Gort
Encyclopedia
Gort is a town in south County Galway
in the west of Ireland
. An Gort is the official Irish name for the town, as defined by the Placenames Commission. In spoken Irish, however, the town is known by its traditional name Gort Inse Guaire. It lies just north of the border with County Clare
on the main N18 Galway–Limerick road
. Gort is situated in the territory of Uí Fiachrach Aidhne
also known as Maigh Aidhne ("the plain of Aidhne
"), which is coextensive with the diocese of Kilmacduagh
/ Cill Mhic Dhuach.
, the sixth century King of Connacht
and patron of St. Colman MacDuagh. During the Middle Ages
the chiefs of Cenél Áeda na hEchtge
, the O'Shaughnessy
s (Ó Seachnasaigh, a clan descended from Guaire Aidhneach) had their principal stronghold in Gort, on a site which later became a cavalry
barracks
. At the end of the seventeenth century the O'Shaughnessy lands were confiscated and granted
to Sir Thomas Prendergast, 1st Baronet, whose grandson was John Prendergast Smyth, 1st Viscount Gort
. In 1831, the town had a population of 3,627 and 563 houses. The Great Hunger of the mid-1840s devastated the population.
A number of historic sites around Gort are included in the Sites and Monuments Record.
Kilmacduagh monastery
and round tower
are situated approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) west of Gort. Rahaly Castle
lies approximately 4.8 km (3 mi) east of Gort.
opened on 15 September 1869 and was closed for goods traffic on 3 November 1975 and for passenger traffic on 5 April 1976. it was reopened in 2010 as part of the Western Railway Corridor
project.
The M18 Motorway
bypass of the town has been completed since the 12th of November 2010.
renovated an old tower house near the village ("Thoor Ballylee") and took up residence there. He was also a frequent visitor to the home of Lady Gregory
at nearby Coole Park
. Coole Park is located just off the Galway Road, just 1 km from the town of Gort.
ians. These people originally came to work in the meat processing plants in Gort where the pay is generally much higher than in similar plants in Brazil. According to Claire Healy "a large community of Brazilians now live, work and attend school in Gort, gradually altering the appearance and the character of the town". The Roman Catholic Church caters to the Brazilian community with a mass in Portuguese every Sunday held in Gort Catholic Church.
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...
in the west 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,...
. An Gort is the official Irish name for the town, as defined by the Placenames Commission. In spoken Irish, however, the town is known by its traditional name Gort Inse Guaire. It lies just north of the border with County Clare
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
on the main N18 Galway–Limerick road
Roads in Ireland
The island of Ireland, comprising Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland, has an extensive network of tens of thousands of kilometres of public roads, usually surfaced. These roads have been developed and modernised over centuries, from trackways suitable only for walkers and horses, to...
. Gort is situated in the territory of Uí Fiachrach Aidhne
Uí Fiachrach Aidhne
Uí Fhiachrach Aidhne was a kingdom located in what is now the south of Co. Galway.-Legendary origins and geography:...
also known as Maigh Aidhne ("the plain of Aidhne
Aidhne
Aidhne also known as, Uí Fhiachrach Aidhne, Maigh Aidhne / Maigh nAidhne was the territory of the Ui Fiachrach Aidhne, a tuath located in the south of what is now County Galway in the south of Connacht, Ireland. Aidhne is coextensive with the present diocese of Kilmacduagh...
"), which is coextensive with the diocese of Kilmacduagh
Kilmacduagh
Kilmacduagh is a small village in south County Galway, near Gort, in Ireland. It is best known for Kilmacduagh monastery, seat of the Diocese of that name. The diocese is now part of the Diocese of Galway and Kilmacduagh in the Roman Catholic Church and in the Diocese of Limerick and Killaloe in...
/ Cill Mhic Dhuach.
History
Gort takes its name, Gort Inse Guaire, from gort (a meadow), "inse" (island) and Guaire Guaire Aidne mac ColmáinGuaire Aidne mac Colmáin
Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin was a king of Connacht. A member of the Ui Fiachrach Aidhne and son of king Colmán mac Cobthaig . Guiare ruled at the height of Ui Fiachrach Aidne power in south Connacht.-Early reign:...
, the sixth century King of Connacht
Kings of Connacht
The Kings of Connacht were rulers of the cóiced of Connacht, which lies west of the River Shannon, Ireland. However, the name only became applied to it in the early medieval era, being named after The Connachta.The old name for the province was Cóiced Ol nEchmacht . Ptolemy's map of c. 150 AD...
and patron of St. Colman MacDuagh. During the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the chiefs of Cenél Áeda na hEchtge
Cenél Áeda na hEchtge
Cenél Áeda na hEchtge was a trícha cét Cenél Áeda na hEchtge (also Cenél Áeda, Kenloth, Kinalethes, Kenealea, Kinelea)was a trícha cét Cenél Áeda na hEchtge (also Cenél Áeda, Kenloth, Kinalethes, Kenealea, Kinelea)was a trícha cét (later a cantred, (a branch of the Uí Fiachrach Aidhne) and which...
