County Mayo: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 53°54′N 9°15′W / 53.900°N 9.250°W / 53.900; -9.250
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⚫
The highest point in Mayo and Connacht is [[Mweelrea]] ({{convert|814|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=/}}). The river [[River Moy|Moy]] in the northeast of the county is renowned for its [[salmon]] [[fishing]]. Ireland's largest island, [[Achill]], lies off Mayo's west coast. Mayo has Ireland's highest cliffs (third highest in Europe) at [[Croaghaun]], Achill island. The [[Benwee Head]] cliffs in [[Kilcommon]] Parish, [[Erris]] drop almost perpendicularly 900 feet into the [[Atlantic Ocean]].


*The highest point in Mayo and Connacht is [[Mweelrea]] ({{convert|814|m|ft|abbr=on|disp=/}}).
*The river [[River Moy|Moy]] in the northeast of the county is renowned for its [[salmon]] [[fishing]].
*Ireland's largest island, [[Achill]], lies off Mayo's west coast.
⚫
*Mayo has Ireland's highest cliffs (third highest in Europe) at [[Croaghaun]], Achill island while the [[Benwee Head]] cliffs in [[Kilcommon]] [[Erris]] drop almost perpendicularly 900 feet into the [[Atlantic Ocean]].
*The north-west areas of County Mayo have some of the best renewable energy resources in Europe, if not the world, in terms of wind resources, ocean wave, tidal and hydroelectric resources.








==Wildlife==
==Wildlife==
Line 246: Line 259:


==Towns & Villages==
==Towns & Villages==
[[Castlebar]] and [[Ballina, County Mayo|Ballina]] are by far the two most populous towns in the county, with 17,891 and 10,146 residents respectively according to the 2006 census; with Ballina being much larger by land area. These are followed by [[Westport, County Mayo|Westport]], a popular tourist town, which has 5,140 residents. The fourth largest town is [[Claremorris]], a market town, with a population of 3,170.
[[Castlebar]] and [[Ballina, County Mayo|Ballina]] are the two most populous towns in the county, with 17,891 and 10,146 residents respectively according to the 2006 census; Ballina being much larger by land area. These are followed by [[Westport, County Mayo|Westport]], a popular tourist town, which has some 5,000 residents. The fourth largest town is [[Claremorris]], a market town, with a population of 3,170 in the 2006 census returns.

Other towns in the county include the following:-


* [[Achill Island]], [[Attymass]]
* [[Achill Island]], [[Attymass]]
* [[Balla]], [[Ballina, County Mayo|Ballina]], [[Ballinrobe]], [[Ballintober]], [[Ballycastle, County Mayo|Ballycastle]], [[Ballyhaunis]], [[Ballyglass]], [[Ballyvary]], [[Bangor, County Mayo|Bangor]], [[Belcarra, County Mayo|Belcarra]], [[Belmullet]], [[Bohola]],
* [[Balla]], [[Ballina, [[Ballinrobe]], [[Ballintober]], [[Ballycastle, County Mayo|Ballycastle]], [[Ballyhaunis]], [[Ballyglass]], [[Ballyvary]], [[Bangor Erris]], [[Belcarra, County Mayo|Belcarra]], [[Belmullet]], [[Bohola]], [[Bonniconlon]]
* [[Carracastle]], [[Castlebar]], [[Charlestown, County Mayo|Charlestown]], [[Claremorris]], [[Cong, County Mayo|Cong]], [[Corroy, County Mayo|Corroy]], [[Crossmolina]]
* [[Carracastle]], [[Carrowteige]], [[Charlestown, County Mayo|Charlestown]], [[Cong, County Mayo|Cong]], [[Corroy, County Mayo|Corroy]], [[Crossmolina]]
* [[Derrew]]
* [[Derrew]]
* [[Foxford]]
* [[Faulagh]],[[Foxford]]
* [[Geesala]], [[Glengad]], [[Glenamoy]],
* [[Geesala]], [[Glengad]], [[Glenamoy]],
* [[Islandeady]]
* [[Islandeady]]
* [[Keel, County Mayo|Keel]], [[Kilkelly]], [[Killala]], [[Kilmaine]], [[Kiltimagh]], [[Knockmore]], [[Knock, County Mayo|Knock]],
* [[Keel, County Mayo|Keel]], [[Kilkelly]], [[Killala]], [[Kilmaine]], [[Kiltimagh]], [[Knockmore]], [[Knock, County Mayo|Knock]],
* [[Louisburgh, County Mayo|Louisburgh]]
* [[Louisburgh, County Mayo|Louisburgh]]
* [[Mayo, County Mayo|Mayo]], [[Mulrany]]
* [[Mayo, County Mayo|Mayo Abbey]], [[Mulrany]]
* [[Newport, County Mayo|Newport]]
* [[Newport, County Mayo|Newport]]
* [[Rossport]]
* [[Rossport]]
* [[Shrule]], [[Swinford]]
* [[Shrule]], [[Swinford]]
* [[Tourmakeady]]
* [[Tourmakeady]]

