Portumna
Encyclopedia
Portumna is a market town in the south-east of County Galway
, Ireland
, on the border with County Tipperary
. The town is located to the west of the point where the River Shannon
enters Lough Derg. This historic crossing point over the River Shannon between counties Tipperary and Galway has a long history of bridges and ferry crossings. On the west side of the town is Portumna Castle and its forest park.
over the navigation channel are of technical and engineering interest, and it is the largest early-twentieth century swivel bridge in Europe.. The opening section was replaced in October 2008.
The Shannon at this point consists of two channels divided by Hayes Island, the one on the North Tipperary side being about 79 m (260 ft) wide, and that on the Galway side being about 73 m (240 ft) wide. Each channel is spanned by three pairs of mild-steel plate girders, either 24 m (80 ft) or 27 m (90 ft) in length, resting on 3 m (9 ft) diameter concrete-filled cast-iron cylinders.
during the The Great Famine. The Portumna Union was formally declared on 22 February 1850, covering an area of 121 square miles (313.4 km²) as a subdivision of the Ballinasloe and Loughrea
unions.
The Portumna Union workhouse was erected on a 9 acres (36,421.7 m²) site 0.5 miles (804.7 m) to the north-east of Portumna. Designed by the Poor Law Commissioners' architect George Wilkinson, the building was intended to accommodate 600 inmates who were badly affected by the lack of both employment and food at the time. Its construction cost £6,700 plus £1,175 for fittings etc., but in recent years the workhouse site has been left semi-derelict. One of the front blocks is, however, used by a local council depot.
and for the lords that lived there. The castle is actually a semi-fortified house
and was built before 1618 by Richard Burke
or de Burgo, the 4th Earl of Clanricarde
. It was the main seat of the de Burgo family for over 200 years, until it was gutted by fire in 1826.
The castle is located about 200 metres North of Portumna (or 'New') Harbour on Lough Derg, with Portumna Forest Park to the West and the town of Portumna about 300 metres to the North and East.
Following conservation and restoration work, the ground floor of the castle is now open to the public. The conservation works on other parts of the castle are ongoing. To the north of the castle are formal, geometrically laid out gardens. The castle also includes the restored 17th century walled kitchen garden.
As with many historic buildings a number of local legends have grown up around the castle. One local legend goes that a child fell out of the upper windows. An Irish wolf hound raced over, broke the child's fall and saved the child. A marker stone now rests on the site. The bones of the dog, called "Fury" according to a marker stone erected at the time of his death, have been found during excavations, and are now on display in the castle itself.
the plan of campaign which nationalist leaders forced landlords to reduce rents started in portumna. lord clanricarde was targeted because of his harsh brutality on his tenants, he was quoted on saying, " if you think you can intimidate me by shooting my agent. you are mistaken" he demanded that the government offer all protection which his property was entitled, which they did,
when rent day came in November 1886 4,000 tenants marched with a brass band past the estate office and to the hotel where a group of nationalist mp"s decided how much rent was to be paid, thus upon returning back to the estate office offered their rent, the officer in charge refused to take the reduced amount where upon the money was handed over to the mp"s for their defence, a certain william o brien mp described it as " an artist in political melodrama " one of the main instigators in this drama was a jeremiah odriscoll or affectionally known as "cus" because of the disturbances in portumna, a 1887 act was brought into affect " the new crimes act " in effect the last Irish crimes act ever to be put on the British statue book.
Today, Portumna Castle is a heritage museum of the Flight of the Wild Geese
.
Within the park there are forest and lakeside walks, car parking and toilet facilities and observation points. Also within the site are the remains of a Cistercian abbey, dating from the 15th Century and adjacent to the Park is a marina giving access to the Shannon
waterway system.
The forest is mainly coniferous but also contains a wide variety of broadleaved trees, both native and exotic. In addition to woodlands there are wide open spaces, green fields, scrub, marsh, water and numerous off-shore islands. This inter mix of forest, open area, water and islands gives a wide choice of habitat to support a great variety of flora and fauna.
and Lough Derg, and there are a number of harbours - two of which are on the Portumna side of the river.
