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Oranmore ( or ''Úarán Mór'') is a town near the city of
Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
in County Galway, Ireland. It is also the name of the
civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authorit ...
and
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
parish in which the town lies. It is east of Galway city on the edge of Oranmore Bay, an inlet of
Galway Bay Galway Bay ( Irish: ''Loch Lurgain'' or ''Cuan na Gaillimhe'') is a bay on the west coast of Ireland, between County Galway in the province of Connacht to the north and the Burren in County Clare in the province of Munster to the south; Galw ...
.


Etymology

Oranmore is the anglicisation of ''Uarán Mór'' or ''Órán Mór''. The first written record of Oranmore is in the
Annals of the Four Masters The ''Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland'' ( ga, Annála Ríoghachta Éireann) or the ''Annals of the Four Masters'' (''Annála na gCeithre Máistrí'') are chronicles of medieval Irish history. The entries span from the Deluge, dated as 2,24 ...
. It was originally called ''Fuarán Mór'', meaning "great spring" in Irish. The name refers to a spring to the northwest of the main village.


History


Pre-history

Evidence of prehistoric settlement in the Oranmore Parish area include a number of
fulacht fiadh A burnt mound is an archaeological feature consisting of a mound of shattered stones and charcoal, normally with an adjacent hearth and trough. The trough could be rock-cut, wood-lined or clay-lined to ensure it was watertight. Radiocarbon ...
(at Frenchfort
townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...
), ringforts (Rinn townland) and a megalithic structure (at Garraun South townland). Griffith's Valuation, a land survey completed in 1857, shows several such structures (sometimes colloquially and collectively known as
fairy fort Fairy forts (also known as ''lios'' or ''raths'' from the Irish, referring to an earthen mound) are the remains of stone circles, ringforts, hillforts, or other circular prehistoric dwellings in Ireland. From (possibly) the late Iron Age to ea ...
s) in the area.


Medieval church ruins

The ruin of a medieval
Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
church is one of the oldest buildings in Oranmore town. Its northern wall forms part of the enclosure which encompasses the church and its graveyard. The church is believed to date to the 13th century. If true, this means it was built no later than one and half century's after the initial Anglo-Norman Invasion of 1169 AD. The existing remains measure approximately 32 feet by 72 feet, however, there is evidence that the church was larger at one time. Some grave markers in the adjoining cemetery have no discernible name or date. Other graves have been marked with pieces of the fallen church walls. The oldest grave stone, with a discernible date inscription, is a Celtic cross dated 1661. It is no longer in its original location, but is instead lying on top of another, newer stone slab. There is a gated section within the graveyard set aside for the
Presentation Sisters The Presentation Sisters, officially the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, are a religious institute of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland, by the Venerable Honora "Nano" Nagle in 1775. The Sisters of the congre ...
, an order of teaching sisters who established a convent in Oranmore in 1861. Some interments occurred within the ruined walls of the actual church.


Oranmore Castle

Oranmore Castle Oranmore Castle is a castle in Oranmore, County Galway, in Ireland. History Oranmore Castle was most likely built some time around the 15th century, possibly on top of an older fortified house. The Clanricardes, a notable family from Galway, us ...
is a
tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, in order to command and defend strateg ...
which was originally associated with the
Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...
Clanricarde Clanricarde (; ), also known as Mac William Uachtar (Upper Mac William) or the Galway Burkes, were a fully Gaelicised branch of the Hiberno-Norman House of Burgh who were important landowners in Ireland from the 13th to the 20th centuries. T ...
family. It was built around the 15th century, reputedly on the site of an earlier structure.


St Mary's church

Completed in 1803, St Mary's is a large church building with a bell-cote above the front door and an elaborate ceiling. In 1972, it was replaced as the local parish church with the newer, larger Church of the Immaculate Conception. St Mary's was deconsecrated and converted to become the town's public library. Its carved baptismal font was moved to the new church, but the graveyard was left intact.


Economy

The focus of industry has shifted from dairy agriculture to tourism, manufacturing and logistics. Oranmore has four hotels and 23 restaurants.


Railways

Oranmore railway station Oranmore railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Oranmore and its surrounding areas in County Galway. Services Oranmore is a stop on the Dublin – Galway intercity service and the Galway – Athenry/Athlone and Galway ...
opened on 1 August 1851, closed on 17 June 1963. A new station was built 1.4 km west of the original station and was opened on 28 July 2013. Trains connect directly with
Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
,
Athenry Athenry (; ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland, which lies east of Galway city. Some of the attractions of the medieval town are its town wall, Athenry Castle, its priory and its 13th century street-plan. The town is also well known by virt ...
, Athlone, Portarlington,
Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional ce ...
and
Dublin Heuston Heuston Station ( ; ga, Stáisiún Heuston; formerly Kingsbridge Station) also known as Dublin Heuston, is one of Dublin's largest railway stations and links the capital with the south, southwest and west of Ireland. It is operated by Iar ...
, as well as on the
Western Rail Corridor The Western Railway Corridor is a term, used since , for a partly disused railway line running through the west of Ireland. Currently two sections of the line, from Limerick via Ennis to Athenry and from Collooney to Sligo, see regular servic ...
to Ennis and
Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
.


