View source for Portumna

{{short description|Town in County Galway, Ireland}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2021}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox settlement
|name                   = Portumna
|native_name            = {{Irish place name|Port Omna}}
|native_name_lang       = ga
|settlement_type        = Town
|image_skyline          = Portumna Harbour - geograph.org.uk - 585642.jpg
|image_caption          = Portumna harbour
|pushpin_map            = Ireland
|pushpin_label_position = right
|pushpin_map_caption    = Location in Ireland
|subdivision_type       = Country
|subdivision_name       = Ireland
|subdivision_type1      = [[Provinces of Ireland|Province]]
|subdivision_name1      = [[Connacht]]
|subdivision_type3      = [[Counties of Ireland|County]]
|subdivision_name3      = [[County Galway]]
|subdivision_type4      = [[Barony (Ireland)|Barony]]
|subdivision_name4      =
|subdivision_type5      = [[Townland]]
|subdivision_name5      = Portumna
|subdivision_type6      = [[Civil parishes in Ireland|Civil parish]]
|subdivision_name6      = Lickmolassy
|established_title      =
|established_date       =
|unit_pref              = Metric
|area_footnotes         =
|area_total_km2         =
|population_as_of       = [[2022 census of Ireland|2022]]
|population_footnotes   = <ref name=cso2022>{{cite web | url = https://data.cso.ie/table/F1015 | title = Profile 1 - Population Distribution and Movement F1015 - Population: Portumna, Co. Galway | publisher = [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)]] | access-date = 21 July 2023}}</ref>
|population             = 1,690
|population_density_km2 = auto
|timezone1              = [[West European Time|WET]]
|utc_offset1            = +0
|timezone1_DST          = [[Irish Standard Time|IST]] ([[Western European Summer Time|WEST]])
|utc_offset1_DST        = -1
|coordinates            = {{coord|53.0892|-8.2189|dim:100000_region:IE|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
|elevation_footnotes    =
|elevation_m            = 48
|blank_name             = [[Irish grid reference system|Irish Grid Reference]]
|blank_info             = {{iem4ibx|M853042}}
|website                = {{URL|www.visitportumna.com}}
|footnotes              =
}}
'''Portumna''' ({{Irish place name|Port Omna}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=Port Omna/Portumna|url=https://www.logainm.ie/en/1413950|access-date=2021-07-24|website=Logainm.ie|language=en}}</ref>- meaning 'the landing place of the oak') is a market town in the south-east of [[County Galway]], Ireland, on the border with and linked by a [[Portumna bridge|bridge]] to [[County Tipperary]]. The town is located to the west of the point where the [[River Shannon]] enters [[Lough Derg (Shannon)|Lough Derg]]. This historic crossing point over the River Shannon between counties Tipperary and Galway has a long history of bridges and ferry crossings. On the south-western edge of the town lie [[Portumna Castle]] and Portumna forest park.
==History==
===Portumna Bridge===
{{main article|Portumna bridge}}
Portumna is served with a five-span road bridge over the Shannon. This was designed by C. E. Stanier of London, and completed in 1911, with a central section resting on Hayes's Island which divides the river into two channels. The steel structure of the main bridge and pivoting [[swing bridge]] over the navigation channel are of technical and engineering interest, and it is the largest early-twentieth century swing bridge in Europe.{{Citation needed|date=June 2009}} The opening section was replaced in October 2008.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.lmkeating.ie/portumna_bridge.html |title=Portumna Bridge |access-date=2013-05-21 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120302150846/http://www.lmkeating.ie/portumna_bridge.html |archive-date=2 March 2012 }}</ref>
The Shannon at this point consists of two channels divided by Hayes Island, the one on the County Tipperary side being about 79&nbsp;m (260&nbsp;ft) wide, and that on the Galway side being about 73&nbsp;m (240&nbsp;ft) wide. Each channel is spanned by three pairs of mild-steel plate girders, either 24&nbsp;m (80&nbsp;ft) or 27&nbsp;m (90&nbsp;ft) in length, resting on 3&nbsp;m (9&nbsp;ft) diameter concrete-filled cast-iron cylinders.
