Raharney () is a village in east

County Westmeath County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. It had a population of 221 according to the 2016 census. Raharney is on the R156 road about from

Mullingar Mullingar ( ; ) is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, Ireland, Midland Region, with a population of 22,667 in the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census. The Counties of M ...

and about 67 km from

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. It is in the parish of Killucan; the village of Killucan is a further west.

Geography

The village of Raharney has a bridge over the River Deel and is the last settlement of the county on the edge of bogland that separates Westmeath from

County Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

. The bridge links the roads that run north–south alongside the River Deel on one side and alongside the bog on the other (road from Delvin and on through Riverdale). The River Deel is a tributary of the Boyne. The roads into the village all slope down towards the river, suggesting that before the bridge was built there was a ford at this point. Looking westward to

the town is located in the gap between three large lakes. Raharney, therefore, lies on the route of a path of what probably was, in the past, difficult terrain through the midlands. The three east–west roads were the

Athboy Athboy () is a small agricultural town located in County Meath. The town is located on the ''Yellow Ford River'', in wooded country near the County Westmeath border. It is around 15 km west of Navan and 50 km north-west of Dublin. T ...

-Delvin-Mullingar road, the Clonard- Kinnegad-

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midland Region, Ir ...

/Mullingar road and Trim-Raharney/ Killucan-Mullingar road.

History

Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of

ringfort Ringforts or ring forts are small circular fortification, fortified settlements built during the Bronze Age, Iron Age and early Middle Ages up to about the year 1000 AD. They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland. There are ...

and bullaun sites in the townlands of Raharney, Raharney Little, Cloghanstown and Joristown Upper. Raharney Ringfort, protected under the National Monuments Act, is

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...

number 572. There is an old, unused graveyard, located on top of a small hill on the bend of the river as it leaves the village. This ecclesiastical enclosure, in Grange Beg townland, is known locally as Kilcolumb church and graveyard. Within the village is a Catholic church dedicated to St. Brigid. This church, built , is in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Meath.

Public transport

Bus Éireann route 115A provides a commuter link to

via

Ballivor Ballivor (Help:IPA/English, /'bælaɪvər/ Pronunciation respelling for English, BAL-eyevər; ) is a village in County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It had a population of 1,809 at the 2016 census of Ireland, 2016 census. It is on the R15 ...

, Summerhill and

Maynooth Maynooth (; ) is a university town in north County Kildare, Ireland. It is home to Maynooth University (part of the National University of Ireland and also known as the National University of Ireland, Maynooth) and St Patrick's College, Maynoo ...

with one journey in the morning and an evening journey back Mondays to Fridays inclusive. Until August 2013, Bus Éireann route 118 provided a daily commuter service to

and

Sport

Raharney Hurling Club is the local parish

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

club, and has won the Westmeath Senior Hurling Championship on thirteen occasions. The club's

camogie Camogie ( ; ) is an Irish stick-and-ball team sport played by women. Camogie is played by 100,000 women in Ireland and worldwide, largely among Irish communities. A variant of the game "hurling" (which is played by men only), it is organised ...

team has won the Westmeath camogie final several times.

References

{{County Westmeath Towns and villages in County Westmeath

Geography

History

Public transport

Sport

See also

References