Patrickswell
Encyclopedia
Patrickswell, historically known as Toberpatrick , is a small town in County Limerick
, Ireland
.
, with shops, garages, ATMs and a post office. The town is located only 10 km from Limerick city, and as a result relies on the city and its suburbs for secondary schools, shops, banks and other facilities.
There are several housing estate
s (Marian Park, Lisheen Park,Belgard Grove Sycamore Heights and Laurel Park) off the main street and road to Clarina. The latter road has strip development north from Patrickswell all the way to Clarina and the N69 road
. As a dormitory town with only one major street, Patrickswell retains the appearance of a village, despite its population of over 3000.
/N21
road
, which until Patrickswell was bypassed in 2001, ran through the town centre. This road is now the R526 from west of the town to Limerick city. The town can be accessed at either end from the N20 junction for Limerick Racecourse, or the N20/N21 junction further west (where the R526 commences).
A railway line
to Adare
and Foynes
passes alongside the town to the south, although Patrickswell station is long closed. The station was at one time Patrickswell Junction, with direct Limerick–Cork trains diverging here from the route of trains bound for Foynes, Newcastle West
and Tralee. Freight trains from Limerick to/from Foynes ran until 2000, and technically the line is still open - though not passable all the way to Foynes (a bridge is in need of replacement). The last train was when the weedspray train visited the line on 7th May 2002. A inspection car was the last movement on the line, which travelled the line in January 2003. Passenger trains ceased in 1963, though passenger services to Croom, Bruree and Charleville on the Cork direct line ceased in 1934 finally closing in March 1967 and lifted soon afterwards. In November 1975 the Ballingrane–Tralee (North Kerry) line closed (see Irish railway history
). Patrickswell railway station opened on 12 July 1856, closed for passenger traffic on 4 February 1963 and finally closed altogether on 2 December 1974. The signal cabin remained opened until 1982. Patrickswell Railway station is now in private ownership, it is home to Hutch Hollywood Engineers.A contemporary extension to the original railway station building was designed by O'Connor + Shanahan architects and won OPUS Building of the year award in 2004.
Metro Broadband on 10.5 GHz wireless.
According to Mainchín Seoighe, the present day parish of Patrickswell-Ballybrown is made up parts of the pre-Reformation parishes of Kilkeedy, Killonahan, Mungret, Croom, and Adare. Until the middle of the 18th century, the parishes of Kilkeedy and Clounanna were joined with Adare. When the parish of Patrickswell was formed Kilkeedy and Clounanna became part of the new parish. The first parish priest of the new parish was Fr Nicholas Molony. The present population of the parish is roughly 3,400 people.
County Limerick
It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
.
Etymology
The name refers to St. Patrick and there is a small hand pump/well in the main street; Microsoft mappoint and some other programs call the village St. Patrick's Well or St. Patrickswell.Overview
Patrickswell has a main streetMain Street
Main Street is the metonym for a generic street name of the primary retail street of a village, town, or small city in many parts of the world...
, with shops, garages, ATMs and a post office. The town is located only 10 km from Limerick city, and as a result relies on the city and its suburbs for secondary schools, shops, banks and other facilities.
There are several housing estate
Housing estate
A housing estate is a group of buildings built together as a single development. The exact form may vary from country to country. Accordingly, a housing estate is usually built by a single contractor, with only a few styles of house or building design, so they tend to be uniform in appearance...
s (Marian Park, Lisheen Park,Belgard Grove Sycamore Heights and Laurel Park) off the main street and road to Clarina. The latter road has strip development north from Patrickswell all the way to Clarina and the N69 road
N69 road (Ireland)
The N69 road is a national secondary road in Ireland. It runs from Limerick to Tralee and passes though Mungret, Clarina, Kildimo, Askeaton , Foynes, Loughill, Glin, Tarbert and Listowel.-References:* – Department of Transport...
. As a dormitory town with only one major street, Patrickswell retains the appearance of a village, despite its population of over 3000.
