Abbeyshrule Mainistir Shruthla | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 TheRoyal Canal at Abbeyshrule | |
  Abbeyshrule Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates:53°35′00″N7°39′00″W / 53.583333°N 7.6500°W /53.583333; -7.6500 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Longford |
| Elevation | 82 m (269 ft) |
| Population | |
• Estimate (2012)[1] | 200 |
| Time zone | UTC+0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-1 (IST (WEST)) |
| Irish Grid Reference | N213572 |
Abbeyshrule (Irish:Mainistir Shruthla, meaning 'monastery of the river')[2] is a village in south-eastCounty Longford,Ireland, on theRiver Inny and theRoyal Canal. The village is in acivil parish of the same name.
The village takes its name from theIrish language word for a river or stream (sruth) and from the early medievalCistercian abbey, the ruins of which still survive on the banks of the Inny.[3][4] While the original medieval settlement built up around this religious site and the nearbyfording point on the river, a number of archaeological finds (including of the Clonbrin Shield in 1906) indicate activity in the area from at least the Bronze Age.[3]
The building of the Royal Canal in the early nineteenth century, which required the construction of the Whitworth aqueduct across the Inny,[5] brought increasing trade to the village until the mid twentieth century.
Abbeyshrule won the 2012 NationalTidy Towns Award with a total of 312 marks. The village also claimed the award for Ireland's Tidiest Village 2012.[6] Abbeyshrule subsequently won a Gold Medal Award at theEuropean Entente Florale Competition.[7]
The novelist, playwright and poetOliver Goldsmith is believed to have been born in 1728 at Pallas, very near to the village, where his father resided as a local curate.[8] The location is marked by a replica of the Goldsmith statue found at the entrance toTrinity College Dublin.
John Graham, a prolific author and senior officer of theOrange Order, was born here.
The village is located in theIrish midlands betweenAthlone,Longford andMullingar.
TheAbbeyshrule Aerodrome is located just outside the village, while theRoyal Canal has been reopened to tourist water-borne traffic in recent years.[when?]
Abbeyshrule takes its name from the Gaelic word for stream or a river
Places inCounty Longford | ||
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Tidy Towns (Ireland) winners | |
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