Rosmuc or Ros Muc, sometimes anglicised as Rosmuck, is a village in the Conamara

Gaeltacht A ( , , ) is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The districts were first officially recognised ...

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 lies halfway between the town of

Clifden Clifden () is a coastal town in County Galway, Ireland, in the region of Connemara, located on the Owenglin River where it flows into Clifden Bay. As the largest town in the region, it is often referred to as "the Capital of Connemara". Frequen ...

and the city of

Galway 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 ...

. Irish is the predominant spoken language in the area, with the

electoral division An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provid ...

of Turlough, Rosmuc, representing one of the highest percentages of Irish-speaking people in the country. The

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 ...

of Rosmuck is part of the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

of Kilcummin.

History and etymology

It is estimated that people first settled in Rosmuc in AD 400, one hundred years before Naomh Briocán (Saint Briocán) brought Christianity to the area. It is believed that the name 'Ros Muc' comes from the old Irish "the peninsula of rounded hills", ''ros'' meaning "promontory or headland" and ''muc'' meaning "rounded hills" or "pig". This may derive from a perception that the rounded hills on the horizon and surrounding the district look like the rounded backs of farm animals.

Population

As of the 2011 census, Rosmuc townland had a population of 72 people.

Irish language

As of 2006, there were 557 people living in the Ros Muc Electoral Division, and 87% of these were native Irish speakers. According to an analysis of the census a total of 91.9% of adults over nineteen years old said they spoke Irish on a daily basis.

Literature

The area has been home to a number of literary figures, including Irish revolutionary and language activist

Patrick Pearse Patrick Henry Pearse (also known as Pádraig or Pádraic Pearse; ; 10 November 1879 – 3 May 1916) was an Irish teacher, barrister, Irish poetry, poet, writer, Irish nationalism, nationalist, Irish republicanism, republican political activist a ...

(''Pádraig Mac Piarais'') who had a summer residence there in the early 1900s and set several of his short stories in the area. Pearse was based in his Rosmuc cottage when he wrote the graveside oration, "'' Ireland unfree shall never be at peace''", given at the funeral of

Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa Jeremiah O'Donovan Rossa (; 4 September 1831 (baptised) – 29 June 1915)Con O'Callaghan Reenascreena Community Online (dead link archived at archive.org, 29 September 2014) was an Irish Fenian leader who was one of the leading members of t ...

in 1915. Another local writer was

Pádraic Ó Conaire Pádraic Ó Conaire (28 February 1882 – 6 October 1928) was an Irish writer and journalist whose production was primarily in the Irish language. In his lifetime he wrote 26 books, 473 stories, 237 essays and 6 plays. His acclaimed novel ' ...

, who wrote 26 books, 473 stories, 237 essays and 6 plays partly set in the region. These included ''M'Asal Beag Dubh'' (''My Little Black Donkey'') and the novella ''Deoraíocht'' (''Exile''). The Irish language memoirs of Colm Ó Gaora, the former IRA company commander in Rosmuc during 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 ...

, were published in 2008 under the title ''Mise''. An English translation, under the title ''On the Run: The Story of an Irish Freedom Fighter'', was published by

Mercier Press Mercier Press is a publisher based in Cork, Ireland. It is the longest established independent publishing house in Ireland. History The company was founded in 1944 by Seán Feehan and initially published religious books. In 1946 they publishe ...

in 2011.

Education

Rosmuc has had a long-term association with '' Coláiste na bhFiann'', which provides host accommodation for students learning Irish during the summer months. The local national (primary) school is named for Saint Briocán. As of 2020, this

gaelscoil A Gaelscoil (; plural: ''Gaelscoileanna'') is an Irish language- medium school in Ireland: the term refers especially to Irish-medium schools outside the Irish-speaking regions or Gaeltacht. Over 50,000 students attend Gaelscoileanna at primary a ...

had an enrollment of 37 pupils.

Built heritage

Among the local landmarks is Pearse's Cottage which was built by

( Irish: ''Pádraig Mac Piarais'') in 1909. Pearse first came to the area in April 1903 as an examiner for

Conradh na Gaeilge (; 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 emer ...

. Rosmuc and its people made an impression on him, and he decided to build a holiday home on a site overlooking Loch Eiliúrach. Pearse's Cottage later became a summer school for students from Pearse's school in Dublin, St. Enda's. The cottage is now open to the public as a heritage site and is a designated

national monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a sp ...

. The local Catholic church, ''Séipéal an Ioncolnaithe'', was built in 1844.

Sport and culture

Rosmuc, along with its neighbours Camus and An Sraith Salach, is represented by the '' Na Piarsaigh''

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. This club fields

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

teams in several competitions. The youth team up to minors are called Carna Caiseal/Na Piarsaigh. Until 2016, a

soccer 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 ...

team, ''Cumann Sacar Naomh Briocain'' represented the area in the Galway district league. A traditional Sean-nós dancing festival has historically been held in late January or early February, close to St. Brigid's Day (1 February). This festival, ''Féile Chóilín Sheáin Dharach'', was established in 2001.

Townlands

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 ...

s in Rosmuc include: Gleann Chatha, An Gort Mór, Inbhear, Turlach, Ros Dubh, An Tamhnaigh Bhig, Snámh Bó, Cill Bhriocáin, An Aill Bhuí, An tOileán Mór, An Turlach Beag, Salalaoi, An Baile Thair, An Siléar, Inis Eilte, An Cladhnach, Cladach ó Dheas, Gairfean, Ros Cíde, Doire Iorrais

Notable people

Notable residents have included: *

Linda Bhreathnach Linda Bhreathnach is an Irish writer, director and actress. From Ros Muc, Conamara in the west of Ireland, Bhreathnach wrote and directed short film ''Adulting''. Among other awards Linda's film 'Adulting' won best short film at the London I ...

, actress and director, was born and raised in Rosmuc * Proinsias Mac Aonghusa, broadcaster, writer, journalist and former president of

* Sean (John) Mannion, light-middleweight boxer and later a boxing trainer active in the area. * Caitlín Maude, poet, playwright and Irish language activist was raised in Cill Bhriocáin in Rosmuc * Patrick Nee, an Irish-American mobster and author from

South Boston, Massachusetts South Boston (colloquially known as Southie) is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay (Boston Harbor), Dorchester Bay. It has under ...

, is a native of Rosmuc *

(''Pádraig Mac Piarais''), Irish language activist and revolutionary * Mary Walsh, the mother of

Marty Walsh Martin Joseph Walsh (born April 10, 1967) is an American politician and trade union official who served as the 58th mayor of Boston from 2014 to 2021 and as the 29th United States Secretary of Labor from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Democr ...

, the

Mayor of Boston The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan (as are all municipal elections in Boston), and elect a m ...

, is a native of Ros Cíde, a

near Ros Muc

References

{{Roman Catholic Diocese of Galway, Kilmacduagh and Kilfenora Towns and villages in Connemara Gaeltacht places in County Galway Gaeltacht towns and villages