Headford

Headford Áth Cinn
—  Town  —
Motto: Áth Cinn le Chéile
Headford Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°28′09″N 9°06′25″W
Country	Ireland
Province	Connacht
County	County Galway
Government
• Dáil Éireann	Galway East
• EU Parliament	North-West
Time zone	WET (UTC+0)
• Summer (DST)	IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference	M269468
Website	www.headford.ie

Headford (Irish: Áth Cinn) is a town in County Galway, located 26 km north of Galway city in the west of Ireland. The N84 national secondary route from Galway to Castlebar passes through the town. The R333 road travels from Headford to Tuam. There are many other 'boreens' and third-class roads on the outskirts of the town. The town of Headford appeared in the Oscar-winning film "The Quiet Man" starring John Wayne.

History

In his 1837 Topographical Dictionary of Ireland, Samuel Lewis recorded a population of 1,441. He described the town in some detail:

This is a neat and clean town, having been much improved by its proprietor, R. J. Mansergh St. George, Esq.; it has a considerable trade, and commands fine views of Lough Corrib, and the mountains of Joyces' country and Mayo. It comprises 217 houses, is a chief constabulary police station, and has petty sessions on Mondays; here is also a dispensary. Bobbin lace, coarse linen, and flannel are made. The market is on Tuesday, and fairs are held on May 11th and Oct. 14th. Headford Castle is the residence of R. J. M. St. George, Esq.; it is a handsome modern building, erected on the ruins of the ancient castle; the extensive demesne, which is laid out with great taste, is entered from the town by a good gateway. Here is also Clydagh House, the seat of G. Staunton Lynch, Esq.

Headford today

Main Street, Headford

The town is the popular angling centre for the eastern shore of Lough Corrib, and Greenfields, some 6.5 km west of the town, is its boating harbour. The town is situated next to the Black River (noted also for its trout angling) which is the county boundary with Mayo. Headford is also the centre of an area rich in archaeological monuments, ranging from prehistoric burial cairns, Iron Age stone enclosures, early Norman and later castles, to a bewildering array of monastic sites. These include nearby Ross Errilly Friary, founded in 1351, which has been described as the best preserved monastic ruin in Ireland. Today, the modern cattle mart, although replacing the fairs and markets once held in the town's two squares, ensures the local popularity of this North Galway town.
The annual Saint Patrick's Day Parade in Headford in 2009 saw the first resurgence of a Market in the town, which since then has been held once a month in the square.
At the end of April 2009 a new set of traffic lights were erected and turned on at the main crossroads in the town. The move has, in general, been welcomed by locals.

Headford Sewage Scheme

Headford is currently undergoing a sewage scheme upgrade, worth €8 million, which will result in the addition of hundreds of new houses.

International relations

Main article: List of twin towns and sister cities in the Republic of Ireland

Twin towns — Sister cities

Headford is twinned with:

• Le Faouët, Brittany, France.
• Morgan Hill, Santa Clara County, California, United States.

Politics

The polling station for all elections in Headford is Headford Girls Primary School. Polling also takes place in Claran Primary School for the Claran and Greenfields area of the Headford townland.

European elections

Headford is part of the North–West constituency for European Parliament elections.

National elections

Headford is part of the Galway East constituency for elections to Dáil Éireann.

Local elections

Headford is part of the Tuam electoral area for Galway County Council elections.

Education

Headford has a small library. The town has two Primary Schools: Headford Girls National School has girls from Junior Infants to 6th Class and Boys from Junior Infants up to 2nd class; St. Brendans Boys school is attached to the girls school and takes boys from 3rd class to 6th class. There are another three primary schools within the parish and one second level school, the Presentation College Headford which has a student population of 740 students. The Presentation College is the largest secondary school in the whole western region.^{[citation needed]}

Religion

The Headford Parish has two churches, both of which are Catholic and were built by Fr. Peter Conway and dedicated to St. Mary. The Church at Claran was built in 1859 and for many years was the home of the Parish priest; the church in Headford was built in 1865 on lands donated by the then Landlord St. George. Father James O'Grady is parish priest of the Headford parish with Fr. Martin Newell (retired) administrating in Claran.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland
• Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Tuam
• Ross Errilly Friary
• Presentation College Headford
• Shrule
• Tuam
• County Galway
• Galway City

External links

• A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland by Samuel Lewis at Library Ireland
• Headford District Association
• Official Headford GAA Website
• Headford History
• Tourist attractions in Headford
• Tuam Guide - Headford, County Galway
• Headford Library Details
• Headford Girls' National School
• Headford Local Attractions