[[File:Portumnaworkhouse.JPG|250px|thumb|right|Portumna Workhouse from the [[Ballinasloe]] road]]
===Workhouse===
A number of [[Poor Law Union]]s were set up across Ireland during the [[Great Famine (Ireland)|Great Famine]]. The Portumna Union was formally declared on 22 February 1850, covering an area of {{convert|121|sqmi|km2|sigfig=2}} as a subdivision of the [[Ballinasloe]] and [[Loughrea]] unions.<ref>[http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?Portumna/Portumna.shtml] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090831095356/http://www.workhouses.org.uk/index.html?Portumna%2FPortumna.shtml|date=31 August 2009}} Portumna Workhouse at workhouses.org.uk</ref>
The Portumna Union workhouse was erected on a {{convert|9|acre|m2|sigfig=1}} site {{convert|0.5|mi|m|sigfig=1}} to the north-east of Portumna. Designed by the Poor Law Commissioners' architect George Wilkinson, the building was intended to accommodate 600 inmates who were badly affected by the lack of both employment and food at the time. Its construction cost £6,700 plus £1,175 for fittings etc., but in recent years the workhouse site has been left semi-derelict. One of the front blocks is, however, used by a local council depot. The Irish Workhouse Centre,<ref>{{Cite web|title=The Irish Workhouse Centre, Portumna, County Galway, Ireland.|url=http://www.portumna.net/irishworkhousecentre/|access-date=2021-07-24|website=portumna.net}}</ref> opened in the old Portumna Workhouse during summer 2011, is the only centre telling the history of workhouses in Ireland.
===Castle===
[[File:portumna castle.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Portumna Castle]]
[[File:Portumna Castle gates.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Portumna Castle gates]]
The town is noted for [[Portumna Castle]] and for the lords that lived there. The castle is actually a [[fortified house|semi-fortified house]] and was built before 1618 by [[Richard Burke, 4th Earl of Clanricarde|Richard Burke]] or de Burgo, the 4th [[Earl of Clanricarde]]. It was the main seat of the de Burgo family for over 200 years, until it was gutted by fire in 1826.
The castle is located about 200 metres North of Portumna (or 'New') Harbour on Lough Derg, with Portumna Forest Park to the west and the town of Portumna about 300 metres to the north and east.
Following conservation and restoration work, the ground floor of the castle is now open to the public from April–September daily and from September–October on weekends only. The conservation works on other parts of the castle are ongoing. To the north of the castle are formal, geometrically laid out gardens. The castle also includes the restored 17th century walled kitchen garden.
As with many historic buildings a number of local legends have grown up around the castle. One local legend goes that a child fell out of the upper windows. An [[Irish Wolfhound]] raced over, broke the child's fall and saved the child. A marker stone now rests on the site. The bones of the dog, called "Fury" according to a marker stone erected at the time of his death, have been found during excavations, and are now on display in the castle itself.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.portumna.net/news/localpapers/090422.html|title = Portumna Business Directory – Browse Business Pages – Businesses with their own Full Page on Portumna.net>}}</ref> However, the veracity of this is doubted.  Amongst the oldest families of the area, whose histories run alongside that of the castle, the legend is that the Earl's wolfhound died during the fire, on the balcony alongside the Earl's daughter.
The [[Irish National Land League]]'s [[Land War]], a plan of campaign to force landlords to reduce rents, started in Portumna. [[Hubert de Burgh-Canning, 2nd Marquess of Clanricarde]] was targeted because of his harsh treatment of his tenants. Clanricarde was quoted as saying "if you think you can intimidate me by shooting my agent, you are mistaken." He demanded that the government offer all the protection to which his property was entitled, which they did. When rent day came in November 1886, 4,000 tenants marched with a brass band past the estate office and to the hotel where a group of [[Irish nationalism|nationalist]] [[Member of Parliament|members of parliament]] decided how much rent was to be paid. The tenants then returned to the estate office and offered their rent, which the officer in charge refused to take as it was lower than the amount the landlord had set. The money was then handed over to the MPs for the defence of the tenants. The MP [[William O'Brien]] described it as "an artist in political melodrama." One of the main instigators in this drama was Jeremiah O'Driscoll, affectionately known as "cus". Because of the disturbances in Portumna an 1887 act was brought into effect, the [[Perpetual Crimes Act]], in effect the last Irish crimes act ever to be put on the British statute book.{{citation needed|date=November 2016}}
Today, Portumna Castle is a heritage museum of the [[Flight of the Wild Geese]].
