Leenaun

Leenaun An Líonán
Village
Leenaun Location in Ireland
Coordinates:53°35′45″N9°41′39″W
Country	Ireland
Province	Connacht
County	County Galway
Elevation	127 m (417 ft)
Time zone	UTC+0(WET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-1(IST(WEST))
Irish Grid Reference	L874618

Leenaun(Irish:An Líonánor Líonán Cinn Mhara,meaning 'valley at the head of the sea'),alsoLeenane,is a village and 1,845 acretownlandinCounty Galway,Ireland, on the southern shore ofKillary Harbourand the northern edge ofConnemara.

Location

Leenaun is situated on the junction of theN59 road,and theR336 roadin Connemara.

Leenaun lies where the deepu-shapedMaam Valley,bounded by theDevilsmotherto the east, and themassifofLeenaun Hillto the west, meetsKillary Harbour,Ireland's deepest fjord. Across the fjord from the village, is the massif ofBen Gorm,with the larger massif ofMweelreabehind it; while to the east, lie the scenicAasleagh Falls.The village is on the route of theWestern Waylong-distance trailand theWild Atlantic Way.

Bridge loss and replacement

On 18 July 2007, following heavy rain, the only river bridge in the village was swept away, cutting the town in half, and altering some local routes by over 100-kilometres.; the bridge had stood for over 182 years.A permanent replacement bridge was constructed in 2009, with increased traffic capacity.

Local amenities

In the village are two pubs, a hotel with seaweed baths and two guesthouses, one of which is a former convent of the Sisters of Mercy, with a breakfast room in the former chapel. There is also a café-restaurant and a sheep and wool museum with a shop and its own café, and a post office and shop, as well as a community centre.

Within Maam Valley are some ancient woods, and across the fjord isDelphi(the valley of the Bundorragha River is sometimes called the Delphi Valley) inCounty Mayo,which has a postal address of "Leenane, County Galway," and which contains both a fishing lodge and a resort hotel and adventure sports centre. Both nearby, on theRiver Erriffwhich runs into the fjord, and across at Delphi, with a river and two lakes, are active fisheries.

The major tourist attraction ofKylemore Abbeylies to the south and the scenicRenvyle-peninsula lies to the south-west.

In the media

Leenaun was the setting for the 1990 filmThe Field,and ofMartin McDonagh's playsThe Beauty Queen of LeenaneandThe Lonesome West.

Gallery

• 
  Leenaun Hill(left), andLeenaun Hill Far North-West Top(right) from Leenane village
• 
  Centre of village, and the old bridge
• 
  Massif ofLeenaun Hill(centre), and Leenaun (left), acrossKillary HarbouronBen Gorm
• 
  Ben Gormfrom across theKillary Harbourin Leenaun.

See also

• Connemara
• List of towns and villages in Ireland
• Mac ind Óclaich