* [[Westport, County Mayo|Westport]]


==See also==
==See also==

Revision as of 19:24, 4 July 2010

For other uses, see Mayo (disambiguation).

Template:Infobox Place Ireland County Mayo (Irish: Contae Mhaigh Eo) is one of the twenty-six counties of the Republic of Ireland, and also one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, located within the province of Connacht. It was named after the village of Mayo (Irish: Maigh Eo) but it has remained a tiny village, now generally known as Mayo Abbey. The two main county towns are Castlebar located in the centre of the county and Ballina located in the north east part of the county.

History

An outline history of County Mayo from prehistorical times through to the present day, written by Bernard O'Hara and Nollaig Ó'Muraíle, two prominent Mayo historians can be read here:- [1]

Clans and Families of County Mayo

In the early historic period, what is now County Mayo consisted of a number of large kingdoms, minor lordships and tribes of obscure origins. They included:

Between the reigns of Kings of Connacht Cathal mac Conchobar mac Taidg (973-1010) and Tairrdelbach Ua Conchobair (1106-1156), all these territories were incorporated into the kingdom of Connacht and ruled by the Siol Muirdaig dynasty, based first around Rathcrogan in County Roscommon, and from c. 1050 at Tuam in County Galway. The families of O'Malley and O'Dowd of Mayo served as Admiral's of the fleet of Connacht, while families such as O'Lachtnan, Mac Fhirbhisigh, O'Cleary were eccleastical and bardic clans.

During the 1230s, the Anglo-Normans and Welsh under Richard Mor de Burgh (c. 1194-1242 invaded and settled in the county, introduceing new families such as Burke, Gibbons, Staunton, Prendergast, Morris, Joyce, Walsh, Barrett, Lynott, Costello. Following the collapse of the lordship in the 1330s, all these families became estranged from the Anglo-Irish administration based in Dublin and assimilated with the Gaelic-Irish, adopting their language, laws and culture.

The most powerful clan to emerge during this era were the Mac William Burkes, also known as the Mac William Iochtar (see Burke Civil War 1333-1338, descended from Sir William Liath de Burgh, who defeated the Gaelic-Irish at the Second Battle of Athenry in August 1316. They were frequently at war with their cousions, Clanricarde of Galway, and in alliance with or against various factions of the O'Conor's of Siol Muiredaig and O'Kelly's of Ui Maine. The O'Donnell's of Tyrconnell regularly invaded in an attempt to secure their right to rule.

From c. 1541 the lords of Mayo were in regular conflict with the English crown, and were only fully subborned to them after 1603. By then the term County Mayo had come into use. Protestant settlers from Scotland, England, and elsewhere in Ireland, settled there in following decades. Many would be killed or forced to flee because of the 1641 Rebellion, during which a number of massacres were committed by the Catholic Gaelic Irish, most notably at Shrule in 1642. Fully a third of the overall population perished due to warfare, famine and plague between 1641 and 1653, with several areas remaining disturbed and frequented by Raparees into the 1670s. Mayo does not seem to have suffered much in during the Williamite War in Ireland, though many natives were outlawed and exiled. The county would remain fairly peaceful till the events of 1798.