These are Connacht Harbour, accessed via the river, which is beside Bridge Road, on the eastern side of the town, and Portumna (or 'New') Harbour which is on the northern shore of Lough Derg beside Castle Avenue, adjacent to the castle and the forest park on the southern edge of the town.
A third private harbour has been recently established on the Tipperary side of the river at Portland House. There are also private moorings at Belle Isle harbour. Pleasure craft can be privately hired at Emerald Star Line cruisers at Connacht Harbour.
itself and the Northern Shores of Lough Derg. On the river there are two main stretches near Portumna. One is downstream of Portumna and is known locally as the 'lower town stretch' or 'Rogers Island'. The other is upstream of the town and is known as the upper ESB
stretch or 'Fairyhill'. The most commonly caught species include Pike, Perch
, Bream, Roach
and hybrids. The River Shannon and Lough Derg also provide for pleasure boating and watersports. During the summer months, sports such as water-skiing and wakeboarding
are popular in Portumna.
Portumna Golf Club (founded in 1913) and its 18-hole parkland golf course (par 72), set within the 1500 acres (6.1 km²) Portumna Forest Park, is located on the western approach to the town, approx. two kilometres from the town centre on the Ennis
/Gort
road.
The town is home to the 2006, 2008 and 2009 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship
winners. The town's senior hurlers beat the Co. Cork champions Newtownshandrum
in Croke Park
on St. Patricks Day, 2006, (by a score of 2-8 to 1-6) to capture their first title; won again on St Patrick's Day 2008, against Co. Offaly champions Birr
(by a score of 3-19 to 3-9) and retained their title a year later, beating Co. Waterford's De La Salle
2-24 to 1-8. In addition, the hurlers have won five Galway county titles during this period of success. These titles were won in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009. A number of Portumna players, including Joe Canning
, are members of the Galway senior panel
.
Associations in Ireland (CBSI
, SAI
, and NISC
) held a major Jamboree
at Portumna, Co. Galway to celebrate International Youth Year
. 'Portumna '85' was the first Irish scout camp involving all three Irish scouting organizations. It is remembered by both participants and locals as 'Port-mud-na '85' on account of the muddy conditions that had to be endured by the 10,000 or so participants, caused by the torrential rain which fell during that summer.
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 border with County Tipperary
County Tipperary
County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
. The town is located to the west of the point where the River Shannon
River Shannon
The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...
enters Lough Derg. This historic crossing point over the River Shannon between counties Tipperary and Galway has a long history of bridges and ferry crossings. On the west side of the town is Portumna Castle and its forest park.
Portumna Bridge
Portumna is served with a five-span road bridge over the Shannon. This was designed by C. E. Stanier of London, and completed in 1911, with a central section resting on Hayes's Island which divides the river into two channels. The steel structure of the main bridge and pivotting swing bridgeSwing bridge
A swing bridge is a movable bridge that has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its centre of gravity, about which the turning span can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right...
over the navigation channel are of technical and engineering interest, and it is the largest early-twentieth century swivel bridge in Europe.. The opening section was replaced in October 2008.
The Shannon at this point consists of two channels divided by Hayes Island, the one on the North Tipperary side being about 79 m (260 ft) wide, and that on the Galway side being about 73 m (240 ft) wide. Each channel is spanned by three pairs of mild-steel plate girders, either 24 m (80 ft) or 27 m (90 ft) in length, resting on 3 m (9 ft) diameter concrete-filled cast-iron cylinders.
Workhouse
A number of Poor Law Unions were set up across IrelandIreland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
during the The Great Famine. The Portumna Union was formally declared on 22 February 1850, covering an area of 121 square miles (313.4 km²) as a subdivision of the Ballinasloe and Loughrea
Loughrea
Loughrea is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The town lies north of a range of wooded hills, the Slieve Aughty Mountains.The town expanded in recent years as it increasingly becomes a commuter town for the city of Galway.- Name :...
unions.
