Letterfrack
Encyclopedia
Letterfrack or Letterfrac is a small village
in the Connemara
area of County Galway
, Ireland
. It was founded by the Quakers in the mid-19th century. The village is 15 km north-east of Clifden
on Barnaderg
Bay and lies at the head of Ballinakill harbour. Letterfrack contains the visitors centre for Connemara National Park
.
to Roman Catholics and established in 1885
St Joseph's Industrial School, Letterfrack
which opened in 1887, Letterfrack Industrial School became notorious for neglect and abuse, the school closed in 1974.
.
as the location for the transatlantic wireless receiver station for his new duplex
transatlantic wireless service. Beginning in 1913, eastbound messages were sent from his Marconi Towers, Nova Scotia high power wireless station to Letterfrack; while westbound messages were sent simultaneously from the Clifden
high power wireless station to Louisbourg. The Letterfrack station was closed and the service was transferred to a modern receiver station in Tywyn
, Wales after his Clifden station was destroyed in 1922 during the Irish Civil War
. Duplex operation—initially developed by Marconi at Letterfrack—quickly became a standard practice for commercial and military radiotelegraph communication.
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...
in the Connemara
Connemara
Connemara is a district in the west of Ireland consisting of a broad peninsula between Killary Harbour and Kilkieran Bay in the west of County Galway.-Overview:...
area of 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
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. It was founded by the Quakers in the mid-19th century. The village is 15 km north-east of Clifden
Clifden
Clifden is a town on the coast of County Galway, Ireland and being Connemara's largest town, it is often referred to as "the Capital of Connemara". It is located on the Owenglen River where it flows into Clifden Bay...
on Barnaderg
Barnaderg
Barnaderg is a village northeast of Tuam in eastern County Galway, Ireland.Barnaderg Castle was a 16th century stronghold of the O'Kelly clan.In June 2008, a new €1.5m extension was opened at Barnaderg National School, which has 87 pupils...
Bay and lies at the head of Ballinakill harbour. Letterfrack contains the visitors centre for Connemara National Park
Connemara National Park
Connemara National Park is one of six National Parks in the Republic of Ireland that are managed by the National Parks and Wildlife Service of the Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. It is located in the west of Ireland within County Galway.-History:Connemara National...
.
Quaker Famine Relief
James and Mary Ellis, a Quaker couple from Bradford in England, moved to Letterfrack, during the Great Famine, Ellis becoming the resident landlord in Letterfrack in 1849. As Quakers the Ellises wanted to help with the post-Famine relief effort. They leased nearly 1,000 acres of rough land and set about reclaiming it, farming it and planting it with woodland. They built a schoolhouse, housing for tradesmen, a shop, a dispensary, and a temperance hotel. The Property was sold to John Hall in 1857, a staunch protestant and supporter of the Irish Church Mission to Roman Catholics, the ICM used the building with the aim of converting catholics to protestantism, after 25 years without much success he sold it in 1882 under the impression he was selling it was a Protestant buyer for £3000 for 1000 acres.St Joseph's Industrial School, Letterfrack
Under a false name the Archbishop of Tuam, Dr John McEvilly, bought in 1882 the former Ellis property, which at the time was being used by the protestant Irish Church MissionsIrish Church Missions
The Irish Church Mission to the Roman Catholics is a conservative and semi-autonomous Anglican mission. It was founded in 1849 chiefly by English Anglicans with the backing and support of the Church of Ireland clergy and Bishops.-History:...
to Roman Catholics and established in 1885
St Joseph's Industrial School, Letterfrack
St Joseph's Industrial School, Letterfrack
St Joseph's Industrial School was an industrial school for young boys in Letterfrack, County Galway, Ireland. The school was opened in 1887, and ran by the Congregation of Christian Brothers....
which opened in 1887, Letterfrack Industrial School became notorious for neglect and abuse, the school closed in 1974.
GMIT Campus
In 1987 the Connemara West began running furniture courses which has become the Furniture College/Campus for the Galway-Mayo Institute of TechnologyGalway-Mayo Institute of Technology
Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology is a third level institute of education and is based at five locations in the west of Ireland.-Galway Campus:...
.
Marconi Wireless Station
Letterfrack was selected by MarconiGuglielmo Marconi
Guglielmo Marconi was an Italian inventor, known as the father of long distance radio transmission and for his development of Marconi's law and a radio telegraph system. Marconi is often credited as the inventor of radio, and indeed he shared the 1909 Nobel Prize in Physics with Karl Ferdinand...
as the location for the transatlantic wireless receiver station for his new duplex
Duplex (telecommunications)
A duplex communication system is a system composed of two connected parties or devices that can communicate with one another in both directions. The term multiplexing is used when describing communication between more than two parties or devices....
transatlantic wireless service. Beginning in 1913, eastbound messages were sent from his Marconi Towers, Nova Scotia high power wireless station to Letterfrack; while westbound messages were sent simultaneously from the Clifden
Clifden
Clifden is a town on the coast of County Galway, Ireland and being Connemara's largest town, it is often referred to as "the Capital of Connemara". It is located on the Owenglen River where it flows into Clifden Bay...
high power wireless station to Louisbourg. The Letterfrack station was closed and the service was transferred to a modern receiver station in Tywyn
Tywyn
Tywyn is a town and seaside resort on the Cardigan Bay coast of southern Gwynedd , in north Wales. The name derives from the Welsh tywyn and the town is sometimes referred to as Tywyn Meirionnydd...
, Wales after his Clifden station was destroyed in 1922 during the Irish Civil War
Irish Civil War
The Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
. Duplex operation—initially developed by Marconi at Letterfrack—quickly became a standard practice for commercial and military radiotelegraph communication.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
- GMIT, whose Letterfrack campus is the Furniture college.