Claregalway Baile Chláir na Gaillimhe
Location
WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: 53°20′19″N 8°56′44″W / 53.3386, -8.94542
Irish Grid Reference M370324
Statistics
Province:	Connacht
County:	County Galway
Elevation:	12 m
Population (2002)  - Town:  - Rural:	562  1,635

Claregalway (Irish: Baile Chláir na Gaillimhe or Baile an Chláir) is a village situated about 10km from the city of Galway in County Galway, Ireland. It was founded on the banks of the River Clare, hence the derivation of its name: Baile Chláir na Gaillimhe meaning "town on the Clare, in Galway". Baile an Chláir lies within the Gaeltacht and traditionally most of the locals would have only spoken English as a second language. An influx of new residents over the last thirty years has meant that most residents now rarely, if ever, speak Irish. Bullet for locations in Ireland, displays location and not area. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... GPS redirects here. ... The Irish national grid reference system is a system of geographic grid references commonly used in Ireland. ... When under Gaelic rule, Ireland was divided into provinces to replace the earlier system of the túatha. ... Statistics Area: 17,713. ... For much of its history, the island of Ireland was divided into 32 counties (Irish language contae or condae, pronounced IPA: ). Two historical counties, County Desmond and County Coleraine, no longer exist, while several county names have changed. ... Statistics Province: Connacht County Town: Galway Code: G (GY proposed) Area: 6,148 km² Population (2006) 231,035 (including Galway City); 159,052 (without Galway City) Website: www. ... Elevation histogram of the surface of the Earth – approximately 71% of the Earths surface is covered with water. ... WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates: , Statistics Province: Connacht County: Dáil Éireann: Galway West European Parliament: North-West Dialling Code: 091 Postal District(s): G Area: 50. ... Statistics Province: Connacht County Town: Galway Code: G (GY proposed) Area: 6,148 km² Population (2006) 231,035 (including Galway City); 159,052 (without Galway City) Website: www. ... Gaeltacht regions in Ireland Gaeltacht (pronounced ; plural Gaeltachtaí) is an Irish word for an Irish-speaking region. ...

East View of Claregalway Friary

This village has an ancient heritage stretching back over a thousand years. It has many features of historical interest but two of the largest ones on the banks of the river include the Claregalway Friary, founded in mid-13th century, and a Norman watchtower (small castle) completed in the 16th century. This watchtower is currently being refurbished for use as a residence. During 2001, a restoration of an old bridge over the old course of the River Clare was completed. These nine stone arches are above the level of the current road.^[1] Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3072x2048, 684 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Claregalway ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (3072x2048, 684 KB) Summary Licensing File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Claregalway ... The Claregalway Friary, as viewed from the modern cemetery to its north. ... The Claregalway Friary, as viewed from the modern cemetery to its north. ... Norman conquests in red. ...

Baile an Chláir hosts an annual drama festival and is home to numerous sporting clubs. Claregalway Parish is one of the largest in the county and includes a number of townlands (small clusters of houses) some of the bigger being Carnmore, Lydican, Lough George and Cregboy. Lydican is notable as the origin of the Irish ancestors (Patrick Lynch) of Che Guevara. Ernesto Guevara de la Serna (June 14,[1] 1928 – October 9, 1967), commonly known as Che Guevara, El Che or just Che was an Argentine-born Marxist revolutionary, medical doctor , political figure, and leader of Cuban and internationalist guerrillas. ...

Lydican was actually an O'Heyne Castle and the last of the chieftains, Connor Crone O Heyne, was living there in 1612. The lands of the O'Heyne chieftains was confiscated in the late 17th century and it was then that the Lynches took up residence there. The Lynches were actually Anglo Irish whose principal holdings were in the city of Galway.

Agriculture would once have been the main industry. In recent years the population has been expanding very rapidly since the village is within the commuter belt of Galway City. Many city workers are choosing to live outside the city environs in a more rural setting. However, the larger population has also led to the growth of the service and retail sector and has provided additional local employment. it is a great place altogether

See Also

• Claregalway CLG

Senior Club Championships Claregalway CLG is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in County Galway, Republic Of Ireland. ...

External links

• Official website
• Nuacht Chláir - a free newsletter based in Claregalway

References

1. ^ Ireland West. http://www.irelandwest.ie/content.asp?id=68 Retrieved Feb. 23, 2007.