, the O'Shaughnessy
O'Shaughnessy
Ó Seachnasaigh, O'Shaughnessy, collectively Uí Sheachnasaigh, clan name Cinél nAedha na hEchtghe, is a family surname of Irish origin.The name is found primarily in County Galway and County Limerick...
s (Ó Seachnasaigh, a clan descended from Guaire Aidhneach) had their principal stronghold in Gort, on a site which later became a cavalry
Cavalry
Cavalry or horsemen were soldiers or warriors who fought mounted on horseback. Cavalry were historically the third oldest and the most mobile of the combat arms...
barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
. At the end of the seventeenth century the O'Shaughnessy lands were confiscated and granted
Plantations of Ireland
Plantations in 16th and 17th century Ireland were the confiscation of land by the English crown and the colonisation of this land with settlers from England and the Scottish Lowlands....
to Sir Thomas Prendergast, 1st Baronet, whose grandson was John Prendergast Smyth, 1st Viscount Gort
John Prendergast Smyth, 1st Viscount Gort
John Prendergast-Smyth, 1st Viscount Gort was an Irish politician.Born John Smyth, Gort was the son of Charles Smyth, Member of the Irish Parliament for Limerick City, and Elizabeth Prendergast. His paternal grandparents were the Rt. Rev. Thomas Smyth, Bishop of Limerick, and Dorothea Burgh,...
. In 1831, the town had a population of 3,627 and 563 houses. The Great Hunger of the mid-1840s devastated the population.
A number of historic sites around Gort are included in the Sites and Monuments Record.
Kilmacduagh monastery
Kilmacduagh monastery
Kilmacduagh Monastery is found 5 km from the town of Gort in County Galway, Ireland. It was the birthplace of the Diocese of Kilmacduagh, whose name means "church of Duagh's son"...
and round tower
Irish round tower
Irish round towers , Cloigthithe – literally "bell house") are early medieval stone towers of a type found mainly in Ireland, with three in Scotland and one on the Isle of Man...
are situated approximately 3 km (1.9 mi) west of Gort. Rahaly Castle
Rahaly castle
Rahaly Castle is a 13th century tower house, located approximately 3 miles east of Gort, County Galway. Its location makes it a good base for visiting tourist attractions in the area. It is undergoing restoration....
lies approximately 4.8 km (3 mi) east of Gort.
Transport
Gort railway stationGort railway station
Gort railway station is a railway station that serves the town of Gort in County Galway, Ireland. The station originally opened on 15 September 1869 and closed on 5 April 1976. As part of Iarnród Éireann's Western Rail Corridor project, under the Transport 21 plan, Iarnród Éireann rebuilt the station...
opened on 15 September 1869 and was closed for goods traffic on 3 November 1975 and for passenger traffic on 5 April 1976. it was reopened in 2010 as part of the Western Railway Corridor
Western Railway Corridor
The Western Railway Corridor , or Conair Iarnróid an Iarthair , in Ireland is a recent term for a mostly disused railway line running through the West of Ireland...
project.
The M18 Motorway
M18 motorway (Ireland)
The M18 motorway is an inter-urban motorway in Ireland, forming part of the Limerick, Ennis to Galway national primary road, which, in turn, forms part of the Atlantic Corridor called for as part of the Transport 21 project.-Route:...
bypass of the town has been completed since the 12th of November 2010.
People
The poet William Butler YeatsWilliam Butler Yeats
William Butler Yeats was an Irish poet and playwright, and one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. A pillar of both the Irish and British literary establishments, in his later years he served as an Irish Senator for two terms...
renovated an old tower house near the village ("Thoor Ballylee") and took up residence there. He was also a frequent visitor to the home of Lady Gregory
Augusta, Lady Gregory
Isabella Augusta, Lady Gregory , born Isabella Augusta Persse, was an Irish dramatist and folklorist. With William Butler Yeats and Edward Martyn, she co-founded the Irish Literary Theatre and the Abbey Theatre, and wrote numerous short works for both companies. Lady Gregory produced a number of...
at nearby Coole Park
Coole Park
Coole Park is a nature reserve of approximately operated by the Irish National Parks & Wildlife Service and is located a few miles west of Gort, County Galway, Ireland. The park contains extensive woodlands and a series of turloughs with 6 kilometres of signposted nature trails plus a formal...
. Coole Park is located just off the Galway Road, just 1 km from the town of Gort.
Demographics
Some 40% of the residents of Gort are non-Irish, according to the 2006 Census, a massive majority of these being BrazilBrazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ians. These people originally came to work in the meat processing plants in Gort where the pay is generally much higher than in similar plants in Brazil. According to Claire Healy "a large community of Brazilians now live, work and attend school in Gort, gradually altering the appearance and the character of the town". The Roman Catholic Church caters to the Brazilian community with a mass in Portuguese every Sunday held in Gort Catholic Church.
Gort Community School
The school was founded in 1995 and serves a large area of south Co. Galway. The current student population is over 750. The current Principal is Mr. Dennis Corry and the Vice-Principal Ms. Amy Talbot. The school campus contains the main school building, a GAA pitch, rugby union pitch, football pitch and canteen. The school has many sports teams including Hurling, Rugby Union, Soccer, Basketball, Athletics, Golf and an Equestrian team. Gort's only national title ever won by the school, was during the 2007/2008 season of first year boy's basketball national championships.See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
External links
- Official website
- Tourist Information for Gort: Provides information on Gort's attractions, activities and businesses.
- Official website of the Gort GAA Club
- Guaire.ie: a community based magazine from Gort
- community-based heritage site