Letterfrack

Letterfrack Leitir Fraic
Village
View of Letterfrack and Ballinakill harbour, 2008
Letterfrack Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°33′N 9°57′W / 53.55°N 9.95°W / 53.55; -9.95Coordinates: 53°33′N 9°57′W / 53.55°N 9.95°W / 53.55; -9.95
Country	Ireland
Province	Connacht
County	County Galway
Elevation	81 m (266 ft)
Irish Grid Reference	L697591

Letterfrack or Letterfrac (Irish: Leitir Fraic meaning "The Speckled Hill") is a small village in the Connemara area of County Galway, Ireland. It was founded by Quakers in the mid-19th century. The village is just 3 kilometres (two miles) west of Renvyle and 15 kilometres (9 miles) north-east of Clifden on Barnaderg Bay and lies at the head of Ballinakill harbour. Letterfrack contains the visitors centre for Connemara National Park.

James and Mary Ellis, a Quaker couple from Bradford in England, moved to Letterfrack, during the Great Famine, Ellis becoming the resident landlord in Letterfrack in 1849. As Quakers the Ellises wanted to help with the post-Famine relief effort. They leased nearly 1,000 acres (405 ha) of rough land and set about reclaiming it, farming it and planting it with woodland. They built a schoolhouse, housing for tradesmen, a shop, a dispensary, and a temperance hotel. In 1857 the property was sold to John Hall, a staunch Protestant and supporter of the Irish Church Mission to Roman Catholics. The ICM used the building with the aim of converting Catholics to Protestantism. After 25 years without much success, Hall sold it in 1882, under the impression he was selling it to a Protestant buyer, for £3000 for 1,000 acres (405 ha).

Under a false name the Archbishop of Tuam, Dr John McEvilly, bought in 1882 the former Ellis property, which at the time was being used by the Protestant Irish Church Missions to Roman Catholics and established in 1885 St Joseph's Industrial School, Letterfrack which opened in 1887, Letterfrack Industrial School became notorious for neglect and abuse, the school closed in 1974.

In 1987 the Connemara West began running furniture courses which has become the Furniture College/Campus for the Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology.