Offaly
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Offaly
(ŏf`əlē), county (1991 pop. 58,494), 771 sq mi (1,997 sq km), central Republic of Ireland. The county seat is TullamoreTullamore, town (1991 pop. 9,430), seat of Co. Offaly, central Republic of Ireland. It is a marketing and processing center for a fertile farm area. The Book of Durrow, a copy of the Gospels, was written c.700 at nearby Durrow Abbey (founded 553 by St. Columba; torn down 12th cent.).
..... Click the link for more information. . A part of the central plain of Ireland, the county is mostly flat with some sections covered by the Bog of Allen. The Slieve Bloom Mts. are on the southeastern border. The ShannonShannon,
principal river of the Republic of Ireland and longest (c.240 mi/390 km) in the British Isles. It rises near Cuilcagh Mt., NW Co. Cavan, and flows S through the Central Plain into Co. Limerick, where it turns west in a broad estuary (c.
..... Click the link for more information. , the chief river, forms much of the western border. Other rivers are the Brosna and Blackwater. Agriculture is the chief occupation; cattle, pigs, and poultry are bred in considerable quantity. Grains and potatoes are grown. Among the light industries is distilling. With adjacent areas, the region formed the kingdom of Offaly in ancient Ireland. It was known as King's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State. At ClonmacnoiseClonmacnoise
, village, Co. Offaly, central Republic of Ireland, on the Shannon River. The monastery founded (548) on the site by St. Kieran became the most famous in Ireland. It survived 1,000 years of raids and invasions, until it was destroyed by the English in 1552.
..... Click the link for more information. are the ruins of one of the principal religious centers of early Ireland.
Offaly
an inland county of E central Republic of Ireland, in Leinster province: formerly an ancient kingdom, which also included parts of Tipperary, Leix, and Kildare. County town: Tullamore. Pop.: 63 663 (2002). Area: 2000 sq. km (770 sq. miles)