Castlebar Prison 1781

Fri, Apr 01, 2022

In the 1980s, the front of Parsons footwear shop in Castlebar was a favourite meeting place for lunchtime liaisons. Being some equidistance between St. Joseph’s Convent of Mercy and St. Gerald’s De La Salle College, you could depart Parsons at 1.50 pm. and be in Peter Filan’s History class bright-eyed and bushy-tailed by 2.00 pm.

Reclaiming the Origins of Castlebar's Street Names

Fri, Mar 25, 2022

The street names of Castlebar are each a chapter heading in the long and fascinating history of the town. The origin of some of the street names leaves little room for debate.

The emigrant returns

Fri, Mar 11, 2022

Castlebar Train Station opened on 12 December 1862. Claremorris opened the previous May; Westport followed four years later. As travel times decreased, those desperate to trade the poverty of Mayo for the hope of a better life in one of the burgeoning cities across the Irish sea could be in Leeds, Liverpool, Manchester or London in two days.

Corruption, abuse of power and mismanagement in public office

Fri, Mar 04, 2022

One does not have to dig very deep into the archives to find evidence of wholescale corruption, pervasive nepotism, and general theft of public monies by public representatives and officials in nineteenth-century Mayo.

The great porter brewery at Castlebar

Fri, Feb 25, 2022

Arthur Guinness began producing porter in 1778. The dark beer was brewed using roasted barley. This 1721 innovation - attributed to Ralph Harwood - gave the cocktail its characteristic colour and intense aroma.

Tales of wolves and wolf-dogs

Fri, Feb 18, 2022

In 2019, Eamon Ryan TD suggested reintroducing wolves in rural areas. With wild open spaces, forests, mountains, and a plentiful supply of livestock, Mayo would seem to offer an ideal habitat.

The Linen Hall at Castlebar

Fri, Feb 11, 2022

The Mayo Flax Growers List 1796 is an important genealogical source for those searching for their Mayo ancestry. It is, however, much more than that. Published by the Irish Linen Board, the long list of names demonstrates the degree to which people from Killala to Cong and Kilmovee to Kilmeena became involved in the growing of flax for linen production.

Empire Nights in Castlebar

Fri, Feb 04, 2022

In January 1831, Mr Kyle, self-styled Professor of Dancing and Composer to the Irish Court, published an invitation to a Grand Ball at the Great Rooms in Castlebar Courthouse on the Green.

Putting Manners on the Irish

Fri, Jan 28, 2022

On September 6, 1798, a division of the Leicestershire Militia comprising almost six hundred men under the command of the 5th Duke of Rutland, passed through Newcastle-under-Lyme.

The King's Shilling

Fri, Jan 21, 2022

The folklore and oral histories of Mayo are peppered with accounts of the dreaded Redcoats – the army of the English invader.

Night of the Big Wind – 1839

Fri, Jan 14, 2022

In November 1824, the Church Wardens of Castlebar sought proposals from contractors to build a new church. Plans were displayed at the house of the Revd. William Smith.

The Longitude Puzzle – Castlebar 1813

Fri, Jan 07, 2022

One of the greatest hazards for mariners of past centuries was getting lost at sea. One of the principal reasons for this was the difficulty of finding longitude at sea. Discovering a practical method of determining longitude at sea took several centuries. Governments, scientists, astronomers, cartographers, and others threw themselves at the problem.

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