Merlin Woods

Michael Angelo. · 20-01-2011 6:36pm #1

I am just seeking some local info, can any one please tell me what encompasses merlin woods and what the woods both sides of the rosshill road are called??..

I recall a reference to Aunteen & Uncleen woods in the past, can any one shed any light on this??

apologies about the question over load!!!

Thanks in advance guys n gals!!

MA

biko · 20-01-2011 7:40pm

It rings a bell. The entrance to Merlin Woods is here afaik.
I think the bigger forest area near the hospital is Merlin Park Woods.
Someone else might know better.

sgthighway · 20-01-2011 9:01pm

Merlin Woods goes up along the left hand side of the road in Merlin Park Hospital.
There is a small division in it; a road to a house that use to be an Alcoholics Treatment Place.

Uncleen Woods is on the right hand side as you come out of town towards Rosshill.

Aunteen Woods is on the opposite side of the road to Uncleen.

I don't know who owns either but City Council have built houses in Merlin Woods. There is a Castle there. Don't know who owns that. I am not sure do the HSE own any. Even if they did I think it is protected in a clause when the land was handed over to them.

kraggy · 21-01-2011 1:46am

Both Uncleen and Auntleen woods are on the right hand side of the MAIN road out of Galway.

When you turn off the main road after Galway Irish Crystal, and head on the local road towards the bottom of Ross Hill, Auntleen's is on the left and Uncleen's is on the right.

biko · 21-01-2011 2:24pm

Can someone in the know point them out/circle them on a map for us?

kraggy · 21-01-2011 3:01pm

I will if you tell me how to put a circle on a map and then upload the image on here!

DeadSkin · 21-01-2011 3:05pm

Drive past the Merlin hospital entrance, driving towards Oranmore.
Go thru' the lights at Bodkins.
There is a right turn between the lights at Bodkins and the next lights for the turn off down the coast road to Oranmore.
This road is the Rosshill road, down there is Aunteen's & Uncleen's wood, can't remember which is which.
The road splits the woods.

The wood on the left has a big crater in the middle, with a swing tied from an overhanging branch - well it did 20 years ago!!

It's the green shaded area here on the R338

Here's the entrance

biko · 21-01-2011 3:53pm

kraggy wrote: »

I will if you tell me how to put a circle on a map and then upload the image on here!

You can use wikimapia
http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=53.2784557&lon=-8.9714098&z=15&l=0&m=b
and click the "edit map" option, then click the outlines of the woods, name and save.
It's a while since I used but I think that how you use it.

kraggy · 21-01-2011 4:16pm

DeadSkin wrote: »

Drive past the Merlin hospital entrance, driving towards Oranmore.
Go thru' the lights at Bodkins.
There is a right turn between the lights at Bodkins and the next lights for the turn off down the coast road to Oranmore.
This road is the Rosshill road, down there is Aunteen's & Uncleen's wood, can't remember which is which.
The road splits the woods.

The wood on the left has a big crater in the middle, with a swing tied from an overhanging branch - well it did 20 years ago!!

It's the green shaded area here on the R338

Here's the entrance

Yeah, same as what I said. The one on the left with the crater is Auntleens, the one on the right is Uncleens (as you drive away from the main road toward the bottom of Ross Hill.

kraggy · 21-01-2011 4:17pm

biko wrote: »

You can use wikimapia
http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=53.2784557&lon=-8.9714098&z=15&l=0&m=b
and click the "edit map" option, then click the outlines of the woods, name and save.
It's a while since I used but I think that how you use it.

Thanks biko, tried it but tis very awkward.

Unrealistic · 21-01-2011 5:29pm

biko wrote: »

You can use wikimapia
http://www.wikimapia.org/#lat=53.2784557&lon=-8.9714098&z=15&l=0&m=b
and click the "edit map" option, then click the outlines of the woods, name and save.
It's a while since I used but I think that how you use it.

