Newtown Forbes (Irish: an Lios Breac, meaning 'the speckled ringfort') is a large village in County Longford, Ireland.
[1] The N4 national primary route passes through the Main Street of the village, which is situated 6 km (4 miles) northwest of Longford town.
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.
[citation needed] Newtownforbes is in the parish of Clonguish; its Irish name is Cluain geis which means The Meadow of the Swans.
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.
[4][5][6] 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.
[citation needed] 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.
[citation needed] 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.
[citation needed] 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.
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 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 [9] 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.