Cloonfad () is a village in
County Roscommon,
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, at the crossroads of the
N83 National secondary road
A national secondary road ( ga, Bóthar Náisiúnta den Dara Grád) is a category of road in Ireland. These roads form an important part of the national route network but are secondary to the main arterial routes which are classified as national ...
and the
R327 regional road, about 10 km from the town of
Ballyhaunis
Ballyhaunis () is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is at the crossroads of the N60 and N83 National secondary roads and on the railway line linking Dublin to Westport and Ballina.
It is thought that the town grew up around St Mary's Augu ...
in
County Mayo.
A public walkway takes walkers to neighbouring villages through surrounding moorland. This habitat gave rise to the village's name in Irish - ''Cluain Fada'' or "Long Meadow". Cloonfad's local church, the Church of Saint Patrick, has been publishing an annual parish magazine since 1992 "The Cloonfad Magazine".
The village has two pubs (public houses). Local services include an
An Post office, convenience shop, beauty parlour and a hair salon.
Religion
The present church of St. Patrick was erected in 1934. Work on the foundation began in September 1932 with the foundation stone blessed by
Thomas Gilmartin
Thomas Patrick Gilmartin (18 May 1861 – 14 October 1939) was an Irish clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Clonfert from 1909 to 1918 and Archbishop of Tuam from 1918 to 1939.
Life
He was born in Castlebar, Count ...
,
Archbishop of Tuam
The Archbishop of Tuam ( ; ga, Ard-Easpag Thuama) is an archbishop which takes its name after the town of Tuam in County Galway, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1839, and is still in use by the Catholic Church.
Histor ...
in December 1932. The completed church was dedicated on 12 August 1934.
Alterations were made by the inclusion of porches by Fr. (later
Monsignor
Monsignor (; it, monsignore ) is an honorific form of address or title for certain male clergy members, usually members of the Roman Catholic Church. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian ''monsignore'', meaning "my lord". "Monsignor" ca ...
)
James Horan James Horan may refer to:
* James Horan (actor) (born 1954), American character actor
* James Horan (cricketer) (1880–1945), Australian cricketer
* James Horan (Gaelic footballer)
James Horan (born 1972) is a Gaelic football manager and f ...
, parish priest of Knock, during his time in Cloonfad. In 1960 the sanctuary was revised to accommodate the new Liturgy of the Mass. The church underwent further renovation in the late 1990s.
Sport
Established in the 1930s, Cloonfad Handball Club is one of the oldest sporting organisations in the parish. The present facilities were opened in 1980. The club is registered with County Roscommon Handball board. In addition to
Gaelic handball, the club also plays host to racquetball.
Cloonfad United is the local
association football
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
(soccer) team. The club fields teams in several age categories from under-8s through under-16s, with a senior B-team and A-team.
See also
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
References
{{County Roscommon
Towns and villages in County Roscommon