Leenaun (), also Leenane, is a village and a townland in County Galway, Ireland, on the southern shore of Killary Harbour and the northern boundary of Conamara.

Location and geography

Leenaun is situated on the junction of the N59 road, and the R336 road in Connemara.

Leenaun lies where the deep u-shaped Maam Valley, bounded by the Devilsmother to the east, and the massif of Leenaun Hill to the west, meets Killary Harbour, Ireland's deepest fjord. Across the fjord from the village, is the massif of Ben Gorm, with the larger massif of Mweelrea behind it; while to the east, lie the scenic Aasleagh Falls. The village is on the route of the Western Way long-distance trail and the Wild Atlantic Way.

Within Maam Valley are some ancient woods, the Erriff Woods are nearby. Across the fjord is the hamlet of Bundorragha and Delphi (the valley of the Bundorragha River is sometimes called the Delphi Valley) in County Mayo. The River Erriff which runs into the fjord, along with a river and three lakes at Delphi, are active fisheries.

Kylemore Abbey lies to the south and the scenic Renvyle-peninsula lies to the south-west.

Bridge loss and replacement

On 18 July 2007, following heavy rain, the only river bridge in the village was swept away, cutting the town in half, and altering some local routes by over 100-kilometres.; the bridge had stood for over 182 years. A permanent replacement bridge was constructed in 2009, with increased traffic capacity.

Local amenities

In the village are two pubs, a hotel with a pub and restaurant, and guesthouses, one of which is a former convent of the Sisters of Mercy. There is also a café-restaurant and a sheep and wool museum, a post office and food shop, a gift shop, as well as a community centre and library, and a community park. There are two churches in the village, St. Michael's Catholic Church and St. John the Baptist, Church of Ireland.

In the media

Leenaun was the setting for the 1990 film The Field, and of British-Irish playwright and filmmaker Martin McDonagh's plays The Beauty Queen of Leenane and The Lonesome West.

In January 2025, RTÉ and local media reported archaeologist Michael Gibbons (archaeologist)|Michael Gibbons' identification of a ring barrow, a burial mound dating to between 1,600 and 3,000 years ago, on land overlooking Killary Harbour on the Mayo side of the county border; Gibbons described the monument type as rare in the region, though common at royal sites such as Rathcroghan and the Tara, and considered it likely the oldest monument on the fjord.

Gallery

See also

• Connemara

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

• Mac ind Óclaich

References