Barna (Bearna in Irish)[2][3] is a coastal village on the R336 regional road in Connemara, County Galway, Ireland. It has become a satellite village of Galway City. The village is Irish speaking and is therefore a constituent part of the regions of Ireland that make up the Gaeltacht.

Barna
Village
Bearna
Barna quay at dusk
Barna quay at dusk
Barna is located in Ireland
Barna
Barna
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°15′N 9°09′W / 53.25°N 9.15°W / 53.25; -9.15
CountryIreland
ProvinceConnacht
CountyCounty Galway
Elevation
0 ft (0 m)
Population2,336
Irish Grid ReferenceM232227
Bearna is the official name in Irish while Barna is the anglicised spelling.

In 1976, a community development group called Comharchumann Bearna Teoranta[4] was formed after five local men put up the purchase money for 2 acres (8,100 m2) at Troscaigh Thiar to be used for community purposes and has succeeded in developing several recreational facilities. [citation needed]

Modern construction in Barna
Galway Bay seen from Barna

Irish language

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There are 1,500 native Irish speakers in the Barna electoral division. According to the 2011 census, 24% of Bearna's locals use Irish as a daily language.[citation needed]

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Barna is twinned with Esquibien, Brittany, France.[5]

Population

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At the time of the 2011 census, the population in this settlement was 1,878, of which males numbered 920 and females were 958. The total housing stock was 772, of which vacant households numbered 98. With an approximate area of 1.89 km2, this settlement has a 2011 population density of 994 persons per km2.[6]

Electoral District

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The total population of the Barna Electoral District (ED) designated as 27044[clarification needed] was 3,630, of which males numbered 1,804 and females were 1,826. The total housing stock was 1,363, of which vacant households numbered 142.[7]

Sport

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Sports clubs in the Barna area include Barna GAA,[8] which fields gaelic football teams in men's and ladies' competitions. Other clubs in the locality are Galway Bay Rugby Club,[9] Barna hurling club and Barna United association football club.[citation needed] Cormac Folan of Freeport in Barna represented Ireland in Rowing at the 2008 Summer Olympics.[citation needed] Barna Golf Club, two miles north of the village, is a moorland 18-hole golf course.[10]

Townlands of Barna

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Most townlands are anglisations of the original Irish language names.

  • Forramoyle West (from Na Foraí Maola Thiar)
  • Forramoyle East (from Na Foraí Maola Thoir)
  • New Village (from An Baile Nua)
  • Leaclea (from An Leac Liath meaning ‘the grey flagstone or slab’)
  • Seapoint (Rinn na Mara in Irish)
  • Ahaglugger (from Ath an Ghlugair)
  • Truskey West (from Troscaigh Thiar)
  • Truskey East (from Troscaigh Thoir)
  • Freeport (An Chéibh in Irish)
  • Ballard West (from An Baile Ard Thiar meaning ‘the high village west’)
  • Ballard East (from An Baile Ard Thoir meaning ‘the high village east’)
  • Lenarevagh (from An Léana Riabhach meaning ‘the brindled or streaked grassland’)
  • Knockaunnacarragh (from An Cnocán Carrach)

Notable people

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References

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  1. ^ "Profile 1 - Population Distribution and Movement F1015 - Population: Bearna, Co. Galway". Central Statistics Office (Ireland). Retrieved 21 July 2023.
  2. ^ "Bearna/Barna".
  3. ^ "commissioner.ie" (PDF).
  4. ^ "Barna CO OP". Archived from the original on 26 August 2016. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  5. ^ "Explore Esquibien, Brittany, France (populated place) Information, Weather, Photos, Videos, Animals, Nature, Wildlife, Maps, Hazards – Chinci". Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 19 October 2012.
  6. ^ "@@(metaTitle)@@". @@(metaSource)@@.
  7. ^ "Results". Archived from the original on 30 January 2016. Retrieved 16 October 2012.
  8. ^ "Joe McDonagh RIP". barna GAA.
  9. ^ Club, Galway Bay Rugby. "Galway Bay Rugby Club". Galway Bay Rugby Club.
  10. ^ "Galway Golf – Connemara Golf – Golfing in Galway".
  11. ^ "Olympic rowing team train at NUI Galway". 13 April 2008. Three members of the Olympic team are NUI Galway rowers, Alan Martin (Salthill), Cormac Folan (Barna) and James Wall (Limerick). For the weekend's training, they were joined by Evin Donnelly and Ruadhán Cooke, of NUI Galway Boat Club.
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