Offaly Ireland

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Hotels in Offaly

County Arms Hotel

Rating: 3 Star

County Arms Hotel

Address: Railway Road, Birr, Co. Offaly

70 rooms

County Arms Hotel is a three star hotel is situated less than ten minutes walk from Birr town centre.

Price Range: Hotel rooms up to 50% off sale


Days Hotel Tullamore

Rating: 3 Star

Days Hotel Tullamore

Address: Main Street, Tullamore, Co. Offaly

62 rooms

Situated just five minutes walk from the bustling town centre, with many bars, restaurants and shops close by, the hotel is ideal for a weekend break.

Price Range: Book Now

 

Pubs in Offaly

E_Canal_View_Boat_View.jpg Offaly (Self Catering, Offaly, Ireland), lying in the heart of Ireland is a county of hidden treats, full of scientific and cultural history. Situated partly on the Shannon, many overseas visitors come to enjoy their pleasure cruises, touring around some of the most important historical sights in the county. This is a quaint old county full of winding roads and tiny villages. Most of the area looks very much like it did over a hundred years ago. You should check out some of Offaly interesting pubs while on your stay here.

Genealogy in Offaly

Gen_Little_Brosna_River.JPGOffaly also known as the King’s county, a county of Ireland, bounded N by E. and W. Meath, E by Kilkenny and Queen’s county, S by Tipperary, and W by Galway; 43 long and 39 broad, containing 707 square miles. With the exception of the Slieve Bloom Mountains, which form its southern boundary, the terrain of the county is mostly flat, with many large peat bogs; these now supply turf for the county’s power stations. The principal rivers of Offaly (Accommodation, Offaly, Ireland) are Shannon, Little Brosna, and Greater Brosna. It sends 2 members to parliament. The Irish name for the county reflects its pre-Norman history; it was part of the territory of U�Failghe, a tribal grouping whose name may be continued in the modern surname Faley or Fally. In historical times the most powerful families in the region were the O’Carrolls (who gave their name to Ely O’Carroll, an area in the south of the county), the O’Connors and the O’Molloys. Their lands were annexed to the English crown in the thirteenth century, but effective English control was not imposed until the sixteenth century, when county was planted with English settlers and renamed King’s County, to match its neighbour Queen’s County, now Laois. The counties acquired their present names after independence in 1922.

Gen_Tullamore_Town_Council.jpg The main towns in Offaly (Hotels, Offaly, Ireland) include Tullamore, Birr, Clara, Edenderry, Portarlington.

Surnames associated with this county include Dooley, Dunne, Egan, Dempsey, Lalor, Flattery, Daly, Condron and Lynam.

There was some emigration from this area from the late 18th century onwards but emigration dramatically increased during the period of the Great Famine. The chief destinations were Australia, Canada and the United States of America. During the period of the Great Famine the area overall lost about 25% of its population with some towns experiencing population reductions of up to 50%.

Laois & Offaly (Holiday Cottages, Offaly, Ireland) Family History Research Centre, Bury Quay, Tullamore, Co Offaly, Ireland

Gen_Birr_Town.jpg The Laois & Offaly Family History Research Centre is the designated research centre for the counties of Offaly (formerly called Queen’s County) and Offaly (formerly called King’s County). The Centre offers a Full Service. All initial enquiries are answered promptly while research usually takes from four to six weeks.

Church records in the Laois & Offaly area have various starting dates:

The earliest Roman Catholic parish records at this centre start at 1763 and the latest start in 1862

The earliest Church of Ireland (Anglican/Episcopalian) records date from 1699 and the latest from 1876.

Methodist records commence in1830

Gen_Birr_Castle.jpg In addition to the usual primary source material the Laois & Offaly (Holiday Homes, Offaly, Ireland) Family History Research Centre have indexed:

The Birr Workhouse register

Births, marriages and deaths recorded in the ‘King’s County Chronicle’ newspaper (1845 - 1865) and the ‘Leinster Express’ (1831 - 1851)

Entries in trade directories for the period 1788 to 1908

The Geashill Estate rental (1883).

About 750,000 genealogical records have now been computerised at this centre.

History of Offaly

H_Clonmacnoise_Monastery.JPGOffaly (Holiday Apartments, Offaly, Ireland), once called Kings County during British occupation, comes from the Gaelic word, Uibh Fhaili, which means People of Failghe.

In ancient times, the proximity of the Shannon to Offaly (Bed and Breakfasts, Offaly, Ireland) was responsible for the presence of many foreign visitors, all of which have had a lasting influence in H_Phoenix_Market.jpgone way or another. Merchants from continental Europe travelled by way of the Shannon river and passed through Offaly.

One of the most significant of influences has been that of the Danes who built Clonmacnoise monastery, and also travelled by way of the Shannon. In early Christian times, Offaly (Accommodation, Offaly, Ireland) was a center for study and enlightenment. Monks from all H_Irelands_Historic_Science_Centre.jpgover the rest of Europe frequented the monasteries there.

Offaly
Another typical Central Plain county, chiefly pasture and bog. In contrast to the monotony and flatness of most of tlie surface, the high heathery ridge of Slieve Bloom rises on the southern edge, attaining in Arderin a height of 1733 ft. In tlie north-east Croghan H_ORourkes_Tower_and_River_Shannon.jpgHill (709 ft.), tlie stump of an ancient volcano, overlooking a vast area of plain, forms a landmark over several counties. For some distance, the Shannon forms the western boundary of the county. Lakes are practically absent. A good many towns, none of large size, are scattered over the low grounds.

Tulkunore, the county town, lies near the centre, Clara in the north, Banagher on the Shannon, and Birr - famous for Lord Posses observatory - in the west, and Edenderry in the east.