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Banagher (''Beannchar na Sionna'' in Irish) is a town in Republic of Ireland, located in the midlands on the western edge of County Offaly in the province of Leinster, on the banks of the River Shannon. The name Banagher comes from its Irish name, which translates to English as "the place of the pointed rocks on the Shannon".〔Trodd, Valentine, 1985, ''Banagher on the Shannon – A Historical Guide to the Town'', p.5.〕 Banagher was a town of 3,000 people at the height of its economic growth in the mid-19th century. The current population is just over half of that figure, at about 1,600.〔 Banagher has an important strategic position on the River Shannon, and was long one of the few crossing points between the provinces of Leinster and Connacht. It thus became a natural focus for many great historical buildings, including a 19th-century Martello Tower and a number of important castles around the town, which were built in the 14th and 15th centuries. The town used to be the focus of thriving river business and was an important stop on the Dublin to Limerick navigation. It supported a number of large industries, most notably a maltings and distillery, which are now defunct. Tourism has supplanted this to a certain extent with a modern marina providing support for river cruisers and watersports facilities and the town is an important angling centre, with particular attraction for pike anglers.〔(Offaly County Council – History of Banagher. ) Retrieved 3 November 2008. 〕〔Neylon, Tina, ''Adventure Guide To Ireland'', Hunter Travel Guides, 2004, p.163.〕 Banagher is the centre of the Shannon Callows, grassy meadows which flood in winter and provide living space for myriads of waterfowl. A number of notable literary figures have stayed at Banagher, including Anthony Trollope, who used the town as an inspiration for his first novel ''The Macdermots of Ballycloran'' and Charlotte Brontë who married a curate who was raised in Banagher. The town is the source of the well-known phrase: "Well, that beats Banagher!"〔Cobham Brewer, Ebenezer, ''Wordsworth Dictionary of Phrase and Fable'', Wordsworth Reference, p.89.〕 == Governance and administrative units == Banagher lies in the local council area of Offaly County Council. Local authorities have responsibility for such matters as planning, local roads, sanitation, and libraries. The Council is an elected body of 21 members with councillors elected from four electoral areas in the county. Banagher lies in the Birr electoral area, which can return 5 members to the council.〔(Offaly County Council Website – Meet Your Councillors. ) Retrieved 3 November 2008.〕 The town lies in the Barony of Garrycastle (''Garraí an Chaisleáin'') and was in the poor law union of Birr. Divided by the road to Birr from Eyrecourt, its eastern part lies in the townland of Curraghavarna and Portavrolla and its western part in the townland of Banagher or Kylebeg.〔Lewis, S., ''A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland'', 1837.〕 Banagher is in the Roman Catholic parish of Gallen and Rynagh (Reynagh) which lies in the diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise. The diocese is in the Archdiocese of Armagh in the ecclesiastical province of Armagh. It is in the Church of Ireland parish group of Clonfert Cathedral which is in the Diocese of Limerick and Killaloe, part of the ecclesiastical province of Dublin. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Banagher」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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