Ferbane Féar Bán
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Town | |
Location in Ireland | |
Coordinates: 53°16′14″N 7°49′42″W / 53.2706542°N 7.8284454°WCoordinates: 53°16′14″N 7°49′42″W / 53.2706542°N 7.8284454°W | |
Country | Ireland |
Province | Leinster |
County | County Offaly |
Elevation | 50 m (160 ft) |
Population (2011) | |
• Urban | 1,165 |
Irish Grid Reference | N114246 |
Ferbane (Irish: Féar Bán, meaning "white grass") is a town on the north bank of the River Brosna in County Offaly, Ireland, between Birr and Athlone at the junction of the N62 National secondary road and the R436 regional road. The name of the town is said to come from the white bog cotton which grows abundantly in the surrounding Bog Of Allen. Ireland's first milled-peat fired power station was commissioned by the Electricity Supply Board (ESB) at Ferbane in 1957. Since the station's closure in 2001, the Shannon Development agency and the ESB have invested €1.4 million in the development of a new Business & Technology Park which opened in 2005. A new playschool was also built on the site which opened in September 2006.
Ferbane Business and Technology Park Ltd is a non profit making company with charitable status owned by the community. Phase one was ready in January 2005
Since its establishment, Ferbane Enterprise Group has worked non-stop to develop a unique Business & Technology Park in its region. That work is now bearing fruit in terms of jobs, investment and increased profile for the West Offaly town.
Over 10,000 square metres of office -Industrial units were completed since the park was opened with an additional 10,000 square metres approved -in the planning process.
Trivia On 27 October 2007 Ferbane assembled officially 142 area residents to participate in a globally simultaneous dance to the music of Michael Jackson's Thriller. Awaiting the official word from Guinness World Records, this would be the world record; surpassing Toronto's 2006 record of 62.