''An Fhairche'' (locally ''An Fháirthí''), or Clonbur in

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...

, is a

Gaeltacht ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially reco ...

village 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: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. The village of Clonbur sits between

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 ...

and

Lough Mask Lough Mask () is a limestone lake of about in Counties Mayo and Galway, Ireland, north of Lough Corrib. Lough Mask is the middle of the three lakes, which empty into the Corrib River, through Galway, into Galway Bay. Lough Carra flows into ...

. Two kilometres to the west rises Mount Gable where, according to legend, the hordes of

Firbolg In medieval Irish myth, the Fir Bolg (also spelt Firbolg and Fir Bholg) are the fourth group of people to settle in Ireland. They are descended from the Muintir Nemid, an earlier group who abandoned Ireland and went to different parts of Europe. ...

gathered on the hilltop before their clash with the

Tuatha Dé Danann The Tuath(a) Dé Danann (, meaning "the folk of the goddess Danu"), also known by the earlier name Tuath Dé ("tribe of the gods"), are a supernatural race in Irish mythology. Many of them are thought to represent deities of pre-Christian Gae ...

at the Battle of

Moytura ''Cath Maige Tuired'' (modern spelling: ''Cath Maighe Tuireadh''; ) is the name of two saga texts of the Mythological Cycle of Irish mythology. It refers to two separate battles in Connacht: the first in the territory of Conmhaícne Cúile Tu ...

. Clonbur also contains the ruins of the Petersburg Estate, seat of the Lynch family. In more recent times, it was owned by the

Guinness family The Guinness family is an extensive Irish family known for its accomplishments in brewing, banking, politics, and religious ministry. The brewing branch is particularly well known among the general public for producing the dry stout Guinnes ...

. The house and yard buildings have been completely renovated and now function as an Outdoor Education Centre.

Geography

Located at the foot of Mount Gable, three miles west of Clonbur 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 = ...

. Lough Coolin is accessible via the villages of Ballyveane and Kilbeg Upper. Beside the lake are the stone cottage ruins of an old village. The lake was renowned for white trout until the early 1960s when pike were added to the lake by a local fisherman. Pike and

perch Perch is a common name for fish of the genus ''Perca'', freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which three species occur in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Per ...

are now the only fish in the lake. A stream from the Lough Coolin flows into

. Coolin Lake provides fresh water for the village of Clonbur.

Features

Ross Hill Abbey

In the Ross Hill cemetery of stands the ruins of Teampall Brendain. The ruin is sited within an ancient oval enclosure known as a Caiseal or Cashel. The western end of the ruin is of early Christian origin and in the trabeated doorway can clearly be seen the inclined jambs so distinctive of that era. This edifice replaced a wooden and less durable structure which was the Navigator's original monastic settlement on the site. Within 30 meters of the western doorway is a curiosity locally known as The

Ogham Stone Ogham ( Modern Irish: ; mga, ogum, ogom, later mga, ogam, label=none ) is an Early Medieval alphabet used primarily to write the early Irish language (in the "orthodox" inscriptions, 4th to 6th centuries AD), and later the Old Irish lan ...

. The site, in the Ross Hill estate, was once the property of the unpopular

Earl of Leitrim Earl of Leitrim was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. History The earldom of Leitrim was created in 1795 for Robert Clements, 1st Viscount Leitrim. He had already been created Baron Leitrim, of Manor Hamilton in the County of Leitrim, in ...

. The estate later became the property of the Guinness family.

Ballykine (Ballykyne) Castle

One of a series of five fortifications from

Ballinrobe Ballinrobe () is a town in County Mayo in Ireland. It is located on the River Robe, which empties into Lough Mask two kilometres to the west. As of the 2016 census, the population was 2,786. History Foundation and development Ballinrobe is c ...

to Ballindonage, it was originally owned by the O'Kynes. In 1571 it was seized for

the Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differ ...

by Fitton, the then President of Connacht. For a period the de Burgos held it and later gave it to the MacDonnells (Scottish mercenaries) as service booty or ''bonnacht''. Eventually it passed from Sir Richard O'Donnell to Sir Benjamin Lee Guinness and so became part of the Guinness estate. Architecturally, the castle has some puzzling features. The trabeated doorway with its inclined jambs pre-dates the rest of the structure by some 900 years. Certain sections of the stonework are not bonded together as a unit, a feature which suggests later additions to the original building.

Mount Gable

Mount Gable (1370 feet) is a hill which dominates the isthmus between

and

and overlooks one of the major routes into

Connemara Connemara (; )( ga, Conamara ) is a region on the Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, ...

from the east. The starting point for a walk is approximately 2 km from the village of Clonbur. It provides a backdrop for Lough Coolin. Views of both

and

can be had from the top of Mount Gable. Mount Gable is accessible through the villages of Ballyveane and Kilbeg Upper. PetersburgClonbur

References

External links

Clonburcloghbrack.ie website
{{County Galway Towns and villages in County Galway Gaeltacht places in County Galway Gaeltacht towns and villages