Barony of Costello
Encyclopedia
Costello was one of the baronies of County Mayo
. In the pre-Norman
times the area was called Sliabh Lugha and was ruled by the Ó Gadhra dynasty. In the 12th century, Milo de Angelo removed the O'Gadhra seat from in Airtech Mór to Costello. He built a castle there, known as Castlemore.
It comprises the modern day districts of Kilkelly
, Kilmovee
, Killeagh, Kilcolman, and Castlemore.
The MacCostello land was in the part of Mayo now known as the Barony of Costello until the end of the 16th century. In the year 1565 their seat of power was near Ballaghderreen (now part of Co. Roscommon). Their name, although the Mac has now been dropped is a common surname in both Mayo and Galway where it is usually spelt with an extra 'e' on its end.
The Costelloes were one of the many great Irish families which, during the seventeenth century destruction of everything Gaelic, produced famous rapparees
who fought against Oliver Cromwell
and the parliamentarian
s. The local Costelloes landholders had lost the title to their lands to Theobald Dillon, 1st Viscount Dillon
, in some sharp practices during the period of the reconquest in Connacht. He persuaded them, to save expense and ensure the smooth legal transfer, to allow him to surrender their lands for them in one land-title in the Surrender and regrant
process and have it regranted in his name, becoming the legal landowner in the process. He never returned this title to the lands to the native owners, which would lead to rapparee actions by Dudley (or Dubhaltach Caoch) Costello
against the Dillons in the seventeenth century. Dudley (or Dubhaltach) Costello was an officer in the army of the Confederate Catholics in 1642, and later became a colonel in the Spanish army. Returning to Ireland after the Restoration and disappointed by his failure to recover the family estates, he devoted the rest of his life to wreaking vengeance on the new Dillon proprietors.
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
. In the pre-Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
times the area was called Sliabh Lugha and was ruled by the Ó Gadhra dynasty. In the 12th century, Milo de Angelo removed the O'Gadhra seat from in Airtech Mór to Costello. He built a castle there, known as Castlemore.
It comprises the modern day districts of Kilkelly
Kilkelly
Kilkelly is a village in Kilmovee parish County Mayo, Ireland. It is just south of Knock International Airport, lying between the Airport and the town of Knock itself. The village is along the N17, a national primary road running between Galway and Sligo...
, Kilmovee
Kilmovee
Kilmovee is a parish and village in County Mayo in the West of Ireland. Kilmovee is situated on the R325, approximately midway between Kilkelly and Ballaghaderreen....
, Killeagh, Kilcolman, and Castlemore.
Name
The Costello family who gave their name to the Barony were originally Nangles, or de Angulos who came to the area with the Anglo Normans in the 12th century. The first reference to this family is in the Annals of the Four Masters in the year 1193. The sons of one of the first Nangles, Gilbert de Nangle, became known as the Oistealb, and gave rise to the surname Mac Oisdealbh, later MacOisdealbhaigh anglicised to MacCostello. It was the first recorded instance of a Norman family assuming an Irish 'Mac' name. Thenceforward they became thoroughly Irish.The MacCostello land was in the part of Mayo now known as the Barony of Costello until the end of the 16th century. In the year 1565 their seat of power was near Ballaghderreen (now part of Co. Roscommon). Their name, although the Mac has now been dropped is a common surname in both Mayo and Galway where it is usually spelt with an extra 'e' on its end.
The Costelloes were one of the many great Irish families which, during the seventeenth century destruction of everything Gaelic, produced famous rapparees
Rapparee
Rapparees were Irish guerrilla fighters who operated on the Jacobite side during the 1690s Williamite war in Ireland. Subsequently the name was also given to bandits and highwaymen in Ireland - many former guerrillas having turned to crime after the war was over...
who fought against Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell
Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....
and the parliamentarian
Roundhead
"Roundhead" was the nickname given to the supporters of the Parliament during the English Civil War. Also known as Parliamentarians, they fought against King Charles I and his supporters, the Cavaliers , who claimed absolute power and the divine right of kings...
s. The local Costelloes landholders had lost the title to their lands to Theobald Dillon, 1st Viscount Dillon
Theobald Dillon, 1st Viscount Dillon
Theobald Dillon, 1st Viscount Dillon , was an Irish military commander and adventurer, reputedly descended from the Anglo-Norman Henry le Dillon. He held extensive lands in Connaught and Westmeath. He was a loyal supporter of Elizabeth I of England in her Irish wars...
