Rosmuc

Rosmuc

Ros Muc
Rosmuc Ros Muc
Town
	Camus Bay
Country	Ireland
Province	Connacht
County	County Galway
Elevation	1 m (3 ft)
Time zone	UTC+0 (WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid Reference	L924345

Rosmuc or Ros Muc (formerly anglicised as Rosmuck)^[1] is a village in the heart of the Conamara Gaeltacht of County Galway, Ireland. It lies halfway between the town of Clifden and the city of Galway. Irish is the predominant spoken language. The District Electoral Division of Turlough, Rosmuc, state that Rosmuc is the most strongly Irish-speaking area in the country.

History and etymology

It is estimated that people first settled in Rosmuc in 400, one hundred years before Naomh Briocán (Saint Briocán) brought Christianity to the area. That is to say that there are people that have been in Rosmuc for one thousand five hundred years.

It is believed that the name 'Ros Muc' comes from the old Irish "the peninsula of rounded hills", ros meaning "peninsula" and muc meaning "rounded hills" or "Pig". Alternatively, the etymology could literally be ros muc—"the pig's head peninsula" (communication by boat between the area and neighbouring islands in Ceantar na nOileán being common up until the early 20th century, and the appearance of the peninsula from the sea was said to resemble that of a pig's head).

Population

The population of Rosmuc is estimated to be around four hundred fifty people. For the past thirty years there has been a decline in the population, this is mainly due to emigration, although the tide of emigration has subsided in recent years due to the robust nature of the Irish economy.

Irish language

There are 557 people living in the Ros Muc ED and 87% are 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.

The area has many literary figures, notably Irish revolutionary and education/language activist Patrick Pearse (Pádraig Mac Piarais) who had a summer residence there in the early 1900s (now a National Monument/Heritage Site open to the public), and who set many of his short stories in the area. Another writer was Pádraic Ó Conaire, who wrote a number of short stories partly set in the region, including M'asal Beag Dubh (My Little Black Donkey) and the novella Deoraíocht (Exile). The area is recognised as one of the strongest remaining Gaeltacht areas in South Connemara.

Pádraig Pearse, who was involved in the 1916 revolution in Dublin had a cottage in Rosmuc where he wrote many of his pieces. It was in Rosmuc that he wrote his famous oration given at the grave of Ó Donnabháin Rosa (O'Donovan Rossa) in 1915, which included the immortal words " ... but, the fools, the fools, the fools! — They have left us our Fenian dead, and while Ireland holds these graves, Ireland unfree shall never be at peace."

Rosmuc has had a long term relationship with Coláiste na bhFiann[1] as it provides host accommodation for students learning Irish during the summer months.

Gaelic sports

Based in Rosmuc is Cumann Sacar Naomh Briocain (affiliated with the FAI and playing in the Galway district league) Naomh Briocain also has players from neighbouring parishes, most notably Cill Chairain, Carna and Letir Mor. The youth teams up to minors are called "Carna Caiseal Na Piarsaigh". It has a mixture of players from Rosmuc, Camus,Kilkerrin and Carna. Their under 12s team has done significantly well in the last few years winning the double in 2015 and winning their league and reaching the final of the other one only to lose out to An Spidéal.

Rosmuc along with its neighbours Camus and An Sraith Salach have a GAA Football between them called Na Piarsaigh.[2]

The village is the birthplace of a former president of the Gaelic League, Proinsias Mac Aonghusa.

Town Lands in Rosmuc

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

Town festival

The area has a traditional Sean-nós Irish dancing festival the first weekend following St. Brigid's Day (1 February), Rosmuc's traditional first day of spring.

Former Residents

Rosmuc's most famous and historic landmark is Pearse's Cottage, which attracts up to ten thousand visitors each year. It was April 1903 when P.H. Pearse (Irish: Pádraig Mac Piarais) first came to Rosmuc as an examiner for Conradh na Gaeilge. Rosmuc and its people made an impression on him like no other place had previously and because of this he decided to build a holiday home there. He bought a site from Jeanín Mhichíl Grealish, a beautiful spot with a magnificent view of Loch Eiliúrach. Máirtín Labhráis Nee and Tom Labhráis Nee built a two bed roomed-thatched cottage for him. Bartley Mannion did the carpentry work on the cottage.

Proinsias Mac Aonghusa, Broadcaster, Writer, Journalist and former President of Conradh na Gaeilge
Sean (John) Mannion, world class light middleweight boxer, now a professional trainer and also is heavily involved in youth boxing in the area.
Mary Walsh, the mother of Marty Walsh, the newly elected Mayor of Boston, is a native of Ros Cide, a townland near Ros Muc.
Patrick Nee, an Irish-American mobster and best-selling author from South Boston, Massachusetts, is a native of Rosmuc.

References

^ Placenames Database of Ireland

External links

Ros Muc Pop stats 2006

[1] Placenames Database of Ireland

[1]