Mionloch

Faigheann Mionloch an ainm ó “mion” (beag) agus “loch”. Tá loch beag scoilte amach ón abhainn a thugann an ainm seo don áit.

Menlo gets its name from “mion” meaning small and “loch” meaning lake. There is a small lake which separates from the river which gives the name to the area.

Thart ar 10,oooRC bhí an Aois Oighir in Éirinn. Ó 7,000RC ar aghaidh leá an oighir agus bhí lochanna againn. Tháinig daoine go Mionloch thart ar 5,000RC. Ba mhuintir an Mean Cloch Aois iad seo.

Around 10,000BC we had the Ice Age in Ireland. From 7,000 to 6,000BC the ice began to melt and the land with rivers and lakes took shape. Lough Corrib was formed at this time. The first settlers came to Menlo around 5000BC. These were Middle Stone Age people (Mesolithic People).

Cloch-Aois / Stone Age

Bhí a gcuid airm déanta as cloch. Fuarathas saighead ón am sin i Loch Coiribe. D’inis an stairí Peadar O’Dowd gur thum sé sa loch chun teacht ar na rudaí seo. Bhíodh na daoine seo ag fiach lacha agus fia agus ag iascaireacht do bradáin agus eascanna.

All their weapons were made of stone. Arrowheads and axeheads from this time have been found in the Corrib. Galway historian Peadar O’Dowd has visited our school and told us how he scuba dived in the Corrib to find these items. These people hunted duck and deer and fished for salmon and eel.

Idir 4,000 agus 3,000RC ghearr na daoine na crainn síos chun an talamh a ghlanadh. Chuir siad síolta agus choinnigh siad ainmhithe. Ní raibh an abhainn comh leathan ag an am sin agus bhí rudaí a cailleadh ar thalamh faoi uisce nuair a tháinig na stairí orthu le déanaí. Ba daoine ón Nua Cloch Aois iad seo. Bhí siad beag a dhóthain, (150cm) agus níor mhair siad ach go dtí 30 bliain d’aois. Bhí a gcuid tithe déanta as géaga crainn, puiteach le ceann tuí orthu. Rinne siad uaigh níos láidre. Sa pháirc os comhair Caréil Gort a’Chaladh tá “leaba Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne”. Is sean dolmain é seo faoina cuireadh luaithreach daoine

Between 4000 to 3000BC the people began to clear the land by cutting down trees. They planted crops and kept animals. The river was not as wide then so items lost on land later were submerged and preserved and only recently discovered. These were the New Stone Age People (Neolithic People). Their remains show them to be small people, only 150cm (5ft) tall and most died by the age of 30. Their houses were made of wood, mud and thatch roof. Their graves were more permanent. In Menlo in the field opposite Anglingham Quarry there is the remains of a portal dolmen known locally as “Leaba Dhiarmada agus Ghráinne” . Bodies were cremated and placed in an urn under the stone. Up to 30 people’s remains are here.

Cré Uamha Aois/Bronze Age

Thart ar 2000RC bhí muintir an Cré Uamha Aois i Mionloch. Chónaigh siad i gcrannóga. Fuarathas báid déanta as crainn san abhainn ag léiriú go raibh sé mar bhealach taistil acu.

Around 2000to 1000BC Bronze Age People were living in Menlo. Spearheads with wood that has been carbon dated to 1000BC were found in the Corrib. They lived in crannógs. Log boats have been found on the Corrib river bed showing the people used it as their transport system.

An Chrois i Mionloch

Seo é “An Chrois”. Is cloch ón gcré-umha aois é. Críostaíodh an cloch i 1815AD  nuair a scríobh Johannes Healy  “I. Healy” air agus scríob sé crois ar an gcloch págánach seo. Briseadh an crois i 1983 nuair a bhí an comhairle contae ag leagadh píopaí uisce i Mionloch. Chuir Martin Fahy an Chrois ar ais le chéile agus cuireadh ar ais ag seasamh é ina áit ceart!

This is the Crois. It is a Bronze Age standing stone. It was christianised in 1815 when Johannes Healy carved a cross on the surface (and also “I Healy”) on this stone from pagan times. The crois was broken in 1983 during water pipe laying works in Menlo. Martin Fahy doweled the two broken pieces together and the stone was restored to its proper original place.

Tháinig na Ceiltigh le uirlisí agus airm iarainn. Thóg siad dúin le chónaí iontu. Tá 45,000 díobh seo in Éirinn.Trasna ó Mhionloch tá an Daingean, áit a raibh Dún. Bhí cinn i Mionloch agus an Baile Bán.

The Celts arrived to Ireland bringing iron weapon and tools. They built forts to live in. There are remains of around 45,000 such forts all around the country. Across from Menlo is Dangan which comes from Daingean meaning strong place (fort). There was a fort there. There were forts in Ballybane and also in Menlo. Familes could bring their animals inside the fort walls to protect them from attack or from wolves. There were tunnels under the forts called souterrains. These allowed people to escape when attacked and also were used to keep meat fresh. The souterrain was like a fridge.

Uirlisí a fuarathas sa Choirib/Tools found in the Corrib

Tháinig na Lochlannaigh go hÉireann i 795AD. Fuarathas airm lochlannach san abhainn.

In 795AD the first Vikings came to Ireland. There were axeheads (the main Viking weapon) found in the Corrib beside many small round stones (sling and stone was one of the weapons of the Irish).

