BALLINASLOE

BALLINASLOE, a town of Ireland, province of Connaught, 91 miles W.S.W. of Dublin. The River Suck, an affluent of the Shannon, divides it into two parts, the western being in the county of Galway and parish of Kilclooney, the eastern in the county of Roscommon and parish of Creagh. These are connected by a causeway across an island in the river and by two bridges. It is clean and well-built, and contains a handsome church, with a singular octagonal spire springing from scrolls. There are Roman Catholic and Methodist chapels, several public schools, district lunatic asylum, union workhouse, market-house, a savings-bank established in 1822, several flour mills, hat and coach factories, and breweries. Pop. in 1851, 6550. The great annual cattle fair, held from the 5th to the 9th of October, and for which Ballinasloe has long been celebrated, has latterly declined, as will be seen from the following table:—

The number for sale in 1828 exceeded that of any other year since 1790, being 97,384 sheep and 11,513 horned cattle.