Ráth Cairn
Encyclopedia
Ráth Cairn is a small Gaeltacht
(Irish
-speaking area) in County Meath
, Ireland
. It is about 55 km northwest of Dublin.
The Ráth Cairn Gaeltacht was founded in 1935 when 41 families from Conamara were settled on land previously acquired by the Irish Land Commission
. Each family was provided with a Land Commission house and a farm of approximately 8.9 hectare
s (22 acre
), a sow, piglets and basic implements. A further 11 families joined the original settlers in 1935. In all, 443 people moved from Connemara to the Ráth Cairn area. In 1967 Ráth Cairn received official recognition as a Gaeltacht, following a local campaign. Today, it and the nearby village of Baile Ghib
make up the Meath Gaeltacht.
A cooperative
(the "Ráth Cairn Cooperation Society") was formed in 1973. Ráth Cairn has since grown into a village with a Catholic church, sports facilities and pub. Projects undertaken or assisted by the co-op include the construction of a community centre, a second level school, and others.
Several facilities in Ráth Cairn host children and adults wishing to learn Irish, and residential Irish language courses are run for teenagers in the summer months.
Gaeltacht
is the Irish language word meaning an Irish-speaking region. In Ireland, the Gaeltacht, or an Ghaeltacht, refers individually to any, or collectively to all, of the districts where the government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant language, that is, the vernacular spoken at home...
(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...
-speaking area) in County Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for 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,...
. It is about 55 km northwest of Dublin.
The Ráth Cairn Gaeltacht was founded in 1935 when 41 families from Conamara were settled on land previously acquired by the Irish Land Commission
Irish Land Commission
The Irish Land Commission was created in 1881 as a rent fixing commission by the Land Law Act 1881, also known as the second Irish Land Act...
. Each family was provided with a Land Commission house and a farm of approximately 8.9 hectare
Hectare
The hectare is a metric unit of area defined as 10,000 square metres , and primarily used in the measurement of land. In 1795, when the metric system was introduced, the are was defined as being 100 square metres and the hectare was thus 100 ares or 1/100 km2...
s (22 acre
Acre
The acre is a unit of area in a number of different systems, including the imperial and U.S. customary systems. The most commonly used acres today are the international acre and, in the United States, the survey acre. The most common use of the acre is to measure tracts of land.The acre is related...
), a sow, piglets and basic implements. A further 11 families joined the original settlers in 1935. In all, 443 people moved from Connemara to the Ráth Cairn area. In 1967 Ráth Cairn received official recognition as a Gaeltacht, following a local campaign. Today, it and the nearby village of Baile Ghib
Baile Ghib
Baile Ghib is a small Gaeltacht in County Meath, Ireland. It is one of two villages, the other being Ráth Cairn, which make up the Meath Gaeltacht. The Meath Gaeltacht has 1,591 inhabitants, representing 2% of the total population of Ireland's Gaeltachts...
make up the Meath Gaeltacht.
A cooperative
Cooperative
A cooperative is a business organization owned and operated by a group of individuals for their mutual benefit...
(the "Ráth Cairn Cooperation Society") was formed in 1973. Ráth Cairn has since grown into a village with a Catholic church, sports facilities and pub. Projects undertaken or assisted by the co-op include the construction of a community centre, a second level school, and others.
Several facilities in Ráth Cairn host children and adults wishing to learn Irish, and residential Irish language courses are run for teenagers in the summer months.
Notable people
- Bláthnaid Ní ChofaighBláthnaid Ní ChofaighBláthnaid Ní Chofaigh is an Irish TV presenter, Gaeilgeoir and all-round personality. She has presented Echo Island, The Afternoon Show and Charity ICA Bootcamp. She was a judge in The All Ireland Talent Show and participated in Celebrity Bainisteoir.-Career:Ní Chofaigh is an accomplished...
, television personality - Darach Ó Catháin, Sean nósSean-nós songSean-nós is a highly ornamented style of unaccompanied traditional Irish singing. It is a sean-nós activity, which also includes sean-nós dancing...
singer
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland