Roundstone () is a village on the west coast of

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, in the

Connemara Connemara ( ; ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, 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, ...

region of

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 ...

. Lying opposite the island of Inishnee on Roundstone Bay, by road it is northwest 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 ...

and southeast of

Clifden Clifden () is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Capital of Connemara". Frequen ...

. Known as a haven for people in the creative arts, it hosts an annual regatta in July.

Etymology

The anglicised name is usually considered an error on the part of the British colonial

Ordnance Survey The Ordnance Survey (OS) is the national mapping agency for Great Britain. The agency's name indicates its original military purpose (see Artillery, ordnance and surveying), which was to map Scotland in the wake of the Jacobite rising of ...

, which translated the village name; while ''Cloch'' certainly means "stone" or "rock", ''Rón'' means "

seal Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, also called "true seal" ** Fur seal ** Eared seal * Seal ( ...

", not "round". Still, the names Cloch na Rón and Roundstone may be totally independent. The bay is referred to as Round-stone Haven as early as 1684 ( Roderick O'Flaherty), and the rock after which it is named stands like a marker at the entrance and is strikingly round.

History

The area to the north of Roundstone was ruled by the Chiefs of

Clan A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, a clan may claim descent from a founding member or apical ancestor who serves as a symbol of the clan's unity. Many societie ...

O'Flaherty, who built a Dominican Priory about to the north of what is now Roundstone in the 15th-century. Roundstone was established by Scottish engineer

Alexander Nimmo Alexander Nimmo FRSE MRIA MICE HFGS (1783 – January 20, 1832) was a Scottish civil engineer and geologist active in early 19th-century Ireland. Early life Nimmo was born in Cupar, Fife in 1783, the son of a watchmaker, and grew up in Kirk ...

in the 1820s, while building houses, roads and harbours throughout the West of Ireland. Fishermen from Scotland settled here, and, following Catholic Emancipation, in 1835 a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

Monastery was built. By the end of 1840s it had a thriving fishing industry and a population of 400 people.

Culture

Roundstone is known as a home for creativity and the arts. For many years some of the most important figures in Irish Art have painted there, including Paul Henry, Jack B. Yeats, Gerard Dillon and Nano Reid. Yvonne Kings Studio and the Stable Gallery are notable galleries in the village. The local Summerfest and regatta is held in July. Traditional Irish Nights are held weekly throughout July and August and offers music, song and dance from the Connemara area. Rock star Sting had a home in Roundstone in the early 1980s, where he wrote most of the songs for

The Police The Police were an English rock band formed in London in 1977. Within a few months of their first gig, the line-up settled as Sting (lead vocals, bass guitar, primary songwriter), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums, percussi ...

's third album, ''

Zenyatta Mondatta ''Zenyatta Mondatta'' (stylised as ''Zenyattà Mondatta'' on the album cover artwork) is the third studio album by British rock band the Police, released on 3 October 1980 by A&M Records. It was co-produced by the band and Nigel Gray. ''Zeny ...

''. Roundstone is twinned with the village of Noyelles-sous-Lens (a suburb of

Lens, Pas-de-Calais Lens (; ) is a city in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is one of the main towns of Hauts-de-France along with Lille, Valenciennes, Amiens, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Arras and Douai. The inhabitants are called ''Lensois'' (). Metro ...

) in France. Films shot in Roundstone include '' The Mackintosh Man'' (1973) by

John Huston John Marcellus Huston ( ; August 5, 1906 – August 28, 1987) was an American film director, screenwriter and actor. He wrote the screenplays for most of the 37 feature films he directed, many of which are today considered classics. He rec ...

, '' Into the West'' (1992) by Mike Newell, '' The Matchmaker'' (1997) by Mark Joffe, '' Marley & Me '' (2008) by

David Frankel David Frankel (born April 2, 1959) is an American filmmaker. He directed '' The Devil Wears Prada'' (2006), '' Marley & Me'' (2008), '' Hope Springs'' (2012), '' Jerry & Marge Go Large'' (2022), and the first and fourth episodes of the Netflix mi ...

and '' Love Me No More'' (2008) by Jean Becker. The six-part drama series, ''North Sea Connection'' was filmed there in 2021.

Transport

The village is connected to the rest of the national road network via a regional road, the R341, which connects it to the N59.

Gallery

Image:Roundstone_Regatta_2008_0001.jpg, Two hookers at the Roundstone Regatta 2008 Image:Roundstone Village during the annual Roundstone Regatta.jpg, Roundstone village during the Roundstone Regatta weekend in 2008 Image:Roundstone - geograph.org.uk - 305758.jpg, The view of Galway Bay from Roundstone Image:Roundstone_01.jpg, Northbound on the R341 road in Roundstone

References

External links

Tourist information site
{{County Galway Towns and villages in Connemara