placenamesCarraholly
Ceathrú Chalaidh
Carraholly, also locally called Carrowholly, has become a setting for school and community recreation, rugby and a major golf course overlooking Clew Bay.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Ceathrú Chalaidh · Irish · main form · validated name
- Carraholly · English · main form
- Carrowholly · English · main form · local name
Place & story
The school’s modern development
Carrowholly National School in Rusheen underwent a major refurbishment and extension in 2001 under principal Peter Carney. Another extension followed in April 2009, incorporating a rainwater-harvesting system. That year also brought the development of the community playing field, enlarging the school’s recreational space. An artificial-turf area followed in 2023. These successive projects changed the school’s indoor and outdoor facilities, combining additional teaching accommodation with environmental measures and places for play. [2]
A home for the Westport Bulls
Westport Rugby Football Club bought land at Carrowholly in 1984 and developed two pitches and a training area. Its purpose-built clubhouse opened in 1986, giving the club a base away from its original Demesne pitch in Westport. A further pitch improvement project opened on 1 March 2003, when the club also refreshed its kit and reaffirmed its Bulls nickname. Floodlights installed beside the main pitch in 2017 enabled home matches after dark, extending the use of the grounds. [3]
Hawtree’s golf course above the bay
Westport Golf Club’s eighteen-hole course at Carrowholly was designed by Fred W. Hawtree in 1973. Its ground combines an inland setting with the edge of Clew Bay, with Croagh Patrick visible beyond the water. The course has hosted the Irish Amateur Close Championship, Irish PGA Championship, Irish Ladies Close and Ladies Home Internationals. A separate nine-hole pitch-and-putt course occupies part of the same landscape, adding a shorter form of the game beside the main course. [4]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Carraholly. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- History of Carrowholly National School: latest developments · Carrowholly National School
- Westport Rugby Football Club: Club History · Westport Rugby Football Club
- Westport Golf Club: Golf Course · Westport Golf Club
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.