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Strokestown

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Strokestown

Strokestown (Irish: Béal na mBuillí), also known as Bellanamullia and Bellanamully, is a small town in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is one of the 27 designated Heritage Towns in Ireland. Located in the part of the country marketed for tourism purposes as Ireland's Hidden Heartlands, it is 140 km (87 mi) from Dublin and 120 km (75 mi) from Galway. Strokestown is one of Ireland's few planned towns, showing evidence of deliberate planning, such as formally aligned streets and prominent public buildings.

Features include the second-widest street in Ireland which measures 44.5 metres in width, and Strokestown Park House, an 18th-century mansion which is home to the National Famine Museum.

"Strokestown" is a partial translation of the original Irish language name, Béal Atha na mBuillí, which meant "the mouth of the ford of the strokes"; "mouth" referred to the Bumlin River, running through the demesne. According to one theory, "strokes" referred to ancient clan battles that took place in the area; another theory has suggested that "strokes" signified the use of agricultural implements. Béal Atha na mBuillí was usually anglicised as Bellanamully and Bellanamullia.

The name 'Bellanamullia' for Strokestown should not be confused with that of Bellanamullia, a village on the outskirts of Athlone.

The current, official Irish language name of Béal na mBuillí, which was adopted in the 1990s, originated as a version of the original name, reduced in length to fit on road signs.[citation needed]

Strokestown was the site of the estate of the Mahon family, a prominent Anglo-Irish lineage, for over 300 years, from the late 17th century until 1981. As ground landlords, the Mahon family had overall control of the town planning. Founded in 1731 the Dublin Society provided guidance for landlords on a national-scale and it saw mass building and improvements of towns and villages in Ireland during this time, Evidence of landlord-sponsored improvements can be seen in Strokestown, as well as local quirks. The spatial transformation and growth was also influenced by other tenants that invested in the construction of individual buildings. During their sustained landlord patronage the Mahon family relied on these investors to achieve success in the urban project, as it allowed them to split costs while also ensuring a uniform appearance was achieved. The involvement of other tenants ultimately threatened the family's direct input and saw a decrease in landlord influence by the second half of the 19th century.

The town was planned and laid out to centre on a broad avenue leading up to Strokestown Park House. The Mahon carried out regular building projects on the house during their sustained landlord patronage, which, alongside domestic servants, provided a steady source of employment for local people.

The diocesan census for Elphin carried out in the mid-eighteenth century showed the urban growth of Strokestown in comparison to rural neighbouring areas. The town was home to 592 people, living in 146 households, at this time.

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