, in some sharp practices during the period of the reconquest in Connacht. He persuaded them, to save expense and ensure the smooth legal transfer, to allow him to surrender their lands for them in one land-title in the Surrender and regrant
Surrender and regrant
During the Tudor conquest of Ireland , "surrender and regrant" was the legal mechanism by which Irish clans were to be converted from a power structure rooted in clan and kin loyalties, to a late-feudal system under the English legal system...
process and have it regranted in his name, becoming the legal landowner in the process. He never returned this title to the lands to the native owners, which would lead to rapparee actions by Dudley (or Dubhaltach Caoch) Costello
Dubhaltach Caoch Mac Coisdealbhaigh
Colonel Dubhaltach Caoch Mac Coisdealbhaigh, Irish soldier and Rapparee, died Sunday 3 March 1667.-Life:Mac Coisdealbhaigh was a member of the Costello family of Connacht. His brother was the soldier and poet, Tomás Láidir Mac Coisdealbhaigh....
against the Dillons in the seventeenth century. Dudley (or Dubhaltach) Costello was an officer in the army of the Confederate Catholics in 1642, and later became a colonel in the Spanish army. Returning to Ireland after the Restoration and disappointed by his failure to recover the family estates, he devoted the rest of his life to wreaking vengeance on the new Dillon proprietors.
Parishes in the Barony of Costello
- Achonry
- Aghamore
- Annagh
- BekanBekanBekan or Becan is a village within a parish of the same name in County Mayo, Ireland. It is traditionally a farming community, located between the towns of Claremorris, Ballyhaunis and Knock.-Literature:...
- Castlemore
- CarracastleCarracastleCarracastle is a small, rural Roman Catholic parish in Counties Mayo, Roscommon and bordering County Sligo in Ireland . It is roughly half way between the Mayo town of Charlestown and the Roscommon town of Ballaghaderreen. The parish is made up of the main parish of Carracastle and the half parish...
- Kilebeagh
- KilmoveeKilmoveeKilmovee is a parish and village in County Mayo in the West of Ireland. Kilmovee is situated on the R325, approximately midway between Kilkelly and Ballaghaderreen....
- KnockKnockKnock Mary") is a small town in County Mayo, Ireland whose notability derives from the Knock Shrine where it is claimed the Virgin Mary, together with St Joseph and St John the Evangelist, appeared in 1879....
Towns in the Barony of Costello
- BallyhaunisBallyhaunisBallyhaunis is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is situated at the crossroads of the N60 and N83 National secondary roads and on the railway line connecting Dublin to Westport and Ballina....
http://www.libraryireland.com/Lewis/LewisB/59-BALLYHAUNIS.php/index.php - KilkellyKilkellyKilkelly is a village in Kilmovee parish County Mayo, Ireland. It is just south of Knock International Airport, lying between the Airport and the town of Knock itself. The village is along the N17, a national primary road running between Galway and Sligo...
- Knock
- CharlestownCharlestown, County MayoCharlestown , once named Newtown-Dillon or Ballycattell, is a town in the Barony of Costello, County Mayo, Ireland. It is located at the intersection of two National Primary routes, the N17 and the N5. Until the N5 bypass opened in November 2007, traffic congestion was a problem in the town...
Links
- Barony of Costello http://www.landedestates.ie/LandedEstates/jsp/estate-show.jsp?id=70
- The History of County Mayo, Hubert Thomas Knox http://www.nanglemedieval.com/Barony%20of%20Costello%20-%2083.pdf
- Castlemore http://www.libraryireland.com/Lewis/LewisC/24-CASTLEMORE.php/index.php