The History of Loughrea Town

History of Loughrea

Although the town of Loughrea is generally regarded as dating form 1236 AD, there is much evidence of human settlement in the area prior to this date. The Turoe Stone which was probably carved around 100 BC is located north of the town, outside the village of Bullaun. There is a well preserved stone circle of an earlier date at Moanmore East on the Tynagh road . There are numerous unexcavated sites of importance near Loughrea. These include the ringfort, house sites and field systems at Gorteenapheebera and the ancient cashel and ‘village’ at Toanroasty. Ringforts are widespread particularly north and west of the town. In the early Christian period, a l arge religious settlement was developed at Caherwalter, Loughrea. St. Brigid’s Well, which still exists today, was located within the settlement and is of pagan origin. In total, there are 199 sites of archaeological importance within a four mile radius of the town – as identified by the Archaeological Survey of County Galway (Office of Public Works / University College Galway 1987). The majority of these date from pre-historic or early Christian times

Only 55 or so urban centres (population over 1,500) can trace their foundation back before 1600 AD. Loughrea is numbered amongst this elite as the town dates from 1236, when the Anglo-Norman Knight Richard de Burgo (or de Burgh) built a castle there. Loughrea, like most of Connaught, is linked with the fortunes of the powerful de Burgh family. The founder of this house, William de Burgo or ‘William the Conqueror’ as he became known had obtained a grant of land in Munster. During the reign of Richard 1, Prince John made a speculative grant of the whole or part of Connaught to William de Burgo. At the time it was the property of Roderic O’Connor, the High King of Ireland and so the de Burgos had first to conquer and then fight to retain the land.

William’s son Richard enclosed the town of Galway and under him it was settled by the Norman families, the ‘Tribes’ of Galway. While he had castles at Meelick on the Shannon, Galway and Portumna, his principal manor was at Loughrea.

During this period, records show that £2,210.9.2d. was received by the king from Loughrea while the much smaller sum of £129.14.0d. was received from the town of Galway. This points to the importance of Loughrea at the time. Also about this time the de Burgos became known as Burke.

In 1543, Sir William Burke became the Earl of Clanricarde. Though staunch Catholics, the Clanricardes were loyal to the crown. Indeed, they were the only Roman Catholics placed in high position by the English kings.

In 1650, Loughrea was the scene of a dramatic meeting. In an effort to get a united front against Cromwell, a General Assembly of the country’s nobles, chieftains and bishops met in the town. Their noble efforts however proved fruitless and when Ireland was defeated a Commission sat in Loughrea from 1653 onwards to confiscate and reapportion the lands of Connaught and Co.Clare.

The new landlord class was accustomed to conducting their business in towns and so Loughrea developed into a market town. Linen was an important trade of the time. In 1776, there were no less than 300 looms in operation in Loughrea, as against 180 in Galway city. Clanricarde’s Estate Map of Loughrea dated to 1791 shows a linen hall at Barrack St. This building, now sadly no longer in use, served as a town hall and cinema in this century. Slater’s Connaught Gazette of 1856 lists eight bakeries and seven blacksmiths amongst the businesses in the town. Loughrea also had a brewery, corn mills, soap and candle works, tallow works, coachbuilders and farm machinery makers. These industries disappeared after the Big Famine of 1847. Loughrea like the rest of Ireland suffered greatly during this dark period of our history. Through death and immigration the town’s population was reduced by more than a third, from 5,453 in 1841 to 3,651 in 1851.

The following decades of Irish history witnessed the Land Wars and fight for Home Rule. One of the most stirring events of this period in Loughrea was the attempted Ward eviction which occurred in 1906. Martin Ward, a tenant of the Clanricarde Estate, was secretary of the Loughrea branch of the Land League. He was issued with an ultimatum by Clanricarde's agent to leave the Land League or vacate his premises. He refused and eviction papers were served on him. Helped by both the locals and people of the surrounding countryside, Ward’s shop on Church St. was barricaded and despite the efforts of large contingents of the Royal Irish Constabulary, who had been drafted in to break the blockade, the garrison held firm. Eventually a parish priest intervened and officials were sent down from Dublin to negotiate. The result was the passing of the Town Tenants’ Act which stated that a tenant could not be evicted for any reason other than non-payment of rent.

The residents of Loughrea were little saddened by the death of their landlord, Lord Clanricarde at the beginning of World War 1. His heir Viscount Lascelles had been wounded in France. Whilst recovering his health, he expressed a wish to revisit his Galway estate. He wondered what sort of a reception he would receive and made enquiries to Nationalist M.P. William Duffy. Duffy, a Loughrea man, had first been elected to the House of Commons in 1898. He was a Member of Parliament until 1918 and later became a T.D.

In any event, Viscount Lascelles was warmly received in his Galway estate. He was so impressed by the reception that he donated the building known as the Town Hall to the people of Loughrea.

However the days of the landlord were numbered as Loughrea with the rest of Ireland progressed towards independence and Home Rule.