Location and transport
The town is located near to the N20N20 road
The N20 road is a national primary road in Ireland, connecting the cities of Cork and Limerick. Buttevant, Croom, Charleville, Mallow and Blarney are major towns along the route...
/N21
N21 road
The N21 road is a national primary road in Ireland. The route runs from the M20 outside Limerick to Tralee with connecting roads to other parts of County Kerry. It is in length. It runs through the towns of Abbeyfeale, Newcastlewest, Adare and the village of Templeglantine. Prior to October 2010...
road
Roads in Ireland
The island of Ireland, comprising Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, has an extensive network of tens of thousands of kilometres of public roads, usually surfaced. These roads have been developed and modernised over centuries, from trackways suitable only for walkers and horses, to...
, which until Patrickswell was bypassed in 2001, ran through the town centre. This road is now the R526 from west of the town to Limerick city. The town can be accessed at either end from the N20 junction for Limerick Racecourse, or the N20/N21 junction further west (where the R526 commences).
A railway line
Rail transport in Ireland
Rail services in Ireland are provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland.Most routes in the Republic radiate from Dublin...
to Adare
Adare
-General information:Adare's origin is as a settlement by a crossing point on the river Maigue. It is situated 16 km from Limerick City. Renowned as one of Ireland's prettiest villages, Adare is designated as a Heritage Town by the Irish government...
and Foynes
Foynes
Foynes is a village and major port in County Limerick in the midwest of Ireland, located at the edge of hilly land on the southern bank of the Shannon Estuary. The population of the town was 606 as of the 2006 census.-Foynes's role in aviation:...
passes alongside the town to the south, although Patrickswell station is long closed. The station was at one time Patrickswell Junction, with direct Limerick–Cork trains diverging here from the route of trains bound for Foynes, Newcastle West
Newcastle West
Newcastle West is a town in west County Limerick, Ireland. The town is the largest town in the county, excluding Limerick city, and is sited on the River Arra which flows into the River Deel...
and Tralee. Freight trains from Limerick to/from Foynes ran until 2000, and technically the line is still open - though not passable all the way to Foynes (a bridge is in need of replacement). The last train was when the weedspray train visited the line on 7th May 2002. A inspection car was the last movement on the line, which travelled the line in January 2003. Passenger trains ceased in 1963, though passenger services to Croom, Bruree and Charleville on the Cork direct line ceased in 1934 finally closing in March 1967 and lifted soon afterwards. In November 1975 the Ballingrane–Tralee (North Kerry) line closed (see Irish railway history
History of rail transport in Ireland
The history of rail transport in Ireland began only a decade later than that of Great Britain. By its peak in 1920, Ireland counted 5,500 route kilometers...
). Patrickswell railway station opened on 12 July 1856, closed for passenger traffic on 4 February 1963 and finally closed altogether on 2 December 1974. The signal cabin remained opened until 1982. Patrickswell Railway station is now in private ownership, it is home to Hutch Hollywood Engineers.A contemporary extension to the original railway station building was designed by O'Connor + Shanahan architects and won OPUS Building of the year award in 2004.
Media
Despite the size, Patrickswell exchange is not DSL-enabled. Some parts can get DigiwebDigiweb
Digiweb is a telecommunications company in Ireland, supplying business and consumer broadband and web hosting.Digiweb is 100% Irish owned and run, and is headquartered in Dundalk, County Louth with its technical, installation and sales offices in Dublin....
Metro Broadband on 10.5 GHz wireless.
History
The town played a role in the Battle of Killmallock.According to Mainchín Seoighe, the present day parish of Patrickswell-Ballybrown is made up parts of the pre-Reformation parishes of Kilkeedy, Killonahan, Mungret, Croom, and Adare. Until the middle of the 18th century, the parishes of Kilkeedy and Clounanna were joined with Adare. When the parish of Patrickswell was formed Kilkeedy and Clounanna became part of the new parish. The first parish priest of the new parish was Fr Nicholas Molony. The present population of the parish is roughly 3,400 people.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland