# Newtown Forbes

Newtown Forbes (Irish: an Lios Breac, meaning 'the speckled ringfort') is a large village in County Longford, Ireland. It was historically called Lisbrack, an anglicisation of the Irish name. As of the 2022 census, Newtownforbes had a population of 851 people.
The N4 national primary route passes through the Main Street of the village, which is situated 6 km (4 miles) northwest of Longford town.
The local national (primary) school is Scoil Mhuire. The village has a Catholic church, St. Mary's which has been recently restored. One feature of the renovation is the new west windows, by Joe Sheridan of Kilkenny which shows Virgin Mary with Jesus and St. John and a playfriend. It also shows St. Elither, a local saint, building the first Christian church of the village. The village also has four public houses, several shops and other amenities. The sports complex has a floodlit pitch and indoor basketball court.
Newtownforbes is in the parish of Clonguish; its Irish name is Cluain geis which means The Meadow of the Swans. Clonguish is bordered by four other parishes, Killashee, Templemicheal, Killoe and Drumlish. The parish also shares a common boundary with the province of Connacht in that it adjoins the parishes of Bornacoola and Gortletteragh in County Leitrim and is separated by the Shannon from Kilbarry in County Roscommon. The River Camlin flows through the south-western end of the parish.

## History

Newtownforbes takes its name from the Forbes family, also known as the Earl of Granard, who originated in Aberdeen and were granted lands in the area around 1621, and have been resident in Castleforbes since 1691. The family was in service to the Crown and successive generations were promoted to Viscount, Baronet and eventually Earldom. The family changed the name of the village from Lisbrack to Newtownforbes around 1750. Many of the houses in the original part of the village date from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
One of the four pubs in the town, Casey's Public House, was the last pub in the Midlands to stop the practise of bottling Guinness for the brewery and labelling it.

## Heritage and culture
### Castle Forbes

Castle Forbes is situated about 5 km (3 miles) from Longford town and stands between Newtownforbes and Lough Forbes on the River Shannon. The castle and grounds are owned by the 10th Earl of Granard and thus are private with strictly no public access.

#### History of Castle Forbes

Built to the design of John Hargrave from Cork, Castle Forbes, located in the townland of Castleforbes (all one word), is a 19th-century structure of cut limestone. The entrance gateway of the castle is French style which is about one mile (1.6 km) from the castle itself. There are some narrow windows in the shape of an arch as well as the remains of some English style windows.
In 1909, following the marriage of the 8th Earl of Granard to Beatrice, daughter of the wealthy Ogden Mills of Staatsburg, New York, the decoration of Castle Forbes was completed. Lady Jane structured the original building of Castle Forbes in 1624. Over the years, the castle has been added to. In 1825, the castle was partly burned. It was saved by a dog called 'Pilot' whose barking woke everyone in the castle.
1,286 acres (5.20 km$^2$) of land was given to them in 1619. In 1854, together the castle covered 1,346 acres (5.45 km$^2$) of land within its demesne. It was the largest demesne in County Longford. In 1876, the total estate, including parts of land from around the parish, Clonguish, Drumlish, Killashee and near Mullingar, covered 14,978 acres (60.61 km$^2$) of land. Today Lady Georgina, the present owner, owns only the land within the demesne, 1,346 acres (5.45 km$^2$).
In 1911, the castle was the site of the introduction to Ireland of the Eastern grey squirrel (Sciurus carolinensis), when six pairs were given as a wedding gift to Lord Forbes and some later escaped into the wild.

#### Castleforbes airfield

The airfield, code EICS, was constructed in 1975 on the estate with a 1,275-metre grass runway being installed for the 9th Earl of Granard for the use of himself and invited friends. Following his death in 1992 the airfield's licence was revoked and it closed.

### St Paul's Church of Ireland Church

This church was built or re-built in 1829 to a cruciform plan and is situated in Main Street. A particularly notable feature is the box pews with fielded panels which are believed to be the last remaining examples in Ireland.

### St Mary's Catholic Church

This church was built on lands provided by the Forbes family. It was built by J.J. McCarthy in a standardised gothic style. A separate entrance was originally provided for the Forbes family. Following some structural issues with the church, the roof was lowered, and the internal arcades removed. In the 21st century the church was renovated with a new window in the west facade showing St Barry teaching the children.

## Transport
### Rail

The nearest railway station today is Longford. Although the railway passes through Newtownforbes, trains no longer stop in the village.

#### Newtownforbes railway station

Originally built by the Midland and Great Western Railway Company c. 1860 to serve the Mullingar to Sligo line the station was closed in 1963. It was probably built to designs by George Wilkinson (1814–1890), a noted architect of his day who also completed the designs for a number of other railway stations for The Midland and Great Western Railway Company (on the Mullingar to Longford and the Inny Junction to Cavan lines) at this time. It remains an important component of the architectural and industrial heritage of County Longford (on the Mullingar to Longford and the Inny Junction to Cavan lines) at this time

### Bus

The Bus Éireann service from Sligo to Dublin and Dublin airport stops in Newtownforbes with approximately 5 services each way, one of which is overnight. Journeytime to Dublin is typically under 3 hours.
Local Link route LR12 has a bus on Friday to/from Longford town as at 2024.

## Sport

The local Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club in Newtownforbes is Clonguish GAA, which was founded in 1889. The club play Gaelic football and hurling, the latter known as Clonguish Gaels. Their games are played in the Bertie Allen Park, which is located in the village. The club has won 12 Longford Senior Football Championship titles and 6 Longford Senior Hurling Championship titles.

## Notable people

* Paul Barden, Gaelic footballer