Location
Gort
The town of Gort in County Galway takes its name form King Guaire, the sixth century King of Connacht, who built a castle there. King Guaire had a reputation for his generosity and it was said that his right arm, his giving arm, was longer than his left.
One legend recalls how Guaire was sitting down to dinner when mysteriously the plates disappeared out the windows. He quickly followed them on horseback and soon met St Colman who had just finished a seven year fast and had eaten the food. The King was impressed by his ingenuity and granted him lands at Kilmacduagh where he built a monastery, one of the oldest in Europe.
