Ruan () is a village in

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...

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 ...

. It is in the Catholic parish of

Dysart and Ruan Dysart and Ruan is a Catholic parish in County Clare, Ireland. It covers the civil parishes of Ruan and Dysert, and includes the village of Ruan, which holds the parish office. The parish contains the ruins of the 12th century St. Tola's Church ...

Location

Ruan is near

the Burren The Burren (; ) is a karst/glaciokarst landscape centred in County Clare, on the west coast of Ireland.
Burren ...

and between Corofin, County Clare, Corofin,

Crusheen Crusheen () is a small village in County Clare, Ireland, in the civil parish of Crusheen (Inchicronan). Location The village is 10 kilometres northeast of Ennis on the R458 road to Gort. It is in the parish of Crusheen (Inchicronan) in the Rom ...

and

Ennis Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...

. The name "Ruan" (''An Ruadhán'') is an old Irish term for the alder tree, at one time used to make red dye. The parish contains

Dromore Lake Dromore Lough () is a freshwater lake in the Mid-West Region of Ireland. It is located in County Clare. Geography Dromore Lough measures about long and wide. It is about north of Ennis near the village of Ruan. Dromore Castle lies on the l ...

. Dromore wood is a wildlife sanctuary, with diverse flora and fauna including badgers, pine martens, squirrels and foxes. There are two self-guiding nature trails. The five lakes of Dromore are rich in fish. Ruan contains the parish church of St Mary's. The Catholic parish of Dysart and Ruan has its parish office in Ruan. In 1977 a new school was opened on the outskirts of Ruan village, and the old school became a Community Hall used for indoor sports and social events.

History

In 1837 fairs were held twice yearly at Ruan. The sheep fair of 26 September was one of the most important in the county. At that time the villages of Ruan and Dysert each held a police station and each had a public school, educating about 660 children in all. Ruan railway station on the West Clare line opened in 1888 and closed on 1 October 1921. Early in the morning of 18 October 1920 Ruan barracks was attacked by 32 men of the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief tha ...

(IRA) Mid-Clare Brigade. One member of the

Royal Irish Constabulary The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ga, Constáblacht Ríoga na hÉireann; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the country was part of the United Kingdom. A separate ...

(RIC) was killed and two wounded. The IRA men captured 15 rifles and 14 revolvers.

Notable people

Mary Francis Bridgeman Mother Mary Francis Bridgeman R.S.M. (1813 – 11 February 1888) was a nun with the Sisters of Mercy, a Roman Catholic religious congregation of women, founded in Ireland by Catherine McAuley and a pioneer nurse during the Crimean War of 18 ...

, nun and nurse * Jimmy Smyth, hurler *

Cyril Lyons Cyril Lyons (born 1959) is an Irish former hurler and manager who played as a full-forward for the Clare senior team. Lyons made his first appearance for the team during the 1983 championship and was a regular member of the starting fifteen ...

, hurler *

Sharon Shannon Sharon Shannon (born 8 June 1968) is an Irish musician, best known for her work with the button accordion and for her fiddle technique. She also plays the tin whistle and melodeon. Her 1991 debut album, ''Sharon Shannon,'' was the best-selling ...

accordion Accordions (from 19th-century German ''Akkordeon'', from ''Akkord''—"musical chord, concord of sounds") are a family of box-shaped musical instruments of the bellows-driven free-reed aerophone type (producing sound as air flows past a reed ...

-player and traditional Irish musician

Townlands

The civil parish contains the townlands of Addroon, Ballaghboy, Ballyharraghan, Ballymacrogan East, Ballymacrogan West, Ballyteige East, Ballyteige West, Ballyogan Beg, Ballyogan More, Bealickania, Bealnalicka, Caherlough, Cahermacrea, Cloonfeaghra, Cloonnagloghaun, Cooga, Dromeen, Dromore, Drumcavan, Foilrim, Garvillaun, Gorteen, Gregmoher, Kilkee East, Kilkee West, Killeen, Lisduff, Lisheenvicknaheeha, Lismuinga East, Lismuinga West, Lissyline, Loughaunnaweelaun, Moymore, Moyree Commons, Nooan, Ooankeagh, Portlecka, Ranaghan, Rathcahaun, Rathvergin, Rinelea, Rinneen, Ruan Commons, Teermulmoney, Teernea, Teernea Commons, Tonlegee, Toormore, Tullymackan and Tullyodea.

References

External links

Clare County Library - Ruan
{{Authority control Towns and villages in County Clare