TULLAMORE

:''For the Tullamore in New South Wales, Australia see Tullamore.''
'Tullamore' (''Tulach Mhór'' in Irish) is a town in County Offaly, Ireland, located in the midlands of the island of Ireland, with approximately 15,000 inhabitants in the district. It is the county town (main administrative town) of County Offaly. Tullamore is a major commercial and industrial centre in the region. Major international employers in the town include 'Tyco Healthcare' and 'Boston Scientific'. In 2004, Tullamore Retail Park was formed. It includes outlets such as a Tesco Extra hypermarket, DID electrical, Argos Extra and Atlantic Homecare. Tullamore is the home of the 'Midland Regional Hospital' and 'Midland Health Board' {HSE} which employ over 1,000 people. A new state of the art hospital is currently under a phased opening process. Tullamore was designated a 'gateway' town in late 2003 by the Irish Government, making it eligible for increased infrastructural investment. The town and its community received a bronze medal in the Governments National Tidy Towns Competition in 2004 and also played host to the 'World Sheep Dog Trials' in 2005 which attracted huge international interest in the region. The Tullamore Show is held in Charleville, Tullamore every year.
The town's most famous export is ''Tullamore Dew'' - an Irish whiskey previously distilled by ''Tullamore Distillery'' - that can be traced back to 1829. The distillery closed in the 1950s but its traces are still visible in the town. Tullamore Dew is now produced by Irish Distillers Ltd. in Midleton, County Cork, and marketed by Cantrell & Cochrane.

Contents

History

Radio

Tourist Attractions

Charleville Forest Castle

Slieve Bloom

Lough Boora

Durrow

Infrastructure

Festivals & Events

See also

External links

References

History

Tullamore was part of the first English plantation of Offaly in the 1570s. In 1785 the town was seriously damaged when the crash of a hot air balloon resulted in a fire that burned down about 100 houses giving the town the unusual distinction of being home to the world's first aviation disaster.
To this day, the town shield depicts a phoenix rising from the ashes.
The Grand Canal linked Tullamore to Dublin in 1798. Tullamore became county town of County Offaly in 1835, replacing Daingean.

Radio

Since 1975 Tullamore has been the home of the RTÉ Radio 1 medium wave transmitter, broadcasting the AM version of Radio 1 on 567 kHz, at a power of 500 kW. Prior to this the main transmission centre was near Athlone. Tullamore is also home to the headquarters of Midlands 103.

Tourist Attractions

The Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre on the banks of the Grand Canal focuses on the distilling, canal and urban history of the town. Audio visual and self guided tours are available daily.

Charleville Forest Castle

Charleville Estate located on the edge of the town, one of Ireland’s most splendid Gothic buildings, stands in beautiful parkland which contains the Charleville oak, one of the biggest and oldest in the country. The castle is said to be haunted and was featured on series 1 of Living TV's Most Haunted. The oak woodland is beautiful – and botanically an important survivor of primeval stock. Once a year the park becomes a hub of bustling and happy humanity on the occasion of Tullamore Agricultural Show, one of the most important of its kind.

Slieve Bloom

Tullamore is an ideal base for discovering the Slieve Bloom Mountains to the south of the county. The 'Slieve Bloom' mountains have many beautiful walking and cycling trails as well as excellent picnic areas with some panoramic views of the surrounding lowlands.

Lough Boora

Just south of Tullamore are the unique 'Lough Boora' parklands. The boglands are a landscape for a wide range of flora and fauna. The magnificent wetlands and wildlife wilderness of Lough Boora now host some of the most innovative land and environmental sculptures in Ireland. The artists, inspired by the rich natural and industrial legacy of the boglands, have created a series of large-scale sculptures that are now part of the Parklands permanent collection.
Six miles west of Tullamore is the village of Rahan. The remains of a what was once a large monastery settlement founded by St.Carthage or Mochuda in the 6th century, can be seen in the village.

Durrow

Within 20 minutes drive is the Celtic cross of Durrow. In the middle of the 6th century a monastery was founded here by St Colomba, the monastery is famous for an illuminated manuscript, written here in the 7th century, known as the Book of Durrow.

Infrastructure

Tullamore railway station, first opened on 2 October 1854,^[1] is served by trains on the Dublin-Limerick and Dublin-Westport/Ballina inter-city routes.


★ Transport 21

★ Platform 11

★ National Development Plan
In association with the County Westmeath urban centres, Athlone and Mullingar, Tullamore forms part of what is known as the Midlands Gateway.

Festivals & Events

'Tullamore Phoenix Festival' -
This annual Festival was first held in August 2000. This year it took place in the town from Sunday 8th to Sunday 15th July 2007. The festival celebrates Tullamore resurrection from the ashes following a hot air balloon accident in which town centre was destroyed by a wayward balloon on May 10th 1785 - it is recognised as Ireland’s first aviation disaster. The festival holds many events including - Hot Air Balloons, Sky Diving, Live Outdoor Concerts, Street Entertainment, Fire Parade, Fireworks and much more.
'The Queen of the Land Festival' takes place in Tullamore each year on the third weekend in November. Primarily a personality contest it seeks to find the best examples of a modern Irish woman. It is organised by Offaly Macra Na Feirme. Each year about 25 girls between the age of 17 and 35 compete to be crowned Queen of the Land. The festival provides a host of entertainment throughout the town over the weekend, primarily at night.
'Tullamore Show' -
This annual Livestock show takes place in August. It has grown considerably over the past number of years and is now the largest one day show in the country.
'National Fleadh Ceoil' -
The national Fleadh Ceoil was held in Tullamore for the very first time between the 19th - 26th August 2007.
'National Ploughing Championships' -
Tullamore will play host to the biggest rural event in the country. It attracts in the region of 150,000 people. It takes place from Tuesday September 25th to Thursday September 27th 2007.

See also

★ Mullingar

★ Athlone

★ List of towns in the Republic of Ireland

★ List of Irish Towns with a Market House

External links

★ Tullamore

★ Tullamore Chamber

★ Phoenix Festival

★ Queen of the Land Festival

★ Tullamore Life & Community

★ Tullamore Dew Heritage Centre

★ Tulamore on line

★ Architecture of Tullamore

★ Google map

References

1. Tullamore station