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County Galway · Connacht · Gleann na Madadh

About Glenamaddy

Glenamaddy is a village in County Galway, 49 km north-east of Galway city, with 557 people at the 2022 census. Four country roads meeting at a square in the old kingdom of Uí Díarmata, a turlough that dries to black limestone every year, and the Esker Ballroom of the showband years.

Population
557 (2022 census)
Where
49 km from Galway, 155 km from Dublin
Position
53.6066° N, 8.5600° W, 87 m above sea level
In Irish
Gleann na Madadh
On the model
876 buildings, 1 streets, 80 places in 20 kinds
Read more
Glenamaddy on Wikipedia
The 3D model of Glenamaddy with every named place pinned

A short history

  1. Middle Ages
    Uí Díarmata. The town stands in the medieval kingdom of the O'Concannons; the parish began at Boyounagh to the north-west.
  2. 1820s
    A church and a market. The town did not grow until a church was built and regular markets began; shops and pubs went up around the square and on the four roads, and a workhouse followed on the Creggs road in 1853.
  3. 1904 to 1924
    Church, hall and mill. St Patrick's replaced the old church in 1904, St Bridget's Town Hall opened in 1909 and a mill at Leitra gave work from 1924.
  4. 1949 to 1970
    The Esker Ballroom. Built in 1947 on the Kilkerrin road and at first refused a licence, it held its first dance in April 1949 and then every second Sunday, one of the most popular in the country, until marquees beat it in 1970 and it became a nightclub.
  5. 1981
    Four Country Roads. Big Tom's hit named the town.
  6. 2002 to 2022
    Fewer people. The community school was formed in 2002 from Coláiste Seosaimh and St Benin's; the banks closed in 2006 and 2013, emigration took over 120 young people by 2015, and the census of 2022 counted 557.

The full history, 6 moments in order

What to see

  1. St Patrick's Church276 m

    The church of 1904 that replaced the older one in the graveyard grounds.

  2. Glenamaddy turlough

    The lake east of the town that dries every year to a black plain of limestone; Loch Lurgeen, a raised bog, lies beyond it.

  3. Kiltullagh3.0 km

    The old church 3 km out; the lake nearby has a crannóg.

  4. Park Castle4.7 km

    The tower house 4.7 km away.

  5. Glinsk Castle9.8 km

    The seventeenth-century house 10 km east.

All the things to see and do

Questions people ask

Where is Glenamaddy?
In County Galway, in the province of Connacht, in the west of Ireland: 49 km north-east of Galway city and 155 km west of Dublin, on the crossroads of the R362 and R364.
What is the population of Glenamaddy?
557 people at the 2022 census.
What is there in Glenamaddy?
On the map, 80 named places in 20 kinds: 4 places to eat and drink, 1 shop, 4 schools, churches and public buildings, and 64 things to see within 12 km.
What is Glenamaddy known for?
The Esker Ballroom of the showband era, Big Tom's Four Country Roads, its turlough, and the markets of a small crossroads town.

Getting around

Glenamaddy sits on the crossroads of the R362 and R364. 0 bus stops and 0 car parks are on the map.

History, sights and civic facts summarise Wikipedia, "Glenamaddy" (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.