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County Galway · Connacht · Creachmhaoil

About Craughwell

Craughwell is a village in County Galway, 21 km east of Galway city, with 1,034 people at the 2022 census. The hill of plunder on the old Dublin road, where the poet Raftery was buried in 1835 and Lady Gregory raised his stone, with more ruined castles within five kilometres than almost anywhere in the county.

Population
1,034 (2022 census)
Where
21 km from Galway, 165 km from Dublin
Position
53.2307° N, 8.7349° W, 62 m above sea level
In Irish
Creachmhaoil
On the model
591 buildings, 6 streets, 100 places in 29 kinds
The 3D model of Craughwell with every named place pinned
Craughwell, Co. Galway. I like the way this church is tucked in behind the trees.
Craughwell, Co. Galway. I like the way this church is tucked in behind the trees.
Eoin Gardiner, CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Craughwell, County Galway (2)
Craughwell, County Galway (2)
Sarah777, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Craughwell This is the main road through the centre, the N6 Galway to Loughrea road. I had to wait some…
Craughwell This is the main road through the centre, the N6 Galway to Loughrea road. I had to wait some…
Graham Horn, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons
Craughwell, County Galway
Craughwell, County Galway
Sarah777, CC BY-SA 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

A short history

  1. Early times
    Forts and souterrains. Ringfort and souterrain sites lie in Craughwell, Ballymore and Killora, where a medieval church and graveyard also stand.
  2. About 1750
    Ballymore Park. The Georgian house in Ballymore townland was built.
  3. 1835
    Raftery's grave. Antoine Ó Raifteirí, born in Mayo in 1779, was buried at Killeenin; Augusta Lady Gregory put the commemorative slab over him in 1900.
  4. About 1840
    St Colman's. The Catholic church was built.
  5. May 1881
    The Land War. The farmer Peter Dempsey was shot dead on his way to Mass with his young daughters over a dispute about a vacant farm, one of several violent incidents around the village.
  6. 2022
    About 1,000 people. The census count for a village east of Galway on the R446, with a station on the Western Rail Corridor.

The full history, 6 moments in order

What to see

  1. The medieval church and graveyard 1.2 km out.

  2. Raftery's grave

    At Killeenin, with Lady Gregory's slab of 1900.

  3. One of the tower houses around the village, 2.8 km away.

  4. The tower house 3.7 km off.

  5. The castle 6 km away.

  6. Ballymore Park

    The Georgian house of about 1750.

All the things to see and do

Questions people ask

Where is Craughwell?
In County Galway, in the province of Connacht, in the west of Ireland: 21 km east of Galway city and 165 km west of Dublin, on the R446, once the N6; the Western Rail Corridor station.
What is the population of Craughwell?
1,034 people at the 2022 census.
What is there in Craughwell?
On the map, 100 named places in 29 kinds: 5 places to eat and drink, 3 shops, 4 schools, churches and public buildings, and 83 things to see within 12 km.
What is Craughwell known for?
Raftery's grave, its ring of castles, Killora church, the athletics club, and its railway station on the old Dublin road.

Getting around

Craughwell sits on the R446, once the N6; the Western Rail Corridor station. 4 bus stops and 0 car parks are on the map.

History, sights and civic facts summarise Wikipedia, "Craughwell" (CC BY-SA 4.0, read 2026-09-19). Population is the CSO census as listed there. Distances and everything on the model are OpenStreetMap.