Castlerea ( ; ) is a town in

County Roscommon County Roscommon () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the List of Irish counties by area, 11th largest Irish county by area and Li ...

, Ireland. It is located in the west of the county and had a population of 2,348 at the 2022 census. Roughly translated from Irish, Castlerea is generally thought to mean 'brindled castle' (''Caisleán Riabhach''). An alternative translation is 'castle of the king' (''Caisleán

Rí Rí, or commonly ríg (genitive), is an ancient Gaelic word meaning 'king'. It is used in historical texts referring to the Irish and Scottish kings, and those of similar rank. While the Modern Irish word is exactly the same, in modern Scottis ...

''). The town is built on the banks of the

River Suck The River Suck ( ) is a river within the Shannon River Basin in Ireland, 133 km (82.5 mi) in length. It is the main tributary of the River Shannon. It meets the Shannon a kilometre south of the village of Shannonbridge. Name The riv ...

and the River Francis, both of which are tributaries of the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( or archaic ') is the major river on the island of Ireland, and at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of I ...

History

Castlerea - Clonalis House - 20190823040950

Clonalis House Clonalis House () is an historic manor house in Castlerea, County Roscommon, Ireland, and the ancestral home of the O'Conor Don, who are direct descendants of Cathal Crobhdearg Ua Conchobair, King of Connacht, a younger brother of Ruaidrí Ua Co ...

, located in the west of Castlerea, is the ancestral home of the Clan

O'Conor The O'Conor dynasty (Middle Irish: ''Ó Conchobhair''; Modern ) are an Irish noble dynasty and formerly one of the most influential and distinguished royal dynasties in Ireland. The O'Conor family held the throne of the Kingdom of Connacht up ...

, the last of the

High Kings of Ireland High King of Ireland ( ) was a royal title in Gaelic Ireland held by those who had, or who are claimed to have had, lordship over all of Ireland. The title was held by historical kings and was later sometimes assigned anachronously or to leg ...

. The O'Connor

dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family, usually in the context of a monarchy, monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A dynasty may also be referred to as a "house", "family" or "clan", among others. H ...

produced eleven high kings of Ireland and twenty-four kings of

Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...

. Theophilus Sandford, a member of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English statesman, politician and soldier, widely regarded as one of the most important figures in British history. He came to prominence during the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, initially ...

's army in Ireland, received a large allocation of lands confiscated from the O'Connor family as part of the

Act for the Settlement of Ireland 1652 The Act for the Settling of Ireland imposed penalties including death and land confiscation against Irish civilians and combatants after the Irish Rebellion of 1641 and subsequent unrest. British historian John Morrill wrote that the Act and a ...

. This package included Castlerea. Castlerea developed under the Sandfords, who established a distillery (at its height producing more than of whiskey annually), a brewery, and a tannery. Sandford's descendants continued in power through the 19th century. The estate was later acquired by the

Land Commission The Irish Land Commission was created by the British crown in 1843 to "inquire into the occupation of the land in Ireland. The office of the commission was in Dublin Castle, and the records were, on its conclusion, deposited in the records tower ...

and the Congested Districts Board. The

demesne A demesne ( ) or domain was all the land retained and managed by a lord of the manor under the feudal system for his own use, occupation, or support. This distinguished it from land subinfeudation, sub-enfeoffed by him to others as sub-tenants. ...

in which it was set survives and is now enjoyed as a public park. On 11 July 1921, Sergeant James King of the

Royal Irish Constabulary The Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC, ; simply called the Irish Constabulary 1836–67) was the police force in Ireland from 1822 until 1922, when all of the island was part of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, United Kingdom. A sep ...

was shot in Castlerea on St Patrick Street and died of his wounds shortly afterwards. The

Truce of July 1921 The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and British forces: the British Army, along wi ...

was declared later that day, making Sergeant King the last casualty of the

Irish War of Independence The Irish War of Independence (), also known as the Anglo-Irish War, was a guerrilla war fought in Ireland from 1919 to 1921 between the Irish Republican Army (1919–1922), Irish Republican Army (IRA, the army of the Irish Republic) and Unite ...

. On 17 June 2020,

Detective A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads the ...

Garda

Colm Horkan Colm (; ) is a masculine given name of Irish origin. It is not an Irish version of ''Colin'', but like '' Callum'' and ''Malcolm'' derives from a Gaelic variation on ''columba'', the Latin word for "dove". The reason for the name's use for ov ...

was shot dead by a 43-year-old man in Castlerea when his

firearm A firearm is any type of gun that uses an explosive charge and is designed to be readily carried and operated by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see legal definitions). The first firearms originate ...

was snatched from him who then fired fifteen rounds at him. Horkan became the 89th garda to be killed in the line of duty.

