Carrigallen (Irish: Carraig Álainn, meaning 'beautiful rock')[2] is a small village in County Leitrim, Ireland. It is on the R201 and R203 roads in the east of the county, 19 km west of Cavan town. As of 2016, the village had a population of 387.[1] The village is in a civil parish of the same name.[2]

Carrigallen
Carraig Álainn
Village
The Kilbracken Arms
The Kilbracken Arms
Motto: 
As Lámha a Chéile
Carrigallen is located in Ireland
Carrigallen
Carrigallen
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°58′38″N 7°38′45″W / 53.9772°N 7.6458°W / 53.9772; -7.6458
CountryIreland
ProvinceConnacht
CountyCounty Leitrim
BaronyCarrigallen
Elevation
76 m (249 ft)
Population387
Irish Grid ReferenceH232031
Websitewww.carrigallen.com

Location

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Carrigallen Lough

The village is set between the north and south shores of Carrigallen Lough in South Leitrim and is a centre for angling.[citation needed] Rockfield Lake is about 4 kilometres (2.5 mi) east of Carrigallen.

Killahurk Ring Fort is 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) from the village. The ringfort is 0.5 km (0.3 mi) west of Carrigallen Lough and is a good example of an early medieval enclosure.[3]

History

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St. Patrick is said to have passed through this region. While here he baptised followers at St. Patrick's holy well in Aghawillin and before leaving the region he blessed the ancient graveyard of Errew. The 16th century graveyard is situated about 3 km (2 mi) east of Carrigallen overlooking Gulladoo Lake. Throughout at least the 19th and 20th centuries, a number of annual fairs were held at Carrigallen on – 12 April, 7 May, 28 May, 9 August, 8 October, and 31 December.[4][5]

Theatre

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In the centre of the town is the Corn Mill Theatre & Arts Centre which presents a programme of drama (amateur and professional), variety shows, music and poetry.[6] While a tradition of drama in Carrigallen goes back to the late 1800s, the present group was founded in 1963 as "The Community Players".[citation needed] In 1989, the group opened the theatre, and the name of the group was changed to the Corn Mill Theatre Company. In 1999, works took place on the foyer, dressing rooms, rehearsal and storage areas.[citation needed]

Transport

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Carrigallen is served by Bus Éireann once daily from Monday to Saturday. Different destinations are served each day. For example, route 463 travels to Longford along two different routes on Mondays and Wednesdays,[7] route 465 serves Cavan on Tuesdays,[8] route 464 serves Enniskillen on Thursdays,[9] and route 462 travels to and from Sligo along two different routes on Fridays and Saturdays.[10]

During college terms, a bus service is operated on Sunday evenings by Geraghty Travel to Athlone IT, GMIT and NUI Galway. The service returns to Carrigallen on Friday afternoons.[11]

Local Link Donegal Sligo Leitrim operate route 573[12] twice daily to Ballinamore, with a third service on Fridays. One service each day extends to Drumshanbo.

Schools and churches

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Church of Ireland, Carrigallen

Schools include Saint Mary's National School and Carrigallen Vocational School. Churches include: Saint Mary's Church, which is Catholic and was built in 1846; a Church of Ireland church built in 1814; and a Presbyterian church.[citation needed]

People

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Sapmap Area: Settlements Carrigallen". Census 2016. Central Statistics Office. 2016.
  2. ^ a b "Carraig Álainn/Carrigallen". Placenames Database of Ireland. Government of Ireland - Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Dublin City University. Retrieved 22 February 2019.
  3. ^ Watsons (1830). The Gentleman's and citizen's almanack ... for the year (PDF). Dublin, Printed for S. Watson [etc.]
  4. ^ Longman (2011) [1819]. Traveller's New Guide Through Ireland, Containing a New and Accurate Description of the Roads (digitized from original in Lyon Public Library ed.). Longman. p. 405.
  5. ^ Watsons 1830.
  6. ^ "Corn Mill Theatre". Corn Mill Theatre. Retrieved 4 July 2020.
  7. ^ "Carrigallen–Longford – Table No. 463" (PDF) (Timetable). Bus Éireann. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  8. ^ "Cavan–Killashandra–Carrigallen – Table No. 465" (PDF) (Timetable). Bus Éireann. Archived from the original (PDF) on 9 December 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  9. ^ "Carrigallen–Ballinamore–Enniskillen – Table No. 464" (PDF) (Timetable). Bus Éireann. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  10. ^ "Table No. 462" (PDF) (Timetable). Bus Éireann. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  11. ^ "Student Transport: Carrigallen – Longford – Galway". College Transport. geraghtytravel.com (Timetable). Archived from the original on 28 July 2019. Retrieved 6 May 2021.
  12. ^ "Timetable - 573 - Carrigallen to Drumshanbo". locallinkdonegal.ie.
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