Claregalway Baile Chláir
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:  - Environs:	562  1,635

Claregalway (official name: Baile Chláir and sometimes also referred to in Irish as Baile Chláir na Gaillimhe) is a village situated about 10km from the city of Galway in County Galway, Ireland. Basic concept of GPS operation A GPS receiver calculates its position by carefully timing the signals sent by the constellation of GPS Satellites high above the Earth The Irish grid reference system is a system of geographic Grid references commonly used in Ireland (both Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland Poetic description This dinnseanchas poem named Ard Ruide (Ruide Headland poetically describes the kingdoms of Ireland Since the late 16th century the Island of Ireland has been divided into 32 counties ( Irish language contae or condae County Galway (Contae na Gaillimhe is located on the West Coast of Ireland. The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. In Biology a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular Species; in Sociology A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet, but smaller than a Town or City. Galway (Gaillimh is the only city in the province of Connacht in Ireland. County Galway (Contae na Gaillimhe is located on the West Coast of Ireland. Ireland ( Irish: Éire, ˈeːrʲə is a country in north-western Europe. 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". Claregalway lies within the Gaeltacht and traditionally most of the locals would have only spoken English as a second language. ga '''Gaeltacht''' ( plural ga ''Gaeltachtaí'' is the Irish language word meaning an Irish-speaking region An influx of new residents over the last thirty years has meant that most residents now rarely, if ever, speak Irish.

History

East View of Claregalway Friary

This village has an ancient heritage stretching back over a thousand years. The Claregalway Friary is a medieval Franciscan Abbey located in the town of Claregalway, County Galway, Ireland. 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. The Claregalway Friary is a medieval Franciscan Abbey located in the town of Claregalway, County Galway, Ireland. The Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. 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. Year 2001 ( MMI) was a Common year starting on Monday according to the Gregorian calendar. These nine stone arches are above the level of the current road. ^[1]

19th century view showing the abbey, the old bridge and the tower

Claregalway 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 "Che" Guevara (June 14 Following the Cuban revolution,Guevara reviewed 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.

Economy

Agriculture would once have been the main industry. Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture 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.

Sport

• Claregalway CLG is the local Gaelic Athletic Association club. Claregalway CLG is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Claregalway, County Galway, Ireland. The Gaelic Athletic Association ( GAA) ( Irish: Cumann Lúthchleas Gael /'kʊmˠən̪ˠ 'l̪ˠuh

References

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

External links

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