Sport

The local

association football Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 Football player, players who almost exclusively use their feet to propel a Ball (association football), ball around a rectangular f ...

(soccer) club is Castlerea Celtic, and the

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

(GAA) club is St Kevin's. Castlerea Cavaliers is a basketball club with ladies and men teams. The Castlerea Enterprise Hub located in the town business park is also home to the town's gym and to Castlerea Boxing Club. Castlerea is home to the boxers

Aoife O'Rourke Aoife O'Rourke (born 2 July 1997) is an Irish amateur boxer. She won a silver medal in the middleweight division at the 2025 World Championships. O'Rourke also won gold medals in the same weight category at the 2019, 2022, and 2024 European ...

and Lisa O'Rourke, who have collectively won a number of World and European titles.

Amenities

Amenities in the town include Castlerea golf club, established in 1905 and moved to its current location in 1907. It is a 9-hole course. There is an outdoor swimming pool, a playground, a public library, a soccer pitch and a

(GAA) pitch at O'Rourke Park. The GAA club also owns a squash court and a handball court in the town. The Neighbourhood Youth Project (NYP) is a social venue for teenagers in the town. St Patrick's Church (built in 1896) is the Catholic church of the town. The demesne is a large public park accessible off Main Street and home to some trees planted by notable figures, including former US ambassador to Ireland

Jean Kennedy Smith Jean Ann Kennedy Smith (February 20, 1928 – June 17, 2020) was an American diplomat, activist, humanitarian, and author who served as United States Ambassador to Ireland from 1993 to 1998. She was a member of the Kennedy family, the eighth of ...

. The town serves as the trailhead for the

Suck Valley Way The Suck Valley Way is a long-distance trail in Ireland. It is a long circular route that begins and ends in Castlerea, County Roscommon. It is typically completed in five days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the National T ...

, with the 105-kilometre long trail beginning and ending in the town. Castlerea also serves as the trailhead for the Lung Lough Gara Way. Also, the

Beara-Breifne Way The Beara-Breifne Way is a long-distance walking and cycling trail being developed from the Beara Peninsula in County Cork, Ireland, to Blacklion in the area of Breifne in County Cavan. The trail follows closely the line of the historical march ...

also passes through the town.

Education

The schools in the town are all located in the same area; they include two primary schools (St Anne's Convent National School and St Paul's Boys National School), St Michael's Special Needs School (which serves all ages), and Castlerea Community School (for second-level students). Castlerea Community School instructs approximately 500 students. It provides

Leaving Certificate Applied The Leaving Certificate Applied ( Irish: ''Ardteistiméireacht Fheidhmeach'') is a self-contained two-year programme of the Irish Department of Education. It was first introduced in 1995 as an alternative or variant of the established Leaving C ...

classes as well as the

Junior Certificate The Junior Cycle () is the first stage of the education programme for post-primary education within the Republic of Ireland. It is overseen by the Department of Education (Ireland), Department of Education and the National Council for Curriculu ...

and

Leaving Certificate A secondary school leaving qualification is a document signifying that the holder has fulfilled any secondary education requirements of their locality, often including the passage of a final qualification examination. For each leaving certificate ...

state examinations.

Transport

The main road through the town is the national secondary road N60, from

Roscommon Roscommon (; ; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60 road (Ireland), N60, N61 road (Ireland), N61 and N63 road (Irelan ...

town onward to

County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...

. Other roads include the R361 to

Boyle Boyle may refer to: Places United States * Boyle, Kansas, an unincorporated community * Boyle, Mississippi, a town *Boyle County, Kentucky *Boyle Heights, Los Angeles, a neighborhood Elsewhere * Boyle (crater), a lunar crater * 11967 Boyle, ...

and the R377 to Castleplunket. The Castlerea railway station opened on 15 November 1860. The railway station resides on the Westport-Dublin main line and connects to

Dublin Heuston Heuston Station, ( ; ; formerly Kingsbridge Station) also known as Dublin Heuston, is one of Dublin's largest railway stations and links the capital with the south, southwest and west of Ireland. It is operated by Iarnród Éireann (IÉ), ...

, Ballina and Westport.

People

* John F. Cryan, U.S. politician, was born in Castlerea. *

Thomas Finnegan Thomas Anthony Finnegan (26 August 1925 – 25 December 2011) was the Bishop of Killala, County Mayo, Ireland from 1987 to 2002. Life Thomas Anthony Finnegan was born on 26 August 1925, in Castlerea, County Roscommon. He was educated at Run ...

