Craughwell

A number of derivations are given for the meaning of the Irish language place name Creachmhaoil or Creamhchoill.{{cite web|url = https://craughwellns.ie/history-of-our-school-2/ | website = craughwellns.ie | publisher = Craughwell National School | title = The Origin and Meaning of the name Craughwell | accessdate = 13 March 2024 }}

In one derivation, the name is given as being composed of two Irish words: creach (meaning "plunder") and maoil (a hill). It is suggested that this is a reference to a place where herds of plundered cattle (the targets of thefts and cattle raids amongst the Gaels) were placed and kept.

A further etymology of creach is related to craig, and creag, and the English word crag, referring to a rock or the crest of a hill; and maol, a word referring to a round-shaped hill or mountain, bare of trees.

Patrick Weston Joyce, the pioneer of Irish placename studies, also speculated that the name in Irish was Creamhchoill, meaning 'garlic wood'. He was unaware of the local spelling and pronunciation but confirmed in a later work that the village was called Creachmhaoil in Irish.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}

The name Craughwell is also used as a surname, Ó Creachmhaoil, often anglicised as Craughwell, Croughwell or Crockwell. The surname was largely unknown outside of the southeast of County Galway until the end of the 19th century when émigrés established themselves in Barbados, Newfoundland, Bermuda, Cornwall, Ohio and Berkshire County, Massachusetts.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}

File:Craughwell - geograph.org.uk - 1263333.jpg

Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of ring fort and souterrain sites in the townlands of Craughwell, Ballymore and Killora.{{cite book | title = Record of Monuments and Places County Galway | place = Dublin | publisher = National Monuments and Historical Properties Service | date = 1997 }} A ruined medieval church and graveyard is also located in Killora townland. The current Roman Catholic church in Craughwell, Saint Colman's Catholic Church, was built {{circa|1840}}.{{cite web|url = https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/30336002/saint-colmans-catholic-church-craughwell-dunkellin-by-craughwell-galway | publisher = National Inventory of Architectural Heritage | website = buildingsofireland.ie | title = Saint Colman's Catholic Church, Craughwell (Dunkellin By), Craughwell, Galway | accessdate = 13 March 2024 }} Ballymore Park, a Georgian country house in Ballymore townland, was built {{circa|1750}}.{{cite web|url = https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/30336004/ballymore-park-ballymore-ed-craughwell-craughwell-galway | publisher = National Inventory of Architectural Heritage | website = buildingsofireland.ie | title = Ballymore Park, Ballymore (ED Craughwell), Craughwell, Galway | accessdate = 13 March 2024 }}

The poet Antoine Ó Raifteiri (born in County Mayo in 1779), was buried in Killeenin near Craughwell in 1835.{{cite web|url = https://www.dib.ie/biography/raiftearai-antaine-o-reachtabhra-antoine-raftery-anthony-a7572 | title = Raiftearaí, Antaine (Ó Reachtabhra, Antoine; Raftery, Anthony) | publisher = Royal Irish Academy | work = Dictionary of Irish Biography | first = Ciarán | last = Ó Coigligh | date = October 2009 | doi = 10.3318/dib.007572.v1 }} A commemorative slab was erected over his grave, in 1900, by Augusta Lady Gregory.

During the Land War of the late 19th century, there were a number of violent incidents in the area around Craughwell.{{cite magazine | url = https://www.historyireland.com/reign-of-terror-at-craughwell-tom-kenny-and-the-mcgoldrick-murder-of-1909/ | magazine = History Ireland | volume = 18 | issue = 1 | date = January 2010 | title = 'Reign of terror at Craughwell': Tom Kenny and the McGoldrick murder of 1909 | first = Fergus | last = Campbell | accessdate = 13 March 2024 }}{{cite web|url = https://www.theirishstory.com/2013/04/12/book-review-the-case-of-the-craughwell-prisoners-during-the-land-war-in-co-galway-1879-85/ | website = theirishstory.com | title = Book Review: The Case of the Craughwell Prisoners during the Land War in Co. Galway, 1879-85 | accessdate = 13 March 2024 }} In May 1881, for example, a farmer named Peter Dempsey was shot and killed, on his way to Mass with his young daughters, because of a dispute over his tenancy of a vacant farm.{{cite web|url = https://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/52516/the-case-of-the-craughwell-prisoners | website = Galway Advertiser | title = The case of the Craughwell Prisoners | date = 31 May 2012 | accessdate = 13 March 2024 | quote = A farm at Riverville [..] was vacant. It had been taken by Peter Dempsey and his family. They were boycotted, but on Sunday May 29 [1881], on his way to Mass with his two children, he was shot dead}}{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/june-1st-1881-land-war-victim-shot-on-way-to-mass-with-his-children-1.672667 |title=June 1st, 1881: Land War victim shot on way to Mass with his children | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20240313142453/https://www.irishtimes.com/opinion/june-1st-1881-land-war-victim-shot-on-way-to-mass-with-his-children-1.672667 | archivedate = 13 March 2024 |orig-date=1 June 1881 |date=1 June 2010 |version=Republished |work=Irish Times }}