==Tourism==
===Portumna Forest Park===
Portumna forest park is located on the southwestern edge of the town, on the northern shore of Lough Derg. The park spans almost 600 hectares (1,500 acres) and formed part of the lands of the Earl of Clanricarde, who was seated at Portumna Castle. It was purchased by the Irish government in 1948, and is now owned by [[Coillte]].
Within the park there are forest and lakeside walks, car parking and toilet facilities and observation points. There are also a number of bike-friendly trails.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mountainbiking.ie/component/k2/itemlist/tag/Portumna%20Forest%20Park.html |title=Displaying items by tag: Portumna Forest Park |access-date=2014-04-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140430013218/http://www.mountainbiking.ie/component/k2/itemlist/tag/Portumna%20Forest%20Park.html |archive-date=30 April 2014 }}</ref> The park has the remains of [[Portumna Abbey]], a [[Cistercian]] abbey dating from the 15th Century. Adjacent to the park is a marina giving access to the [[River Shannon|Shannon]] waterway system.
The forest is mainly coniferous but also contains a wide variety of broadleaved trees, both native and exotic. In addition to woodlands there are wide open spaces, green fields, scrub, marsh, water and numerous off-shore islands. This inter mix of forest, open area, water and islands gives a wide choice of habitat to support a great variety of flora and fauna.
[[File:Portumna Harbour.JPG|250px|thumb|right|Portumna (or 'New') Harbour]]
===Marine tourism===
Portumna is a tourist destination for boaters, golfers and anglers. The town is at the junction of the [[River Shannon]] and [[Lough Derg (Shannon)|Lough Derg]], and there are a number of harbours – two of which are on the Portumna side of the river.
These are Connacht Harbour, accessed via the river, which is beside Bridge Road, on the eastern side of the town, and Portumna (or 'New') Harbour which is on the northern shore of Lough Derg beside Castle Avenue, adjacent to the castle and the forest park on the southern edge of the town.
A third private harbour has been recently established on the Tipperary side of the river at [[Portland, North Tipperary|Portland]] House. There are also private moorings at Belle Isle harbour. Pleasure craft can be privately hired at Emerald Star Line cruisers at Connacht Harbour.
===Walking and cycling trails===
In addition to trails within the forest park, Portumna is the southern trailhead of the [[Hymany Way]] which here forms part of the [[Beara-Breifne Way|Beara-Breifne]] long-distance walking and cycling trail between the [[Beara Peninsula]] in [[County Cork]] and [[Blacklion]] in [[County Cavan]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bbgreenway.com/towns/portumna.html|title=Beara Breifne Way}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://bbgreenway.com/routes/hymany.html|title = Beara Breifne Way}}</ref> A free weekly timed 5&nbsp;km [[Parkrun]] takes place on forest paths within the forest park.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.parkrun.ie/portumna/ |title = Parkrun in Portumna forest park}}</ref>
==Sport==
The town is home to the 2006, 2008, 2009 and 2014 [[All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship]] winners, [[Portumna GAA]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.gaa.ie/plugins/newsfeed.cgi?rm=content&plugin_data_id=26167 |title=&#124; the Official Website of the GAA |access-date=2009-03-17 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090920075535/http://www.gaa.ie/plugins/newsfeed.cgi?rm=content&plugin_data_id=26167 |archive-date=20 September 2009 }} GAA Website 2009 Match Report</ref> The hurlers have also won six Galway county titles, in 2003, 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2013. A number of Portumna players, including [[Joe Canning]], have been members of the [[Galway GAA|Galway senior panel]].