, former Catholic Bishop of Killala, was born in the village of Cloonfellive near Castlerea. *

Luke 'Ming' Flanagan Luke 'Ming' Flanagan (born 22 January 1972) is an Irish politician who has been a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Ireland for the Midlands–North-West constituency since 2014. He is an independent, but sits in parliament with The ...

, former TD, and now an MEP, comes from Castlerea. *

Gerry Gannon Gerry Gannon is an Irish builder and property developer since the 1980s. Gannon played a significant role in the Irish construction industry in the lead up the bursting of the Irish property bubble. Gannon was one of the key figures involved in ...

, builder and property developer, is a native of Castlerea. * John Gunning, sports journalist working in Japan *

Aidan Heavey Aidan Joseph Heavey (born 14 March 1953) is the founder of Tullow Oil, one of Europe's largest oil businesses. Early life From Castlerea, County Roscommon and educated at Clongowes Wood College in County Kildare and at University College Dublin ...

arrived in England from Castlerea in 1993 and became chief executive of

Tullow Oil Tullow Oil plc is a multinational oil and gas exploration company founded in Tullow, Ireland, with its headquarters in London, United Kingdom. The company is listed on the London Stock Exchange. History The company was founded by Aidan Hea ...

and one of Britain's most influential Irish businessmen. * Dr Douglas Hyde, the first

President of Ireland The president of Ireland () is the head of state of Republic of Ireland, Ireland and the supreme commander of the Defence Forces (Ireland), Irish Defence Forces. The presidency is a predominantly figurehead, ceremonial institution, serving as ...

and founder of the

Gaelic League (; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it eme ...

, was born at Longford House in Castlerea. *

, boxer, 2019 European Championship gold medalist, competed at the

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

and

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

Olympics, double Olympian, Castlerea native. * Lisa O'Rourke, boxer, 2022 World Championship gold medalist, Castlerea native. *

Stephen Rochford Stephen Rochford (born 10 October 1978) is an Irish Gaelic football coach and former manager and player. He was manager of the senior Mayo county team from 2015 to 2018. Raised in Crossmolina, County Mayo, he won Connacht schools titles for G ...

, GAA player and manager from County Mayo, previously worked at the bank in Castlerea. *

John Waters John Samuel Waters Jr. (born April 22, 1946) is an American filmmaker, actor, writer, and artist. He rose to fame in the early 1970s for his transgressive cult films, including '' Multiple Maniacs'' (1970), '' Pink Flamingos'' (1972) and '' Fe ...

, former journalist and author of several books including 'Jiving at the Crossroads', was born and raised on Main Street in Castlerea. * Sir

William Wilde Sir William Robert Wills Wilde Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, FRCSI (March 1815 – 19 April 1876) was an Irish Otology, oto-Ophthalmology, ophthalmologic surgeon and the author of significant works on medicine, archaeology and folklore ...

, a surgeon, historian and father of

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Fflahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish author, poet, and playwright. After writing in different literary styles throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular and influential playwright ...

, was born in Castlerea in 1815. * Dr Matthew Young, a

Bishop of Clonfert The Bishop of Clonfert () is an episcopal title which takes its name after the village of Clonfert in County Galway, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains as a separate title; but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with oth ...

ca. 1798, a natural philosopher, and a mathematician was a native of Castlerea.

Gallery

File:Castlerea.jpg, Castlerea Demesne File:Castlerea train station sign (2024).jpg, Castlerea Train Station bilingual sign File:Plaque at former Hells Kitchen pub Castlerea (2018).jpg, Plaque at Hells Kitchen Bar and Restaurant Plaque in honour of John F. Cryan, Castlerea (2018).jpg, Plaque in honour of John F. Cryan in Castlerea

Twinning

Castlerea is twinned with: *

Newark, New Jersey Newark ( , ) is the List of municipalities in New Jersey, most populous City (New Jersey), city in the U.S. state of New Jersey, the county seat of Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County, and a principal city of the New York metropolitan area. ...

, United States. *

Soulac-sur-Mer Soulac-sur-Mer (; , , ), commonly known as Soulac (''Solac''), is a commune in the department of Gironde, administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine (formerly Aquitaine), France. It is a seaside resort on the Côte d'Argent, on the peninsula o ...

, France.

References

External links

County Council Community and Enterprise
(archived 2012) {{Authority control Towns and villages in County Roscommon O'Conor dynasty