I've done Uncleen and Aunteen. Someone else must have been working on it at the same time because the entrance to Aunteen is also now there as is Merlin Woods.

biko · 21-01-2011 5:36pm

Sound, screenshot here in case it gets altered.

bonzodog2 · 21-01-2011 6:02pm

The crater is interesting, but I wouldn't say its in the middle, more closer to the Dublin Rd side and to the east. Its allegedly from a shell from a British Navy ship in 1915 (sorry no link). I wonder, if thats true, WTF were they trying to hit ? There's a modern fence around it now, for the last couple of years. It's probably 25-30 ft deep and vaguely conical, maybe 40-50 ft across.

Carolyyn · 21-01-2011 6:16pm

bonzodog2 wrote: »

The crater is interesting, but I wouldn't say its in the middle, more closer to the Dublin Rd side and to the east. Its allegedly from a shell from a British Navy ship in 1915 (sorry no link). I wonder, if thats true, WTF were they trying to hit ? There's a modern fence around it now, for the last couple of years. It's probably 25-30 ft deep and vaguely conical, maybe 40-50 ft across.

Is that what caused that crater bonzodog, that's amazing !, often wondered what the hell it was when passing by. Love the woods btw for walking or cycling, usually nice and quiet and have it all to yourself

Mrs OBumble · 21-01-2011 8:30pm

I've seen a City Council document (District plan, perhaps .. anyways I don't have a link, sorry) that says that Roscam Woods is the official name for the woodlands on the right side of the Dublin Rd as you leave town, just after Galway Crystal.

It said that these are unofficially locally known as Aunteen and Uncleen woods.

DeadSkin · 21-01-2011 9:05pm

Unrealistic wrote: »

I've done Uncleen and Aunteen. Someone else must have been working on it at the same time because the entrance to Aunteen is also now there as is Merlin Woods.

Hehe!! 'twas me. I did the entrance only!!!
Only Uncleen's was marked out when I hit the link.

Head The Wall · 22-01-2011 4:15pm

JustMary wrote: »

I've seen a City Council document (District plan, perhaps .. anyways I don't have a link, sorry) that says that Roscam Woods is the official name for the woodlands on the right side of the Dublin Rd as you leave town, just after Galway Crystal.

It said that these are unofficially locally known as Aunteen and Uncleen woods.

That area is known as Rosshill and always has been. Some of the blowins into Rosshill thought the name was a bit too common and started to call it Roscam. Gobsh1tes

Mrs OBumble · 22-01-2011 9:22pm

Maybe they just got sick of people being confused between it and Roscahill.

(No, I'm not one of 'em. Just quoting what the council .doc said)

yaledo · 23-02-2011 4:56pm

The 'crater' is marked on the 25" map [1888-1913] as a "cave"
http://maps.osi.ie/publicviewer/#V1,534416,725265,7,9

It's not marked at all on the 6" map [1829-1842]

The woods are in the townland of Merlin Park, near the boundary with the townland of Roscam.

The cave is mentioned in Galway City Development Plan 2011-2017
It is described there in a table of 'other features of local importance' as "Cave, Merlin Park: A cave in limestone, near railway bridge".

I can find no other reference to it.

Das Kitty · 23-02-2011 5:11pm

Head The Wall wrote: »

That area is known as Rosshill and always has been. Some of the blowins into Rosshill thought the name was a bit too common and started to call it Roscam. Gobsh1tes

Ah now. I know someone who's lived there their whole lives and they say that the area was always Roscam and the road was called the Rosshill Road. People started calling the area Rosshill when the Rosshill golf course was there. Besides Roscam is a proper logainm, it's not related to Ross house.

yaledo · 23-02-2011 7:38pm

Das_kitty - yes, I knew this place as Roscam in the 80s too.

With regard to Uncleen's and Anteen's

I knew the name Uncleens since I was very small, and associated it with the wooded area on the south side of the road.
I heard the name Anteens a few years later, and associated it with the larger wooded area on the north side of the road.

