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Mountbellew |
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Including
Caltra,
Castleblakeney,
Menlough,
Moylough,
Skehana
Mountbellew is a quiet market town 45 km from
Galway
City on the N63 to Roscommon. It is situated near the River Shiven, which provides some excellent fly fishing for brown
trout. Mountbellew is known in Irish as 'An Creagan', the
little rock, or a rocky or stony place. The town owes its name to the
Bellew family which originated in Belleau, France and came to Ireland
through England at the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion but did not
achieve prominence until the end of the fourteenth century. They settled
in Meath and Louth. The Bellews of Mountbellew are descended from James
Bellew of Bellewstown, County Meath. It was once the home of the Grattan-Bellew family, famous
Galway parliamentarians during the 18th and 19th centuries.
Their demesne is now a delightful wooded area of forest
walks and picnic areas, filled with interesting historical
items. The village bridge also contains a rare milestone
inserted in the middle of its parapet.
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Holy Rosary College
Holy Rosary College (above left) was established in 1944 as Scoil na Coróine
Muire, a Girls' Secondary School. The school was started by the Sisters of the
Holy Spirit and Mary Immaculate, an American congregation, who had come in 1934
to Mountbellew where they established St Philip's Convent in "Bellewsgrove", the
old dower-house of the Grattan-Bellew estate. This Georgian building housed both
a convent and a school for 22 years. Many of the girls joined the congregation
and moved to the Novitiate in San Antonio, Texas. The number of students in the
school ranged from 45 - 55. In 1965, Archbishop Walsh, in response to requests
from the people of Mountbellew, asked the Sisters to admit boys to the school.
However, the Congregation was not interested in developing a co-ed school and
decided to withdraw from Ireland. A memorial plaque at the entrance to Holy
Rosary Convent commemorates "the many women who went from here to serve the poor
and marginated in the USA, Mexico and Zambia".
Agricultural College
The College (below left) in Mountbellew is owned and managed by the Franciscan
Brothers. The programmes offered at the College have the maintenance and
enhancement of the environment, countryside and rural communities as their major
priorities. The college is a private college but joins with Teagasc, GMIT, VEC
and FAS in delivering courses. The Brothers came to Mountbellew, Co Galway in
1818. They taught a free primary school in Mountbellew until 1884 and in 1875
they opened a secondary boarding school. Later the Brothers changed from
Secondary education to Agricultural Education and in 1904 opened the first
Agricultural College in Ireland.
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Bobbyjo - Aintree Grand National Winner
Bobbyjo (above right) who won the Grand National at Aintree in 1999 to become
the first Irish winner of the race in 24 years. The 10-1 shot and winner owned
by Mountbellew native Bobby Burke was ridden by Paul Carberry, and trained by
his father Tommy.
Mountbellew Agricultural Show
One of the biggest events in the Mountbellew calendar is the annual Agricultural
Show. This takes place every year on the second Saturday of September from as
far back as 1904 to the present day. Entries to the show come from all over
Ireland. There are sections for livestock, dogs, farm produce, cookery and
handcrafts. There are junior sections for people under 16, and everyone is very
welcome. On show weekend Mountbellew has a Harvest Festival and the town comes
alive with activity. There is traditional music in the local pubs, competitions
and amusements in the Square.
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