Oughterard () is a small town on the banks of the Owenriff River close to the western shore of

Lough Corrib Lough Corrib ( ; ) is a lake in the west of Ireland. The River Corrib or Galway River connects the lake to the sea at Galway. It is the largest lake within the Republic of Ireland and the second largest on the island of Ireland (after Lough Nea ...

in Connemara,

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

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 ...

. The population of the town in 2016 was 1,318. It is located about northwest 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 ...

on the

N59 road The N59 road is a national secondary road in Ireland. It commences in County Sligo, south of Sligo Town at the Belladrehid interchange with the N4 north of Ballysadare. The route circles around the west of Ireland, passing west from Sligo into ...

. Oughterard is the chief angling centre on Lough Corrib.

Places of interest

Three kilometres outside the town stand the ruins of

Aughnanure Castle Aughnanure Castle (''Caisleán Achadh na nlubhar'' in Irish) is a tower house in Oughterard, County Galway, Ireland. It is situated in the west of Ireland. It was built by the O' Flaherty's in the 16th century. History The castle was built by ...

, a well-preserved example of a medieval

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 ...

. Much of the surrounding area was occupied by the O'Flaherty clan, but was taken over by Walter de Burgh, 1st Earl of Ulster, in 1256. Ross Castle is also located a number of kilometres outside Oughterard. The mansion, which is visible today, was built by the Martin family in the 17th century but there is some evidence still present of the original castle structure, built in the 15th century by the O'Flaherty family, in its foundation. The 'Quiet Man Bridge' is located 8 kilometres past Oughterard, down the Leam Road, which was the setting for the 1950s film '' The Quiet Man'' starring

John Wayne Marion Robert Morrison (May 26, 1907 – June 11, 1979), known professionally as John Wayne and nicknamed The Duke or Duke Wayne, was an American actor who became a popular icon through his starring roles in films made during Hollywood's Gol ...

and

Maureen O'Hara Maureen O'Hara (; 17 August 1920 – 24 October 2015) was a native Irish and naturalized American actress and singer, who became successful in Cinema of the United States, Hollywood from the 1940s through to the 1960s. She was a natural ...

. Also close to Oughterard, the

Glengowla Mines Glengowla Mines is a "show mine" dedicated to the lead and silver mining history of Glengowla and the Oughterard area. History Mining at Glengowla began in 1851, after a farmer discovered galena just under the soil surface. The first mine shaf ...

(abandoned in 1865) is a "show mine" with exhibits on the

lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cu ...

and

silver mining Silver mining is the extraction of silver from minerals, starting with mining. Because silver is often found in intimate combination with other metals, its extraction requires elaborate technologies. In 2008, ca.25,900 metric tons were consumed ...

history of the area.

Transport

Oughterard railway station was opened by the Midland Great Western Railway on 1 January 1895, as part of its line from Galway to Clifden. The station, and the line, were closed by the

Great Southern Railways The Great Southern Railways Company (often Great Southern Railways, or GSR) was an Irish company that from 1925 until 1945 owned and operated all railways that lay wholly within the Irish Free State (the present-day Republic of Ireland). The p ...

on 29 April 1935. There are daily buses going from and to Galway and Clifden along the N59. City Link and Bus Éireann are the two bus services that travel to and from Galway.

Amenities

Oughterard has a primary school, 'Scoil Chuimín agus Caitríona', and a co-educational voluntary secondary school, St Paul's. Oughterard also has a public library, which is based in the town's old courthouse, as well as a community centre with a public gymnasium.

Events

Oughterard hosts a fishing festival every year in early May. The festival lasts for four days and includes fishing events, art exhibitions and concerts.

Sport

The local

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

club,

Oughterard GAA Oughterard GAA ( ga, Cumann Peile Seamus O'Maille Uachtar Árd) is a Gaelic football club based in Oughterard, County Galway, Ireland. The Gaelic Athletic Association club is a member of the Galway GAA. Oughterard had a hurling team in the 1920 ...

, won the All-Ireland Intermediate Club Football Championship in 2020. Oughterard Golf Club, located outside the town, was incorporated in 1969 and developed in the early 1970s. It consists of an 18 hole championship course with a club house, pro-shop and restaurant.

People

* Tom Collins, filmmaker based in Oughterard * John Purcell, soldier and recipient of the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

, was born in Kilcommonn near Oughterard *

Joe Shaughnessy Joseph Thomas Gordan Shaughnessy (born 6 July 1992) is an Irish professional defender who plays for Dundee. Shaughnessy has previously played for Aberdeen, Forfar Athletic, Falkirk, St Johnstone, Southend United and St Mirren. He has repre ...

, a professional footballer with

Southend United F.C. Southend United Football Club is a professional association football club based in Southend-on-Sea, Essex, England. As of the 2022–23 season, the team competes in the National League, the fifth tier of English football. Southend are known as ...

, was born in Oughterard * Matthew Tierney, Gaelic footballer, part of the

Galway county football team The Galway county football team ( ) represents Galway in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Galway GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ir ...

References

External links

Discover OughterardOughterard TourismOughterard Heritage Site
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora Towns and villages in County Galway