Cloonfad is a village in County Roscommon

County Roscommon

County Roscommon 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 town of Roscommon. Roscommon County Council is the local authority for 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,...

. It is located at the crossroads of the N83

N83 road (Ireland)

The N83 road is a national secondary road in Ireland that runs from its junction with the N17 just south of Ireland West Airport Knock in County Mayo to a point just north of Tuam, County Galway where it rejoins the N17.Total length is ....

 National secondary road

National secondary road

A national secondary road is a category of road in Ireland. These roads form an important part of the national route network, but are secondary to the main arterial routes which are classified as national primary roads. National secondary roads are designated with route numbers higher than those...

 and the R327 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...

.
Cloonfad is located around 10 km from the town of Ballyhaunis

Ballyhaunis

Ballyhaunis is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is situated at the crossroads of the N60 and N83 National secondary roads and on the railway line connecting Dublin to Westport and Ballina....

 in Co. Mayo

County Mayo

County Mayo 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 village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...

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In recent years, a scenic walkway has been opened to the public which takes walkers to surrounding villages through scenic moorland. It is indeed this habitat which gave rise to the village's name in Irish - Cluain Fada or "Long Meadow". Cloonfad's local church - The Church of Saint Patrick, has been publishing an annual parish magazine since 1992 "The Cloonfad Magasine".

Like in many other villages in Ireland, economic prosperity since the 1990s has altered the demographic profile of Cloonfad with notably a number of people from Eastern Europe and Brasil now resident in the village.

Religion

The present church of St. Patrick was erected in 1934. Work on the foundation began in September 1932 with the foundation stone blessed by the Most Rev. Dr. Gilmartin, Archbishop of Tuam

Archbishop of Tuam

The Archbishop of Tuam is an archiepiscopal title which takes its name after the town of Tuam in County Galway, Ireland. The title was used by the Church of Ireland until 1839, and is still in use by the Roman Catholic Church.-History:...

 in December 1932. The completed Church was dedicated on the 12th August 1934 where, on that occasion His Grace presided at the Solemn Mass.

Alterations were made by the inclusion of porches by Fr. Horan, later Monsignor Horan, parish priest of Knock, during his time in Cloonfad and in 1960 the Sanctuary was revised to accommodate the new Liturgy of the Mass. The church underwent further renovation in the late 1990s.

Handball

Established in the 1930s, Cloonfad Handball Club is one of the oldest sporting organisations in the parish. The present facilities were opened in 1980. The club is registered with County Roscommon Handball board and is affiliated to Croke Park

Croke Park

Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...

. The club also plays host to racquetball.

Since then the handball alley closed down but reopened this summer thanks to local workers.

Soccer

Cloonfad United

In recent years Cloonfad United has experienced great success. There are 8 Cloonfad teams in the following sports' categories: Under-8s, U-10s, U-12s, U-14s, U-16s, Snr. B-team and A-team.

Annalistic references

• 741 - Aenghus, son of Tibraide, Abbot of Cluain Foda Baedain Abha ... died.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland