Oranmore

Oranmore
Órán Mór
Town
Oranmore
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°16′06″N 8°55′12″W / 53.2683°N 8.92°W / 53.2683; -8.92Coordinates: 53°16′06″N 8°55′12″W / 53.2683°N 8.92°W / 53.2683; -8.92
Country Republic of Ireland
Province Connacht
County County Galway
Elevation 7 m (23 ft)
Population (2016)[1]
 • Urban 7,990
Time zone UTC+0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid Reference M386245

Oranmore (Irish: Órán Mór) is a village in County Galway on the outskirts of the city of Galway in the west of Ireland. With a number of housing developments, Oranmore is increasingly becoming a part of Galway's commuter or suburban belt.

Oranmore is 9 km (5.6 mi) east of Galway City on the edge of Oranmore Bay, an inlet of Galway Bay.

Etymology

Oranmore is the anglicisation of Uarán Mór. The first written record of Oranmore is in the Annals of the Four Masters.[2] It was originally called Fuarán Mór ("Great Spring" in Irish). The name refers to a spring to the northwest of the main village. A bi-lingual information sign was erected by Oranmore Community Development Association in 2010 outlining the history of the spring.

Economy

The focus of industry has shifted from dairy agriculture to tourism, manufacturing and logistics. Oranmore now has four hotels and 23 restaurants.

Railways

Oranmore in the 1990s

Oranmore railway station opened on 1 August 1851, closed on 17 June 1963 and reopened on Sunday 28 July 2013.[3][4] Trains connect directly with Galway, Athenry, Athlone, Portarlington, Kildare and Dublin Heuston, as well as on the Western Rail Corridor to Ennis and Limerick.

Transport

Oranmore village is near the old N6 Galway to Dublin road and the old N18 from Galway to Limerick. The M6 Motorway connects to the existing road at Doughiska, as well as connecting with the M18 at Glenascaul. The former N6 leading into Oranmore has been reclassified as the R338 regional road. The M18 motorway was officially opened on 27 September 2017 and connects to the M6 at Rathmorrissey at a three-level interchange. This road runs close to Oranmore but does not connect directly to it, and instead, motorists have to access it using the R381 at Kiltiernan or the M6 at Rathmorrissey.

Bus Éireann, Citylink, and Nestor Bus services through Oranmore serve Galway, Dublin, Cork, and Dublin and Shannon Airports.

Oranmore aerodrome was a Royal Air Force base in World War I. It later became a civil airfield serving the city of Galway. It was the sight were many British and Irish troops lost their lives and there is a ceremony in Oranmore each year to remember those who lost their lives.

Sport

Oranmore is has a well known and successful sporting heritage.

Maree/Oranmore Soccer Club was founded in 1988. Soccer is now the leading sport in Oranmore with over 600 men, boys and girls participating. The club is associated as one of the big three in Galway alongside Mervue United and Salthill Devon.

People

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Sapmap Area - Settlements - Oranmore". Census 2016. CSO. 2016. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  2. ↑
  3. ↑ "Oranmore station" (PDF). Railscot – Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-11-22.
  4. ↑ Transport Minister to open Oranmore rail station Archived July 5, 2013, at Archive.is - connacht tribune 23/06/13
  5. ↑ Galway News article, June 2010 Archived March 3, 2012, at the Wayback Machine.
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