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Castleconnell (, historically ''Caisleán Uí Chonaing'') is a village in County Limerick on the banks of the
River Shannon The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of the island of Ireland. The Shan ...
. It is from Limerick city and near the boundaries of counties
Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...
and Tipperary.


History

The ruins of the ' Castle of Connell' (in fact the castle of a family named Gunning), from which the name of the village derives, was built on a rock outcrop overlooking the bend of the river. It was destroyed in a siege by the army of General Ginkel, fighting in support of the Army of William of Orange at the end of the 17th century. Even today a large chunk of the castle wall lies some fifty feet from the castle, thrown clear across the road by siege cannons. A footbridge over the Shannon - built during the 1939-1945 Emergency by the Irish Army under Captain Carley Owens - connects counties Limerick and Clare. The nearby Mountshannon House is a testament to
John FitzGibbon, 1st Earl of Clare John FitzGibbon, 1st Earl of Clare PC (Ire) (1748 – 28 January 1802) was Attorney-General for Ireland from 1783 to 1789 and Lord Chancellor of Ireland from 1789 to 1802. He was a controversial figure in Irish history, being described var ...
, who in the late 18th century was the Attorney-General for Ireland and subsequent
Lord Chancellor of Ireland The Lord High Chancellor of Ireland (commonly known as Lord Chancellor of Ireland) was the highest judicial office in Ireland until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. From 1721 to 1801, it was also the highest political office of ...
. FitzGibbon was a Protestant hardliner and helped usher in the Acts of Union 1800, which resulted in the Irish parliament's abolition. The house where he and his descendants lived was burnt to the ground by the IRA in the 1920s. Many fine nineteenth-century buildings overlook the Shannon in Castleconnell. One of these, the former schoolhouse, was for many years home to the Irish Harp Centre. Another, the former convent, is now the Castleoaks House Hotel. A little south of the village lies the ruins of the once-grand Mountshannon house, a Palladian mansion gutted by fire early in the 20th century.


Fishing

Known for its fishing - both coarse and sport - it has a history as a fishing destination stretching back into the 19th century. Main catch was salmon and trout. The local pub ''Shannon Inn'' became well known for its fishing clientele that stayed there over the years. The Shannon Electricity Scheme and its
Ardnacrusha Ardnacrusha ( ga, Ard na Croise) is a village in County Clare, Munster, Ireland, located on the northern bank of the River Shannon. By road, it is north of Limerick. The name derives from the phrase ''Ard na Croise'' meaning "the height of t ...
dam at Parteen changed the fortunes of the village considerably in the 1930s when it reduced the flow of water south of the dam to approximately one sixth, dropping water levels along the Shannon. The engineers added a fish lift to the dam, allowing fish to be lifted in a water-filled container and thereby pass upstream to their traditional spawning beds. The river at Castleconnell is also known for its rich bird life, and particularly its
swan Swans are birds of the family (biology), family Anatidae within the genus ''Cygnus''. The swans' closest relatives include the goose, geese and ducks. Swans are grouped with the closely related geese in the subfamily Anserinae where they form t ...
s, many of which are migratory Icelandic whooper swans wintering and breeding on the river.


Sport


Gaelic games

Castleconnell is the home of Limerick's most successful
hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...
club. The Ahane GAA club won 19 Limerick Senior Hurling Championships between 1931 and 1948 and provided many of the Limerick team that won
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurling competition i ...
s in 1934, 1936 and 1940. Among its most famous players were
Mick Mackey Michael John Mackey (12 July 1912 – 13 September 1982) was an Irish hurler who played as a centre-forward at senior level for the Limerick county team. Born in Castleconnell, County Limerick, Mackey first arrived on the inter-county scene a ...
and Jackie Power.


Boxing

Boxer
Andy Lee Andy Lee may refer to: __NOTOC__ Sportspeople * Andy Lee (American football) (born 1982), American football punter * Andy Lee (boxer) (born 1984), Irish boxer * Andy Lee (footballer, born 1982), English footballer for Bradford City * Andy Lee (footb ...
was raised in Castleconnell from the age of 14. On 13 December 2014 he became current World
WBO The World Boxing Organization (WBO) is an organization which sanctions professional boxing bouts. It is recognized by the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) as one of the four major world championship groups, alongside the World Boxing ...
Middleweight Middleweight is a weight class in combat sports. Boxing Professional In professional boxing, the middleweight division is contested above and up to . Early boxing history is less than exact, but the middleweight designation seems to have be ...
champion.


Rowing

Castleconnell boat club has been in existence since 1983. It is located at World's End (also known as Worral's End). Castleconnell has one of the best stretches of water to row on in Ireland. Rowers have a smooth, wide water to row on for 3.2 kilometers till O' Briens bridge. Just beyond the bridge, the rower's have another 1.5 kilometers before they come to a water flow regulator.


Transport

Castleconnell railway station Castleconnell railway station, opened on 8 August 1858 on the Great Southern and Western Railway line, serves the town of Castleconnell in County Limerick, Ireland. It is on the Limerick–Ballybrophy railway line and is also served by a skel ...
opened on 8 August 1858. the station lies on the Limerick–Ballybrophy railway line.


Politics

The town was previously under the jurisdiction of Limerick County Council. Due to its proximity to Limerick City and with the growth of the city itself, Castleconnell became part of the Limerick City Metropolitan District, located within the Limerick City East Municipal District local authority area of Limerick City and County Council.


Notable residents

* John Enright (1865-1908) world flycasting champion 1896-1906 * Bulmer Hobson (died 1968) *
Andy Lee Andy Lee may refer to: __NOTOC__ Sportspeople * Andy Lee (American football) (born 1982), American football punter * Andy Lee (boxer) (born 1984), Irish boxer * Andy Lee (footballer, born 1982), English footballer for Bradford City * Andy Lee (footb ...
* Pat Shortt * Marcus Horan * Paul Warwick *
John Gilhooly John Gilhooly, , OSI (born 15 August 1973, Castleconnell, County Limerick, Ireland) is a British and Irish arts administrator. He is currently artistic and executive director of Wigmore Hall. Education Gilhooly was educated at Lisnagry National ...
*
Sarah Lavin Sarah Kate Lavin (born 28 May 1994) is an Irish athlete specialising in the high hurdles. She finished fourth at the 2019 Summer Universiade. In addition, she won a silver medal at the 2013 European Junior Championships and represented Ireland ...
* Tom Morrissey *
Dan Morrissey Daniel Morrissey (born 20 April 1993) is an Irish hurler who plays as a left wing-back for club side Ahane and at inter-county level with the Limerick senior hurling team. Early life Morrissey was born in Castleconnell, County Limerick. ...


See also

* List of towns and villages in Ireland


References


External links

{{Authority control Towns and villages in County Limerick Parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe Populated places on the River Shannon