The Portumna Union workhouse was erected on a 9 acres (36,421.7 m²) site 0.5 miles (804.7 m) to the north-east of Portumna. Designed by the Poor Law Commissioners' architect George Wilkinson, the building was intended to accommodate 600 inmates who were badly affected by the lack of both employment and food at the time. Its construction cost £6,700 plus £1,175 for fittings etc., but in recent years the workhouse site has been left semi-derelict. One of the front blocks is, however, used by a local council depot.
Castle
The town is noted for Portumna CastlePortumna Castle
Portumna Castle is a semi-fortified house built, in the reign of James I, close to the shore of Lough Derg near where the river Shannon enters the lake.-History:...
and for the lords that lived there. The castle is actually a semi-fortified house
Fortified house
A fortified house is a type of building which developed in Europe during the Middle Ages.Generally beginning as a traditional manor house or noble residence it would later be later fortified to a more military styling with the addition of gate houses, stone walls, towers or other such features to...
and was built before 1618 by Richard Burke
Richard Burke, 4th Earl of Clanricarde
Richard Burke, 4th Earl of Clanricarde was an Irish nobleman. He was the son of Ulick Burke, 3rd Earl of Clanricarde and Honora Burke, daughter of John Burke....
or de Burgo, the 4th Earl of Clanricarde
Earl of Clanricarde
Earl of Clanricarde is a title that has been created twice in the Peerage of Ireland, first in 1543 and again in 1800. The former creation became extinct in 1916 while the 1800 creation is still extant and held by the Marquess of Sligo since 1916....
. It was the main seat of the de Burgo family for over 200 years, until it was gutted by fire in 1826.
The castle is located about 200 metres North of Portumna (or 'New') Harbour on Lough Derg, with Portumna Forest Park to the West and the town of Portumna about 300 metres to the North and East.
Following conservation and restoration work, the ground floor of the castle is now open to the public. The conservation works on other parts of the castle are ongoing. To the north of the castle are formal, geometrically laid out gardens. The castle also includes the restored 17th century walled kitchen garden.
As with many historic buildings a number of local legends have grown up around the castle. One local legend goes that a child fell out of the upper windows. An Irish wolf hound raced over, broke the child's fall and saved the child. A marker stone now rests on the site. The bones of the dog, called "Fury" according to a marker stone erected at the time of his death, have been found during excavations, and are now on display in the castle itself.
the plan of campaign which nationalist leaders forced landlords to reduce rents started in portumna. lord clanricarde was targeted because of his harsh brutality on his tenants, he was quoted on saying, " if you think you can intimidate me by shooting my agent. you are mistaken" he demanded that the government offer all protection which his property was entitled, which they did,
when rent day came in November 1886 4,000 tenants marched with a brass band past the estate office and to the hotel where a group of nationalist mp"s decided how much rent was to be paid, thus upon returning back to the estate office offered their rent, the officer in charge refused to take the reduced amount where upon the money was handed over to the mp"s for their defence, a certain william o brien mp described it as " an artist in political melodrama " one of the main instigators in this drama was a jeremiah odriscoll or affectionally known as "cus" because of the disturbances in portumna, a 1887 act was brought into affect " the new crimes act " in effect the last Irish crimes act ever to be put on the British statue book.
Today, Portumna Castle is a heritage museum of the Flight of the Wild Geese
Flight of the Wild Geese
The Flight of the Wild Geese refers to the departure of an Irish Jacobite army under the command of Patrick Sarsfield from Ireland to France, as agreed in the Treaty of Limerick on October 3, 1691, following the end of the Williamite War in Ireland...
.
Portumna Forest Park
Portumna forest park is located on the southwestern edge of the town, on the northern shore of Lough Derg. The park spans almost 600 hectares (1,500 acres) and formed part of the lands of the Earl of Clanricarde, who was seated at Portumna Castle. It was purchased by the Irish government in 1948.Within the park there are forest and lakeside walks, car parking and toilet facilities and observation points. Also within the site are the remains of a Cistercian abbey, dating from the 15th Century and adjacent to the Park is a marina giving access to the Shannon
River Shannon
The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...
waterway system.
