Roundstone, County Galway
Encyclopedia
Roundstone is a village
in Connemara
, County Galway
, Ireland
, located on the west coast of Ireland
. The town of Clifden
is nearby to the north.
The anglicised name is usually considered an error on the part of the British colonial Ordnance Survey
who translated the village name; while Cloch certainly means Stone or Rock, Rón means Seal, not Round. Still, according to Tim Robinson (in Connemara - Listening to the Wind, 2006) the names Cloch na Rón and Roundstone may be totally independent. The bay is referred to as Round-stone Haven as early as 1684 (Roderick O'Flaherty), and the rock after which it is named stands like a marker at the entrance and is strikingly round.
, Jack B. Yeats, Gerard Dillon and Nano Reid
. The Roundstone Arts Week celebrates youth and environment on an annual basis. The local Summerfest, is held in July. Traditional Irish Nights are held weekly throughout July and August and offers music, song and dance from the Connemara area.
The village has a number of artists and crafts people. The Michael Killeen park houses Roundstone Ceramics a long established pottery studio and shop with beautiful locally inspired hand made ceramics. The House of Mag Aoide makes silver jewellery on the premises. The Stable Gallery at Errisbeg House houses the work of contemporary artists in a beautiful setting. Rosie Mcgurran opens her studio during the summer months showing her unique vision of Connemara. Local Roundstone artist Yvonne King runs a gallery in the village showing local scenes and watercolours.
(a suburb of Lens, Pas-de-Calais
) in France.
.
The article alleged that Dodd's former partner in buying the home had ties to disgraced Bear Stearns
principal Edward Downe, Jr.
who has since been convicted of insider trading
by the Securities and Exchange Commission. After paying an $11 million fine for his role in the scam, Downe later obtained a pardon
in the waning days of the Bill Clinton
administration. The controversial pardon was granted after Dodd lobbied Clinton on Downe's behalf. Dodd's letter to the President said, "Mr. President, Ed Downe is a good person, who is truly sorry for the hurt he caused others". After Downes' pardon, Dodd bought out the interests of his partner for a price allegedly based on a 2002 bank appraisal of the Roundstone home, which yielded little profit for Dodd's partner. Rennie criticized Dodd for claiming the Roundstone home was worth less than $250,000 in Senate ethics filings; some observers estimated the likely value in excess of $1 million USD.
In June 2009, Dodd provided a new statement to the Senate reporting the actual value of his Irish property at $658,000. The Wall Street Journal later compared this issue to the ethical charges which led to the political demise of Alaska
Senator Ted Stevens
.
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...
in Connemara
Connemara
Connemara is a district in the west of Ireland consisting of a broad peninsula between Killary Harbour and Kilkieran Bay in the west of County Galway.-Overview:...
, 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,...
, located on the west coast of Ireland
Ireland
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...
. The town of Clifden
Clifden
Clifden is a town on the coast of County Galway, Ireland and being Connemara's largest town, it is often referred to as "the Capital of Connemara". It is located on the Owenglen River where it flows into Clifden Bay...
is nearby to the north.
The anglicised name is usually considered an error on the part of the British colonial Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey
Ordnance Survey , an executive agency and non-ministerial government department of the Government of the United Kingdom, is the national mapping agency for Great Britain, producing maps of Great Britain , and one of the world's largest producers of maps.The name reflects its creation together with...
who translated the village name; while Cloch certainly means Stone or Rock, Rón means Seal, not Round. Still, according to Tim Robinson (in Connemara - Listening to the Wind, 2006) the names Cloch na Rón and Roundstone may be totally independent. The bay is referred to as Round-stone Haven as early as 1684 (Roderick O'Flaherty), and the rock after which it is named stands like a marker at the entrance and is strikingly round.
Culture
Roundstone is known as a home for creativity and the arts. For many years some of the most important figures in Irish Art have painted there, including Paul HenryPaul Henry (painter)
Paul Henry was a Northern Irish artist noted for depicting the west of Ireland landscape with a spare post-impressionist style....
, Jack B. Yeats, Gerard Dillon and Nano Reid
Nano Reid
Nano Reid was an Irish painter. - Biography :The Irish landscape artist, figure painter and portraitist Nano Reid was born in Drogheda, County Louth in 1905. In 1920, she won a scholarship to study fine art painting and drawing at the Dublin Metropolitan School of Art - now the National College of...
