Gleann an Mháma (

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national id ...

: Maam Valley) is a glacial valley in

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

.Geolab - Field site - Mamean Maam Valley
/ref> It lies within

Joyce Country Joyce Country ( ga, Dúiche Sheoighe) is a cultural region in counties Galway and Mayo in Ireland. It is sometimes called Partry, after the former tribal territory of the '' Partraige'', which it largely matches. Part of it falls within the Con ...

Connemara Connemara (; )( ga, Conamara ) is a region on the Atlantic coast of western County Galway, in the west of Ireland. The area has a strong association with traditional Irish culture and contains much of the Connacht Irish-speaking Gaeltacht, w ...

and is part of an aspirant

geopark A geopark is a protected area with internationally significant geology within which sustainable development is sought and which includes tourism, conservation, education and research concerning not just geology but other relevant sciences. In 200 ...

. Much of the valley is in the Connemara

Gaeltacht ( , , ) are the districts of Ireland, individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The ''Gaeltacht'' districts were first officially recog ...

Location and topography

The valley runs north-northwest from

An Mám An Mám (anglicized as Maum, or sometimes Maam) is a small village and its surrounding lands in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. Name An Mám is Irish for "the pass" and as this is a Gaeltacht (principally Irish-speaking) area, the area's n ...

(also known, unofficially, in English, as Maum or Maam) and the north-western end of

Lough Corrib Lough Corrib ( ; ) is a lake in the west of Ireland. The River Corrib or Galway River connects the lake to the sea at Galway. It is the largest lake within the Republic of Ireland and the second largest on the island of Ireland (after Lough N ...

to just south of

Leenaun Leenaun (), also Leenane, is a village and 1,845 acre townland in County Galway, Ireland, on the southern shore of Killary Harbour and the northern edge of Connemara. Location Leenaun is situated on the junction of the N59 road (Ireland), N59 ro ...

(also known in English as Leenane) on

Killary Harbour Killary Harbour or Killary Fjord () is a fjord or fjard on the west coast of Ireland, in northern Connemara. To its north is County Mayo and the mountains of Mweelrea and Ben Gorm; to its south is County Galway and the Maumturk Mountains. Str ...

. Starting near its northern end, the valley holds the main course of the Joyce River, coming down from the western flanks to pick up small tributaries. In turn this river is subsumed into the Bealnabrack River, also coming from the valley's western side, near An Mám, and then the combined river absorbs the Failmore River and some small streams before merging into Lough Corrib. The valley passes through part of the Maamturk or Maum Turk Mountains. There is a pass, the Mamean or Mameen Pass, crossing part of the mountains to another major valley, the Inagh Valley.

Access

The valley is bisected by the R336, which splits off from the R59 at

Maam Cross Maam Cross () is a crossroads in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. It lies within the townland of Shindilla, at the junction of the N59 from Galway to Clifden and the R336 from Galway to the Maam Valley which runs from Maum An Mám (ang ...

and rejoins it at Leenaun.

Population centres

At the southern end is the small settlement of An Mám, and at the northern end, though some argue strictly speaking outside the valley, is Leenaun. An Mám has an active pub, and Leenaun has a pub, hotel and guest house, café and restaurants, outdoor leisure centre and community centre, and more again at the nearby Delphi Resort and Delphi Lodge across the fjord. There are small pockets of population in the valley. Nearby are Cornamona and Clonbur.

Popular culture

The Maam Valley features in famous film

The Quiet Man ''The Quiet Man'' is a 1952 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by John Ford. It stars John Wayne, Maureen O'Hara, Barry Fitzgerald, Ward Bond and Victor McLaglen. The screenplay by Frank S. Nugent was based on a 1933 ''Saturday Eveni ...

, with the ''Quiet Man Cottage'' located near An Mám.

Science

The valley, formed around a fault, and modified by heavy glaciation, is considered of geological interest. In January 2018 a fossil found in the valley in the 1990s was declared to be a distinct species and named for its finder Dr

Eamon N. Doyle Eamon Doyle is an Irish scientist, science promoter, and painter, based in County Clare, where he is the official geologist for The Burren and the Cliffs of Moher, and the geopark encompassing them. In 2017, a new species of brittle star, ...

. This find attracted international attention, and a well-known Irish nature writer,

Michael Viney Michael Viney MRIA (born 1933) is an artist, author, broadcaster, and journalist, based in Ireland. He was born in Brighton, England. Best known for his writings on nature, he has contributed to ''The Irish Times'' since 1962. Career In the 1 ...

, suggested that it advanced the case for a ''Maam Valley and Joyce Country'' Geopark, on the lines of the successful

Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark The Burren and Cliffs of Moher Geopark (formally The Burren and Cliffs of Moher UNESCO Global Geopark) is an internationally designated area of geological interest in The Burren region of County Clare, Ireland. It is the third Geopark to b ...

.Dublin, Ireland: The Irish Times: Viney, Michael, "Ireland's rocks remarkably rich in evidence of ancient sea life": "Crepidosoma doylei, soon for display in the National Museum, may justify a fourth geopark in Maam Valley and the hills of Joyce Country."

Religion

There was an old pilgrimage site in the Mamean Pass above the valley.

References

Bibliography

* Glasgow, Scotland, UK: University of Glasgow, Dept. of Geology and Applied Geology; Graham, John R., Leake, Bernard E., Ryan, P. D.: The Geology of South Mayo, Western Ireland {{coord missing, County Galway County Galway Connemara Valleys of the Republic of Ireland