Newtowncashel () is a village located near

Lough Ree Lough Ree () is a lake in the midlands of Ireland, the second of the three major lakes on the River Shannon. Lough Ree is the second largest lake on the Shannon after Lough Derg. The other two major lakes are Lough Allen to the north, and Lou ...

in County Longford,

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

. It is within the

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...

of Cornadowagh. Newtowncashel won the

Irish Tidy Towns Competition Tidy Towns ( Irish: ''Bailte Slachtmhara'') is an annual competition, first held in 1958, organised by the Department of Rural and Community Development in order to honour the tidiest and most attractive cities, towns and villages in the Republic ...

in 1980.

History

Name

Situated on the north-eastern shore of Lough Ree on the River Shannon, Newtowncashel was previously known as ''Cor na Dumhca'' in Irish - an ancient name meaning the 'Round Hill of the Cauldron'.

Built heritage

There are a number of ringfort sites close to the village, including several in the

s of Cornadowagh, Ballyrevagh and Cross. Five castles are recorded in the area, including Elfeet, Caltramore, Corool, Portanure and the castle of Baile Nui (Newtown). The ruins of Elfeet Castle can still be seen.

George Calvert George Calvert, 1st Baron Baltimore (; 1580 – 15 April 1632), was an English politician and colonial administrator. He achieved domestic political success as a member of parliament and later Secretary of State under King James I. He lost m ...

, the owner of a 15th-century tower house in the area, was involved in the colonisation of the Province of Maryland in America.

Religious sites

Two historic religious sites in the Newtowncashel area are Inis Clothrann (or Quakers Island) where St Diarmuid founded an abbey in 540 AD, and Saints' Island where St Kevin founded a monastery in 544 AD. The ruins of the old parish church, St Catherine's, are on the side of Cashel Hill overlooking Lough Ree. During the period of the Penal Laws, when Catholic observances were outlawed, people in the parish of Cashel assembled for worship at mass rocks close to Lady Well (in Derrydarragh townland) and at Derryhaun. The current Roman Catholic church was built in 1833 in a Gothic revival style.

Amenities

Culnagore Wood (Wood of the Oak) covers an area of 90 acres along the edge of Lough Ree. Also nearby is Carrowmore Wood, a forest of pine and spruce on a hill within the parish. A short distance from the town is Lough Slawn, which is surrounded by meadows and bog lands. Cashel Commons ('The Ranch') is a 200 acre commonage which has several walking routes. Barley Harbour is cut-limestone harbour located outside the village on the lakeshore. Four groups of islands are in the parish of Cashel: the Black Islands; Clawinch, Priests' Island and Inis Clothrann. On Saints' Island are the ruins of an Augustinian monastery where a canon Augustine McGradion (Uighistin Mag Ráidhin) compiled the Annals of llSaints (Annales Prioratus Insulae Omnium SS) in the 15th century. This island can now be accessed via a causeway.

References

{{Tidy Towns (Ireland) Towns and villages in County Longford Mass rocks