Ráth Cairn
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ráth Cairn (also Ráth Chairn; English: Rathcarne or Rathcarran) is a small Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking area) in County Meath, country of Ireland. The Ráth Cairn Gaeltacht was founded in 1935 when 27 families from Connemara were settled on land previously acquired by the Irish Land Commission. Each family was provided with a Land Commission house and a farm of approximately 22 acres (8.9 ha), a sow, piglets and basic implements. A further 11 families joined the original settlers in 1935. In all, 443 people moved from Connemara to the Ráth Cairn area. In 1967 Ráth Cairn received official recognition as a Gaeltacht following a campaign. A cooperative was started in 1973. As a result, Ráth Cairn has grown into a village with a secondary school, a Catholic church, sports facilities and pub and community hall. Ráth Cairn is popular for children and adults from Dublin learning Irish. Irish language courses are run for teenagers in the summer months. Ráth Cairn has a strong culture of traditional music, dance and drama which continues to thrive today.