Its official name is in Irish, Sraith Saileach, and translates as "stream of the willow tree".

A notable former resident was Seán Lester, the last Secretary General of the League of Nations, who lived there following his retirement until his death in 1959; another was Pádraig MacKernan, a noted Irish diplomat who owned a home at the nearby Lough Athry.

[1] The railway owned a hotel at Recess which on 13 October 1922 was burned down by Republicans (together with nearby Glendalough House) to prevent the National troops from using them as billets.

The name stone on entering the village is incorrectly spelled which gives another meaning.

This article related to the geography of County Galway, Ireland is a stub.