Castlegar () is a village and

electoral division An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provid ...

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

, just outside the city of

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

, in Ireland. Castlegar is also an

ecclesiastical parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

in the

Roman Catholic Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora The Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora () is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the west of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the ecclesiastical province of Tuam and is subject to the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Roma ...

. It extends from

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 ...

across to Merlin Park by the old Galway-

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

road. The eponymous Castlegar Castle, a 15th or 16th century

tower house A tower house is a particular type of stone structure, built for defensive purposes as well as habitation. Tower houses began to appear in the Middle Ages, especially in mountainous or limited access areas, to command and defend strategic points ...

, is historically associated with the Burke ( de Burgo) family. Castlegar GAA club is based in the area.

History

The name Castlegar is derived from the Irish ''Caisleán Gearr'', meaning "short

castle A castle is a type of fortification, fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by Military order (monastic society), military orders. Scholars usually consider a ''castle'' to be the private ...

". The small Castlegar Castle, in the middle of the parish, was built by

Richard Burke, 4th Earl of Clanricarde Richard Burke (or de Burgh), 4th Earl of Clanricarde Privy Counsellor, PC (Ire) ( ; 1572 – 12 November 1635), styled Lord Dunkellin ( ) until 1601, was an Irish nobleman and politician. He was the son of Ulick Burke, 3rd Earl of Clanricarde ...

(1572–1635) of

Portumna Castle Portumna Castle is a semi-fortified house in Portumna, County Galway, Ireland which was built in the early 17th century by Richard Burke, 4th Earl of Clanricarde. Location Portumna Castle is located close to the shore of Lough Derg near wh ...

. The castle at Castlegar was a four-storey

, now in ruin, which was used as a "guest" castle for the Blake family's Menlo Castle.

Irish language

As of 2006, the

of Castlegar (Castlegar ED) had a population of over 1,000 people, of whom 11% spoke Irish daily.

Castles

Castles in the area include: * Ballybrit Castle * Ballindooley Castle (Ballindooly)Menlo and Ballindooley Castle
/ref> * Castlegar Castle (Castle Gar; ''An Caisleán Gearr'') * Cloonacauneen Castle (Cluanacauneen) * Killeen Castle (Killeen) * Menlo Castle (Menlough) * Merlin Park Castle (formerly Doughiska/Doughiskey)

Villages and townlands

Villages and townlands in the ecclesiastical parish of Castlegar include: * Ballybrit (home to

Ballybrit Racecourse Ballybrit Race Track, also known as Galway Racecourse, is a horse race course in County Galway, Ireland. It is located in the townland of Ballybrit, in the environs of Castlegar, County Galway, Castlegar, just north of the N6 road (Ireland), N6 ...

and the

Galway Races The Galway Races (Irish language, Irish: ''Rásaí na Gaillimhe'') is an Ireland, Irish horse-racing festival that starts on the last Monday of July every year. Held at Ballybrit Racecourse in Galway, Ireland over seven days, it is one of the ...

) * Ballindooley * Ballintemple * Briarhill * Bruckey * Cappanabornia * Carrabrowne * Castlegar townland * Coolough * Killeen * Killtulla * Kyloughter * Menlo * Two-Mile-Ditch

Notable people

Blake baronets There have been four baronetcies for persons with the surname Blake, one in the Baronetage of Ireland, two in the Baronetage of Great Britain and one in the Baronetage of the United Kingdom. Two of the creations are extant as of 2010. The Blake ...

, were local landowners from 1622 through 1910 * John Connolly and Joe Connolly, hurlers and brothers from the Connolly family, are from Castlegar

References

External links

The castle in Castlegar village, Galway
{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora Towns and villages in County Galway