Taghmaconnell[1] also known as Taughmaconnell (Irish: Teach Mhic Conaill, meaning 'MacConaill's house'), is a small village in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is situated between Athlone and Ballinasloe. The village lends its name to the parish and civil parish[1] in which it is located.
The local economy is predominantly based on agriculture, with many residents being farmers. Additionally, some villagers work in large factories and government offices in the nearby towns. The village has one of the lowest crime rates in the country.[2]
Athlone is 14km (9mi) to the east, and Ballinasloe 10km (6mi) to the south-west. There are castle ruins to be seen in Castlesampson, Clonbigney and Dundonnell.[3]
Religion
The local church in Taghmaconnell is dedicated to Saint Ronan, who also had connections with the Aran Islands and Clonmacnoise. The important focal points within the parish include Saint Ronan’s Well, the National School, and the Church, all depicted on the parish banner. The current Parish Priest is Fr. Sean Neylon. The present church dates back to 1805, before this the church was built it seems that mass was celebrated in a big barn across the road in what used to be Costello's shop. The first building on the present site was erected in 1805 on land donated by Brabazon Newcomen.
In 1860 a new church was built out of the foundations of the 1805 one. In 1961 major work was done on the church. The mortuary was built and the front door was set in. Wooden statues that were found under the altar during this renovation certainly came from Clontuskert Priory. They are now in the Diocesan Museum beside the Cathedral in Loughrea. All date back to 1200 to 1300 AD.[4]
Local Soccer Pitch, Sky valley Rovers
St Ronan’s well is situated in the townland of Shraduff in Taughmaconnell. Mass is celebrated at the well annually on 21 June, the summer solstice. According to local tradition, Saint Ronan, on his way from Aran to Clonmacnoise, stopped at the spring well for a drink. A woman with a blind child was present at the well. Saint Ronan blessed the well and anointed the child’s eye with its water, miraculously restoring the child's sight.[5]
Education
Taughmaconnell currently has two primary schools, one in Taughmaconnell and one in Castlesampson. At present there are four teachers in Taughmaconnell and two teachers in Castlesampson.[6]
Tríona Mc Loughlin is the current principal of Taughmaconnell NS and the school currently has 100 students, it is a Catholic school.[7] Reports show the first school in Taughmaconnell was built in 1852 and the old school is dated 1901.[6]
Mary Naughton is the current principal of Castlesampson NS and the school currently has 40 students, it is a Catholic school.[8] Reports show the first school in Castlesampson was built in 1853 while the second came in 1881.[6]
Sport
Soccer – The local soccer team is Skyvalley Rovers which plays in the Roscommon and District League. The club was founded in 1971 and plays at Onagh Park close to Chapel Street the natural parish centre. The team has won 8 league titles, 7 Roscommon Cups and 10 league cups/division cups. The grounds have two full sized pitches. The pitch is also used by St Ronan’s Athletic Club and the Taughmaconnell Community Games are held there every year.
Tug of War – The local Tug of War club was established in 2009 and is affiliated to the Irish Tug of War Association. The team trains at Cloonkeen. The team were runners up in the All-Ireland in 2012.[9]
Community Council
The Taughmaconnell Community Council is a local council that helps assist residents of the village. It is made up of 21 representatives from every part of the village.[10]
County Roscommon is a county in Ireland. It is part of the province of Connacht and the Northern and Western Region. It is the 11th largest Irish county by area and 26th most populous. Its county town and largest town is Roscommon. Roscommon County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county was 69,995 as of the 2022 census.
Athlone is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of 22,869 in the 2022 census.
Ballymahon on the River Inny is a town in the southern part of County Longford, Ireland. It is 19 km north-east of Athlone, at the junction of the N55 and R392 roads.
Carrick-on-Shannon is the county town of County Leitrim in Ireland. It is the largest town in the county. A smaller part of the town located on the west bank of the River Shannon lies in County Roscommon and is home to the town's main train station. As of the 2022 census, the population of the town was 4,743. It is situated on a strategic crossing point of the River Shannon. The main part of the town, the County Leitrim part, is in the civil parish of Kiltoghert, which is in the barony of Leitrim, while Cortober, which is the County Roscommon side of the town, is in the civil parish of Killukin, in the barony of Boyle.
Strokestown, also known as Bellanamullia and Bellanamully, is a small town in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is one of the 27 designated Heritage Towns in Ireland. Located in the part of the country marketed for tourism purposes as Ireland's Hidden Heartlands, it is 140 km (87 mi) from Dublin and 120 km (75 mi) from Galway. Strokestown is one of Ireland's few planned towns, showing evidence of deliberate planning, such as formally aligned streets and prominent public buildings.
