Castlegar offers several ways to explore its history: the remains of a late-medieval tower house, the story of a traditional local Sunday route and memorials with their own dates of origin. When planning your stay, you can consider these themes separately: Castlegar Castle is notable for its architectural form and surviving walls, while the Castlegar Mass Path & Parkmore Boreen is defined above all by its former use and route.
Castlegar Castle: Architectural Form and Surviving Walls
Castlegar Castle is a typical late-medieval tower house and has several architectural features dating from the 16th century. The term “tower house” identifies the building type; the 16th-century features provide an additional indication of its date. The de Burgo family built the castle on the shore of a lake in what was once a lake landscape.
A rectangular keep with a stairwell on one side survives. The remains comprise slightly more than half of the building’s walls: a gable wall and a side wall. The condition of the structure may change; check before planning a visit.
Memorials and the History of the Path
A freestanding limestone cross stands on a polished granite base with a plinth and cornice. The plinth and cornice further describe the base’s design, alongside the materials: limestone for the cross and polished granite for the base. At the starting point of the path, a republican memorial commemorates local men who fought for Irish freedom from the Easter Rising of 1916 until the end of the Civil War in 1923.
Until the late 1960s, the Castlegar Mass Path & Parkmore Boreen was a traditional route used by local farming families to attend Sunday Mass at St. Columba’s Church. It ran from the surrounding areas of Parkmore, Ballygar and Monivea Road, as well as from as far as Cúil Each-Cahir.
Earth and grass surfaces predominate on the Mass Path and Parkmore Boreen; the road sections are mostly asphalt. The Mass Path is also lined with traditional stone walls and numerous trees and shrubs. For planning purposes, two distinct features are therefore clear: the surface of the different sections, and the walls and vegetation lining the Mass Path.
Church and Grotto
St. Columba’s Church was built in 1828 in the townland of Lachtavarna and was the new Castlegar parish’s first Catholic church in 1829. This establishes both the church’s exact location and its early significance to the parish.
Our Lady’s Grotto was created on the site of a disused quarry and opened in 1930. The idea came from the local curate, Father Roland, after his visit to a Marian shrine in Lourdes the year before it opened.
Getting There
The listed connection is Bus Éireann route 425/425A, with stops at McHugh’s Pub and the church in Castlegar, continuing to Galway bus station. Check route 425/425A before travelling, as routes and stops may change.
Discover more destinations: Clifden, Clonbur, Carraroe, Moyard, Cleggan, Cornamona, Rinvyle, Farmerstown
For the broader travel overview: Galway.
