Irun

Irun
Municipality
Irun City Hall
Coat of arms
Motto: Vigilantiae Custos
Irun Location of Irun within the Basque Autonomous Community
Irun Location of Irun within Spain
Coordinates:
Country	Spain
Autonomous community	Basque Country
Province	Gipuzkoa
Comarca	Bidasoaldea
Founded	28 February 1776
Government
• Mayor	José Antonio Santano Clavero (2007) (PSE-EE)
Area
• Total	42.40 km2 (16.37 sq mi)
Elevation	20 m (70 ft)
Highest elevation	825 m (2,707 ft)
Lowest elevation	5 m (16 ft)
Population (2008)
• Total	61,419
• Density	1,400/km2 (3,800/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	irundar, irunés/irunesa
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code	20300-20305
Website	Official website

Irun (old Basque for "fortified town"; Spanish: Irún) is a town of the Bidasoaldea region in the province of Gipuzkoa in the Basque Autonomous Community, Spain. Nowadays it is widely accepted by the historic researcher community that Irun is the ancient Basque Roman town of Oiasso on account of the vestiges (port, factory, etc.) disclosed lately in the historic nucleus of Irun, while the name itself may have applied to the whole surrounding area.

One of the biggest towns in Gipuzkoa, its border town situation (it is located on the border between Spain and France, across the Bidasoa river from Hendaye), has made Irun into a commercial and logistic centre, with important railway infrastructure, where the SNCF 1,435 mm (4 ft 8 ¹⁄₂ in) standard gauge rails meet the 1,668 mm (5 ft 5 ²¹⁄₃₂ in) broad gauge Renfe ones. Currently Irun features a fair ground provided with modern exhibition and telecommunication facilities just at some 100 metres away from the actual borderline at the Santiago Bridge (river Bidasoa).

Irun is part of the conurbation of Txingudi bay with Hondarribia and Hendaye, the town being also involved in the Eurocité Basque Bayonne-San Sebastián (fr).

One of its main festivals is the Alarde de San Marcial, a parade recreating an episode of the Peninsula War, held on every 30 June yearly. Its main sports club is the Real Unión where its football team plays in Spain's Segunda División B.

People from Irun

• Tirso de Olazábal y Lardizábal (1842-1921), Carlist politician
• Juan Olazábal Ramery (1860-1937), Carlist politician
• Ramón Iribarren Cavanilles (1900-1967), engineer of shore structures
• Luis Mariano, singer.
• Amaia Montero, singer.
• Fermin Muguruza, singer.
• Alberto Górriz, footballer.
• Alberto López Fernández, footballer.
• Iñaki Descarga, footballer.
• Javier Garrido, footballer.
• Javier Irureta, footballer.
• Javier Yubero, footballer.
• Luis Regueiro, footballer.
• Patricio Arabolaza, footballer.
• Oier Olazábal, footballer.
• Sergio Francisco, footballer.
• Juan Manuel Gárate, cyclist.
• Basilio Sánchez Beguiristáin, mayor of the Chilean commune of Pichilemu.
• Kortatu, punkrock band
• Jose Antonio Santano, current mayor
• Menchu Gal, notable painter (see es:Menchu Gal)
• Oscar Del Santo, international blogger and author
• Arantza Kiroga, President of the Basque Parliament
• Lourdes Maldonado, TV presenter
• Edward Rosset, novelist
• Jon Sistiaga, reporter
• Carlos Blanco Aguinaga, writer, literary critic, teacher

Junkaleko Andre Maria church, Irun.

External links

• Irun municipal government website (Basque) & (Spanish)
• Lakaxita gaztetxea