Castlebar
Encyclopedia
Castlebar is the county town
of, and at the centre of, County Mayo
in Ireland
. It is Mayo's largest town by population. The town's population exploded in the late 1990s, increasing by one-third in just six years, though this massive growth has slowed down greatly in recent years. A campus of Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
and the Country Life section of the National Museum of Ireland
are two important local amenities. The town is connected by railway
to Dublin and the neighbouring Mayo towns of Westport
and Ballina
. The town has several small satellite villages around it, such as Breaffy
and Parke. The main route by road is the N5. Its economy is primarily service-based. Population as of 2011 is 15,214.
The modern town grew up as a settlement around the de Barry castle, which was built by a Norman adventurer in 1235 and was later the site of an English
garrison. The castle was located at the end of Castle Street, where the town river is thought to have originally flowed. A military barracks operates in the town to this day; armed conflict has been the centrepiece of the town's historical heritage. French
forces under the command of General Humbert aided in a rout of the English garrison in the town during the failed Irish Rebellion of 1798
, which was so comprehensive it would later be known as "The Races of Castlebar
". A short-lived provisional Republic of Connaught
was declared following the victory and John Moore
, head of the Mayo United Irishmen and the brother of a local landowner, was declared its president. His remains are today interred in a corner of the town green, known as the Mall, previously the cricket grounds of Lord Lucan, whose family (the Binghams) have owned and still own large tracts of the town and county. The town received its charter from King James I in 1613, and is today governed by an urban district council, a subdivision of Mayo County Council. The Lake in Castlebar is also known as Lough Lannagh.
The Irish National Land League
was founded by Michael Davitt
, of Straide in County Mayo, at the Imperial Hotel in Castlebar on 21 October 1879. Castlebar expanded rapidly during the 1980s
, 1990s
and 2000s largely as a result of the efforts of influential local politicians such as Enda Kenny
, Padraig Flynn
and Beverly Flynn.
The name of the town comes from the castle built in 1235 (see above). This castle is depicted in the top of the crest, with two yew trees on either side because Castlebar is the county town of Mayo . The castle ruins still remain. The crosses represent the parish of Aglish (the official name of the parish of Castlebar). The 1798 'Races of Castlebar' is commemorated with the Pikes in the top left-hand corner. Underneath, the words 'Ar Aghaidh' can be found, which means 'Forward'.
Castlebar is the location for important festival
s and traditions, among which is the International Four Days' Walk. A well-established blues music festival in venues across the town takes place on the weekend before the first Monday in June each year. During the 1970s and 1980s the town hosted the International Castlebar Song Contest
which was televised nationally on RTE
. The Museum of Country Life is located on the outskirts of Castlebar, and is the only branch of the National Museum of Ireland located outside Dublin.
Castlebar is home to The Linenhall Arts Centre, which exhibits visual art throughout the year, as well as hosting live drama and music performances. The Linenhall also organises an annual children's arts festival called Roola Boola (an anglicisation
of the Irish
phrase rí rá agus ruaile buaile which in this context means "boisterous fun"). The Royal Theatre and Event Centre, with a capacity of two thousand two hundred fully seated, four thousand standing, hosts larger-scale productions and popular music concerts.
There are Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland (Anglican), Elim Pentecostal and Spiritualist churches in the town. There is a recently-established Mayo male voice choir and Mayo Concert Orchestra. There is also a marching band in the town - one of the few survivng marching bands west of the Shannon Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Castlebar experienced significant immigration, growth and investment.
A lot of the public houses closed during the building boom during the 1990s. In 1990, Castlebar had 54 licensed premises, although this number had fallen to less than 30 public houses by 2008. Castlebar is a garrison market town; there was a tradition of open air markets mostly selling livestock, which meant there was a healthy daytime drinking trade in Castlebar, but this has disappeared. For a combination of factors since the introduction of the smoking ban and the EU single payment grant to farmers, most public houses offer food to help subsidize the drop in alcohol sales.
One of the oldest pubs in Castlebar is John McHale's pub, located on New Line. The pub is known for its sale of a Meejum of Guinness, which is slightly less than a pint. It once officially had 'the best pint of Guinness in Ireland' according to a national tabloid.
It boasts an increasing number of national and international chain stores, and several new shopping areas have been developed in the past 10–12 years on what were considered the outskirts of the town. The modern shopping precinct along Hopkins Road is now the commercial heart of the town, surpassing Main Street. Stores include Argos, Tesco, Dunnes Stores, Aldi, Next and Homebase, as well as smaller names such as McLoughlins Bookshop and Liam Cannons Fruit & Veg.
Castlebar is the second largest retail centre in Connacht, after Galway city. It comes in ahead of Sligo, despite that town's greater population. A survey by consultants Experian showed that €284 million is spent in by shoppers in Castlebar every year. The Irish Retail Centre Rankings show Castlebar is the 12th largest retail centre in the Republic of Ireland in terms of retail spend, and 20th on the island of Ireland overall.
However, the survey counts many major shopping centres separately from the cities they are situated in. If the spend for several major shopping centres in the Dublin area is included in the Dublin figures, Castlebar becomes the seventh largest retail centre in the Republic, surpassed only by the Republic's five main cities and the town of Tralee.
