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

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic orig ...

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, 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. Str ...

and the northern edge of

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 ...

Location

Leenaun is situated on the junction of the

N59 road The N59 road is a national secondary road in Ireland. It commences in County Sligo, south of Sligo Town at the Belladrehid interchange with the N4 north of Ballysadare. The route circles around the west of Ireland, passing west from Sligo into ...

, 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 shapes are named after a most common object that has it. For example, "U-shape" is a shape that resembles the letter U, a bell-shaped curve has the shape of the vertica ...

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 The ...

, bounded by the

Devilsmother Devilsmother is a mountain in Connemara, Ireland. Geography Devilsmother is in the Partry Mountains, at the head of Killary Harbour, overlooking the Western Way long-distance path. It sits on the border between County Galway (to the south) ...

to the east, and the

massif In geology, a massif ( or ) is a section of a planet's crust that is demarcated by faults or flexures. In the movement of the crust, a massif tends to retain its internal structure while being displaced as a whole. The term also refers to a ...

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, (Sept ...

to the west, meets

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

Ben Gorm Ben Gorm () is a 700 m high mountain in southwest County Mayo, Ireland, on the northern shore of Killary Harbour. See also *Lists of mountains in Ireland *Lists of mountains and hills in the British Isles *List of P600 mountains in the Britis ...

, with the larger massif of

Mweelrea Mweelrea (; ) at , is the 26th-highest peak in Ireland on the Arderin scale, and the 34th-highest peak on the Vandeleur-Lynam scale.Mountainviews, (September 2013), "A Guide to Ireland's Mountain Summits: The Vandeleur-Lynams & the Arderins", Co ...

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

Western Way The Western Way () is a long-distance trail in Ireland. It is long and begins in Oughterard, County Galway and ends in Ballycastle, County Mayo. It is typically completed in seven days. It is designated as a National Waymarked Trail by the N ...

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, horse riding or cross-country skiing. They exist on all continents ...

and the

Wild Atlantic Way The Wild Atlantic Way ( ga, Slí an Atlantaigh Fhiáin) is a 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 and three provinces, s ...

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 seaweed baths and two guesthouses, one of which is a former convent of the Sisters of Mercy, with a breakfast room in the former chapel. There is also a café-restaurant and a sheep and wool museum with a shop and its own café, and a post office and shop, as well as a community centre. Within Maam Valley are some ancient woods, and across the fjord is

Delphi Delphi (; ), in legend previously called Pytho (Πυθώ), in ancient times was a sacred precinct that served as the seat of Pythia, the major oracle who was consulted about important decisions throughout the ancient classical world. The oracl ...

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

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the yew trees") is a county in Ireland. In the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Coun ...

, which has a postal address of "Leenane, Co. Galway," and which contains both a fishing lodge and a resort hotel and adventure sports centre. Both nearby, on the Erris River which runs into the fjord, and across at Delphi, with a river and two lakes, are active fisheries. The major tourist attraction of

Kylemore Abbey Kylemore Abbey ( ga, Mainistir na Coille Móire) is a 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 I and ...

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

In the media

Leenaun was the setting for the 1990 film '' The Field'', and of

Martin McDonagh Martin Faranan McDonagh (; born 26 March 1970) is a British-Irish playwright, screenwriter, producer, and director. Born and brought up in London, he is the son of Irish parents. He is known as one of the most acclaimed modern playwrights whose ...

'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. It was nominated ...

'' 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 w ...

''.

Gallery

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

(left), and

Leenaun Hill Far North-West Top , photo = File:View north to Leenaun Hill from Letterbreckaun.jpg , photo_caption = View north to Leenaun Hill from Letterbreckaun , photo_size = , elevation_m = 618 , elevation_ref = , prominence_m = 363 , prominence_ref = , list ...

(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

{{Authority control Towns and villages in County Galway Townlands of County Galway