Eyrecourt, historically known as Donanaghta (), is a village in

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

, Ireland. It is on the R356 regional road west of the Banagher bridge over 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

The Eyres after whom the village is named, as well as other places such as

Eyre Square Eyre Square ( ; ) is a city public park in Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The park is within the city centre, adjoining the nearby shopping area of William Street and Shop Street. Galway railway station is adjacent to Eyre Square. The ...

Galway City Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

, were an English family who came over with Cromwell. Their former residence, Eyrecourt Castle (now a ruin), provides the large metal gateway at the eastern end of main street and the castle lawn beyond. The family were for many years closely associated with the local hunt, the Galway Blazers.

Amenities

The village stands midway along 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 ...

; a historic way-marked way for walking, cycling and heritage. Eyrecourt is served by two public houses, library, shop, garage and fast food outlet, pharmacy, tractor dealership, medical centre, primary school, several small enterprises and the Meelick-Eyrecourt GAA club. Various groups and classes use the village hall, including for Pilates, martial arts, scouting, art classes, badminton and other sports. Local sporting clubs include a kayaking club. Every second year in June the village hosts a festival of early machinery, the "Eyrecourt Vintage Festival", when old tractors, steam-engines and early farm machines are displayed. Each September Eyrecourt also hosts an

agricultural show An agricultural show is a public event exhibiting the equipment, animals, sports and recreation associated with agriculture and animal husbandry. The largest comprise a livestock show (a judged event or display in which selective breeding, bree ...

, which includes livestock shows and baking and gardening competitions. Eyrecourt is approximately 70 km (1 hour by car) from Galway and 150 km (2 hours by car) from Dublin.

International relations

Eyrecourt is twinned with the village of

Gouesnach Gouesnac'h () is a Communes of France, commune in the Finistère Departments of France, department and Regions of France, administrative region of Brittany (administrative region), Brittany in north-western France. Geography The small village of ...

Brittany Brittany ( ) is a peninsula, historical country and cultural area in the north-west of modern France, covering the western part of what was known as Armorica in Roman Gaul. It became an Kingdom of Brittany, independent kingdom and then a Duch ...

Parish

The parish of Eyrecourt in south east County Galway incorporates the ancient ecclesiastical centres of Dunanaughta, Clonfert and Meelick and is bounded by the Rivers Shannon and Suck for . Within Dunanaughta there are two churches; the Catholic Church of St Brendan which has some notable stained glass windows, (the work of John Early of Dublin) and the Church of Ireland Church of St John the Baptist (an Anglo Gothic structure built in 1867). Meelick has the oldest Catholic church in Ireland with continuous use since 1414 AD.

Clonfert Clonfert () is a small village in east County Galway, Ireland, halfway between Ballinasloe and Portumna. The village gives its name to the Diocese of Clonfert (Roman Catholic), Diocese of Clonfert. Clonfert Cathedral is one of the eight cathedr ...

has the grave of Saint Brendan "The Navigator" and

Clonfert Cathedral Clonfert Cathedral is a cathedral of the Church of Ireland in Clonfert, County Galway in Ireland. Previously the cathedral of the Diocese of Clonfert and then one of three cathedrals in the United Dioceses of Limerick and Killaloe, it is now ...

(with its architecturally notable doorway), and a 14th-century statue of "Our Lady of Clonfert".

Transport

Eyrecourt is connected with one bus line. The local link line 547 connects Portumna and Ballinasloe with an intermediate stop in Eyrecourt. In Ballinasloe, the route ends at the train station where a connection can be made with trains for Galway and Dublin. Monday to Saturday, there are four journeys in each direction. On Sundays, only two journeys are made.

Notable people

* Charles Burton, High Court judge * Cornelius Coughlan,

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious decoration of the Orders, decorations, and medals of the United Kingdom, British decorations system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British ...

recipient *

Roger Whittaker Roger Henry Brough Whittaker (22 March 1936 – 13 September 2023) was a Kenyan-born British singer-songwriter and musician. His music is an eclectic mixture of folk music and popular songs, the latter variously in a crooning or in a schlager ...

, singer-songwriter (born in Nairobi but lived in Eyrecourt) *

Joe Salmon Peter Joseph Salmon (1 April 1930 – 23 July 1991) was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling at various times with his local club, Meelick-Eyrecourt,before switching, for a short period, to Liam Mellows in Galway and Glen Rovers in Cork ...

, Galway hurler grew up in Eyrecourt

References

External links

{{Authority control Towns and villages in County Galway Steam festivals