Ballinasloe is a town in the easternmost part of County Galway in Connacht. Located at an ancient crossing point on the River Suck, evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of Bronze Age sites. Built around a 12th-century castle, which defended the fording point, the modern town of Ballinasloe was "founded" in the early 13th century. As of the 2016 census, it was one of the largest towns in County Galway, with a population of 6,662 people.
Clonmacnoise or Clonmacnois is a ruined monastery in County Offaly in Ireland on the River Shannon south of Athlone, founded in 544 by Saint Ciarán, a young man from Rathcroghan, County Roscommon. Until the 9th century it had close associations with the kings of Connacht.
Shannonbridge is a village located on the River Shannon, at the junction of the R444 and R357 regional roads in County Offaly, Ireland. It lies within the townland of Raghra, at the borders of counties Offaly, Galway and Roscommon, with the majority of the population living east of the bridge in County Offaly. As of the 2016 census, the village had a population of 175. There are two housing estates within the village. Its location along Ireland's largest river and its proximity to Clonmacnoise have contributed to tourism being a key contributor to the local economy. The village is flanked by a Special Area of Conservation – the Shannon Callows. The physical environment consists of the River Shannon, callows, boglands and the Esker Riada. The village has one of the oldest bridges still in use over the River Shannon, completed in 1757.
Knockcroghery is a village and townland in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is located on the N61 road between Athlone and Roscommon town, near Lough Ree on the River Shannon. The townland of Knockcroghery is in the civil parish of Killinvoy and the historical barony of Athlone North.
The Diocese of Clonfert is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in the western part of Ireland. It is in the Metropolitan Province of Tuam.
The Diocese of Ardagh and Clonmacnoise is a Latin Church diocese of the Catholic Church in Ireland.
Ahascragh is a village in east County Galway, Ireland. It is located 11 km (7 mi) north-west of Ballinasloe on the Ahascragh/Bunowen River, a tributary of the River Suck. The R358 regional road passes through the village. As of the 2022 census, it had a population of 186 people.
Rahara is a village in County Roscommon, Ireland. It lies on the R362 regional road, between Athlone and Athleague about 3 km (1.9 mi) north of the village of Curraghboy. Rahara is in a townland and civil parish of the same name.
Drum is a civil parish in south County Roscommon about 5 km west of Athlone. It lies in the barony of Athlone. One of the townlands in the parish is also called Drum. Meehambee Dolmen, a portal tomb estimated to be 5,500 years old, is located in the northern part of the parish. In the village there are a number of historical and religious sites, including Drum Cemetery, St. Brigid's Church and Drum Monastic Site. Drum Parish Hall and Drum Heritage Visitor Centre are located next to the graveyard, in the townland of Belrea.
Cornafulla is a village in the parish of Drum in south County Roscommon, Ireland about 8 km west of Athlone along the R446 road. In the centre of the village is a national (primary) school, garage and car sales business. The post office and convenience store closed in 2019. The current national school was built in the 1980s to replace the original school. The old school house is now rented by the new school due to the large number of students attending. Construction of a major extension to the school was completed in 2011, and the school was recorded as having over 290 pupils enrolled as of 2013.
The M6 motorway is a motorway in Ireland, which runs from Dublin to Galway. The M6 extends from its junction with the M4 at Kinnegad all the way west to the outskirts of Galway City, but the Athlone bypass and the approach to Galway city - while of dual carriageway standard - have not been designated motorway and are still signed as N6. The motorway was officially completed and opened to traffic on 18 December 2009, and was the first city-to-city direct major inter-urban route to be completed in Ireland. The M6 and M4, which form the Galway–Dublin route, consist of a grade-separated 2+2 dual carriageway road with a top speed limit of 120 km/h. At approximately 144 km (90 mi), the M6 is the third longest motorway in the state and will be 159 km.
Padraig Pearses GAA Club is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the parishes of Moore, Taughmaconnell and Creagh in County Roscommon, Ireland. They play in red and white colours and their home pitch is at Woodmount, Creagh.
The Dublin–Galway Greenway is a partially completed 'coast-to-coast' greenway and partial rail trail, in Ireland, funded by the Department of Transport, which is due to become the western section of EuroVelo EV2, a cycle route from Galway, Ireland, crossing Europe and ending in Moscow, Russia. The 276 kilometres (171 mi) route was planned to be completed by 2020. It is due to be the fourth greenway in Ireland, after the Great Southern Trail, the Great Western Greenway and the Waterford Greenway.
Kiltoom, also Kiltomb, is a civil parish as well as an electoral division in County Roscommon, Ireland. There is also an eponymous townland in the parish. Kiltoom is located northwest of Athlone on the southwestern shore of Lough Ree.
Castlecoote is a townland within the civil parish of Fuerty on the R366 regional road near the town of Roscommon in County Roscommon, Ireland. Castlecoote is known for Castlecoote house and the ruins of a much older castle. The River Suck, which encircles Castlecoote House, is renowned for its trout and coarse fishing.
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