While soccer has been played in Portumna in various guises over the years, Portumna Town FC was founded in 2006,<ref>{{cite web| url = http://portumnatownfc.com/| title =       Խ ޹ ˾}}</ref> with a view to providing organised football for the children of Portumna and the surrounding areas. The club competes in the Midlands Schoolboy League, and league, cup and shield trophies at various age groups have been won over the years.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}} The club has a 3G astro turf facility and in 2013 a senior team was started up to compete in the North Tipperary League.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}
There are several angling spots near Portumna – a number of which are official match stretches located on the [[River Shannon]] itself and the northern shores of [[Lough Derg (Shannon)|Lough Derg]]. On the river there are two main stretches near Portumna. One is downstream of Portumna and is known locally as the 'lower town stretch' or 'Rogers Island'. The other is upstream of the town and is known as the upper [[Electricity Supply Board|ESB]] stretch or 'Fairyhill'. The most commonly caught species include [[pike (fish)|pike]], [[perch]], [[bream]], [[Rutilus|roach]] and hybrids. The River Shannon and Lough Derg also provide for pleasure boating and watersports. During the summer months, sports such as [[water-skiing]] and [[wakeboarding]] are undertaken in Portumna.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}
[[File:Portumna Bay.jpg|250px|thumb|right|Portumna Bay, Lough Derg, as dusk falls, near the 'Lower Town' Angling stretch on the River Shannon]]
Portumna Golf Club (founded in 1913) and its 18-hole parkland golf course (par 72), set within the {{convert|1500|acre|km2|sigfig=2}} Portumna Forest Park, is located on the western approach to the town, approximately two kilometres from the town centre on the [[Ennis]]/[[Gort]] road. In 2010, ''Golf Digest Ireland'' ranked the course as number 61 out of 100 of the top courses in Ireland. As of 2014, the course was ranked 53rd.<ref>{{cite web| url = http://www.portumnagolfclub.ie/links.html| url-status = dead| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130716031220/http://www.portumnagolfclub.ie/links.html| archive-date = 2013-07-16| title = Portumna Golf Club - Links}}</ref>
A now annual long-distance running event, the Portumna Forest Marathon, was started in 2010. The event includes both a full and half marathon, along with 50&nbsp;km and 100&nbsp;km ultra marathons. The event staged one of the world cup trophy series in 2014.{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}
==Jamboree==
{{see also|Irish Scout Jamborees}}
In August 1985 the three [[Scouting|Scout]] Associations in Ireland ([[Scouting Ireland (CSI)|CBSI]], [[Scouting Ireland S.A.I.|SAI]], and [[Scout Association of Northern Ireland|NISC]]) held a major [[Jamboree (Scouting)|Jamboree]] at Portumna to celebrate [[International Youth Year]].  ''Portumna '85'' was the first Scout camp involving all three Irish Scouting organisations. It is remembered by both participants and locals as ''Port-mud-na '85'' on account of the muddy conditions that had to be endured by the 10,000 or so participants, caused by the torrential rain which fell during that summer.{{Citation needed|date=February 2021}}
==Festivals==
Portumna holds two festivals each year. The first in late June is the "Portumna's Great Outdoors [[Festival]]", a celebration of the many outdoors attractions that Portumna has to offer, which takes place over three days. The second is the Shorelines Arts Festival in late September over four days.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Shorelines Arts Festival {{!}} Home|url=https://www.shorelinesartsfestival.com/|access-date=2021-07-24|website=Shorelines Arts Festival|language=en}}</ref>
== Notable people ==
{{See also|Category:People from Portumna}}
==See also==
* [[Stoneyisland Man]]
* [[Timothy Joyce]]
* [[List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland|List of towns and villages in Ireland]]
* [[List of monastic houses in Ireland#County Galway|List of abbeys and priories in Ireland (County Galway)]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
==External links==
{{Wikivoyage|Portumna}}
{{Commons category|Portumna}}
* [http://indigo.ie/~wildgees/index.htm Wild Geese Heritage Museum and Library]
* [http://www.portumnafestival.com Portumna's Great Outdoors Festival]
* [http://www.shorelinesartsfestival.com Shorelines Arts Festival]
* [http://www.forestmarathon.com Portumna International marathon and ultra marathon]
{{County Galway}}
[[Category:Forest parks in Ireland]]
[[Category:Towns and villages in County Galway]]
[[Category:Populated places on the River Shannon]]