Claregalway has experienced a development boom in the last few years. The tiny village we grew up in, where everybody knew one another and the highlight of a child’s week was a stroll down to Hessions Shop for a a 20p bag of sweets, has now become a centre of industry, bursting at the seams with new development.
Hughes’ original house, supermarket and post office (formerly a weaver’s cottage).
From the tiny thatched one room cottage that was Claregalway’s supermarket only a few years ago, to our new complexes, which not only act as grocery shops and newsagents, but provide a wide range of facilities such as hairdressing, cafés and financial services.
From the view of an adolescent, Claregalway is rapidly developing as a centre of activity; bustling with restaurants, a leisure centre, community centre, shops of all sorts and schools, with the new Galway North Educate Together School now complementing our existing National Schools.
As we enter the new year, Claregalway is seen by passers by as an area to stop in to avail of our wide range of businesses, including clothes shops, cafes, gift shops, garden centres and other small businesses. It’s not only businesses that have developed lately in Claregalway. The obvious developments are housing estates, many of which have sprung up seemingly overnight, and the restoration of our historical landmarks. These houses provide accommodation for the ever expanding population of Claregalway.
View from atop Claregalway Castle 20 years ago and today—shared by Patrick Lyons.
The development in Claregalway is likely to continue throughout 2006 and perhaps this time next year you will read another article, recalling the events and developments of yet another prosperous year for the village of Claregalway.
