Shrule

Shrule (Gaelic Sruthair, meaning a river or stream) is a small village, rich in history, in County Mayo, Ireland.

Situated on the N84 main road from Galway to Castlebar, Shrule nestles along the banks of the Black River, between Headford and Ballinrobe. It is only 25km from Galway city on the Mayo side of the boundary between Counties Mayo and Galway.

The village has one primary school and the RC church is St Joseph's Church. Second level students from the area attend Presentation College Headford, County Galway, approx 6km away.

Historic Shrule

The ruins of six Norman castles can be found in the parish of Shrule. During the Norman occupation Shrule became a market town, a process which continued until the 20th century, when the last fairs and marts were held in the village up until the 1960s.

Approaching from Galway, the ruins of Shrule Castle - a fortification built by the Norman deBurgo family - dominates the view. This was part of a manor granted by Richard deBurgo to his son John in 1308. The ruin is unsafe and is closed to the public.

Other interesting things to see in the area include some 30 ring forts and a crannog in the eastern half of the parish.