The forest is mainly coniferous but also contains a wide variety of broadleaved trees, both native and exotic. In addition to woodlands there are wide open spaces, green fields, scrub, marsh, water and numerous off-shore islands. This inter mix of forest, open area, water and islands gives a wide choice of habitat to support a great variety of flora and fauna.
Marine tourism
Portumna is a tourist destination for boaters, golfers and anglers. The town is at the junction of the River ShannonRiver Shannon
The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...
and Lough Derg, and there are a number of harbours - two of which are on the Portumna side of the river.
These are Connacht Harbour, accessed via the river, which is beside Bridge Road, on the eastern side of the town, and Portumna (or 'New') Harbour which is on the northern shore of Lough Derg beside Castle Avenue, adjacent to the castle and the forest park on the southern edge of the town.
A third private harbour has been recently established on the Tipperary side of the river at Portland House. There are also private moorings at Belle Isle harbour. Pleasure craft can be privately hired at Emerald Star Line cruisers at Connacht Harbour.
Sport
There are several angling hotspots near Portumna - a number of which are official match stretches located on the River ShannonRiver Shannon
The River Shannon is the longest river in Ireland at . It divides the west of Ireland from the east and south . County Clare, being west of the Shannon but part of the province of Munster, is the major exception...
itself and the Northern Shores of Lough Derg. On the river there are two main stretches near Portumna. One is downstream of Portumna and is known locally as the 'lower town stretch' or 'Rogers Island'. The other is upstream of the town and is known as the upper ESB
ESB
- Organizations :*ESB Reutlingen, a business school of the Reutlingen University in Germany*ESB Customer Supply, the incumbent retail supplier of electricity in Ireland*ESB Group, a multinational energy group based in Ireland...
stretch or 'Fairyhill'. The most commonly caught species include Pike, Perch
Perch
Perch is a common name for fish of the genus Perca, freshwater gamefish belonging to the family Percidae. The perch, of which there are three species in different geographical areas, lend their name to a large order of vertebrates: the Perciformes, from the Greek perke meaning spotted, and the...
, Bream, Roach
Rutilus
Rutilus is a genus of fishes in the family Cyprinidae, commonly called roaches. Locally, the name "roach" without any further qualifiers is also used for particular species, particularly the Common Roach Rutilus (Latin for "shining, red, golden, auburn") is a genus of fishes in the family...
and hybrids. The River Shannon and Lough Derg also provide for pleasure boating and watersports. During the summer months, sports such as water-skiing and wakeboarding
Wakeboarding
Wakeboarding is a surface water sport which involves riding a wakeboard over the surface of a body of water. It was developed from a combination of water skiing, snow boarding and surfing techniques....
are popular in Portumna.
Portumna Golf Club (founded in 1913) and its 18-hole parkland golf course (par 72), set within the 1500 acres (6.1 km²) Portumna Forest Park, is located on the western approach to the town, approx. two kilometres from the town centre on the Ennis
Ennis
Ennis is the county town of Clare in Ireland. Situated on the River Fergus, it lies north of Limerick and south of Galway. Its name is a shortening of the original ....
/Gort
Gort
Gort is a town in south County Galway in the west of Ireland. An Gort is the official Irish name for the town, as defined by the Placenames Commission. In spoken Irish, however, the town is known by its traditional name Gort Inse Guaire. It lies just north of the border with County Clare on the...
road.
