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Roundstone

Irish: *Cloch na Rón*
Roundstone Irish: Cloch na Rón
Village
	View of harbour towards Roundstone village
	Roundstone Location in Ireland
	Coordinates: 53°23′42″N 9°55′05″W / 53.395°N 9.918°W
Country	Ireland
Province	Connacht
County	County Galway
Elevation	20 m (70 ft)
Population (2016)	214
Irish Grid Reference	L725405
Website	www.roundstonevillage.ie

Roundstone (Irish: Cloch na Rón, meaning 'seal's rock') is a village on the west coast of Ireland, in the Connemara region of County Galway. Lying opposite the island of Inishnee on Roundstone Bay, by road it is 76 kilometres (47 mi) northwest of Galway and 18 kilometres (11 mi) southeast of Clifden.^[2] Known as a haven for people in the creative arts, it hosts an annual regatta in July.

Etymology

The anglicised name is usually considered an error on the part of the British colonial Ordnance Survey, which translated the village name; while Cloch certainly means "stone" or "rock", Rón means "seal", not "round". Still, 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.^[3]

History

The area to the north of Roundstone was ruled by the Chiefs of Clan O'Flaherty, who built a Dominican Priory about 2 miles (3.2 km) to the north of what is now Roundstone in the 15th-century. Roundstone was established by Scottish engineer Alexander Nimmo in the 1820s, while building houses, roads and harbours throughout the West of Ireland. Fishermen from Scotland settled here, and, following Catholic Emancipation, in 1835 a Franciscan Monastery was built. By the end of 1840s it had a thriving fishing industry and a population of 400 people.^[4]

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 Henry, Jack B. Yeats, Gerard Dillon and Nano Reid.^[5] Yvonne Kings Studio and the Stable Gallery are notable galleries in the village.^[4] The local Summerfest and regatta is held in July. Traditional Irish Nights are held weekly throughout July and August and offers music, song and dance from the Connemara area. Rock star Sting had a home in Roundstone in the early 1980s, where he wrote most of the songs for The Police’s third album, Zenyatta Mondatta.^[5]