. The Roundstone Arts Week celebrates youth and environment on an annual basis. The local Summerfest, is held in July. Traditional Irish Nights are held weekly throughout July and August and offers music, song and dance from the Connemara area.
The village has a number of artists and crafts people. The Michael Killeen park houses Roundstone Ceramics a long established pottery studio and shop with beautiful locally inspired hand made ceramics. The House of Mag Aoide makes silver jewellery on the premises. The Stable Gallery at Errisbeg House houses the work of contemporary artists in a beautiful setting. Rosie Mcgurran opens her studio during the summer months showing her unique vision of Connemara. Local Roundstone artist Yvonne King runs a gallery in the village showing local scenes and watercolours.
Twin village
Roundstone is twinned with the village of Noyelles-sous-LensNoyelles-sous-Lens
Noyelles-sous-Lens is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France.-Administration:Noyelles-sous-Lens belongs to the intercommunality of Lens-Liévin, which consists of 36 communes, with a total population of 250,000 inhabitants.-Twin towns:...
(a suburb of Lens, Pas-de-Calais
Lens, Pas-de-Calais
Lens is a commune in the Pas-de-Calais department in northern France. It is one of France's large Picarde cities along with Lille, Valenciennes, Amiens, Roubaix, Tourcoing, Arras, and Douai.-Metropolitan area:...
) in France.
U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd controversy
In February 2009, Kevin Rennie, a columnist at the Hartford Courant, ran an op-ed concerning then-U.S. Senator Christopher Dodd's acquisition of a vacation home in Roundstone, IrelandRoundstone, County Galway
Roundstone is a village in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland, located on the west coast of Ireland. The town of Clifden is nearby to the north....
.
The article alleged that Dodd's former partner in buying the home had ties to disgraced Bear Stearns
Bear Stearns
The Bear Stearns Companies, Inc. based in New York City, was a global investment bank and securities trading and brokerage, until its sale to JPMorgan Chase in 2008 during the global financial crisis and recession...
principal Edward Downe, Jr.
Edward Downe, Jr.
-Biography:Downe graduated from the University of Missouri’s Missouri School of Journalism in 1952. He worked in a variety of capacities at two Virginia newspapers before joining True magazine. In 1954, he left True to become an editor at the rival magazine Argosy; he later moved into...
who has since been convicted of insider trading
Insider trading
Insider trading is the trading of a corporation's stock or other securities by individuals with potential access to non-public information about the company...
by the Securities and Exchange Commission. After paying an $11 million fine for his role in the scam, Downe later obtained a pardon
Pardon
Clemency means the forgiveness of a crime or the cancellation of the penalty associated with it. It is a general concept that encompasses several related procedures: pardoning, commutation, remission and reprieves...
in the waning days of the Bill Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
administration. The controversial pardon was granted after Dodd lobbied Clinton on Downe's behalf. Dodd's letter to the President said, "Mr. President, Ed Downe is a good person, who is truly sorry for the hurt he caused others". After Downes' pardon, Dodd bought out the interests of his partner for a price allegedly based on a 2002 bank appraisal of the Roundstone home, which yielded little profit for Dodd's partner. Rennie criticized Dodd for claiming the Roundstone home was worth less than $250,000 in Senate ethics filings; some observers estimated the likely value in excess of $1 million USD.
In June 2009, Dodd provided a new statement to the Senate reporting the actual value of his Irish property at $658,000. The Wall Street Journal later compared this issue to the ethical charges which led to the political demise of Alaska
Alaska
Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area. It is situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent, with Canada to the east, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia further west across the Bering Strait...
Senator Ted Stevens
Ted Stevens
Theodore Fulton "Ted" Stevens, Sr. was a United States Senator from Alaska, serving from December 24, 1968, until January 3, 2009, and thus the longest-serving Republican senator in history...
.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
- Gurteen BayGurteen BeachGurteen Beach , located in Roundstone, County Galway, in the Connemara region of the west of Ireland, lies back-to-back with Dog's Bay. The two beaches were formed by a sand spit and tombolo which now separates the two bays known as Gurteen Bay and Dog's Bay...
- List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Galway)