Ballinasloe CanalDamian Mac Con UladhThe Grand Canal reached Ballinasloe in 1828. The construction provided a link between Dublin and Ballinasloe and was the primary means of transport until the arrival of the railway in the 1850s. Its construction was a feat of engineering, as described in the newspaper extract.
Monastries near BallinasloeDamian Mac Con UladhBrief descriptions on Clonfert Cathedral, Clontuskert Priory and Kilconnell Friary, three important monasteries which surround Ballinasloe.
Ballinasloe's Unfinished MonumentTranscribed and submitted by Damian Mac Con UladhThe Memorial Celtic Cross which commemorates the Battle of Aughrim has a long and chequered history. For over 80 years it lay unfinished owing to lack of funds outside the house of a sculptor on Dunlo Hill (now Watters'), attracting the attention of passer-bys for decades.
Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland - Ballinasloe in 1846Transcribed and submitted by Damian Mac Con UladhThe three-volume
Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland, published in 1846, attempted to describe all aspects of Ireland's natural and built environment. This is the article on the town of Ballinasloe
Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland - Kilcloony parish in 1846Transcribed and submitted by Damian Mac Con UladhThe three-volume Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland, published in 1846, attempted to describe all aspects of Ireland's natural and built environment. Here's the article on the parish of Kilcloony.
Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland - Creagh parish in 1846Transcribed and submitted by Damian Mac Con UladhThe three-volume Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland, published in 1846, attempted to describe all aspects of Ireland's natural and built environment. Here's the entry for Creagh parish.
Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland - Creagh bog in 1846Transcribed and submitted by Damian Mac Con UladhThe three-volume Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland, published in 1846, attempted to describe all aspects of Ireland's natural and built environment. Here's the entry for Creagh bog.
Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland - Pollboy bog in 1846Transcribed and submitted by Damian Mac Con UladhThe three-volume Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland, published in 1846, attempted to describe all aspects of Ireland's natural and built environment. Here's the entry for Pollboy (now corrupted to Poolboy) bog.
Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland - Garbally in 1846Transcribed and submitted by Damian Mac Con UladhThe three-volume Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland, published in 1846, attempted to describe all aspects of Ireland's natural and built environment. Here's the article on Garbally, the residence of Lord Clancarty.
Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland - the River Suck in 1846Transcribed and submitted by Damian Mac Con UladhThe three-volume Parliamentary Gazetteer of Ireland, published in 1846, attempted to describe all aspects of Ireland's natural and built environment. Here's the article on the River Suck.
William Makepeace Thackeray's impressions of BallinasloeDamian Mac Con UladhThe English novelist, William Makepeace Thackeray (1811-1863), visited Ireland in the early 1840s and passed through Ballinasloe. His impressions of Ireland were first published in 1843 as The Irish Sketch-Book. Read on for Thackeray's experiences of Ballinasloe.
Maria Edgeworth's impressions of Ballinasloe, 1833Damian Mac Con UladhMaria Edgeworth (1767-1849) was an Irish writer from Edgeworthstown, best remembered for her book Castle Rackrent. In October 1833, she spent a night in Ballinasloe during the October Fair and her account captures the magnitude of what was then one of the biggest fairs in Ireland. In this extract from one of her letters, she recalls her stay, noting that women were advised not to go out at night during the Ballinasloe Fair!
A detailed description of St. Michael's Church, BallinasloeDamian Mac Con UladhSt. Michael’s Church is the Catholic church in Ballinasloe. Its construction began in 1852 and it was consecrated on August 25, 1858, by Cardinal Wiseman of Westminster. The following extract is an architectural description of the building.
Ballinasloe in 1835Damian Mac Con UladhA short description of Ballinasloe, dating from 1835. Interestingly, the July "wool fair" is ranked of greater importance than the October "cattle fair". There is no mention of horses of course, this aspect only becoming prominent in the 20th century.
Joseph Tatlow's impressions of the Ballinasloe October Fair, 1891Damian Mac Con UladhJoseph Tatlow was Director of the Midland Great Western Railway of Ireland and the Dublin and Kingstown Railway. Along with the management of the railway company, he visited Ballinasloe during October Fair Week In 1891. In this extract from his book, published in 1920 by The Railway Gazette, Queens Anne's Chambers, Westminster, London SW1, he records his impressions of the town and the fair. In 1891 there were 25,000 sheep at the fair, 10,000 cattle and 1,500 horses, and the railway company ran 43 special trains to transport the animals out of Ballinasloe.
Ballinasloe in 1841Transcribed and submitted by Damian Mac Con UladhA town "with the air of business and an appearance of prosperous industry which I had not observed since I left Cork" and the "centre of the inland trade and commerce of Ireland" is how two English travellers described Ballinasloe in the early 1840s.
