Dunmore () is a town in

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 ...

, Ireland. It is located on the N83

national secondary road A national secondary road () is a category of road in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. These roads form an important part of the national route network but are secondary to the main arterial routes which are classified as national primary roads. Nat ...

at its junction with the R328 and

R360 The R360 is a motion-based arcade cabinet produced by Sega. It was first released in Japan in 1990, and internationally a year later. Being short for "Rotate 360", the R360 is noteworthy for its ability to spin 360 degrees in any direction on tw ...

regional roads. The town is in a

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

and

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

of the same name. The town belongs to an ancient tuath called Conmhaícne Dúna-Móir and Cenél Dubáin, ruled by Uí Conchobair of Ui Briuin Ai from the 12th century, and a capital of Connacht for a time. King

Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair Toirdhealbhach Mór Ua Conchobhair (old spelling: Tairrdelbach Mór Ua Conchobair; 1088 – 1156) anglicised Turlough Mór O'Conor, was King of Connacht (1106–1156) and High King of Ireland (ca. 1120–1156). Family background and early life ...

died here in 1156. Until the early 1980s, the N83 through Dunmore was on the main road from

Sligo Sligo ( ; , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of 20,608 in 2022, it is the county's largest urban centre (constituting 2 ...

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 ...

. Improvements to the N17 route through Knock and

Claremorris Claremorris (; ) is a town in County Mayo in the west of Ireland, at the junction of the N17 and the N60 national routes. As of the 2017, it was the fastest growing town in the county, having seen a 31% increase in population between 2006 and ...

reduced the amount of traffic on the N83.

History

The ruins of

Dunmore Castle Dunmore Castle is a castle and National Monument located in County Galway, Ireland. Location Dunmore Castle is located northwest of Dunmore, County Galway, on the north bank of the Sinking River. History Tradition states that Dunmore (Iri ...

are situated on a small hillock outside the village. The first castle at this site was built by the Anglo-Norman de-Birmingham family in the early 13th century. Designed as a bulwark against the native Irish, the castle was attacked in 1249 and burned by the O’Connors. In 1284 it was besieged by the forces of Fichra O’ Flynn. In 1315 it was once more the scene of conflict when an army, led by Rory O'Connor, attacked and damaged the fortress.

Sport

Dunmore McHales Dunmore MacHales GAA () is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Dunmore, County Galway, Ireland. The club is a member of Galway GAA. Teams at underage and Senior level play in the Galway League and Championships. Though the McHales are ...

is the local

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

club. The local association football (soccer) club, Dunmore Town AFC, was founded in 1979 and fields some underage teams in the Roscommon League. Dunmore RFC was founded in 1977 and Dunmore Demesne Golf Club in 1998.

Annalistic references

* ''AI1095.10 Ua hEgra, king of Luigne, was slain by the Cenél Dubáin; and Luigne and western Connachta were vacated and heir inhabitantscame into Mumu.''

International relations

Dunmore is twinned with the village of

Querrien Querrien (; ) is a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwestern France. Population Inhabitants of Querrien are called in French ''Querriennois''. Geography The village centre is located north of Quimperlé. Neighbouri ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Notable people

* Michael J. Kennedy (1900–1978), Irish melodeon player * Michael Donnellan (1900–1964),

Clann na Talmhan Clann na Talmhan (, "Family/Children of the land"; formally known as the ''National Agricultural Party'') was an Irish agrarian political party active between 1939 and 1965. Formation and growth Clann na Talmhan was founded on 29 June 1939 in ...

politician * Gideon Ouseley (1762–1839), evangelical preacher *

Henry Mossop Henry Mossop (1729 – 18 November 1773) was an Irish actor. Life He was born in Dunmore, County Galway, Dunmore, County Galway, where his father was a clergyman. He made his first stage appearance as Zanga in Edward Young, Young's tragedy ''T ...

(1729–1773), actor *

(1088–1156), King of Ireland

References

External links

Dunmore Community School websiteOn the History and Antiquities of the Parish of Dunmore
by Rev. J. Neary (1913) {{Authority control Towns and villages in County Galway Townlands of County Galway Civil parishes of County Galway Conmaicne Dúna Móir Places of Conmaicne Dúna Móir