Carran
Encyclopedia
Carran is a village in County Clare
, Ireland
, bounded on the northwest by County Galway
and on the south by Kilinaboy, Slieve Carron, one of the highest points in the Burren
lies just north of the village,the area is renowned for its walking trails and spectacular views over the Burren. In the village itself there is a Pub and Restaurant , a Hostel, a number of Bed and Breakfast
s a church, a school and a town hall. Within five miles of the village are The Burren Perfumery, Caherconnell Stone Fort
, Gleann Ciosog (Gaelic Athletic Association
pitch for the local football team Michael Cusacks), Poulnabrone dolmen
, a Turlough
(disappearing lake) and limestone scenery.
, the inspirer and co-founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association
.
County Clare
-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...
, 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,...
, bounded on the northwest by 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...
and on the south by Kilinaboy, Slieve Carron, one of the highest points in the Burren
The Burren
The Burren is a karst-landscape region or alvar in northwest County Clare, in Ireland. It is one of the largest karst landscapes in Europe. The region measures approximately 250 square kilometres and is enclosed roughly within the circle made by the villages Ballyvaughan, Kinvara, Tubber, Corofin,...
lies just north of the village,the area is renowned for its walking trails and spectacular views over the Burren. In the village itself there is a Pub and Restaurant , a Hostel, a number of Bed and Breakfast
Bed and breakfast
A bed and breakfast is a small lodging establishment that offers overnight accommodation and breakfast, but usually does not offer other meals. Since the 1980s, the meaning of the term has also extended to include accommodations that are also known as "self-catering" establishments...
s a church, a school and a town hall. Within five miles of the village are The Burren Perfumery, Caherconnell Stone Fort
Caherconnell Stone Fort
Caherconnell Stone Fort is an ancient and exceptionally well preserved Celtic Ring Fort in Ireland, situated in the Burren, about 1 km south of the Poulnabrone dolmen...
, Gleann Ciosog (Gaelic Athletic Association
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
pitch for the local football team Michael Cusacks), Poulnabrone dolmen
Poulnabrone dolmen
Poulnabrone Dolmen is a portal tomb in the Burren, County Clare, Ireland, dating back to the Neolithic period, probably between 4200 BC to 2900 BC. It is situated 8km south of Ballyvaughan in the parish of Carran, 9.6km north-west of Kilnaboy...
, a Turlough
Turlough
Turlough can mean:* Turlough * Turlough O'Brien Anglicised form of Toirdelbach Ua Briain, King of Munster, effectively High King of Ireland* Turlough O'Neill Ulster chieftain...
(disappearing lake) and limestone scenery.
People
It is the birthplace of Michael CusackMichael Cusack
Michael Cusack was an Irish teacher and founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association.-His Life:...
, the inspirer and co-founder of the Gaelic Athletic Association
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
.
Places of interest
- The cliff-bound valley of Kilcorney, 7k away, is characteristic of the area.
- Carron church is situated about six miles north west of Corofin. It measures over 50 ft in length and almost 30 ft in breadth. The west end contains a belfry at the top and the south end has a pointed doorway and two windows, one of which is pointed and the other which is broken. The east end contains another pointed window broad on the inside and narrow on the outside. A broken stone altar remains under this window and at the left corner is a Holy Water Font. In the north wall are three heads, two males and one female.
- Turning right as you leave the village, is Temple CronanTemple CronanTemple Cronan is a ruined medieval oratory or chapel built over a holy well in the Burren, County Clare, Ireland; the current buildings apparently date from the 12th and 15th centuries, although they may partly incorporate earlier buildings...
, a 12th century church measuring 21 ft in length and over 12 ft in breadth. The west end of the church has some grotesque Romanesque heads on its exterior wall. In the churchyardChurchyardA churchyard is a patch of land adjoining or surrounding a church which is usually owned by the relevant church or local parish itself. In the Scots language or Northern English language this can also be known as a kirkyard or kirkyaird....
there are two CumdachCumdachA cumdach or book shrine is an elaborate ornamented box or case used as a reliquary to enshrine books regarded as relics of the saints who had used them in Early Medieval Ireland...
s for bones built by St. Cronan. They are built from large flagstones, so placed as to meet at the top similar to a roof. West of the church is the holy well, Tobar Chronain, at which stations are performed. - In the vicinity, at Poulewhack (Poll an Bhaic, The Hole of the Angle), the Harvard Archaeological Expedition excavated, in 1934, a bronze ageBronze AgeThe Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
burial mound situated on a high limestoneLimestoneLimestone is a sedimentary rock composed largely of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of calcium carbonate . Many limestones are composed from skeletal fragments of marine organisms such as coral or foraminifera....
plateau. A number of cists were found containing skeletons. Over the cists was a great cairn of stones 2 metres in height and 16 metres in diameter. - At CahercommaunCahercommaunCahercommaun is a triple ringfort on the south-east edge of the The Burren area, in Kilnaboy which is near the rural village Carran, in County Clare, Ireland. It was built about 800 AD.-Features:...
in the neighbouring Parish of Kilnaboy, stone fort excavations were also made. The fort, similar in type to those on the Aran IslandsAran IslandsThe Aran Islands or The Arans are a group of three islands located at the mouth of Galway Bay, on the west coast of Ireland. They constitute the barony of Aran in County Galway, Ireland...
, though smaller, dates from the 7th to the 10th century and consists of three massive stone walls, the outermost 130 metres in diameter, two outer semi-circular walls each side ending at the edge of the steep cliff. Inside the inner wall were two souterrainSouterrainSouterrain is a name given by archaeologists to a type of underground structure associated mainly with the Atlantic Iron Age. These structures appear to have been brought northwards from Gaul during the late Iron Age. Regional names include earth houses, fogous and Pictish houses...
s. Numerous articles were found within this inner wall which shed a good deal of light on life in north Clare in the centuries before the coming of the NormansNormansThe Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
; the only weapon was the point of a heavy single-edged sword.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland