Granard Irish:Gránard | |
|---|---|
Town | |
 Market Street | |
| Motto(s): Féile, Flúirse, Fáilte | |
  Granard Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates:53°47′N7°30′W / 53.78°N 7.5°W /53.78; -7.5 | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Longford |
| Elevation | 82 m (269 ft) |
| Population | 816 |
| Time zone | UTC±0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+1 (IST) |
| Eircode routing key | N39 |
| Telephone area code | +353(0)4366 |
| Irish Grid Reference | N324814 |
| Website | www |
Granard (Irish:Gránard)[2] is a town in the north ofCounty Longford,Ireland, and has a traceable history going back to 236 CE. It is situated just south of the boundary between thewatersheds of theShannon and theErne, at the point where theN55national secondary road and theR194regional road meet. It is 20 km north-east ofLongford town. The barony ofGranard is named for the town. The town is also in thecivil parish of Granard.[2]
The town has been a centre of population sinceCeltic times, probably because of its elevated position offering a view over the surrounding countryside. It is mentioned in the ancient Irish epic, theTáin Bó Cuailgne, as being one of the places where QueenMedb and her army stopped on their journey to take theDonn Cuailnge (theBrown Bull of Cooley). The name of the village is itself so ancient as to be unclear even in Irish; the 11th-century writers of theLebor na hUidre (containing the oldest written version of theTáin) refer to it by means of agloss as "Gránairud Tethba tuaiscirt .i. Gránard indiu" ("Gránairud of northern Teathbha, i.e. Gránard of today"). According to theTripartite Life ofSaint Patrick, Patrick appointedGuasacht, a son of his former master Milchú, as firstbishop of Granard, but thediocese did not survive as a separate entity. The surnameSheridan was first recorded in Granard in the 8th century.[3]
Granard is known for themotte built byRisteárd de Tiúit. It stands 166 m (543 ft) abovesea level, located at the head of the village. A statue of St Patrick was erected on the motte in 1932 to commemorate the 1500th anniversary of the coming of the saint to Ireland for the second time.[4] Due to the location between the three rivers and nearLough Sheelin, it is also a centre fortrout and coarsefishing. The Gaynors (Mag Fhionbharra, from Fionnbharr Ó Géaradháin[5]) were once theGaelic lords of Granard.[citation needed]
Between 1780-87, a large new market house was constructed in the town enhancing Granard's position as a market town for the local area.[6] It was built under the patronage of the local McCartney family.
Granard was the location of an annualHarp festival from 1781 to 1785. This had been due to the financial support of James Dungan, an Irish merchant then residing inCopenhagen, and a native of Granard, who had heard of similar events being organised in Scotland. Many of the harpists who won prizes at these festivals, includingCharles Fanning,Arthur O'Neill, and Rose Mooney went on to perform at theBelfast Harp Festival in July 1792. There has been a revival of the festival since 1981.[citation needed]
During theIrish War of Independence, on 31 October 1920 apolice officer, District-Inspector Philip Kelleher was shot dead by two masked men in the bar of the Greville Arms Hotel, Granard. As a reprisal, a motor convoy of Crown forces entered the village four days later and systematically destroyed some of the main business premises of the town.[7]
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1813 | 2,425 | — |
| 1821 | 2,534 | +4.5% |
| 1831 | 2,069 | −18.4% |
| 1841 | 2,408 | +16.4% |
| 1851 | 1,805 | −25.0% |
| 1861 | 1,671 | −7.4% |
| 1871 | 1,811 | +8.4% |
| 1881 | 1,828 | +0.9% |
| 1891 | 1,834 | +0.3% |
| 1901 | 1,622 | −11.6% |
| 1911 | 1,531 | −5.6% |
| 1926 | 1,269 | −17.1% |
| 1936 | 1,236 | −2.6% |
| 1946 | 1,197 | −3.2% |
| 1951 | 1,150 | −3.9% |
| 1956 | 1,086 | −5.6% |
| 1961 | 1,044 | −3.9% |
| 1966 | 1,045 | +0.1% |
| 1971 | 1,054 | +0.9% |
| 1981 | 1,285 | +21.9% |
| 1986 | 1,338 | +4.1% |
| 1991 | 1,221 | −8.7% |
| 1996 | 1,173 | −3.9% |
| 2002 | 1,013 | −13.6% |
| 2006 | 933 | −7.9% |
| 2011 | 1,021 | +9.4% |
| 2016 | 816 | −20.1% |
| [8][9][10][11][1][12] | ||
In 1899, Granard became anurban district under theLocal Government (Ireland) Act 1898.[13] The urban district council was downgraded to atown commissioners in the early years of theIrish Free State.[14][15] In 2002, it became Granard Town Council.[16]
In 2014, this local government body was abolished.[17] Since then, the town has fallen within the responsibility ofLongford County Council. Granard Municipal District is represented by five elected councillors.[18]
Granard is within the catchment area forEdgeworthstown railway station. The station is about a fifteen-minute drive; there is no bus link.
Bus Éireann Expressway route 65 provides one service a day toMonaghan (with onward connections toBelfast) and one service a day toAthlone (with onward connections toGalway). On Fridays there is a second service each way.[19]Bus Éireann local route 111A betweenCavan andAthboy (with onward connections toTrim andDublin) serves Granard and operates four times a day each way, thrice each way on Saturdays and once each way on Sundays.[20]
Donnelly's Pioneer Bus Service, a local bus company based in Granard,[citation needed] operate aLocal Link route from Granard toLongford viaBallinalee. There are several journeys each way, with no Sunday service.[21]
Places inCounty Longford | ||
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| Towns |  | |
| Villages and townlands | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
