Shanagolden, County Limerick

Shanagolden (Irish: Seanghualainn, meaning 'the old shoulder')[2] is a small village located in County Limerick, Ireland. The village is on the R521 regional road between Foynes and Newcastlewest, around 35 km west of Limerick City. It is situated west of the 'Golden Vale', an area of fertile agricultural land in the province of Munster. The population was 303 at the 2016 census.[1]

Shanagolden
Irish: Seanghualainn
Village
Shanid Castle just south of Shanagolden
Shanid Castle just south of Shanagolden
Shanagolden is located in Ireland
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
 (2016)[1]
303
Irish Grid ReferenceR252477

History

The area is mentioned in the Annals of the Four Masters. In 968 the King of Munster, Mathgamain mac Cennétig, defeated the Hiberno-Norse Kings Ivar of Limerick and Ivar of 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 Rebel Earl during the Second Desmond Rebellion, Shanagolden village was laid out during the 1580s as an Anglo-Irish 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.[3] 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.[4] 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. "Sapmap Area: Settlements Shanagolden". Census 2016. Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  2. "Seanghualainn/Shanagolden". Placenames Database of Ireland (logainm.ie). Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  3. "Shanid Castle". of-ireland.info. Retrieved 24 October 2009.
  4. Begley, Rev. John (1906). The diocese of Limerick, ancient and medieval. Dublin: Browne and Nolan. OCLC 8376746. Retrieved 25 October 2009.
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