Wikipedia
Newtownforbes is a village in County Longford, Ireland. It was historically called Lisbrack, an anglicisation of the Irish name.
The N4 National primary route passes through the Main Street of the village, which is situated 4 km northwest of Longford Town. Newtownforbes is a thriving village with its population listed at 668 in 2006. The national 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 public houses, shops and other amenities to cater for the expanding village. 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. On the approach to Newtownforbes from Longford, there is an old house called Minard House on the left. It was built in the 1760s and was the base to a local radio station.
There are three pubs - one of which is Casey's Public House. This pub was the last pub in the Midlands to stop the practise of bottling Guinness for the brewery and labeling it. Michael Collins, 1916 rebel and Irish Free State Commander drank in this pub from time to time. According to local rumors, Collins was once so intoxicated on tonic wine after visiting the local nursing home he had to be brought to the midlands hospital for medical treatment. This episode is said to have led to his pro-Anglo Irish treaty stance after witnessing the favorable treatment he received.