Woodford is a village 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...

, 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 small hamlet has an industrial history. The town's Irish Name, 'Graig na Muilte Iarainn' means 'The Village of the Iron Mills.' Woodford is in the Southeast of County Galway it is situated between the Shannon River

Shannon River

Shannon River may refer to:*River Shannon, Ireland*Shannon River, Minnesota*Shannon River , A river in Western Australia....

 and the Slieve Aughty mountains

The villages existence probably started as a place to house and provide services for the iron workers. The surrounding hills have local iron ore deposits and an abundant collection of oak woods which were used as a fuel for smelting. However most of this has now gone.

The village also had a water-mill in the valley, and in order for this to operate the river was dammed. This is what now appears as a small lake below the village. List of County Galway towns and villages by population

Woodford Bay

The Woodford River is a tributary of the Shannon River which flows through the town. The river is dammed and broadens out into a small artificial lake called Woodford Bay, "The Bay". During the previous century it was used as a source power for the corn mill and electric light energy for the town. The Bay is no longer used for these reasons, but within recent years extensive repairs have been done to restore its aesthetic rather commercial value.

Tourism

Woodford is a thriving rural community with multiple amenities within the small village. Within the village there is a post office, food, seven pubs, PC repair shop, and petrol. Within 10 miles of Woodford there are two golf courses, at Curra and Portumna

Portumna

Portumna is a market town in the south-east of County Galway, Ireland, on the border with County Tipperary. The town is located to the west of the point where the River Shannon enters Lough Derg. This historic crossing point over the River Shannon between counties Tipperary and Galway has a long...

. There is also fishing and boating on the Shannon. The town also includes the ruins of a ring-fort over a thousand years old.

Across the Slieve Aughty, about 30 miles from Woodford in Gort

Gort

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...

 is where the poet William Butler Yeats

William 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...

 once lived.

Woodford is less than a three hour drive from Dublin.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galway

History of Galway

• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Galway