Cashel, County Galway until the rule of James II of England. In 1969, the Général de Gaulle spent two weeks in Cashel, after he resigned the presidency of France, in Cashel House Hotel. Cashel, County Galway Cashel () is a village in County Galway, in the province of Connacht, Ireland. It is located west of Galway city and southeast of Clifden, on the coast. The name "Cashel" derives from the Irish "Caiseal", referring to the stone ringfort surrounding the old part of the cemetery in Caiseal Ard/High Cashel, whose remains lie on the slope of a mountain about 1 km north-east of the
County Galway Inis Bó Fine (Inishbofin). With the arrival of Christianity many monasteries were built in the county. Monasteries kept written records of events in the area and of its people. These were followed by a number of law-tracts, genealogies, annals and miscellaneous accounts. Extant manuscripts containing references to Galway include: Nearly 20% of the population of County Galway live in the Gaeltacht (Irish-speaking districts). County Galway is home to the largest Gaeltacht Irish-speaking region in Ireland. There are over 48,000 people living within this region, which extends from Galway city westwards through Connemara. The region consists of the following Irish-speaking areas;