Garrafrauns - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Garrafrauns is a village and 202 acre 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 north 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...

, 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 Garrafrauns is derived from either Garra bhfearán (garden of the wild brambles) or Garbhthráin (rough grassy place). The village consists of a church, school, post office, garage, community centre, and three public house

Public house

A public house, informally known as a pub, is a drinking establishment fundamental to the culture of Britain, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand. There are approximately 53,500 public houses in the United Kingdom. This number has been declining every year, so that nearly half of the smaller...

s. Garrafrauns is four miles from Dunmore along the R328 road

R328 road (Ireland)

The R328 road is a regional road in Counties Mayo and Galway in Ireland, connecting Ballindine on the N17 to Moylough on the N63.The official definition of the R328 from the Roads Act 1993 Order 2006 states:...

. Other neighbouring towns and villages are Cloonfad

Cloonfad

Cloonfad is a village in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is located at the crossroads of the N83 National secondary road and the R327 regional road.Cloonfad is located around 10 km from the town of Ballyhaunis in Co. Mayo....

(5 miles), Irishtown (3 miles), Milltown

Milltown, County Galway

Milltown is a small village in County Galway, Ireland. It is situated on the banks of the River Clare, 47 km from Galway City, 11 km from Tuam on the N17 road to Sligo.-Transport:...

(5 miles), and Tuam

Tuam

Tuam is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The name is pronounced choo-um . It is situated west of the midlands of Ireland, and north of Galway city.-History:...

(9 miles).

St. Patrick's Church

A sandstone, cruciform, gothic design church with a thatched roof and whitewashed interior was built in Garrafrauns village in 1820. A replacement church situated across the road from this original, was completed in 1913 and consecrated by Archbishop Gilmartin

Thomas Gilmartin

The Most Reverend Thomas Gilmartin was an Irish clergyman of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as Bishop of Clonfert from 1909 to 1918 and Archbishop of Tuam from 1918 to 1939....

of Tuam. The bell tower has since been removed. Garrafrauns lies in the middle of a half parish of Dunmore, and the parish comprises 16 townlands.

Garrafrauns National School

Garrafrauns National School was opened in 1975, with the school increased in size in 1985 with amalgamation with nearby Strawberry Hill National School. Originally built as a three room school, it has now been extended. The school benefits from a large mixed use play area to the front, with grass on all sides. The school has also developed a vegetable garden for which the pupils are responsible. The school also participates in the Green School Project, which raises awareness of environmental issues.

Heverin's Mill

This thatched mill was built in 1842 though it is thought that there was an older mill on the same site in earlier times. The single movement mill wheel measured 11 feet in diameter and 2 feet 8 inches wide. Corn for milling was dried in two kilns, made from stones covered by straw, heated by a turf fire.

Garrafrauns Heritage Group

Garrafrauns Heritage Group was formed in 2003 and produced a book, entitled '"Garrafrauns Through the Ages"' outlining the history of the area in 2010.

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.