placenamesCloghan
An Clochán
The school’s own history and a recent archaeological report document two very different kinds of local change.
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 Clochán · Irish · main form · validated name
- Cloghan · English · main form
Place & story
Separate schools within one building
Saint Mary’s National School on Castle Street was built in 1964 with separate boys’ and girls’ schools at opposite ends, each with its own teaching staff. Gallen National School closed in 1969 and its pupils moved to Cloghan. The boys’ and girls’ schools amalgamated in 1997, creating a mixed school within premises that had already accommodated both groups for more than thirty years. [2]
Sixty years remembered
The school records a celebration of its sixtieth anniversary in 2024. Mass in Saint Mary’s Church was followed by an event devoted to the school’s history. This was a particular anniversary observance, rather than evidence of an annual village custom. [2]
A possible carved head from Stonestown
Fieldwalking at Stonestown, before an access road was constructed for Cloghan Wind Farm, recovered a possible carved stone head from topsoil. Dermot Nelis’s report, covering archaeological monitoring in 2021–22 with Fiona Maguire, records its deposit with the National Museum of Ireland. Its date remained undetermined and research was continuing when the report was written. No named historical person or ancient deity can securely be attached to the object on that evidence. [3]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Cloghan. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- About Us: Saint Mary’s National School history and2024anniversary · Saint Mary’s National School, Cloghan
- 2022:568CloghanWindFarm, licence21E0291 · Dermot Nelis, Excavations.ie
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.