I suspected strongly at the time that Anteen's was a somewhat joke-y name for the area across from Uncleen's.

Now looking back, I feel certain that one is a play-on-words on the the other. Hard to say which one though.

I can find nothing on logainm.ie matching either name,
Nothing on places.galwaylibrary.ie matching either name.

One possible explanation is that the land was owned by a man named Aintnín, probably in living memory.

Another possibility is that Uncleen is a corruption of a something to do with uaimh [cavern] - like Ungury cave in Kilcolgan.

Occam's razor favours the first - though the 2nd would be much more interesting.

Head The Wall · 23-02-2011 8:23pm

Das Kitty wrote: »

Ah now. I know someone who's lived there their whole lives and they say that the area was always Roscam and the road was called the Rosshill Road. People started calling the area Rosshill when the Rosshill golf course was there. Besides Roscam is a proper logainm, it's not related to Ross house.

I grew up there, and my parents and grandparents have lived all their lives there. Although it is in the townland of Roscam the area has always been known as Rosshill.

The Golf course only opened twenty years ago or there abouts and it was called Rosshill Golf course because it is in Rosshill. The only reference to Roscam I ever heard growing up was in relation to Roscam Park which is an estate beside the level crossing.

tinofapples · 24-02-2011 1:41pm

DeadSkin wrote: »

Drive past the Merlin hospital entrance, driving towards Oranmore.
Go thru' the lights at Bodkins.
There is a right turn between the lights at Bodkins and the next lights for the turn off down the coast road to Oranmore.
This road is the Rosshill road, down there is Aunteen's & Uncleen's wood, can't remember which is which.
The road splits the woods.

The wood on the left has a big crater in the middle, with a swing tied from an overhanging branch - well it did 20 years ago!!

It's the green shaded area here on the R338

Here's the entrance

Jeez I remember that crater ........ you're bringing me back to my youth !!

lampsie · 24-02-2011 5:26pm

Sorry if this is a dumb question but...is there a path/walkway/circuit through the woods, as indicated with the entrance above? Or I suppose more specifically, are members of the public allowed in there? Am curious, live in Roscam and only just noticed the entrance the other week

Might be nice place to walk the doggie

lamps

yaledo · 24-02-2011 6:12pm

yes - nice gravel paths, good spot for walking the dog.

HardyEustace · 24-02-2011 6:50pm

yaledo wrote: »

yes - nice gravel paths, good spot for walking the dog.

well, ish. It's very quiet and not particularly nice if you come across gangs of lads. I wouldn't go there on my own. There's thick forest either side and (obviously) no traffic.

While I'm rather baffled as to why they want to split the park wtih a bus lane, I do think that having a bus lane through the woods will make ti far safer and more useable.

Mrs OBumble · 24-02-2011 8:50pm

The bus lane is planned for Merlin Woods, not Aunteen and Uncleen Woods.

There's nothing pleasant about walking in woods accompanied by the roar of buses. While a bus lane might solve some safety issues, it will raise others - including use by boy-racer types at night. And it would have a very negative effect on public transport in Roscam (which has 1/3 of the area's houses), too.

Polka · 24-02-2011 11:51pm

How to get to the graves in Merlin Woods???
http://www.galwayindependent.com/local-news/local-news/graves-in-merlin-woods/

yaledo · 31-03-2011 2:25pm

bonzodog2 wrote: »

The crater is interesting, but I wouldn't say its in the middle, more closer to the Dublin Rd side and to the east. Its allegedly from a shell from a British Navy ship in 1915 (sorry no link). I wonder, if thats true, WTF were they trying to hit ? There's a modern fence around it now, for the last couple of years. It's probably 25-30 ft deep and vaguely conical, maybe 40-50 ft across.

