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Kilmacduagh monastic site, reputedly founded in the 7th century, is approximately 5 km from Gort
Bridge St., Gort c. 1900
Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes ringfort, souterrain and holy well sites in the townlands of Gort, Ballyhugh, Cloghnakeava, Cloonnahaha and Lavally. In 2022, a large Bronze Age fort, located in Coole Park near Gort, was dated between 800 and 1200 BCE during archaeological work in the Burren lowlands.
The Guaire in Gort Inse Guaire refers to King Guaire "The Generous" (Guaire Aidne mac Colmáin), the seventh century King of Connacht. Guaire reputedly kept royal residences in Gort on a small island on the Gort river and also built a fort in nearby Kinvara named Dunguaire ("Fort of Guaire" in Irish). He was the patron of his first cousin St. Colman MacDuagh (giving him the land for Kilmacduagh monastery)
During the Middle Ages the chiefs of Cenél Áeda na hEchtge, the O'Shaughnessys (Ó Seachnasaigh, a clan descended from Guaire Aidhneach), had their principal stronghold in Gort, a castle on the island site which later became a cavalry barracks. The castle, and manor house, were put under siege in 1652 by Cromwellian forces. The structures were taken, burned, and later destroyed.
At the end of the 17th century, the O'Shaughnessy lands were confiscated and granted to Sir Thomas Prendergast, 1st Baronet, whose grandson was John Prendergast Smyth, 1st Viscount Gort. The centre of the town was built at this time (the late period in Georgian architecture) according to Lord Gort's plans. It was designed around a large triangular market.
In the 18th and 19th century, the Gort Races took place at the Newtown Course. There were prizes and this was hosted by the local landlords for the "turf loving gentry of both provinces" (Munster and Connacht).
There was a large flour mill built along the river in 1806, it was 4 stories tall, with a wooden wheel, and very active. It operated until 1966. It was sold to the Gort Co-operative Mart and destroyed in 1985.
The Great Famine caused hardship and destitution in Gort, with a decrease in the population in the mid-19th century. Many people emigrated to Canada and the United States, while others fell ill and died. In 1841, the town had a population of 3,056, in 1861 the population was 2,097. There was unrest among the population, as well as rampant theft. There were also a number of relief and work schemes in the area. Gort's Fever Hospital, and the adjacent workhouse, were built at this time.
Coole House, Lady Gregory's home, served as a base for the Irish Literary Revival in the late 1800s and early 20th century. There is an "Autograph Tree", still there, that has the carved initials of some of her notable guests: George Bernard Shaw, William Butler Yeats, Seán O'Casey, Jack B. Yeats, John M. Synge, and Lady Margaret Sackville. W. B. Yeats bought a tower house, Thoor Ballylee, from the Gregorys, restored it, and made it his summer residence in the 1920s. Yeats wrote about the restoration using "smithy work from the Gort forge". Jack B. Yeats painted and drew scenes of everyday life in Gort.
As a barracks town, Gort had a strong presence of Royal Irish Constabulary (RIC) and Black and Tans during the Irish War of Independence (1919–1921). A young woman, Eileen Quinn, was shot dead while holding her infant just outside of the town by the Auxiliary Division of the RIC on 1 November 1920 – in what has been described as "essentially a drive-by shooting". On November 26 the Loughnane brothers were interrogated in the Gort barracks before being "tied to the tailgate of a lorry and dragged to Drumharsna Castle" and killed by the RIC. RIC personnel conducted raids, tortured, stole, and terrorised people in Gort and the area. Beatings took place at the Gort barracks.[citation needed] The town also hosted a military court, which investigated Eileen Quinn's murder.[citation needed]
Starting in the early 2000s, there was an influx of Brazilian immigrants to Gort; in 2006, they made up around 30% of the town's population. The town hosts celebrations of Brazilian Carnival and a branch of Brazilian evangelical church Assembléia de Deus, and the local Catholic church holds services in both English and Portuguese.
