Ardrahan

Ardrahan (Irish: Ard Raithin, meaning "high ringfort") is a village in County Galway, Ireland.

See also: Ardrahan Cheese
Ardrahan

Ard Raithin
Village
Ardrahan
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°09′27″N 8°48′21″W
CountryIreland
ProvinceConnacht
CountyCounty Galway
Area
 • Total9.8 km2 (3.8 sq mi)
Elevation
29 m (95 ft)
Population
 (2011)[1]
540
Time zoneUTC+0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid ReferenceM461121
Remains of the Ardrahan round tower

History

Richard de Burgo conquered Galway in 1236, and granted the land to Maurice Fitzgerald who built the castle whose ruins still stand today. The churchyard wall contains the remains of a round tower, which suggests that a monastic community may have existed on the site before the castle was built.[2]

Places of interest

The most noteworthy attraction in Ardrahan is Tulira Castle, once owned by playwright and independence activist Edward Martyn. Tulira Castle was for a long time owned by Galway County Council, but was bought in 2015 by CarTrawler owner Niall Turley for €5.8 million.[3]

The church at Labane, Ardrahan, which was the parish church of Joe Roche, has several stained glass windows by Alfred E. Child, Ethel Rhind and Michael Healy.[4]

Transport

Ardrahan is on the R458.

Ardrahan railway station opened on 15 September 1869, was closed to passenger traffic on 5 April 1976 and finally closed on 11 June 1983.[5] A new railway station has opened as part of phase one of the reopening of the Western Rail Corridor between Ennis and Athenry.

Education

There are three schools in Ardrahan: Labane N.S, Ballyglass N.S. & Kiltiernan NS

Sport

Ardahan hurling club won its first Galway Senior Hurling Club Championship title in 1894 and since then has won it on 11 occasions, having contested 18 county finals in its history. It is second on the role of honour to Castlegar who have won 17 titles. The last title was won after a replay in 1978, against rival neighbours Ballindereen. Other significant wins include the U21 title in 1977, the U21 B in 2001 and also in 2010, and two county minor titles in 1975 and 1978.

Ardrahan also has a Camogie club. In 2006 the U14 girls won the Féile Final and went on to represent Galway in Cork at All-Ireland stage. They got to the All-Ireland Semi-Final.

Also in 2019, the u14 girls won the Féile Final and went on to represent Galway in Cork, at division 3. There they won all but one of their matches and went on to win the cup All-Ireland final against na Fianna. They had a narrow win of only one point. This was a huge achievement for all involved.

Cultural references

Ardrahan is mentioned in William Hope Hodgson's book The House on the Borderland as the nearest greater village to a small village called Kraighten, near which the author's diary has been found. Ardrahan also features in the rousing ballad The West's Awake, most famously rendered by Joe McDonagh in the immediate aftermath of Galway's All Ireland Hurling Championship victory of 1980.

See also

References
  1. "Census 2011 – Population Density and Area Size by Electoral Division, CensusYear and Statistic" (PDF). Central Statistics Office Census 2011 Reports. Central Statistics Office Ireland. 2011. Archived (PDF) from the original on 20 October 2013. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  2. Discover Ireland. Retrieved 17 June 2008.
  3. Kenny, Ciara. "CarTrawler founder Niall Turley buys Galway castle for €5.8 million". The Irish Times. Retrieved 12 September 2018.
  4. Gordon Bowe, Nicola; Caron, David; and Wynne, Michael. Gazetteer of Irish Stained Glass, with an introduction and biographies by Nicola Gordon Bowe. Irish Academic Press, Dublin, 1988
  5. "Ardrahan station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 September 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2007.
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