Monasterevin
|
Monasterevin Mainistir Eimhín
|
|
|---|---|
| Town | |
 |
|
 Monasterevin
|
|
| Coordinates: 53°08′19″N 7°03′39″W / 53.13867°N 7.06082°WCoordinates: 53°08′19″N 7°03′39″W / 53.13867°N 7.06082°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Leinster |
| County | County Kildare |
| Elevation | 65 m (213 ft) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Urban | 3,710 |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Irish Grid Reference | N624102 |
Monasterevin (Irish: Mhainistir Eimhín) is a town in County Kildare in Ireland. The town lies on the River Barrow and the Barrowline a canal branch of the Grand Canal. Its population of 3,710 (2011 Census) makes it the 11th largest town in Kildare and the 105th largest in Ireland.
Situated 63 km from Dublin on the R445 road, Monasterevin has been relieved of much through traffic by the opening in 2004 of a new section of the M7 motorway bypassing the town on the N7 Dublin to Limerick route. Monasterevin is well connected by rail, with trains from Dublin to the southwest (Cork, Limerick, and Tralee) and west (Galway and Mayo) all serving the town. Also on the canal network of Ireland, linking the Grand Canal and the River Barrow.
Monasterevin is a small town, with Georgian houses, on a flat expanse of country, and occupies a right angle bend on the river Barrow, as it changes direction from east to south.
Due to its unusual number of bridges, and the arrival in 1786 of the Grand Canal, the town is sometimes referred to as "The Venice of Ireland" However the Italians have not returned the favour by referring to Venice as the "Il Monasterevin D'Italia" much to the disappointment of Monasterevin's population.
Monasterevin is situated on the border of Counties Kildare and Laois. The towns and districts of Rathangan, Kildare, Portarlington and Athy surround the parish. The main geographical features of the countryside are the Barrow River, its tributaries, the extensive bogland and the limestone outcrop of Moore Abbey Hill. More than anything else, it is location that has shaped the history of Monasterevin.
In prehistoric times glacial activity shaped the landscape. The melt water from the retreating ice-sheet formed outwash plains of gravel to the east and west. These are of course the Curragh and Heath. The land between is mainly limestone and proved an ideal path for the River Barrow, fed by its tributaries the Black and the Figile.
...
Wikipedia