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
See also
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
References
External links
Tourist information site
{{County Galway
Towns and villages in Connemara