Kinvara

The modern parish of Kinvara is roughly with coextensive[citation needed] with the slightly larger late medieval territory of the Uí Eidhin clan Coill Ua bhFhiachrach (“forest of the descendents of Fiachra”) which was an ancient sub-district of Aidhne stretching from Garryland to Doorus.[citation needed] The Uí Eidhin / (O Hynes) clan who were also chiefs of Uí Fhiachrach Aidni. The modern parish of Kinvara contains the civil parishes of Kinvarradoorus and Killinny or the medieval parishes of Kinvara, Doorus and Killinny(Killina). Kinvara developed around an Ó hEidhin (O Hynes) towerhouse (now completely demolished) close to the main pier and the medieval church of St. Colmán or St.Caimín (now in ruins) which is situated between the main road through the village and Céibh a’ Chéile (the oldest part of the quay). The church of St. Caimín dates to the early 13th century but is built on the site of Saint Caimín’s original early medieval church.[citation needed] It belongs to the style of architecture known as the School of the West which was a style of building in use in Connacht before the Anglo-Norman invasion of the kingdom in the early 13th century.

Kinvara is home every year to two festivals, Fleadh na gCuach (“the cuckoo festival”) an Irish music festival at the start of May and the Cruinniú na mBád (“gathering of the boats”) in mid August. Anthony Moylan is credited as the person who came up with the idea for the Fleadh on the new bank holiday weekend to commemorate the festival of Bealtaine, around which time the cuckoo is first heard. The Cruinniú na mBád, also largely the idea of Anthony Moylan, is the larger and longer-running, it celebrates the traditional sailing craft (Galway Hookers) and the trade they once did between Kinvara, western County Galway and the north of County Clare. Turf was imported into Kinvara from the west of County Galway while barley, lime, and timber was exported from Kinvara. Turf, the main fuel used here prior to coal and oil, had to be imported as Kinvara is in an area without bogs. The festival started in 1979 and features a series of boat races as well as a variety of other events on the pier. The Fleadh na gCuach (started in 1994) is a festival of Irish music that celebrates the old Irish festival of Bealtaine (the First of May), which in Ireland marks the start of Summer.