Mountbellew

Statue of racehorse Bobbyjo

Mountbellew or Mountbellew Bridge (historically Creggaun, from Irish: an Creagán, meaning "the rocky place")^[1] is a village in County Galway, Ireland. It lies mostly within the townland of Treanrevagh (Trian Riabhach) on the N63 national primary road.

The town consists of many shops and small businesses. There are four schools located in the town, St. Mary's National School,Colaiste an Chreagain Holy Rossary collage and the Franciscan Brothers Agricultural College.^[2]

There are many historic and scenic points throughout the town which include: The Bellew Estate and woodlands, a small lake, the old forge and the Catholic Church. The Bellew estate was once the home of the Grattan-Bellew family, famous Galway parliamentarians during the 18th and 19th centuries. Their demesne is now a delightful wooded area of forest walks and picnic areas, filled with interesting historical items. The village bridge also contains a rare milestone inserted in the middle of its parapet.

The Agricultural College

Mountbellew Agricultural College is owned and managed by the Franciscan Brothers. Their mission is to provide a comprehensive and competitive range of training programmes for those engaged in Agriculture and food related sectors. The programmes have the maintenance and enhancement of the environment, countryside and rural communities as their major priorities.

The Franciscan Brothers came to Mountbellew, Co Galway from Milltown, in Dublin, in the year 1818. The Bellew family invited them and gave them resources of land and a house to get established. The Brothers taught a free primary school until 1884. In 1875 they opened a secondary school (boarding) and in 1898 a special Department in the school was set up to prepare students for Teacher Training Colleges.

The Brothers changed from Secondary education to Agricultural Education in 1904 and the Franciscan Brothers’ Agricultural College was founded. This was the first Agricultural College in Ireland. The Department of Agriculture supported the college right from the start. The old college was demolished in 1971 and replaced with the new one by 1975. Subsequently, the number of students continued to rise.

In 1976 three Brothers from Mountbellew went to Kenya. They founded Baraka Agricultural College, at Molo, in Nakuru district. There is cooperation between Baraka and Mountbellew which has resulted in staff exchanges between the two Institutions.

The college established a link with Galway Regional Technical College, now known as Galway Mayo Institute of Technology (GMIT), in 1986. This cooperation between the two colleges resulted in the setting up of what is now known as the Higher Certificate in Business Studies (Agribusiness) with progression to Add-on Ordinary and Honours Degrees. The course has been very successful with more than 600 graduates in various careers in business and agribusiness. In 2001 a Higher Certificate in Agriculture was initiated and since 2004 there is progression on this course to an Add-on Bachelor Degree in Science in Agriculture and Environmental Management.

Sport

Mountbellew has many sporting societies. Mountbellew Moylough GAA club plays both hurling and Gaelic football. The club colours are black and amber and play in Mountbellew/Moylough GAA grounds. The senior football team have won four Galway Senior Football Championships, 1964, 1965, 1974, 1986.

A monument to the famous racehorse Bobbyjo can be seen in the town centre. He won the Irish and English grand nationals.

The River Shiven is nearby, which provides some excellent fly fishing for brown trout. The town also has a fine 18-hole golf course, set amongst some beautifully wooded scenery.

Mountbellew is also home to the Malthouse Players, a small but very active drama group. The Malthouse Players typically stage two productions each year and partake annually in national competitions. The group on two occasions won the All-Ireland one-act drama finals.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

1. ^ Placenames Database of Ireland (see archival records)
2. ^ Franciscan Brothers Agricultural College

Coordinates: 53°28′12″N 8°30′00″W / 53.470°N 8.500°W / 53.470; -8.500