Shanagolden, County Limerick

Shanagolden (or 'Seanghualainn', which in Irish means 'Old Shoulder') is a small village located in County Limerick, Ireland. The village located on the R521 regional road between Foynes and Newcastlewest. It is situated west of the 'Golden Vale', an area of fertile agricultural land in the province of Munster. The 2006 Irish census placed the population at 292 people.

Shanagolden

Seanghualainn
Village
Shanid Castle just south of Shanagolden
Shanagolden
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 52.573°N 9.100°W / 52.573; -9.100
CountryIreland
ProvinceMunster
CountyCounty Limerick
Elevation
25 m (82 ft)
Population
 (2006)[1]
 • Total292
Irish Grid ReferenceR252477

History

The area is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters. In 968 the King of Munster, Mahon, defeated the Norsemen of Limerick and Waterford at Sengualainn in a "red slaughter". In 1124, Turlogh O'Connor gathered a fleet together to cross the River Shannon and plundered the lands of the Uí Conaill at Foynes Island. After the defeat of the Munster Geraldines by the English, Shanagolden village was laid out during the 1580s as a plantation village.

Places of interest

The ruins of Shanid Castle, an important Anglo-Norman stronghold, is located a short distance away from the village. The castle was possibly constructed in 1230 on land associated with the FitzMaurice family which settled in the area after 1169 and was a fortress of the Knights of Glin before being burned in 1641.[2] Known as the "Old Abbey", St. Katherine's Abbey, Monisternagalliaghduff (Manisternagalliaghduff) is a former Augustinian nunnery founded in 1298 and dissolved in 1541. One of the earliest recorded nunneries in Ireland, it is located in a valley about 2 miles east of Shanagolden.[3] The town's history has been chronicled in a local book, written by students of the local primary school, and was published and distributed to many local shops.

See also

References
  1. "Census 2006 – Volume 1 – Population Classified by Area" (PDF). Central Statistics Office Census 2006 Reports. Central Statistics Office Ireland. April 2007. Retrieved 2011-06-08.
  2. "Shanid Castle". of-ireland.info. Retrieved 2009-10-24.
  3. Begley, Rev. John (1906). The diocese of Limerick, ancient and medieval. Dublin: Browne and Nolan. OCLC 8376746. Retrieved 2009-10-25.
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