Surnames

The principal surnames of Mayo, according to figures taken from the register of civil births index of 1890, were: 1 - Walsh 2 - Gallagher 3 - Kelly 4 - Malley/O'Malley 5 - Moran 6 - Duffy 7 - McHale 8 - Gibbons 9 - Joyce 10 - Connor/O'Connor 11 - Conway 12 - Higgins 13 - Murphy 14 - Burke/Bourke 15 - Reilly/O'Reilly 16 - Durkan 17 - Doherty 18 - McHugh 19 - Sweeney 20 - Lyons

Of these, Walsh (Breathnach), Gibbons, Joyce, Burke/Bourke are of Anglo-Norman origin. Gallagher and Sweeney/Mac Sweeney were Galloglass clans. Kelly, Duffy, Connor/O'connor, Durkan, Doherty, Conway, Lyons, Higgins, McHugh, are native to other parts of Ireland. Malley/O'Malley, Moran, McHale, Murphy, are all native to Mayo.

(Source: The Principal Surnames of Mayo, Nollaig O Muraile, in Mayo:Aspects of its Heritage, p. 83, edited by Bernard O'Hara, 1982)

Other surnames found in Mayo include:

Ainsworth, Barrett, Basquille, Bourke, Bowman, Breathnach (Walsh), Cafferky, Carney/Kearney, Cawley, Chambers, Coleman, Costello, Coyle, Dean, Devilly, Derrig, Devir, Diamond, Donnelly, Flynn, Garvin, Gildea, Gilmartin, Grealish, Healy, Heneghan, Horan, Jennings, Jordan, Lavelle, Lawless, Loftus, Lydon, Lynott, Macken, Maughan, Morley/O'Muraile, Mortimer, Moyles, Moylette, McDonnell, McEvilly, McGing, McLoughlin, McManamon, McManus, McNally/Nally, McPhilbin, McTige, Nolan, Ormsby, O'Boyle, O'Cleary, O'Donnell, O'Dowd, Padden, Rutlidge, Sammon, Staunton, Sullivan, Thornton, Tierney, Waldron.

Geography

Glengad Stone circle, Kilcommon, Erris

Mayo is the third largest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area and 15th largest in terms of population[1]. It is the second largest of Connacht’s five counties in both size and population.


Land Divisions: The County is divided into nine Baronial areas, four in the northern area and five in the south of the county:

North Mayo

South Mayo

Map of County Mayo showing the nine Baronial divisions
Map of County Mayo showing the nine Baronial divisions




  • The highest point in Mayo and Connacht is Mweelrea (814 m (2,671 ft)*).
  • The river Moy in the northeast of the county is renowned for its salmon fishing.
  • Ireland's largest island, Achill, lies off Mayo's west coast.
  • Mayo has Ireland's highest cliffs (third highest in Europe) at Croaghaun, Achill island while the Benwee Head cliffs in Kilcommon Erris drop almost perpendicularly 900 feet into the Atlantic Ocean.
  • The north-west areas of County Mayo have some of the best renewable energy resources in Europe, if not the world, in terms of wind resources, ocean wave, tidal and hydroelectric resources.




Wildlife

A survey of the terrestrial and freshwater algae of Clare Island was made between 1990 and 2005 and published in 2007. Records of the algae in Volume 6.[2]

Consultants working for the Corrib gas project have carried out extensive surveys of wildlife flora and fauna in Kilcommon Parish, Erris between 2002 and 2009. This information is published in the Corrib Gas Proposal Environmental Impact Statements 2009 and 2010 here:- [2] From the latest E.I.S. submitted in June 2010 click 'Further Information'. then select 'Volume 2 of 3 Appendices Books 1-6' then select 'Volume 2 Book 3 of 6' where you will find eleven extensive tomes dealing with the wildlife, marine, freshwater and terrestrial flora and fauna of a small area of Kilcommon parish.

Places of Interest

Cliffs along the Atlantic coastline of County Mayo, near Ballycastle

Media

Podcasts

24 radio programmes highlighting the people and history of Mayo towns and heritage sites narated by local guest presenters were produced in 2007 and 2008 called A Heritage Tour and these form the basis for a web based series of free audio podcasts under the title Mayo's Heritage The podcasts are ongoing and can be found at [4]

  • Programme 1 ~ Trains [5]
  • Programme 2 ~ Rivers [6]
  • Programme 3 ~ Estate Homes [7]
  • Programme 4 ~ Saints [8]
  • Programme 5 ~ Churches [9]
  • Programme 6 ~ Island Life [10]
  • Programme 7 ~ Well known Irish writers and their connection to Mayo notably JM Synge, Anthony Rafftry & PD Kenny [11]
  • Programme 8 ~ Country living [12]

