Moate

Moate is a town in County Westmeath, Ireland.The name An Móta is derived from the term motte-and-bailey, as the Normans built an example of this type of fortification here. The earthwork is still visible behind the buildings on the main street.The town later became an important marketplace and Quaker village. There are several extant examples of Quaker houses on the main street, which itself is typical of an Irish marketplace.LocationMoate is on the Cloghatanny River, also known as the Moate Stream, which is a tributary of the River Brosna. The confluence between the Cloghatanny and Brosna is 7.5km to the southeast of Moate, or 3km west of Clara.The town is on the R446 road between Kinnegad and Athlone. Before July 2008, this was the N6 road, a national primary route, and Moate was a serious traffic bottleneck. The new M6 motorway bypasses the town.AmenitiesMoate is a growing town with many new businesses including a supermarket, hardware store, an internet café-computer shop, pizzeria, petrol station, post office, gift shop, credit union, library, hair dresser, bank, sports shop, hotel and over twelve public houses. Many new building ventures have taken place in recent years including a complex of apartments and shops at the site of the old Convent of Mercy on Station Road.