The crater is the wrong shape to be caused by an explosion above ground, and mapping evidence above suggests it was there before 1913, but I did just find this, which says that galway was indeed targeted by a navy ship:

From:
http://http://www.hmforces.co.uk/Join_The_Forces/articles/1422-hms-gloucester-type-42-destroyer

The ninth HMS Gloucester was a Town Class Light Cruiser launched in 1909. During WWI she saw action in the Mediterranean and at the Battle of Jutland. She was also deployed to the west coast of Ireland in April 1916 where she engaged targets around Galway during the Easter Rising. Gloucester was scrapped in May 1921.

And this: from Thomas Hynes' witness statement from Bureau of Military History Collection, describing activity in Galway around the Easter Rising...

George Nicolls, Tommy flanagan, Johnny Faller, Seamus Carter, Frank Hardiman, Pardraic O Maille and Professor Steingeberger, U.C.G. (Professor Steingeberger was a German Professor of Languages) - they were bundled off to a destroyer in Galway Bay somewhere near the Lighthouse. (It was the same ship that shelled Castlegar from the Bay)

bonzodog2 · 31-03-2011 7:11pm

Thanks, I was beginning to wonder if I'd imagined it, or even googled it while dreaming !

bonzodog2 · 17-04-2011 5:23pm

Polka wrote: »

How to get to the graves in Merlin Woods???
http://www.galwayindependent.com/local-news/local-news/graves-in-merlin-woods/

You'll find them easily enough, on the north side of the site, just west of a hedged/fenced are with a polytunnel inside. Its to the rear of the imaging centre.

This google earth link at roughly centre screen.

Caggles · 12-10-2012 10:31am

We have set up this group to show the positive uses of merlin woods and how it is an asset to our city. a large biodiverse area , a quiet place to walk with out noise from traffic , a place which is used by schools for orienteering, an historical area and many other things. There is a proposed bus corridor and we feel this would have a major negative impact in the area , with approx 266 buses using it daily.. https://www.facebook.com/groups/128207273995064/

anyone with an interest in preserving the woods please join the group and pass on info to anyone who uses the woods for any purpose
thanks...

Caggles · 13-11-2012 3:23pm

Merlin Woods clean up this Sun Nov 18th at 11pm. Hope that some of you will be able to attend as the woods is in dire need of a clean up...

https://www.facebook.com/events/111014972393422/

fifib · 13-11-2012 3:55pm

11 am i presume?

Caggles · 13-11-2012 4:05pm

yes sorry

11am !!

Caggles · 17-04-2013 12:45am

petition against the proposed road through Merlin Woods https://www.change.org/en-GB/petitions/galway-city-council-stop-the-council-building-a-road-through-merlin-woods-doughiska

brutes1 · 17-04-2013 8:16am

What is the proposed road route and is there a map. Has it achieved planning/go ahead and when is it proposed to start? Is there an alternative route?

sorsha · 17-04-2013 1:34pm

brutes1 wrote: »

What is the proposed road route and is there a map. Has it achieved planning/go ahead and when is it proposed to start? Is there an alternative route?

I would like to know the same. Is this road going to be build from Doughiska Rd or parallel to Dublin Rd?

Mrs OBumble · 17-04-2013 1:45pm

You can find the Galway City Development Plan, 2011-2017 here: http://www.galwaycity.ie/AllServices/Planning/DevelopmentPlanandPolicySection/GalwayCityDevelopmentPlan20112017/

Details of the proposed bus-corridor are in there.

If you click the Galway City Map link (http://gis.galwaycity.ie/devplanflipbook/maps/city.htm) and your web-browser is ok (may only work with IE and/or if you have Flash 10 installeed), you get a map that you can zoom in to. The dark black dotted line thru the woods in the proposed road. Essentially a continuation of the motorway (techincally it's N6 not motorway at that point), but for buses only

Great way to cut a community in half, and destroy a badly needed recreational amenity.

jkforde · 17-04-2013 1:58pm

for those who can't/unable to get that map to work here's a screenshot of the relevant zoomed section...

sorsha · 17-04-2013 2:20pm

Mrs OBumble wrote: »

(http://gis.galwaycity.ie/devplanflipbook/maps/city.htm)

It would be a disaster

fergiesfolly · 17-04-2013 2:23pm

This is a link to a page from Galway citys counci site. If you zoom in, you can see the proposed route http://gis.galwaycity.ie/devplanflipbook/maps/city.htm

sorsha · 17-04-2013 2:43pm

Really great for people living in Coil Tire/Tur Uisce. If they build that road, they will destroy one nice playground for children on this side of town and great green walking/jogging/cycling areas.
Truly modern pro health thinking!

