Gort

Gort ( or ) is a town of around 2,800 inhabitants¹ in County Galway in the west of Ireland. Located near the border with County Clare, the town lies between the Burren and the Slieve Aughty and is served by the R458 and R460 regional roads, which connect to the M18 motorway.

Gort ( or ) is a town of around 2,800 inhabitants in County Galway in the west of Ireland. Located near the border with County Clare, the town lies between the Burren and the Slieve Aughty and is served by the R458 and R460 regional roads, which connect to the M18 motorway.

Etymology

Gort is short for the complete Irish name, Gort Inse Guaire (gort: a meadow, field, inse: an island, and Guaire: a proper name) and translates to "field of Guaire's island".

Population

As of the 2016 census, Gort had around 3,000 inhabitants¹ and was one of the most diverse towns in Ireland, with 26.6% being non-Irish. According to the 2006 census, approximately 40% of the residents of Gort were non-Irish, mainly Brazilians. These people originally came to work in the meat processing plants in Gort, where the pay is generally much higher than in similar plants in Brazil. According to Claire Healy's Irish Migration Studies in Latin America, a "large community of Brazilians now live, work and attend school in Gort, gradually altering the appearance and the character of the town". By the time of the 2011 census, non-Irish nationals accounted for 27.2% of the population. The largest group (417 people) were still Brazilians, followed by UK nationals (81).

Notable people

. Martin Coen (1933–1997), Irish priest and historian Lady Gregory (1852–1932), lived at Coole Park Aidan Harte (b. 1988), inter-county hurler Eileen Huban (c. 1896–1935), actress from Gort, active in New York City Robert Lahiffe (1909–1975), politician Thomas Laughnan (1824–1864), recipient of the Victoria Cross, was born in Gort Sylvie Linnane (b. 1956), All-Star hurler Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin (d. 663), the 7th century King of Connacht Colman mac Duagh (560–632), saint Lisa McInerney (b. 1981), novelist and winner of the Women's Prize for Fiction Paddy McMahon Glynn (1855–1931), born in Gort, served variously as Attorney-General of Australia, Australian Minister for External Affairs and Minister for Home Affairs John Prendergast-Smyth, 1st Viscount Gort (1742¹–1817), politician Frank Quinn (1915–1996), first-class cricketer Gerry Quinn (1917–1968), rugby international and first-class cricketer Kevin Quinn (1923–2002), rugby international and first-class cricketer Jack Butler Yeats (1871–1957), painter who depicted scenes of everyday life in Gort William Butler Yeats (1865–1939), Nobel Laureate poet who renovated an old tower house near the town (Thoor Ballylee) and took up residence

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Text derived from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1375908207 under CC BY-SA 4.0; modifications have been made.