hurling club in the town is called Wolfe Tones and has won a record 13 County Hurling Titles. The hurling strip is also green and red. Hugh Devine Park is the home pitch for both Mostrim and Wolfe Tones. Many underage inter-county competitive games and senior inter-county challenges are held in the park as well.
- There is also an association football club in Edgeworthstown, called Mostrim United. The club caters for all age groups of boys and girls soccer teams from u-8 to u-15. The teams compete in the Longford & District Schoolboy League. The colours of the club are green and black.
References
- ↑ "Edgeworthstown, Co. Longford renamed Mostrim", The Belfast Weekly News, 29 August 1935
- ↑ S.I. No. 166/1974 — Local Government (Change of Name of Non-Municipal Town) Order, 1974. Irish Statute Book.
- ↑ "Edgeworthstown station". Railscot - Irish Railways. http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf. Retrieved 2007-09-05.
Outside links
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("Wikimedia Commons" has material about Edgeworthstown) |