Ardrahan () is a village in County Galway,

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 ...

History

Richard de Burgo conquered Galway in

1236 Year 1236 ( MCCXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events By place Byzantine Empire * Spring – A fleet consisting of ships from the republics of Venice, Geno ...

, and granted the land to Maurice Fitzgerald who built the castle whose ruins still stand today. The churchyard wall contains the remains of a

round tower A fortified tower (also defensive tower or castle tower or, in context, just tower) is one of the defensive structures used in fortifications, such as castles, along with curtain walls. Castle towers can have a variety of different shapes and fu ...

, which suggests that a

monastic Monasticism (from Ancient Greek , , from , , 'alone'), also referred to as monachism, or monkhood, is a religion, religious way of life in which one renounces world (theology), worldly pursuits to devote oneself fully to spiritual work. Monastic ...

community may have existed on the site before the castle was built.

Places of interest

The most noteworthy attraction in Ardrahan is Tulira Castle, once owned by playwright and independence activist

Edward Martyn Edward Martyn (30 January 1859 – 5 December 1923) was an Irish playwright and early republican political and cultural activist, as the first president of Sinn Féin from 1905–08. Early life Martyn was the elder son of John Martyn of Tullira ...

. Tulira Castle was for a long time owned by

Galway County Council Galway County Council ( ga, Comhairle Chontae na Gaillimhe) is the authority responsible for local government in County Galway, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for hous ...

, but was bought in 2015 by CarTrawler owner Niall Turley for €5.8 million. The church at Labane, Ardrahan, which was the parish church of Joe Roche, has several stained glass windows by Alfred E. Child,

Ethel Rhind Ethel Rhind (1 December 1877 – 6 March 1952) was an Irish stained-glass and mosaic artist, who was associated with An Túr Gloine. Life and education Rhind was born 1 December 1877 in Arrah, Bihar, India. Her father was Robert Hunter Rhind, ...

and Michael Healy. The Ardrahan Grassland is a

Special Area of Conservation A Special Area of Conservation (SAC) is defined in the European Union's Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), also known as the ''Directive on the Conservation of Natural Habitats and of Wild Fauna and Flora''. They are to protect the 220 habitats and a ...

located to the west of the village.

Transport

Ardrahan is on the R458. Ardrahan railway station opened on 15 September 1869, was closed to passenger traffic on 5 April 1976 and finally closed on 11 June 1983. A new railway station has opened as part of phase one of the reopening of the Western Rail Corridor between Ennis and

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 ...

Education

There are three schools in Ardrahan: Labane N.S, Ballyglass N.S. & Kiltiernan NS

Sport

Ardrahan GAA Ardrahan GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club that is located in Ardrahan, County Galway, Ireland. The club was founded in 1884 and is almost exclusively concerned with the game of hurling. Honours * Connacht Senior Club Hurling Champion ...

, the local hurling club, won its first Galway Senior Hurling Club Championship title in 1894 and since then has won it on 11 occasions, having contested 18 county finals in its history. It is second on the role of honour to Castlegar who have won 17 titles. Ardrahan also has a Camogie club. In 2006, and again in 2019, the U14 girls won the Féile Final and went on to represent Galway in Cork. In 2006, they got to the All-Ireland Semi-Final.

Cultural references

Ardrahan is mentioned in

William Hope Hodgson William Hope Hodgson (15 November 1877 – 19 April 1918) was an English author. He produced a large body of work, consisting of essays, short fiction, and novels, spanning several overlapping genres including horror, fantastic fiction, and scie ...

's book '' The House on the Borderland'' as the nearest greater village to a small village called Kraighten, near which the author's diary has been found. Ardrahan also features in the rousing ballad ''The West's Awake'', most famously rendered by Joe McDonagh in the immediate aftermath of Galway's All Ireland Hurling Championship victory of 1980.

References

External links

Ardrahan
at Discover Ireland
Ardrahan
at Ireland Reaching Out {{Roman Catholic Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora Towns and villages in County Galway