Rás Chonamara

Rás Chonamara is a 3-day cycling event running from the 7th to 9th of April 2012. Initially starting out as a one-day event, last year in 2011 it was made a 3-day event. The Rás Chonamara 3 day will feature a challenging route that will consist of 3 road stages and an individual time trial. Rás Chonamara will be open to the following categories: A2 & A3 only. Rás Chonamara is a pre-register race.

For more information on registering, the cycle route, the stages or just general information on Rás Chonamara, log on to
Rás Chonamara

Easter Egg Hunt & Cake Sale

In aid of the Oughterard Courthouse Restoration Project, there will be a Cake Sale and an Easter Egg Hunt on Sunday the 8th of April (Easter Sunday) from 11am. The Cake Sale will be held in the church  office, and the Easter Egg Hunt will take place in the church garden. All are welcome!

Ronhill Connemarathon 2012

The Ronhill Connemarathon will be held on April 1st this year. Comprising of a Half Marathon, a Full Marathon and a 39.3 mile Ultra Marathon all taking place on the one day. The 2010 event sold out 3,200 entries, representing 30 countries in total. It is a unique experience and both runners and walkers of all levels of experience can take part. However entry is closed for this year.

There is a great buzz and sense of comradeship on the day as runners and walkers travel from Maam Cross past bogs, lakes, hills, the Twelve Pin mountain range, Killary Lough, through Leenane, around the Maum Turk mountains and all the way back to Maam Cross. It is a great accomplishment to to have take part in the Ronhill Connemarathon. The following times are appointed for each of the different marathons:
Ultra Marathon (39.3 miles) 9:00am
Full Marathon (26.2 miles) 10:30am
Half Marathon (13.1 miles) 12:00pm

For more information check out the official website:
Ronhill Connemarathon

10 Facts About St.Patrick

St. Patrick’s Day. A day celebrating the life of the patron saint of Ireland, and as is tradition, parades are held every year on the 17th March to mark this special day. It is the one day a year where everyone can ‘be Irish’ and celebrate their roots or just simply join in the festivities. St. Patrick’s Day is as big in America and even worldwide as it is here in the Emerald Isle, with huge parades and celebrations. However now that it is all over for another year, and with the long Bank Holiday weekend behind us, I thought it might be nice to provide you with a few facts you may (or may not) have known about St. Patrick and this particular day in history. So here goes!

1. St. Patrick was born in Britain. He was born around 385AD to Calpurnius and Conchessa, who were both Roman citizens living in either Wales or Scotland (different versions of the story differ on this piece of info).
2. Decorating ourselves, our food, our drinks –in fact, anything we can possibly get our hands on- green is part of the St. Patrick’s tradition. However the vestments St. Patrick wore were actually blue!
3. The first celebration of St. Patrick’s Day is claimed to have been held in Boston in 1737. What’s more, in 2008, 36,278,332 Americans claimed Irish ancestry. That’s nearly 12% of the population in that year!
4. Every March 17^th in Chicago, the river is dyed green for a few hours.
5. The biggest parade is held in New York, with the biggest parade in the Southern Hemisphere being held in Sydney.
6. It is said that St. Patrick drove the snakes out of Ireland. However, evidence into post-glacial Ireland suggests that there were never snakes in Ireland to begin with. It is believed that the snakes represent pagans he converted instead.
7. On Judgement Day, according to legend, Christ will judge all the nations. Except Ireland – St Patrick will judge the Irish.
8. Why honour St. Patrick on the 17^th March? It is believed that St. Patrick died on March 17th in 461 AD, in Saul,Co. Down.
9. Until the ‘70s, it was an Irish law that pubs must be closed on March 17^th. The government changed this law in 1995.
10. St Patrick is claimed to have established the Leap Year tradition of women proposing to men. Apparently this was because St. Bridget complained that women were fed up of waiting for marriage proposals. The story also states that Bridget proposed to him, but he refused!

Knockillaree Riding Centre

OUGHTERARD TOURIST CENTRE INVITES YOU TO WALK ON THE WILD SIDE OF CONNEMARA

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Connemara

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