Search Results for 'Kiltartan Gregory Cultural Society'

One of the attractions for WB Yeats, when he was considering buying the old Norman tower at Ballylee, was that the surrounding countryside echoed with stories of Antoine Ó Raifteiraí (1799-1835), the blind minstrel, who frequented the south Galway area.

In 1990 – exactly 100 years after Sir William Gregory granted a 99-year lease on a section of land at Kiltartan Cross on which to build a schoolhouse – the Kiltartan Gregory Cultural Society was founded. Its aim was to restore the derelict red-brick schoolhouse, the very one commissioned by Sir William Gregory, and to preserve the history of Kiltartan for future generations. The next six years were spent doing just that.

The Burren Lowlands Group was among the winners at this year’s Golden Mile of Galway Awards, receiving the Built Heritage Award for a mile extending from Ballylee Cross to the Ballyaneen lios/fort. This is one of the most historic roads in the county as it includes Thoor Ballylee, an old mill and miller’s house, Yeats’ cottage, ring forts, a blessed well, and 19th century farmhouses.