Education

Oranmore has three primary schools, Scoil Iosaif Naofa, Scoil Mhuire and Gaelscoil de hÍde. Calasanctius College, founded in 1861 by the
Presentation Sisters The Presentation Sisters, officially the Sisters of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, are a religious institute of Roman Catholic women founded in Cork, Ireland, by the Venerable Honora "Nano" Nagle in 1775. The Sisters of the congre ...
, is the
secondary school A secondary school describes an institution that provides secondary education and also usually includes the building where this takes place. Some secondary schools provide both '' secondary education, lower secondary education'' (ages 11 to 14) ...
in Oranmore.


Transport

Oranmore town is near the old N6 Galway to Dublin road and the old N18 from Galway to Limerick. The
M6 Motorway The M6 motorway is the longest motorway in the United Kingdom. It is located entirely within England, running for just over from the Midlands to the border with Scotland. It begins at Junction 19 of the M1 and the western end of the A14 at ...
connects to the existing road at Doughiska, as well as connecting with the M18 at Glenascaul. The former N6 leading into Oranmore has been reclassified as the R338 regional road. The M18 motorway was officially opened on 27 September 2017 and connects to the M6 at Rathmorrissey at a three-level interchange. This road runs close to Oranmore but does not connect directly to it, and instead, motorists have to access it using the R381 at Kiltiernan or the M6 at Rathmorrissey. Bus Éireann, Citylink, and Nestor Bus services through Oranmore serve Galway, Dublin, Cork, and Dublin and Shannon Airports. Oranmore aerodrome was a
Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) and ...
base in World War I. It later became a civil airfield serving the city of Galway.


Sport

Oranmore-Maree GAA Oranmore-Maree GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the town of Oranmore and surrounding area of Maree, County Galway, Ireland. The club was founded in 1967 and fields teams in both Gaelic football and hurling. The club was ...
is the local GAA club, and has won a number county titles across several age groups, including a
Galway Senior Hurling Championship The Galway Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Brooks Galway Senior Hurling Championship) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Galway County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the ...
title in 1933 and All-Ireland Intermediate Club Hurling Championship title in 2019. The club fields teams in
Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...
, hurling and
camogie Camogie ( ; ga, camógaíocht ) is an Irish stick-and-ball team sport played by women. Camogie is played by 100,000 women in Ireland and worldwide, largely among Irish communities. A variant of the game of hurling (which is played by men onl ...
. Naomh Mhuire Ladies Football Club, Oranmore Maree fields
ladies' Gaelic football Ladies' Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach na mBan) is a women's team sport. It is the women's equivalent of Gaelic football. Ladies' football is organised by the Ladies' Gaelic Football Association. Two teams of 15 players kick or hand-pass a ...
teams from under-10 to minor and junior. Galway Bay Golf Resort is based in Renvile, Oranmore, and has been named best golf resort in Connacht 10 times. Maree/Oranmore Soccer Club was founded in 1988. Other clubs in the area include the Oranmore Badminton Club, Maree Badminton Club, Maree Basketball Club, Oranmore Judo Club and Galway Bay Sailing Club. The latter is based in Renville, Oranmore. Junior "Park Run" events are run on Sunday mornings.


People

* Joseph Henry Blake, nobleman and socialist, grew up on a nearby estate in Treanlaur, Maree. *
Thomas Nicholas Redington Sir Thomas Nicholas Redington KCB (2 October 1815 – 11 October 1862) was an Irish administrator, politician and civil servant. Redington, only son of Christopher Talbot Redington (1780–1825), a captain in the army, by Frances, only daugh ...
, Irish politician, born here. *
Joe Howley Joseph Howley, from Oranmore, County Galway, was a member of the Irish Volunteers. He mobilized and led a combined contingent of 106 Volunteers from Oranmore Including Tommy Furey and neighboring Maree on Easter Tuesday morning of the 1916 East ...
, Irishman involved in the struggle for Irish Independence, was killed by the British in December 1920. A statue stands in Oranmore in his honour. *
Bill King Wilbur "Bill" King (October 6, 1927 – October 18, 2005) was an American sports announcer. In 2016, the National Baseball Hall of Fame named King recipient of the 2017 Ford C. Frick Award, the highest honor for American baseball broadcasters. ...
, round-the-world sailor and owner of
Oranmore Castle Oranmore Castle is a castle in Oranmore, County Galway, in Ireland. History Oranmore Castle was most likely built some time around the 15th century, possibly on top of an older fortified house. The Clanricardes, a notable family from Galway, us ...
. *
Célestin Lainé Célestin Lainé (1908–1983) was a Breton nationalist and collaborator during the Second World War who led the SS affiliated Bezen Perrot militia. His Breton language name is Neven Hénaff. He was a chemical engineer by training. After ...
, leader of the
Bezen Perrot The Bezen Perrot ( Breton; ), officially the Breton SS Armed Formation (german: Bretonische Waffenverband der SS) was a small collaborationist unit established by Breton nationalists in German-occupied France during World War II. It was ...
lived there after
World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
* Aaron Connolly, professional Premier League footballer *
Nicola Coughlan Nicola Mary Coughlan (born 9 January 1987) is an Irish actress. She is known for her roles as Clare Devlin in the Channel 4 sitcom ''Derry Girls'' (2018–2022) and Penelope Featherington in the Netflix period drama ''Bridgerton'' (2020–presen ...
, Irish actress starring as Clare in Derry Girls and Penelope in Bridgerton *
Niall Burke Niall Burke (born 21 May 1991) is an Irish hurler who, as of 2012, played as a centre-forward at senior level for the Galway county team. Burke made his first appearance for the team during the 2012 National League and immediately became a ...
, Galway hurler


See also

* List of towns and villages in Ireland


References


External links


Oranmore community page
{{Authority control Towns and villages in County Galway