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WESTMEATH

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Originally appearing in Volume V28, Page 549 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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WESTMEATH , a See also:

county of See also:Ireland in the See also:province of See also:Leinster, bounded N.W. by See also:Longford, N. by See also:Cavan, N.E. and E. by See also:Meath, S. by See also:King's county, and W. by See also:Roscommon. The See also:area is 454,104 acres, or about 709 sq. m. The See also:Shannon forms the western boundary. The See also:average height of the See also:surface of the county is over 250 ft. above See also:sea-level. The highest summits are Knocklayde (795 ft.), See also:Hill of See also:Ben (710 ft.) and Knockayon (707 ft.). A large surface is occupied by See also:bog. A See also:special feature of Westmeath is the number of large loughs, which have a combined area of nearly 17,000 acres. In the See also:north, on the See also:borders of Cavan, is Lough Sheelin, with a length of 5 m., and an average breadth of between 2 and 3 m., and adjoining it is the smaller Lough Kinale. In the centre of the county there is a See also:group of large loughs, of which Lough Dereveragh is 6 m. See also:long by 3 broad at its widest See also:part. To the north of it are Loughs Lene, Glore, Hawn and others, and to 4e See also:south Loughs See also:Iron and Owel. Farther south is Lough Ennell or See also:Belvidere, and in the south-See also:west Lough Ree, a See also:great expansion of the See also:river Shan-non, forming part of the boundary with Roscommon. The river Inny, which rises in Co.

Cavan, enters Westmeath from Lough Sheelin, and, forming for parts of its course the boundary with Longford, falls into Lough Ree. The Inny has as one of its tributaries the Glore, flowing from Lough Lene through Lough Glore, a considerable part of its course being under-ground. From Lough Lene the See also:

Dale also flows southwards to the See also:Boyne and so to the Irish Sea, and thus this See also:lake sends its See also:waters to the opposite shores of the See also:island. The Brosna flows from Lough Ennell southwards by King's county into the Shannon. The Westmeath loughs have a See also:peculiar fame among anglers for the excellence of their See also:trout-fishing. Westmeath is essentially a county of the great Carboniferous See also:Limestone See also:plain, with numerous lakes occupying the hollows. Two or three little inliers of Old Red See also:Sandstone, as at Killucan and Moate, See also:form distinctive hills, about 500 ft. in height. At Sron Hill near Killucan, a core of See also:Silurian strata appears within the sandstone See also:dome. A considerable See also:system of eskers, notably north of See also:Tullamore, diversifies the surface of the limestone plain. The See also:soil is generally a See also:rich See also:loam of great See also:depth resting on limestone, and is well adapted both for tillage and pasturage. The occupations are almost wholly agricultural, See also:dairy farming predominating. See also:Flour and See also:meal are largely produced.

The only textile manufactures are those of friezes, flannels, and coarse linens for See also:

home use. The only See also:mineral of any value is limestone. The See also:main See also:line of the Midland Great Western railway enters the county from E. and passes W. by See also:Mullingar and See also:Athlone. From Mullingar a See also:branch runs N.W. to Inny Junction, where lines diverge N. to Cavan (county Cavan), and W.N.W. to Longford (county Longford) and See also:Sligo. A branch of the Great See also:Southern Western railway runs from See also:Portarlington (See also:Queen's county) to Athlone, and this and the Midland Great Western main line are connected by a See also:short line between See also:Clare and Streamstown, worked by the latter See also:company. See also:Water communication with See also:Dublin is furnished by the Royal See also:Canal, traversing the centre of the county. A branch of the See also:Grand Canal reaches Kilbeggan in the south. The See also:population (68,611 in 1891; 61,629 in 1901) decreases in excess of the average shown by the Irish counties, and See also:emigration is considerable. About 92% of the See also:total are See also:Roman Catholics, and about 86% constitute the rural population. The See also:principal towns are Athlone (pop. 6617), of which the part formerly in Roscommon was added to Westmeath by the See also:Local See also:Government (Ireland) See also:Act of 1898, and Mullingar (4500), the county See also:town. Castlepollard and Moate are lesser See also:market towns.

By the Redistribution Act of 1885 Westmeath was formed into two See also:

parliamentary divisions, North and South, each returning one member, Athlone being included in the county See also:representation. The county is divided into twelve baronies. Assizes are held at Mullingar and See also:quarter sessions at Mullingar and Moate. The county is in the See also:Protestant dioceses of Dublin, See also:Killaloe and See also:Ossory, and in the Roman See also:Catholic dioceses of See also:Kildare and Leighlin, Killaloe and Ossory. Westmeath was severed from Meath (q.v.) in 1543. The See also:plan for the insurrection of 1641 was concerted in the See also:abbey of Multifarnham, and both in the See also:wars of this See also:period and those of 1688 the gentry of the county were so deeply implicated that the See also:majority of the estates were confiscated. There are a considerable number of raths or encampments: one at Rathconrath is of great extent; another at Bally-more was fortified during the wars of the Cromwellian period and those of 1688, and was afterwards the headquarters of See also:General Ginkell, when preparing to besiege Athlone; and there is a third of considerable See also:size near Lough Lene. The ruins of the Franciscan abbey of Multifarnham, founded in 1236 by See also:William See also:Delaware, picturesquely situated near Lough Dereveragh, include a See also:tower 93 ft. in height.

End of Article: WESTMEATH

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