Banagher is situated in the very far west of Offaly county, in very close proximity to Munster and Connaught. It is a town of 1,414 inhabitants and is directly at the Shannon crossing. There have been five bridges here since the times of the Vikings. The Irish for Banagher means "Ford of the Rocks", as at one time there were rocks in the Shannon which made it easy to build fords. The river was navigable in Viking times up as far as Clonmacnoise. The town was a convenient point for produce to be shipped and was a harbour after the canal was built at the end of the eighteenth century. When Victoria Lock was built, the river became navigable for ocean-going ships and many Irish emigrants to America departed from here. Banagher was also a centre for grain and had several maltings and distilleries. . The town's main industry now is concrete making and reinforced concrete beams for motorway and other bridges are made here. Annually, Banagher attracts between forty and fifty thousand tourists because of its location between Clonmacnoise and Birr castle, both of which are international tourist attractions. Each year there is a Queen of the Shannon festival held here and the local GAA club are renowned throughout the county.