Craughwell
Encyclopedia
Craughwell is a village
and townland
in County Galway
, Republic of Ireland
. The name is also used as a surname, properly Ó Creachmhaoil
, though often anglicised as Craughwell and Crockwell. The surname was largely unknown outside of the southeast of County Galway
until the end of the 19th century when emigrés established families which still thrive in Newfoundland
, Bermuda
, Cornwall
, Ohio
and Berkshire County, Massachusetts
, among other places.
The name is composed of two Irish
words: creach, meaning in this case "plunder" (as in a herd of cattle), and maol, which is a word for a round hill or mountain, bare of trees. The pioneer of Irish placename studies, Patrick W. Joyce, speculated that the name in Irish was Creamhchoill, meaning "garlic wood". He was obviously unaware of the local spelling and pronunciation but confirmed in a later work that the village was called Creachmhaoil in Irish.
The town currently has three pubs, a Garda
station, a pharmacy, a bookies
, furniture stores, post office, hairdressers, two service stations, a lawnmower shop, and a pizzeria and fish and chip shop. The village of Creachmhaoil celebrates its connection with the Gaelic poet Anthony Raferty and Anjelica Huston
.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and townland
Townland
A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...
in County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
, Republic of Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. The name is also used as a surname, properly Ó Creachmhaoil
Ó Creachmhaoil
Ó Creachmhaoil is an Irish surname. The name is often anglicised as Craughwell, and Crockwell. It was largely unknown outside of the south-east of County Galway, where the village of Creachmhaoil is also found, until the latter end of the 19th century when emigres established branches of the family...
, though often anglicised as Craughwell and Crockwell. The surname was largely unknown outside of the southeast of County Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
until the end of the 19th century when emigrés established families which still thrive in Newfoundland
Newfoundland and Labrador
Newfoundland and Labrador is the easternmost province of Canada. Situated in the country's Atlantic region, it incorporates the island of Newfoundland and mainland Labrador with a combined area of . As of April 2011, the province's estimated population is 508,400...
, Bermuda
Bermuda
Bermuda is a British overseas territory in the North Atlantic Ocean. Located off the east coast of the United States, its nearest landmass is Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, about to the west-northwest. It is about south of Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada, and northeast of Miami, Florida...
, Cornwall
Cornwall
Cornwall is a unitary authority and ceremonial county of England, within the United Kingdom. It is bordered to the north and west by the Celtic Sea, to the south by the English Channel, and to the east by the county of Devon, over the River Tamar. Cornwall has a population of , and covers an area of...
, Ohio
Ohio
Ohio is a Midwestern state in the United States. The 34th largest state by area in the U.S.,it is the 7th‑most populous with over 11.5 million residents, containing several major American cities and seven metropolitan areas with populations of 500,000 or more.The state's capital is Columbus...
and Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Berkshire County, Massachusetts
Berkshire County is a non-governmental county located on the western edge of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. As of the 2010 census, the population was 131,219. Its largest city and traditional county seat is Pittsfield...
, among other places.
The name is composed of two Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
words: creach, meaning in this case "plunder" (as in a herd of cattle), and maol, which is a word for a round hill or mountain, bare of trees. The pioneer of Irish placename studies, Patrick W. Joyce, speculated that the name in Irish was Creamhchoill, meaning "garlic wood". He was obviously unaware of the local spelling and pronunciation but confirmed in a later work that the village was called Creachmhaoil in Irish.
The town currently has three pubs, a Garda
Garda Síochána
, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...
station, a pharmacy, a bookies
Bookmaker
A bookmaker, or bookie, is an organization or a person that takes bets on sporting and other events at agreed upon odds.- Range of events :...
, furniture stores, post office, hairdressers, two service stations, a lawnmower shop, and a pizzeria and fish and chip shop. The village of Creachmhaoil celebrates its connection with the Gaelic poet Anthony Raferty and Anjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston
Anjelica Huston is an American actress. Huston became the third generation of her family to win an Academy Award, for her performance in 1985's Prizzi's Honor, joining her father, director John Huston, and grandfather, actor Walter Huston. She later was nominated in 1989 and 1990 for her acting in...
.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland