Castlerea, County Roscommon, The Province of Connacht, Ireland

🇮🇪 Castlerea is the third largest town in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is located in the west of the county. Roughly translated from Irish, Castlerea is generally thought to mean 'brindled castle' (Caisleán Riabhach). An alternative translation is 'castle of the king' (Caisleán Rí). The town is built on the banks of the River Suck and the River Francis, both of which are tributaries of the River Shannon.

Economy: Industry Castlerea's major employers include Supervalu, Harmac Medical Products, Colour Communications Europe, Finola Foods and Lidl. Film production house Round Edge Films is based in Ballingare within Castlerea.

Amenities Amenities in the town include Castlerea golf club, established in 1905 and moved to its current location in 1907. It is a 9-hole course. There is an outdoor swimming pool open to the public during summers with a modern refurbished playground adjacent, a public library, a soccer pitch and O'Rourke Park which is a GAA pitch. The demesne is a large public park accessible off Main Street and home to some trees planted by notable figures including former US ambassador to Ireland Jean Kennedy Smith. The GAA owns a squash court and a handball court in the town. The Neighbourhood Youth Project (NYP) is a social venue for teenagers in the town. St Patrick's Church (built in 1896) is the Catholic Church of the town. The town serves as the trailhead for the Suck Valley Way, with the 105-kilometre long trail beginning and ending in the town. Castlerea also serves as the trailhead for the Lung Lough Gara Way. Also, the Beara-Breifne Way also passes through the town.

Transport The main road through the town is the national secondary road N60, from Roscommon town onward to County Mayo. Other roads include the R361 to Boyle and the R377 to Castleplunket.

The Castlerea railway station opened on 15 November 1860. The railway station resides on the Westport-Dublin main line and connects to Dublin Heuston, Ballina and Westport.