This aerial view of the N17/N18 junction was taken around 1970—there were no traffic lights then (a lot of vehicles at that time were horse drawn). It shows Hessions house, farm and pub, alongside Hughes original house, farm and supermarket (now demolished). The old Claregalway Church (also demolished) is barely visible in the bottom right hand corner…. Read more »

Pictured is Hughes’ original house, supermarket and post office (formerly a weaver’s cottage). Keep an eye on Hession’s chimney in the left of the photo to see the transformation from the 1970s to present day.

In 1838 Fr Thomas Hosty was appointed Parish Priest and he set about building a new church on the site of the present day church. However, his efforts suffered a major setback when the roof of the church was destroyed on the night of the big wind, 6th January 1839. Fr Hosty died in America… Read more »

Next time you’re stuck in traffic coming into the village from the Galway side, see if you can spot these odd stones in the wall. The long cut stones were taken from the original Nine Arches during its restoration, and used to rebuild this wall (just before the bus lane ends).

Ever wondered what Claregalway Friary looked like in the past? This sketch from 1792 shows a magnificent west window (which has unfortunately completely vanished since), and a doorway from the cloister (grassy area inside) to the River.

This cottage belonged to the Skerrets in the 1970s. Michael Skerret was a carpenter who specialised in making horse and donkey drawn carts and wheels, and his sister Maggie was a dressmaker. Now on the site is Hughes Supermarket, at the busy N17/N18 junction.