Castlerea

Castlerea is the third largest town in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is located in the west of the county and had a population of 1,992 at the 2016 census. Roughly translated from Irish, Castlerea is generally thought to mean 'brindled castle' (Caisleán Riabhach). An alternative translation is 'castle of the king' (Caisleán Rí). The town is built on the banks of the River Suck and the River Francis, both of which are tributaries of the River Shannon.

History
Clonalis House, located in the west of Castlerea, is the ancestral home of the Clan O'Conor, the last of the High Kings of Ireland. The O'Connor dynasty produced eleven high kings of Ireland and twenty-four kings of Connacht.

Theophilus Sandford, a member of Oliver Cromwell's army in Ireland, received a large allocation of lands confiscated from the O'Connor family as part of the Act for the Settlement of Ireland 1652. This package included Castlerea. Castlerea developed under the Sandfords, who established a distillery (at its height producing more than 20000 impgal of whiskey annually), a brewery, and a tannery. Sandford's descendants continued in power through the 19th century. The estate was later acquired by the Land Commission and the Congested Districts Board. The demesne in which it was set survives and is now enjoyed as a public park.

On 11 July 1921, Sergeant James King of the Royal Irish Constabulary was shot in Castlerea on St Patrick Street and died of his wounds shortly afterwards. The Truce of July 1921 was declared later that day, making Sergeant King the last casualty of the Irish War of Independence.

On 17 June 2020, Detective Garda Colm Horkan was shot dead by a 43-year-old man in Castlerea when his firearm was snatched from him who then fired fifteen rounds at him. Horkan became the 89th garda to be killed in the line of duty.

Sport
Castlerea hosts soccer club Castlerea Celtic and St Kevin's, a Gaelic football club and the Castlerea Cavaliers Basketball Ladies and Men teams. The Castlerea Enterprise Hub located in the town business park is also home to the town's gym and to Castlerea Boxing Club.

Castlerea is home to boxing greats Aoife & Lisa O'Rourke. Aoife O'Rourke (born 2 July 1997) is an Irish amateur boxer.[1] She has won two European Championships and represented Ireland at the 2020 Tokoyo Olympics.

Education and industry
Castlerea's major employers include Supervalu, Harmac Medical Products, Colour Communications Europe, Finola Foods and Lidl. Film production house Round Edge Films is based in Ballingare within Castlerea.

The schools in the town are all located in the same area; they include two primary schools (St Anne's Convent National School and St Paul's Boys National School), St Michael's Special Needs School (which serves all ages), and Castlerea Community School (for second-level students). Castlerea Community School instructs approximately 500 students. It provides Leaving Certificate Applied classes as well as the Junior Certificate and Leaving Certificate state examinations.

Amenities
Amenities in the town include Castlerea golf club, established in 1905 and moved to its current location in 1907. It is a 9-hole course. There is an outdoor swimming pool open to the public during summers with a modern refurbished playground adjacent, a public library, a soccer pitch and O'Rourke Park which is a GAA pitch. The demesne is a large public park accessible off Main Street and home to some trees planted by notable figures, including former US ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy Smith. The GAA owns a squash court and a handball court in the town. The Neighbourhood Youth Project (NYP) is a social venue for teenagers in the town. St Patrick's Church (built in 1896) is the Catholic Church of the town. The town serves as the trailhead for the Suck Valley Way, with the 105-kilometre long trail beginning and ending in the town. Castlerea also serves as the trailhead for the Lung Lough Gara Way. Also, the Beara-Breifne Way also passes through the town.

Transport
The main road through the town is the national secondary road N60, from Roscommon town onward to County Mayo. Other roads include the R361 to Boyle and the R377 to Castleplunket.

The Castlerea railway station opened on 15 November 1860. The railway station resides on the Westport-Dublin main line and connects to Dublin Heuston, Ballina and Westport.

People

 * John F. Cryan, U.S. politician, was born in Castlerea.
 * Thomas Finnegan, former Catholic Bishop of Killala, was born in the village of Cloonfellive near Castlerea.
 * Luke 'Ming' Flanagan, former TD, and now an MEP, comes from Castlerea.
 * Gerry Gannon, the builder and property developer, is a native of Castlerea.
 * John Gunning, sports journalist working in Japan
 * Aidan Heavey arrived in England from Castlerea in 1993 and became chief executive of Tullow Oil and one of Britain's most influential Irish businessmen.
 * Dr Douglas Hyde, the first President of Ireland and founder of the Gaelic League, was born in Castlerea on 17 January 1860.
 * Michael McGovern, poet
 * Andrew McDermot, fur trader
 * Aoife O'Rourke, boxer, 2019 European Championship gold medalist, competed 2020 Olympics, Castlerea native.
 * Lisa O'Rourke, boxer, 2022 World Championship gold medalist, Castlerea native.
 * Stephen Rochford, GAA player and manager
 * John Waters, Former journalist and author of several books including 'Jiving at the Crossroads', was born and raised on Main Street in Castlerea.
 * Sir William Wilde, a noted surgeon and historian and father of Oscar Wilde, was born in Castlerea in 1815.
 * Dr Matthew Young, a Bishop of Clonfert ca. 1798, a natural philosopher, and a mathematician was a native of Castlerea.

Twinning
Castlerea is twinned with:
 * 🇺🇸 Newark, New Jersey, United States.
 * 🇫🇷 Soulac-sur-Mer, France.