Leenaun (), also Leenane, is a village and 1,845 acre

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...

in County Galway, Ireland, on the southern shore of

Killary Harbour Killary Harbour or Killary Fjord () is a fjord or fjard on the west coast of Ireland, in northern Connemara. To its north is County Mayo and the mountains of Mweelrea and Ben Gorm; to its south is County Galway and the Maumturk Mountains. ...

and the northern edge of

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, ...

Location

Leenaun is situated on the junction of the N59 road, and the R336 road in Connemara. Leenaun lies where the deep u-shaped

Maam Valley Gleann an Mháma (English language, English: Maam Valley) is a glacial valley in County Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It lies within Joyce Country in Connemara and is part of an aspirant geopark. Much of the valley is in the Connemara ...

, bounded by the Devilsmother to the east, and the

massif In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...

Leenaun Hill , photo = File:View north to Leenaun Hill from Letterbreckaun.jpg , photo_caption = View north to Leenaun Hill from Letterbreckaun , photo_size = , elevation_m = 618 , elevation_ref = , prominence_m = 363 , prominence_ref = , lis ...

to the west, meets

, Ireland's deepest fjord. Across the fjord from the village, is the massif of Ben Gorm, with the larger massif of

Mweelrea Mweelrea (; ) at , is the 26th-highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 34th-highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderins", Co ...

behind it; while to the east, lie the scenic Aasleagh falls. The village is on the route of the Western Way long-distance trail and the

Wild Atlantic Way The Wild Atlantic Way ( ga, Slí an Atlantaigh Fhiáin) is a tourism trail on the west coast, and on parts of the north and south coasts, of Ireland. The 2,500 km (1,553 mile) driving route passes through nine counties and three provinces, s ...

Bridge loss and replacement

On 18 July 2007, following heavy rain, the only river bridge in the village was swept away, cutting the town in half, and altering some local routes by over 100-kilometres.; the bridge had stood for over 182 years. A permanent replacement bridge was constructed in 2009, with increased traffic capacity.

Local amenities

In the village are two pubs, a hotel with seaweed baths and two guesthouses, one of which is a former convent of the Sisters of Mercy, with a breakfast room in the former chapel. There is also a café-restaurant and a sheep and wool museum with a shop and its own café, and a post office and shop, as well as a community centre. Within Maam Valley are some ancient woods, and across the fjord is Delphi (the valley of the Bundorragha River is sometimes called the Delphi Valley) in County Mayo, which has a postal address of "Leenane, Co. Galway," and which contains both a fishing lodge and a resort hotel and adventure sports centre. Both nearby, on the Erris River which runs into the fjord, and across at Delphi, with a river and two lakes, are active fisheries. The major tourist attraction of

Kylemore Abbey Kylemore Abbey ( ga, Mainistir na Coille Móire) is a Benedictine monastery founded in 1920 on the grounds of Kylemore Castle, in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. The abbey was founded for Benedictine Nuns who fled Belgium in World War I an ...

lies to the south and the scenic

Renvyle Renvyle or Rinvyle () is a peninsula and electoral division in North-West Connemara in County Galway, close to the border with County Mayo in Ireland. History The ruins of the castle of Grace O'Malley (''Gráinne Mhaol'') can be found on t ...

-peninsula lies to the south-west.

In the media

Leenaun was the setting for the 1990 film '' The Field'', and of Martin McDonagh's plays ''

The Beauty Queen of Leenane ''The Beauty Queen of Leenane'' is a 1996 dramatic play by Martin McDonagh which was premiered by the Druid Theatre Company in Galway, Ireland. It also enjoyed successful runs at London's West End, Broadway and Off-Broadway. It was nominate ...

'' and ''

The Lonesome West ''The Lonesome West'' is a play by British-Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, part of his Connemara trilogy, which includes ''The Beauty Queen of Leenane'' and ''A Skull in Connemara''. All three plays depict the murderous occurrences in the we ...

''.

Gallery

File:Leenane Hill (left) and Leenane North West Top (right) from Leenane Village.jpg,

(left), and Leenaun Hill Far North-West Top (right) from Leenane village File:Leenane (2409316343).jpg, Centre of village, and the old bridge File:Leenane & Leenane Hill from Ben Gorm.jpg, Massif of

(centre), and Leenaun (left), across

on Ben Gorm File:Ben Gorm from Leenane Village.jpg, Ben Gorm from across the

in Leenaun.

References