Leenaun (), also Leenane, is a village and 1,845 acre

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

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, on the southern shore of

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. S ...

and the northern edge of

Connemara Connemara ( ; ) is a region on the Atlantic Ocean, 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, ...

Location and geography

Leenaun is situated on the junction of the

N59 road N59 may refer to: * N59 road (Ireland) * N59 highway (Philippines) * , a submarine of the Royal Navy * Nebraska Highway 59, in the United States * Rosaschi Air Park, in Lyon County, Nevada, United States {{Road disambiguation ...

, and the R336 road in Connemara. Leenaun lies where the deep

u-shaped Many shapes have metaphorical names, i.e., their names are metaphors: these shape A shape is a graphics, graphical representation of an object's form or its external boundary, outline, or external Surface (mathematics), surface. It is distinc ...

Maam Valley Gleann an Mháma ( English: Maam Valley) is a glacial valley in County Galway, Ireland. It lies within Joyce Country in Connemara and is part of an aspirant geopark. Much of the valley is in the Connemara Gaeltacht. Location and topography T ...

, bounded by the Devilsmother to the east, and the

massif A massif () is a principal mountain mass, such as a compact portion of a mountain range, containing one or more summits (e.g. France's Massif Central). In mountaineering literature, ''massif'' is frequently used to denote the main mass of an ...

Leenaun Hill Leenaun Hill () at , is the 201st–highest peak in Ireland on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Arderins, Arderin scale, and the 243rd–highest peak on the Lists of mountains in Ireland#Vandeleur-Lynams, Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, ( ...

to the west, meets

, Ireland's deepest fjord. Across the fjord from the village, is the massif of

Ben Gorm Ben Gorm () is a mountain with a height of on the north side of Killary Harbour in County Mayo, Ireland. The Ben Gorm mountains also includes two other peaks: Ben Creggan/''Binn an Charragáin'' (693 m), and Maul Laur/''Meall Láir'' or Ben Cr ...

, with the larger massif of

Mweelrea Mweelrea (; ) is a mountain on the Atlantic coast of County Mayo, Ireland. Rising to , it is the highest mountain in the western province of Connacht, and is noted for its southeastern cliff-lined corries, and its views. Mweelrea overlooks Kill ...

behind it; while to the east, lie the scenic Aasleagh Falls. The village is on the route of the Western Way

long-distance trail A long-distance trail (or long-distance footpath, track, way, greenway) is a longer recreational trail mainly through rural areas used for hiking, backpacking, cycling, equestrianism or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents exc ...

and the

Wild Atlantic Way The Wild Atlantic Way () is a Scenic route, tourism trail on the west coast, and on parts of the north and south coasts, of Ireland. The 2,500 km (1,553 mile) driving route passes through nine Counties of Ireland, counties and three Provinces ...

. Within Maam Valley are some ancient woods, the Erriff Woods are nearby. Across the fjord is the hamlet of Bundorragha and

Delphi Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), was an ancient sacred precinct and the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient Classical antiquity, classical world. The A ...

(the valley of the Bundorragha River is sometimes called the Delphi Valley) in

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 ...

. The River Erriff which runs into the fjord, along with a river and three lakes at Delphi, are active fisheries.

Kylemore Abbey Kylemore Abbey () is a Benedictines, Benedictine Monastery founded in 1920 on the grounds of Kylemore Castle, in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. The Abbey was founded for Benedictine nuns who fled Belgium in World War 1. Today, Kylemore Abbe ...

lies to the south and the scenic Renvyle-peninsula lies to the south-west.

Bridge loss and replacement

On 18 July 2007, following heavy rain, the only river bridge in the village was swept away, cutting the town in half, and altering some local routes by over 100-kilometres.; the bridge had stood for over 182 years. A permanent replacement bridge was constructed in 2009, with increased traffic capacity.

Local amenities

In the village are two pubs, a hotel with a pub and restaurant, and guesthouses, one of which is a former convent of the Sisters of Mercy. There is also a café-restaurant and a sheep and wool museum, a post office and food shop, a gift shop, as well as a community centre and library, and a community park. There are two churches in the village, St. Michael's Catholic Church and St. John the Baptist, Church of Ireland.

In the media

Leenaun was the setting for the 1990 film '' The Field'', and of British-Irish playwright and filmmaker

Martin McDonagh Martin Faranan McDonagh ( ; born 26 March 1970) is a British-Irish playwright and filmmaker. He is known for his Absurdism, absurdist Black comedy, dark humour which often challenges the modern theatre aesthetic. He has won List of awards and no ...

's plays ''

The Beauty Queen of Leenane ''The Beauty Queen of Leenane'' is a 1996 dramatic play by Martin McDonagh which was premiered by the Druid Theatre Company in Galway, Ireland. It also enjoyed successful runs at London's West End, Broadway and Off-Broadway. The original Lo ...

'' and ''

The Lonesome West ''The Lonesome West'' is a play by British-Irish playwright Martin McDonagh, part of his Connemara trilogy, which includes ''The Beauty Queen of Leenane'' and ''A Skull in Connemara''. All three plays depict the murderous occurrences in the we ...

''. Archaeologist Michael Gibbons' discovery of an ancient ring barrow was featured in Raidió Teilifís Éireann and local media on 2025.

Gallery

File:Leenane Hill (left) and Leenane North West Top (right) from Leenane Village.jpg,

(left), and

Leenaun Hill Far North-West Top Leenaun Hill () at , is the 201st–highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 243rd–highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Ard ...

(right) from Leenane village File:Leenane (2409316343).jpg, Centre of village, and the old bridge File:Leenane & Leenane Hill from Ben Gorm.jpg, Massif of

(centre), and Leenaun (left), across

File:Ben Gorm from Leenane Village.jpg,

from across the

in Leenaun.

References