This website also contains podcasts featuring The Mayo Peace Park [13] The annual bell ringing at Lahardane to commemorate the 14 people from The Parish of Addergoole who were on board The RMS Titanic, 11 of whom perished [14] And The Story of Bob of The Reek about a hermit who lived on Croagh Patrick at the beginning of The 19th century [15] as well as interviews with and performances by many Mayo writers [16]

Demographics

The county has experienced perhaps the highest emigration out of Ireland.[citation needed] In the 1840s-1880s, waves of emigrants left the rural townlands of the county. Initially triggered by the Great Famine and then in search of work in the newly industrialising England, Scotland and the United States, the population fell considerably. From 388,887 in 1841, the population fell to 199,166 in 1901. The population reached a low of 109,525 in 1971 as emigration continued.

Energy Controversy

Main articles: Corrib gas project and Corrib gas controversy

There is local resistance to Shell's decision to refine raw gas from the Corrib gas field at an onshore refinery in Kilcommon, Erris. In 2005, five local men were jailed for contempt of court after refusing to facilitate Shell's work. In 2010, Shell has, for the third time, applied for planning permission for the proposed project. There have been several controversial jailings of local people over the years, two local men are currently held in jail, one for refusing to stop obstructing Shell from proceeding with destroying his fishery livelihood in the affected area. Subsequent protests against the project have led to the Shell to Sea, Pobal Chill Chomáin, Pobal Le Cheile and related campaigns.

Energy Audit of County Mayo

The Mayo Energy Audit 2009-2020 is an investigation into the implications of peak oil and subsequent fossil fuel depletion for a rural county in west of Ireland. The study draws together many different strands to examine current energy supply and demand within the area of study, and assesses these demands in the face of the challenges posed by the declining production of fossil fuels and expected disruptions to supply chains, and by long term economic recession. [17] [18] [19]

Sport

Mayo is noted for its Gaelic football team, and their efforts to capture the All-Ireland Football Title in recent years. They last won the Sam Maguire Cup in 1951, when the team was captained by Seán Flanagan. Mayo's most recent All-Ireland final appearances have been in 1989, 1996, 1997, 2004 and 2006. They defeated a hotly tipped Dublin team in the 2006 All Ireland Semi Final in what is generally acknowledged [citation needed] to be one of the best games ever played in Croke Park, Mayo winning by one point.


People

Towns & Villages

Castlebar and Ballina are the two most populous towns in the county, with 17,891 and 10,146 residents respectively according to the 2006 census; Ballina being much larger by land area. These are followed by Westport, a popular tourist town, which has some 5,000 residents. The fourth largest town is Claremorris, a market town, with a population of 3,170 in the 2006 census returns.

Other towns in the county include the following:-


See also

References

http://www.corribgaspipelineabpapplication.ie/abpapp2010.html

  1. ^ Corry, Eoghan (2005). The GAA Book of Lists. Hodder Headline Ireland. pp. 186–191.
  2. ^ Ed. Guiry, M.D., John, D.M., Rindi, F. and McCarthy, T.K. 2007. New Survey of Clare Island. Volume 6: The Freshwater and Terrestrial Algae. Royal Irish Academy. ISBN 13: 978-1-904890-31-7
  3. ^ For 1653 and 1659 figures from Civil Survey Census of those years, Paper of Mr Hardinge to Royal Irish Academy March 14, 1865.
  4. ^ Census for post 1821 figures.
  5. ^ http://www.histpop.org
  6. ^ http://www.nisranew.nisra.gov.uk/census
  7. ^ Lee, JJ (1981). "On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses". In Goldstrom, J. M.; Clarkson, L. A. (eds.). Irish Population, Economy, and Society: Essays in Honour of the Late K. H. Connell. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press.
  8. ^ Mokyr, Joel; O Grada, Cormac (November). "New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700-1850". The Economic History Review. Volume 37 (Issue 4): 473–488. doi:10.1111/j.1468-0289.1984.tb00344.x. {{cite journal}}: |issue= has extra text (help); |volume= has extra text (help); Check date values in: |date= and |year= / |date= mismatch (help)

External links

53°54′N 9°15′W / 53.900°N 9.250°W / 53.900; -9.250

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