The town is home to the 2006, 2008 and 2009 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship
All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship is an annual hurling tournament played between hundreds of senior hurling clubs in Ireland. The Tommy Moore Cup is awarded to the winners. The current champions are Clarinbridge...
winners. The town's senior hurlers beat the Co. Cork champions Newtownshandrum
Newtownshandrum GAA
Newtownshandrum GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the small village of Newtownshandrum in County Cork, Ireland. The club, situated in half a parish of about 800 people, was founded in 1896 and is almost exclusively concerned with the game of hurling.In senior hurling...
in Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
on St. Patricks Day, 2006, (by a score of 2-8 to 1-6) to capture their first title; won again on St Patrick's Day 2008, against Co. Offaly champions Birr
Birr
Birr is a town in County Offaly, Ireland. Once called Parsonstown, after the Parsons family who were local landowners and hereditary Earls of Rosse. It is also a parish in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe....
(by a score of 3-19 to 3-9) and retained their title a year later, beating Co. Waterford's De La Salle
De La Salle GAA
De La Salle Gaelic football and hurling club is based in the western outskirts of Waterford City, Ireland. The club competes in Gaelic games competitions organised by Waterford GAA board. The club has won the Waterford Senior Hurling Championship twice and the Waterford Senior Football...
2-24 to 1-8. In addition, the hurlers have won five Galway county titles during this period of success. These titles were won in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2009. A number of Portumna players, including Joe Canning
Joe Canning
Joe Canning is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Portumna and has been a member of the Galway senior inter-county team since 2008....
, are members of the Galway senior panel
Galway GAA
The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...
.
Jamboree
In August 1985 the three ScoutScouting
Scouting, also known as the Scout Movement, is a worldwide youth movement with the stated aim of supporting young people in their physical, mental and spiritual development, that they may play constructive roles in society....
Associations in Ireland (CBSI
Scouting Ireland (CSI)
Scouting Ireland was a WOSM affiliated National Scout Organisation in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland from 1927 to December 31, 2003. It has since merged with Scouting Ireland S.A.I. to form Scouting Ireland...
, SAI
Scouting Ireland S.A.I.
Scouting Ireland S.A.I. was an Irish Scouting association, formed in 1908 and merged into Scouting Ireland in 2004.- History :Scouting Ireland SAI began in 1908 as the Dublin City and Dublin County Boy Scouts. Around the same time, a number of Troops in Co. Wicklow formed the Co. Wicklow Scout...
, and NISC
Scout Association of Northern Ireland
Scouting in Northern Ireland is represented by three Scouting associations. The Scout Association of Northern Ireland is part of the Scout Association of the United Kingdom, which is the World Organization of the Scout Movement recognized Scouting association in the United Kingdom...
) held a major Jamboree
Jamboree (Scouting)
In Scouting, a jamboree is a large gathering of Scouts who rally at a national or international level.The 1st World Scout Jamboree was held in 1920, and was hosted by the United Kingdom...
at Portumna, Co. Galway to celebrate International Youth Year
International Youth Year
The year 1985 was proclaimed by the United Nations as the International Youth Year, or IYY. It was held to focus attention on issues of concern to and relating to youth. The proclamation was signed on January 1, 1985 by United Nations Secretary General Javier Pérez de Cuéllar.-Events:Throughout the...
. 'Portumna '85' was the first Irish scout camp involving all three Irish scouting organizations. It is remembered by both participants and locals as 'Port-mud-na '85' on account of the muddy conditions that had to be endured by the 10,000 or so participants, caused by the torrential rain which fell during that summer.
See also
- Stoneyisland ManStoneyisland ManStoneyisland Man, Bog body discovered in Stoneyisland Bog, Gortanumera, County Galway, 13 May 1929.Turf-cutters James Dolphin, Thomas Rodgers and John Spain uncovered a human skeleton while working on Dolphin's bank, located towards the centre of Stoneyisland Bog. It was first thought to be the...
- Timothy JoyceTimothy JoyceTimothy Joyce , was an Irish Roman Catholic priest, Monsignor and parish priest of Portumna, 1919–1947.-Biography:Joyce was born in Portumna on 8 August 1868. He was educated at the Christian Brothers School, Nenagh; St. Brendan's Seminary, Loughrea; Mungreat College, Limerick. He was ordained in...
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
- List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Galway)