Stradbally
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| Stradbally An Sráidbhaile |
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| Location | ||
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| Statistics | ||
| Province: | Leinster | |
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| County: | County Laois | |
| Elevation: | 80m | |
| Population (2006) | 1,565 | |
Stradbally (An Sráidbhaile in Irish) is a small town in County Laois, Ireland, located in the midlands of Ireland along the N80 road near Portlaoise. The town's name comes from the Irish language, which means a village, or "town of (one) street".
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[edit] Steam rally
Stradbally is famous for its Steam Rally, an annual gathering of enthusiasts of steam-powered vehicles. The event is held in the grounds of the Cosby estate. Traction engines and steam-powered cars are brought to the rally and displayed - those which are in working order are demonstrated, and a steam railway offers rides along a short track. There is also a Steam Museum in Stradbally Town itself. One of the group of founders was Harold Condell who was an avid Steam enthusiast and owner. He along with his co-founders established the 'Irish Steam Preservation Society. He moved to Northern Ireland in 1966 and there he made contact with Lord O'Neill of Shanes Castle, Antrim. They, along with other steam enthusiasts from Northern Ireland started a similar Steam Rally, which was held in the grounds of Shanes Castle. This Steam Rally is now held in Ballymena Show Grounds. It also has a narrow gauge steam railway.
[edit] Music festival
Stradbally is also famous for Electric Picnic, A boutique music festival held annually in Stradbally Hall, owned by the Cosby Family.
[edit] Transport
- Durrow and Stradbally railway station opened on 12 August 1878 and finally closed on 27 March 1967.[1]
[edit] People
- Canadian politician Walter Shanly came from Stradbally.
- Kevin O'Higgins was also from Stradbally
- Australian Football player Colm Begley.
- Patrick Semple, the writer, was the Church of Ireland Rector in Stradbally for several years.
[edit] Sport
- Stradbally GAA is the local Gaelic Athletic Association club.
[edit] References
- ^ Durrow and Stradbally station. Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved on 2007-10-13.
Lewis Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837) - Stradbally (Queen's County)
[edit] See also
This article related to the geography of County Laois, Ireland is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.