-and its absolutely pointless! according to that map, traffic from that road would join Dublin road again near road to Oranmore and will be stack again before already existing bus lane is ending!

Caggles · 17-04-2013 3:05pm

The first stage of this plan will be the new entrance to the Merlin Hospital, while we all know there is a need to solve the traffic problem at the dangerous junction, we are wondering why lights are not put in , one excuse I heard was that it was too near to the other lights...have they ever driven down Newcastle rd!! no problem putting lights on that road..This part of the road is sent forward for design and planning and if it takes the route on the development plan then lots of trees will go further dividing and decimating the southwoods .The other thing to note is how much illegal parking is continuing in Merlin Park Hospital and ratrunning between Merlin Lane and the Dublin Rd entrance.The main thing to note is people are not aware of the plans for this route so getting that information out there is imperative and our media don't seem to want to report or most of our councillors are turning a blind eye . They are forgetting the fact that is the ,largest and most diverse woodland in the city of Galway, full of wildlife , used by many people from all walks of life. It barely got a mention on the council website before Friends of Merlin Woods started highlighting and Galwaycity Biodiversity website put a page up about it..

brutes1 · 17-04-2013 3:11pm

Thanks for the info
So is it still at proposal stage or has it planning ( or does it need it ) or has it got official go ahead from the NRA or Dept of Transport or City Council?
Agree it would be a damn shame to see one of the few green areas in the city of any scale disturbed or built upon
Plenty of roads nearby for bus corridors

Zzippy · 17-04-2013 3:12pm

Seriously, is this going to make such a huge difference to bus travel times to Dublin? Taking 900 metres off a 218km journey, when the section you are bypassing already has a bus corridor or is dual carriageway for 90% of its length?

Surely the most basic cost-benefit analysis would find that replacing a 2.7km section of bus corridor/dual carriageway with 1.8km of bus corridor, by cutting a swathe through a neighbourhood park and paving a new road, doesn't make sense either economically or socially. How much is it going to cost to clear and pave the new road? Who's going to pay for it? The bus companies that will be using it??? Or the council, who should be concentrating on servicing their stakeholders needs, rather than pandering to private bus operators....

gordongekko · 17-04-2013 3:14pm

What have they started building beside the primary school. Is this the start of that road?

Caggles · 17-04-2013 3:18pm

Exactly dosen't make economic sense at all but this plan is in existence for many years, it only makes sense if you were looking at the land for prime development once the road goes through which of course would devastate the area completely.

Zzippy · 17-04-2013 3:23pm

gordongekko wrote: »

What have they started building beside the primary school. Is this the start of that road?

That's the new access road into the schools (primary and secondary on same site). Access was originally planned to go through Tur Uisce but the council agreed to make a separate access road due to residents' concerns.

sorsha · 17-04-2013 3:23pm

gordongekko wrote: »

What have they started building beside the primary school. Is this the start of that road?

I think it looks quite wide for just a school access.

Caggles · 17-04-2013 3:30pm

it will be part of the road aswell. eventually which will run from the motor way across the remains of Bothar Na Cailligh a 12th century road and then between the park/playground on one side and school and residential area on the other side. School will be using the park sportsgrounds aswell.so they will be crossing this road everyday and children will be crossing the road to use playground, which they can do safely now but not if the continuation of the road goes through. Not to mention the joyriders who will easy access to the woods...creating yet more destruction in the woods

Merlin Woods

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