Clonbur
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An Fhairche
Clonbur | |
---|---|
Village | |
Coordinates: 53°32′00″N 9°22′00″W / 53.5333°N 9.3667°W | |
Country | Ireland |
Province | Connacht |
County | County Galway |
Elevation | 20 m (70 ft) |
Irish Grid Reference | M093559 |
An Fhairche is the only official name. The name Clonbur has no official status. |
An Fhairche (locally An Fháirthí), or Clonbur in English,[1] is a Gaeltacht village in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland.
The village of Clonbur sits between
Clonbur also contains the ruins of the Petersburg Estate, seat of the Lynch family. In more recent times, it was owned by the Guinness family. The house and yard buildings have been completely renovated and now function as an Outdoor Education Centre.[2]
Geography
Located at the foot of Mount Gable, three miles west of Clonbur in
Features
Ross Hill Abbey
In the Ross Hill cemetery of stands the ruins of Teampall Brendain. The ruin is sited within an ancient oval enclosure known as a Caiseal or Cashel. The western end of the ruin is of early Christian origin and in the trabeated doorway can clearly be seen the inclined jambs so distinctive of that era. This edifice replaced a wooden and less durable structure which was the Navigator's original monastic settlement on the site.
Within 30 meters of the western doorway is a curiosity locally known as The Ogham Stone. The site, in the Ross Hill estate, was once the property of the unpopular
Ballykine (Ballykyne) Castle
One of a series of five fortifications from
Architecturally, the castle has some puzzling features. The trabeated doorway with its inclined jambs pre-dates the rest of the structure by some 900 years. Certain sections of the stonework are not bonded together as a unit, a feature which suggests later additions to the original building.
Mount Gable
Mount Gable (1370 feet) is a hill which dominates the isthmus between Lough Corrib and Lough Mask and overlooks one of the major routes into Connemara from the east. The starting point for a walk is approximately 2 km from the village of Clonbur. It provides a backdrop for Lough Coolin. Views of both Lough Mask and Lough Corrib can be had from the top of Mount Gable. Mount Gable is accessible through the villages of Ballyveane and Kilbeg Upper.