Bearna is a Gaeltacht

Gaeltacht

is the Irish language word meaning an Irish-speaking region. In Ireland, the Gaeltacht, or an Ghaeltacht, refers individually to any, or collectively to all, of the districts where the government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant language, that is, the vernacular spoken at home...

 village

Village

A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...

 west of Galway

Galway

Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...

 city in County Galway

County Galway

County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...

, Ireland

Republic of Ireland

Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

, on the R336

R336 road

The R336 road is a regional road in Ireland. Heading west the route connects the city of Galway to An Cheathrú Rua through Casla. From Casla the route proceeds north, further into Connemara, passing through Screeb and crossing the N59 at Maam Cross...

 regional road

Regional road

A regional road in Ireland is a class of road not forming a major route , but nevertheless forming a link in the national route network. There are over 11,600 kilometres of regional roads. Regional roads are numbered with three digit route numbers, prefixed by "R" A regional road in Ireland is a...

. Once a satellite of Galway city, the village is now rapidly becoming one of its suburbs. Officially the village is regarded as Irish speaking and is therefore a constituent part of the regions of Ireland that make up the Gaeltacht. However, because of its absorption into the city, it has recently become a mainly English speaking village. Nonetheless, Irish is still the main language of its western and northern hinterland and the village has now effectively become the gateway to the largest Irish speaking region in the country, Connemara.

To try to control the major development which has been undertaken in recent years, a very strongly supported local action group has been set up (Pobal Bhearna). In 1976 a community development group called Comharchumann Bearna Teo was formed after five local men put up the purchase money for 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) at Troscaigh Thiar to be used for community purposes and has succeeded in developing several recreational facilities.

Sport

There are numerous sporting clubs active in the Bearna area. Barna GAA are one of the largest sports groups in the village fielding gaelic football

Gaelic football

Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...

 teams in men's and ladies' competitions. Other Clubs in the parish are Bearna/Na Forbacha hurling

Hurling

Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...

 club and Barna United soccer club. Notably, Cormac Folan of Freeport in Bearna represented Ireland in Rowing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Rowing at the 2008 Summer Olympics

Rowing competitions at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing were held from August 9 to August 17, at the Shunyi Olympic Rowing-Canoeing Park.- Events :14 sets of medals were awarded in the following events:*Single sculls men*Pairs men...

.

Townlands of Bearna

Most townlands are anglisations of the original Irish language names.

• Forramoyle West (from Na Foraí Maola Thiar)
• Forramoyle East (from Na Foraí Maola Thoir)
• New Village (from An Baile Nua)
• Leaclea (from An Leac Liath meaning ‘the gray flagstone or slab’)
• Seapoint (Rinn na Mara in Irish)
• Ahaglugger (from Ath an Ghlugair)
• Truskey West (from Troscaigh Thiar)
• Truskey East (from Troscaigh Thoir)
• Freeport (An Chéibh in Irish)
• Ballard West (from An Baile Ard Thiar meaning ‘the high village west’)
• Ballard East (from An Baile Ard Thoir meaning ‘the high village east’)
• Lenarevagh (from An Léana Riabhach meaning ‘the brindled or streaked grassland’)
• Knockaunnacarragh (from An Cnocán Carrach)