| "Where the 3 Counties Meet" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single by Brendan Shine | ||||
| B-side | "Bright City Lights" | |||
| Released | 1973 | |||
| Recorded | 1973 | |||
| Studio | Eamonn Andrews Studios | |||
| Genre | Irish traditional | |||
| Length | 2:30 | |||
| Label | Play | |||
| Songwriter(s) | Patsy Farrell | |||
| Producer(s) | Bill O'Donovan | |||
| Brendan Shine singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
"Where The 3 Counties Meet" (also written "Where The Three Counties Meet") is a 1973 Irish traditional song by Brendan Shine. [1] [2] [3]
The song is named for Lough Ree, where the three Irish counties of Longford, Roscommon and Westmeath meet at a tripoint. Also mentioned in the song are the towns of Athlone and Glassan, The Three Jolly Pigeons (a pub on the Athlone–Ballymahon road) and the River Shannon. [4] The song is from the point of view of a member of the Irish diaspora, working in construction in a foreign land and longing to return home. [5]
"Where The 3 Counties Meet" was written by Patsy Farrell (1929–2002) of Rathowen. [6] [7] [8]
"Where The 3 Counties Meet" was released by Brendan Shine in 1973, and was number one on the Irish Singles Chart for two weeks in August 1973. [9] Spotlight magazine named it Record of the Year. [10]
Athlone is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of 22,869 in the 2022 census.
County Westmeath is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of Meath, which was named Mide because the kingdom was located in the geographical centre of Ireland. Westmeath County Council is the administrative body for the county, and the county town is Mullingar. At the 2022 census, the population of the county was 95,840.
Ballymahon on the River Inny is a town in the southern part of County Longford, Ireland. It is 19 km north-east of Athlone, at the junction of the N55 and R392 roads.
Mullingar is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. It is the third most populous town in the Midland Region, with a population of 22,667 in the 2022 census.
Cairn Community Games is an Irish independent voluntary organisation and National Governing Body providing opportunities for children and young people to grow and develop in a positive and healthy way while experiencing a wide range of sporting and cultural activities. The National Festivals are held over several weekends during the year, usually from May onwards. Children first take part in their Area, of which there are over 400, and then progress to county, provincial and ultimately the National Finals.
Lough Ree, translated to English as King's Lake or King Lake, is a lake in the midlands of Ireland, the second of the three major lakes on the River Shannon. Lough Ree is the second largest lake on the Shannon after Lough Derg. The other two major lakes are Lough Allen to the north, and Lough Derg to the south. There are also several minor lakes along the length of the river. The lake serves as a border between the counties of Longford and Westmeath on the eastern side and County Roscommon in the province of Connacht on the western side. The lake is popular for fishing and boating. The lake supports a small commercial eel fishery and is locally famous for its eels on wheels truck. The town of Athlone is situated at the southern end of the lake, and has a harbour for boats going out on the lake. The small town of Lanesboro is at the northern end of the lake.
Athlone was a parliamentary constituency in Ireland, which from 1801 to 1885 returned one Member of Parliament (MP) to the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland.
Marist College is a secondary school for boys in Athlone, County Westmeath, Ireland.
Taghmaconnell also known as Taughmaconnell, is a small village in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is situated between Athlone and Ballinasloe. The village lends its name to the parish and civil parish in which it is located.
Athlone GAA is the Gaelic football club in the town of Athlone in County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland. The local hurling club is called Southern Gaels.
Athlone Community College is a mixed gender school in the town of Athlone in the Irish Midlands under the patronage of the Longford and Westmeath Education and Training Board (LWETB). It consists of a student body of over 1,100 students and employs more than 120 teachers.
Ballymore is a village in County Westmeath, Ireland, on the R390 road between Athlone and Mullingar. The historic Hill of Uisneach is nearby. The village was known in medieval times as the medieval borough of Ballymore Lough Sewdy, or Loughsewdy, after the nearby lake, the site of an ancient bruighean, or hostel.
Brendan Shine is an Irish folk and country singer, television presenter and accordion player from Athlone. He has achieved 40 chart singles in Ireland and 5 Irish number one singles, and is best known for his songs about everyday Irish life, such as "Do You Want Your Old Lobby Washed Down" and "Spuds".
The Westmeath Way is a long-distance trail in County Westmeath, Ireland. It is 100 kilometres long and begins in Kilbeggan and ends in Athlone. It is typically completed in two days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National Trails Office of the Irish Sports Council and is managed by Westmeath County Council and the Westmeath Way Committee. The trail forms part of the Dublin-Galway Greenway, part of the route 2 of the EuroVelo European cycle network.
The Dublin–Galway Greenway is a partially completed 'coast-to-coast' greenway and partial rail trail, in Ireland, funded by the Department of Transport, which is due to become the western section of EuroVelo EV2, a cycle route from Galway, Ireland, crossing Europe and ending in Moscow, Russia. The 276 kilometres (171 mi) route was planned to be completed by 2020. It is due to be the fourth greenway in Ireland, after the Great Southern Trail, the Great Western Greenway and the Waterford Greenway.
St. Loman's Hospital was a psychiatric hospital located in Mullingar, Westmeath in the Midlands of Ireland. The hospital closed on 5 December 2013 following the relocation of St Edna's Ward, which was the only remaining ward in the original Gothic building, to a new building on campus.
The Downs Gaelic Athletic Association is a Gaelic football and ladies' Gaelic football club located in County Westmeath, Ireland.
Garrycastle is a townland in Athlone, County Westmeath, Ireland. It is in the civil parish of St. Mary's.