Claregalway was founded on the banks of the River Clare, hence the derivation of its name: Baile Chláir na Gaillimhe meaning “town on the Clare, in Galway”.
Claregalway lies within the Gaeltacht and traditionally most of the locals would have only spoken English as a second language.
This village has an ancient heritage stretching back over a thousand years.
It has many features of historical interest but two of the largest ones on the banks of the river include the Claregalway Friary, founded in the mid-13th century, and a Norman watchtower completed in the 16th century.
The townland of Lydican is notable as the origin of the Irish ancestors of Che Guevara, Patrick Lynch who migrated to Argentina via Spain in the 1740s.
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