placenamesTubber
An Tobar
Tubber on the Galway–Clare border has a documented fairground history, a living holy-well tradition and sporting connections across the county boundary.
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
- An Tobar · Irish · main form · non-validated name
- Tubber · English · main form
Place & story
Horse and lamb fairs
Samuel Lewis recorded Tubber as Tubbers or Tubberindowney in 1837, placing it in Beagh parish on the road from Gort towards Ennis. He counted 140 inhabitants and identified two large annual fairs, held on 12 July and 20 September, for horses and lambs. The entry presents a small settlement with a periodic commercial role, drawing agricultural trade beyond the needs of its resident population. [2]
The Well of the King of Sunday
Anthropologist Celeste Ray's field record describes Tubber's Well of the King of Sunday within an older circular stone enclosure. Later paths and shrines had been arranged around it following improvements from 2007. Her account records a belief in cures associated with praying the rosary on three consecutive visits, together with offerings such as rosary beads and religious figures. These observations document devotional practice and belief, rather than demonstrating a medical effect. [3]
A club crossing the county boundary
Kilkeedy Heritage explains that the Clare parish's hurling club took the name Tubber from the church and holy well just across its boundary in Galway. Registered with the Clare County Board in 1885, the club initially played extensively against south Galway opposition. That November it joined a tournament at Ardrahan and then hosted neighbouring Galway clubs. The account shows how the county boundary divided administration while local sporting relationships continued across it. [4]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Galway
- Barony
- Kiltartan
- Civil parish
- Beagh
- Within
- Rathwilladoon
- Coordinates
- 52.99641, -8.88864 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 131036 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Tubber. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Tubbers, A Topographical Dictionary of Ireland (1837) · Samuel Lewis; historical text transcribed by Library Ireland
- Well of the King of Sunday: field record · Celeste Ray, Ireland’s Holy Wells County-by-County
- Tubber GAA: Early history, 26 February 2024 · Eoin Ruane, Kilkeedy Heritage
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.