Renvyle or Rinvyle () is a

peninsula A peninsula (; ) is a landform that extends from a mainland and is surrounded by water on most, but not all of its borders. A peninsula is also sometimes defined as a piece of land bordered by water on three of its sides. Peninsulas exist on all ...

and

electoral division An electoral district, also known as an election district, legislative district, voting district, constituency, riding, ward, division, or (election) precinct is a subdivision of a larger state (a country, administrative region, or other poli ...

in North-West Connemara in

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 = ...

, close to the

border Borders are usually defined as geographical boundaries, imposed either by features such as oceans and terrain, or by political entities such as governments, sovereign states, federated states, and other subnational entities. Political borders c ...

with

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

in Ireland.

History

The ruins of the castle of

Grace O'Malley Grace O'Malley ( – c. 1603), also known as Gráinne O'Malley ( ga, Gráinne Ní Mháille, ), was the head of the Ó Máille dynasty in the west of Ireland, and the daughter of Eóghan Dubhdara Ó Máille. In Irish folklore she is commonly k ...

(''Gráinne Mhaol'') can be found on the peninsula's western fringe. Close by, in Cashleen, is the ruined medieval Church of the Seven Daughters which was named after the

Seven Sisters of Renvyle The Seven Sisters of Renvyle were Medieval Irish people, said to be the daughters of a King of Leinster, or a chief of Omey Island. They preached along the coast of Conmhaícne Mara, lending their names to holy wells at Renvyle, Cleggan, Aillebra ...

who preached in the area.

Geography

Renvyle is surrounded on three sides by the

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

and by the Dawros

river A river is a natural flowing watercourse, usually freshwater, flowing towards an ocean, sea, lake or another river. In some cases, a river flows into the ground and becomes dry at the end of its course without reaching another body of wate ...

on the other side. It contains the villages of Tully and

Tully Cross Tully Cross ( ga, Crois na Tulaí, "the cross on the hill") is a small village located on the Renvyle Peninsula in north-west Connemara, in County Galway, Ireland. It is actually situated in the townland of Gorteenclough. The village lies clos ...

. Renvyle is situated in the parish of Ballinakill and historically was part of the barony of

Ballynahinch Ballynahinch may refer to: Northern Ireland * Ballynahinch, County Armagh, a townland *Ballynahinch, County Down, a town Republic of Ireland *Ballynahinch (barony), in County Galway *Ballynahinch, County Galway, a townland in County Galway * Bally ...

. The villages of Leenane and Letterfrack are close by and Clifden is the nearest town, lying 12 miles (9 km) to the south. The peninsula is dominated by Letter Hill (also known as Tully Mountain) which is 356m high. The Twelve Bens Mountains are also visible, as is Mweelrea, the largest mountain in

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...

. The islands of

Inishturk Inishturk (''Inis Toirc'' in Irish, meaning ''Wild Boar Island'') is an inhabited island of County Mayo, in Ireland. Geography The island lies about off the coast; its highest point reaches above sea level. Between Inisturk and Clare Islan ...

, Inishbofin, Crump, and Freachoileán lie off the rugged coastline.

Amenities

Located in a tourist area, local facilities include a pharmacy, three primary schools, several hotels and B&Bs, a post office, supermarket and other shops, church, community centre, credit union, several pubs, horse-riding, golf course and a crèche. Several festivals take place in the area including the Connemara Mussel Festival, Bog Week and Sea Week. Kylemore Abbey is also two miles away and was the main place of education for teenage girls in the area until it was closed (as a school) in 2010. Secondary school students now generally attend Clifden Community School or Coláiste Naomh Feichín, Corr na Móna. There are three national schools in the area, namely Eagle's Nest NS, Tully NS and Lettergesh NS. Renvyle GAA, Gráinne Mhaoils and West Coast United are some of the sporting teams based in the vicinity.

Renvyle House

Renvyle House, now a hotel, is situated in Rusheenduff in West Renvyle. It was originally single storey, with an extra storey added in the mid-19th century. The timber used in the building of the house extension was said to have been from a shipwreck in the bay. It was initially the home of the

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...

Blake family who were landlords and owned the peninsula as far as Lettergesh East in the 19th century. The house was sold before the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence () or Anglo-Irish War was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along with the quasi-mil ...

to surgeon, poet, novelist and senator

Oliver St. John Gogarty Oliver Joseph St. John Gogarty (17 August 1878 – 22 September 1957) was an Irish poet, author, otolaryngologist, athlete, politician, and well-known conversationalist. He served as the inspiration for Buck Mulligan in James Joyce's novel ...

. It was burned to the ground during the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...

in 1923 by the

anti-Treaty IRA The 1921 Anglo-Irish Treaty ( ga , An Conradh Angla-Éireannach), commonly known in Ireland as The Treaty and officially the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was an agreement between the government of the ...

, as were many other homes of

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independence between th ...

supporters. The house was rebuilt by Gogarty as a hotel in the 1930s. One of Marconi's first radio receiving stations was built at Tooreena on the peninsula and operated for a short time.http://www.connemaramusselfest.com

References

External links

* {{Peninsulas of Ireland Towns and villages in County Galway