The community sporting facilities in the village include the grounds of Craughwell GAA, which has three pitches and a ball wall.{{fact|date=March 2024}} The primary school has an all-weather astroturf track and a walking trail.{{fact|date=March 2024}} Craughwell AC has an 8-acre park with an 800m trail surrounding a 400m running track. Just outside the village, Coleman's Park has outdoor soccer pitches and a gravel 400m running track.{{cite web | url=https://craughwellac.com/site/facilities/ | title=Craughwell AC Facilities | website = craughwellac.com }}

The R446 road connecting Galway City to Kinnegad in County Westmeath passes through the village, 24 kilometres east of Galway and 10 kilometers west of Loughrea. Prior to the construction of the M6 motorway, the R446 formed part of the main N6 road connecting Dublin and Galway.{{fact|date=August 2024}}

Craughwell has a City Link stop on the Galway-Dublin commuter route,{{Cite web|url=https://www.citylink.ie/timetables/763/|title=Route 763 Timetable|website=citylink.ie}} while Healy Bus also operate commuter services between Loughrea and Galway.{{Cite web|url=http://www.healybus.com/routes/loughrea-galway-daily|title=Loughrea-Galway Daily Bus Services |website=healybus.com}}

As part of Iarnród Éireann’s Western Railway Corridor project, under the Transport 21 plan, Iarnród Éireann reopened Craughwell railway station in 2010, having built a new single platform facility and car park close to the original site. There are five trains in each direction daily. The original station was opened in 1869 by the Athenry & Ennis Junction Railway, later part of the Great Southern and Western Railway, on the line from Athenry to Limerick.

File:Raiftearaí.jpg in Craughwell]]

{{For-text|people whose surname derives from the name of the village|Ó Creachmhaoil#People}}

Notable people associated with the village include:

• Dominic Burke (c.1622–1704), Bishop of Elphin{{cite web|url = https://www.dib.ie/biography/burke-dominic-a1154 | publisher = Royal Irish Academy | work = Dictionary of Irish Biography | title = Burke, Dominic | date = October 2009 | accessdate = 13 March 2024 | first = Tomás S. R.| last = Ó Floinn | doi = 10.3318/dib.001154.v1 }}
• Fergal Healy (born 1977), hurler with Craughwell GAA{{cite web|url = https://galwaybayfm.ie/sports/fergal-healy-announced-as-galway-u20-hurling-manager/ | website = galwaybayfm.ie | title = Fergal Healy announced as Galway U20 hurling manager | date = 13 September 2023 | accessdate = 13 March 2024 }}
• Veronica Curtin (born {{circa|1980}}), Kinvara-born camogie player who played with Galway and Craughwell{{fact|date=August 2024}}
• Niall Healy (born 1985), hurler with Craughwell GAA and Galway{{cite web|url = http://craughwell.galway.gaa.ie/aboutus.html | work = Craughwell GAA club | title = About Us - Brief Club History | archiveurl = https://web.archive.org/web/20080719184539/http://craughwell.galway.gaa.ie/aboutus.html | archivedate = 19 July 2008 }}
• Denise Gilligan (born {{circa|1979}}), member of the 1996 Galway camogie team which won the Senior All Ireland Camogie title.{{fact|date=August 2024}}
• Anjelica Huston (born 1951), daughter of John Huston who spent part of her youth in Craughwell.{{cite web|url = https://www.irishamerica.com/2002/06/anjelicas-irish-memories/ | work = Irish America magazine | title = Anjelica’s Irish Memories | date = June 2002 |accessdate = 13 March 2024 }}
• John Huston (1906–1987), American film-maker who owned St Clerans House near Craughwell from 1954 to 1971{{cite web|url = https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/new-owner-of-hustons-old-home-in-bitter-land-dispute-with-neighbour/28950213.html| work = Irish Independent | title = New owner of Huston's old home in bitter land dispute with neighbour | first = Tim | last = Healy | date = 21 December 2012 | accessdate = 13 March 2024 }}
• Thomas Monaghan (born 1997), hurler with Craughwell and Galway{{cite web|url = https://galwaybayfm.ie/sports/craughwells-tom-monaghan-named-ireland-squad-for-the-hurling-shinty-international-with-scotland/ | title = Craughwell's Tom Monaghan named in Ireland Squad for the Hurling/Shinty international with Scotland | date = 5 October 2023 | accessdate = 13 March 2024 }}
• Robert O'Hara Burke (1821–1861), leader of the ill-fated Burke and Wills expedition into Australia.{{cite web | title = Robert O'Hara Burke | work = A Compendium of Irish History | url = http://www.libraryireland.com/biography/RobertOHaraBurke.php| publisher = Library Ireland | access-date = 8 June 2024}}
• Antoine Ó Raifteiri (1779–1835), poet from County Mayo who died and was buried in the area.

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

• {{cite book | title = Craughwell: A Parish in County Galway | first = Gerry | last = Cloonan | date = 2018 | isbn = 9781999914011}}

{{Reflist}}

{{Commons category|Craughwell}}

• [https://www.galway.ie/en/media/Craughwell%20Local%20Area%20Plan%202009-2015.pdf Galway County Council - Craughwell Local Area Plan 2009-2015]

{{County Galway}}

{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora}}

{{Authority control}}

Category:Towns and villages in County Galway