Airm a fuarathas sa Choirib/Weapons found in the Corrib

I 1169AD tháinig na Normánaigh go hÉireann. Bhí airm láidir iarann acu. Fuarathas iad seo san abhainn. Tháinig na 14 treabh ón dream seo. S’iad sin Athy, Blake, Bodkin, Browne, D’Arcy, Deane, Ffont, Ffrench, Joyce, Kirwan, Lynch, Martyn, Morris and Skerrett. Tá ainmneacha na dtimpealláin i nGaillimh faighte ó na hainmneacha seo.

In 1169AD the first Normans came to Ireland. They brought serious weaponry. Iron armour and weaponry havebeen found in the Corrib. The 14 tribes of Galway were of Norman descent. These are Athy, Blake, Bodkin, Browne, D’Arcy, Deane, Ffont, Ffrench, Joyce, Kirwan, Lynch, Martyn, Morris and Skerrett. The roundabouts in Galway are named after these tribes.

Airm a fuarathas sa Choirib/Weapons found in the Corrib

I 1649 thóg Cromwell a chuid saighdiúirí go hÉireann agus ina dhiaidh sin go Gaillimh. Fuarathas airm ón ré sin san abhainn.

In 1649AD Cromwell brought his army to Ireland and eventually to Galway. There have been many weapons from this period found in the Corrib.

An Leacht i Mionloch

Seo é an leacht a thugann an t-ainm don bhóthar ar a bhfuil sé suite. Tá  “Pray for the soul of William Connell and his wife Catherine Coyne and their son Edmund Connell and his wife Sarah Hehir, John Connell and his wife Margaret Francis. 1693″ scríobhtha ar an leacht.

This is the monument which gives its name to the road an which it stands. The inscription reads: “Pray for the soul of William Connell and his wife Catherine Coyne and their son Edmund Connell and his wife Sarah Hehir, John Connell and his wife Margaret Francis. 1693″

Caisleán Mhionlaigh

Tógadh an caisleán thart ar 1550AD ag muintir Coleman. Thart ar 1600 ghlac na Blakes úinéireacht agus chuir siad leis an gcaisleán. De réir a chéile cuireadh leis go dtí go raibh teach cónaithe álainn acu. Bhí Valentine Blake i gceannas ar an teach agus an talamh i lár an naoiú aois déag. Bhí teach aige Londain agus i mBaile Átha Cliath ach ní raibh dóthain airgid á fáil aige ó na tionóntaí ar a thalamh. Bhí sé go mór i bhfiacha. Ar an Domhnach ní raibh cead an dlí a ghearradh ar dhaoine maidir le fiacha agus bhí Valentine le feiceáil ag siúl thart i nGaillimh. Tugadh an leas-ainm “Sunday Boy Blake” air. Comh fada is go raibh sé ar ais ar a thalamh féin roimh mean-oíche, bhí sé sábhailte. Ar deireadh bhí sé tofa mar MP agus ní raibh cead an fiacha a iarradh uaidh arís!

The castle was built by the Colemans around 1550AD. Sometime around 1600 ownership passed to the Blakes. They extended and built the castle that stands on the site today. Valentine Blake was the owner in the middle of the 19th century. He had houses in London and Dublin but his income could not sustain this lifestyle. He was heavily in debt. However, on Sundays it was forbidden to serve a writ (in order to bring a person to court) so Valentine could happily walk the streets of Galway. He became known as “Sunday Boy Blake”. As long as he was back on his own property by midnight he was safe. He was later elected as an MP and it was again forbidden to sue him for his debts!

Buidéil a fuarathas sa Choirib/Bottles found in the Corrib

Ceaptar go raibh nimh sna buidéil daite. Tá bun lúbtha ar bhuidéal anseo ionas nach mbeidh sé in ann seasamh díreach. B’fhéidir chun an corc a choinneáil fliuch. / It is thought that the coloured bottle contained poison. There is a curved base on one of the bottles so that it couldn’t stand upright. This was probably to keep the cork moist.

D’oscail na Blakes an caisleán do mhuintir na Gaillimhe i Mí Bealtaine gach bliain. Do na ceithre Domhnach i Mí Bealtaine, bhí rámhaíocht, ceol agus damhsa ag muintir na háite ann. Ghlaogh siad “Maying” ar seo.

Every year the Blakes opened their grounds to the people of Galway. For the four Sundays in May there was rowing, music, dancing and entertainment for all. This was known as “Maying”.

Bhí an caisleán mar áit cónaithe do na Blakes go dtí go ndeachaidh sé trí thine i Mí Iúil 1910. Bhí muintir an tí i mBaile Átha Cliath agus ní raibh ach cailín, Ellen Blake, a bhí tinn agus beirt searbhónta Delia Early agus Annie Browne sa teach. Tháinig fir chun cabhrú ach bhí an tine ró-mhór. Leag siad tuí ar an talamh agus léim Delia agus Annie as an gcaisleán. Maraíodh Delia nuair a léim sí ach mhair Annie, cé go raibh sí gortaithe. Bhí Ellen bocht dóite sa tine.

The castle was the home of the Blakes until it tragically burned down in July 1910. The family were in Dublin and only Ellen Blake, who was sick, and two servant girls, Delia Early and Annie Browne were in the house. Men came to help but the fire was too intense. They laid bales of hay on the ground and Delia and Annie jumped to avoid being burned alive. Unfortunately, Delia died following her jump but Annie survived. Poor Ellen died in the fire.

Geata an ChaisleáinGrotto

Tháinig na clocha chun é seo a thógáil ón gcaisleán a bhí i ndroch cuí. Féach ar an Mhaighdean Mhuire, tá seanfhuinneog ón gcaisleán timpeall uirthi! D’oscail an Easpag de Brún é i 1945.

The stone for the grotto came from the ruins of Menlo Castle. Note the window in which the Virgin Mary stands! The grotto was opened in 1945 by Bishop Browne.