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Muine BheagMuine Bheag (from Irish) or Bagenalstown is a town in County Carlow, Republic of Ireland. The area is between the midlands of Ireland and the southeast. The county town of Carlow is to the north of Muine Bheag. The town is the second largest in the county. The name "Bagenalstown" is still often used, but "Muinebheag" is the official name of the town while the variation "Muine Bheag" is more commonly used, and is often used in speech as "Muinebeg". Iarnrd ireann train services always use the written timetable station of "Muine Bheag", whilst the spoken announcements on trains are usually for "Bagenalstown". The name Bagenalstown came from Lord Bagenal. Bagenal based the town on Versailles in France, and the town's Courthouse resembles that of Versailles. Bagenal built the town on the River Barrow to allow for trade and access to the town. Bagenal originally wanted the town to be called "New Versailles". It was built in the 18th century. Railway first arrived in Bagenalstown in 1846. The town is a small distance from the main N9 Dublin–Waterford road, but is connected to the railway network on the line between those two cities. This connects to the town to nearby Carlow, as well as Kilkenny to the southwest. The Irish name for Bagenalstown (Muine Bheag) means a small thicket of thorns. The motto on the town's Coat of Arms is "The Irrepressible Number", which is nine. The number 9 came from the Greeks. It represents the number of Town Councillors. The town was twinned with the town of Pont-Pan, France in 1999. The twinning charter is written in Irish, English and French, and it commits the two towns to "developing social, economic, cultural, touristic, and sporting links" between the two communities. Muine Bheag hosts a floral festival every August, and visitors from far and wide come to visit it. Famous people from Muine Bheag:
Olympic sculling champion Sean Drea
Carlow politicians Arthur McDonald and Denis Foley - See also: List of towns in the Republic of Ireland
- External link: Muinebheag Town Council
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