Cill Chiaráin

Cill Chiaráin is a village in the Connemara area of County Galway, Ireland. The R340 road along the coast from Galway city passes through Cill Chiaráin on your way to Clifden.Cill Chiaráin is a Gaeltacht area of Ireland. It is linked to the nearby town of Carna by the Irish college of Coláiste Sheoisaimh, which runs courses in Irish during the summer and mid-term breaks.NameCill Chiaráin is Irish for "Ciarán's church" and is named after Saint Ciarán, who lent his name to the village. There is a national school, a church and a holy well named after him. Also, up on the hill overlooking Cill Chiaráin there is a cross erected in his honour, and in front of that there is a place called "Leaba Chiaráin" ("Ciarán's bed"). On St Ciarán's feast day, there is a day of celebration in honour of the saint held in the village. Organised by the local festival committee, Coiste Fhéile Chill Chiaráin, there is a Roman Catholic mass performed at the well which St Ciarán blessed back in the 6th century. There is a grotto there with a statue of St Ciarán, which is the only statue to the saint in Ireland.There is also a Cill Chiaráin in County Kilkenny.