Major renovations have taken place on Main Street, Linen Hall Street and Castle Street in recent months. This has resulted in a more pedestrian friendly environment with attractive features.
and the N60
and N84
national secondary road
s. In 1990 a relief road was built around Castlebar removing through traffic on the N5 from the main street. This road is a basic 2 lane road with no hard shoulders, and suffers from chronic congestion, particularly in the summer months when thousands of tourists have to negotiate the bottleneck on route to neighbouring Westport and Achill. A bypass of Castlebar of dual-carriageway standard is awaiting funding.
Castlebar railway station
opened on 17 December 1862.
team is the Castlebar Mitchels club; a club with a proud and illustrious past, including 27 Mayo senior football championships and one Mayo senior hurling championship titles. Castlebar Mitchels are second only to Ballina Stephenites in terms of the amount championships won. After a couple of years in the doldrums, the club regained its place amongst Mayo
's elite senior football clubs in 2005. The club boasts a very strong youth football structure. McHale Park
in Castlebar is one of the major Gaelic Athletic Association
grounds in Connacht
, with a capacity of 41,000. The Mayo
County board has recently built a new stand with dressing rooms and offices underneath and will build fifteen extra rows of seating to the 'Albany' end sometime in the near future. They have also built a new modern press area and TV stand on the Mchale Road side. Other nearby GAA clubs include Breaffy GAA, Parke GAA and Ballyvary Hurling Club.
, (est 1924) who currently have a team playing in the Mayo Super League and their senior women's side play in the Mayo Premier Division. In addition to this, they have a thriving youth structure in place, providing teams from under 10s to under 18s for boys and under 14 to under 17 for girls, as well as an under 8 Academy. Since the introduction of schoolboy football, the club has seen unmatched success at every age at county, provincial and national level. They play their home games in Celtic Park, in the centre of the town. Their traditional strip is made up of green and white hoops, white shorts and white socks. Castlebar Town FC were formed in the 1970s (as Castlebar United) as an alternative to Celtic. Their strip is made up of black and white striped shirts, black shorts and black socks.
There are also several martial arts clubs teaching a variety of disciplines including Karate, Kickboxing, Savate, Krav Maga, Haedong Kumdo, Ninjitsu and Tai Chi.
Over the years, Castlebar has hosted several major international Martial Arts seminars with instructors such as S. Kato Sensei (9th Dan Shotokan), T. Nagamine Hanshi-sei (10th Dan Matsubayashi-ryu) and Kim Jeong Seong (9th Dan Haedong Kumdo).
Castlebar also played host to the WOMAA World Martial Games in both 2007 and 2008 which saw hundreds of competitors from all over the world competing over the three day event.
Savate (Boxe Franciose) in Castlebar took a major step forward when Caoimhe Ryan won the Junior Ladies World Title in July 2011 at the event organised by the Federation Internationale de Savate in Lyon, France.
The World Darts Federation will be holding the 2011 World Cup there in September 2011.
contain a few references to the Castlebar area, then known as Claenglais:
with the following places:
Castlebar is also twinned with Dixon Illinois home town of Ronald Reagan
County town
A county town is a county's administrative centre in the United Kingdom or Ireland. County towns are usually the location of administrative or judicial functions, or established over time as the de facto main town of a county. The concept of a county town eventually became detached from its...
of, and at the centre of, County Mayo
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 Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It is Mayo's largest town by population. The town's population exploded in the late 1990s, increasing by one-third in just six years, though this massive growth has slowed down greatly in recent years. A campus of Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology
Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology is a third level institute of education and is based at five locations in the west of Ireland.-Galway Campus:...
and the Country Life section of the National Museum of Ireland
National Museum of Ireland
The National Museum of Ireland is the national museum in Ireland. It has three branches in Dublin and one in County Mayo, with a strong emphasis on Irish art, culture and natural history.-Archaeology:...
are two important local amenities. The town is connected by railway
Rail transport in Ireland
Rail services in Ireland are provided by Iarnród Éireann in the Republic of Ireland and by Northern Ireland Railways in Northern Ireland.Most routes in the Republic radiate from Dublin...
to Dublin and the neighbouring Mayo towns of Westport
Westport, County Mayo
Westport is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is situated on the west coast at the south-east corner of Clew Bay, an inlet of the Atlantic Ocean....
and Ballina
Ballina, County Mayo
Ballina is a large town in north County Mayo in Ireland. It lies at the mouth of the River Moy near Killala Bay, in the Moy valley and Parish of Kilmoremoy, with the Ox Mountain range to the east and the Nephin Beg mountains to the west...
. The town has several small satellite villages around it, such as Breaffy
Breaffy
Breaffy, officially Breaghwy , is a village near Castlebar in County Mayo, Ireland. It is southeast of Castlebar and has a population of about 1,500.- Village :...
and Parke. The main route by road is the N5. Its economy is primarily service-based. Population as of 2011 is 15,214.
History
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
garrison. The castle was located at the end of Castle Street, where the town river is thought to have originally flowed. A military barracks operates in the town to this day; armed conflict has been the centrepiece of the town's historical heritage. French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
forces under the command of General Humbert aided in a rout of the English garrison in the town during the failed Irish Rebellion of 1798
Irish Rebellion of 1798
The Irish Rebellion of 1798 , also known as the United Irishmen Rebellion , was an uprising in 1798, lasting several months, against British rule in Ireland...
, which was so comprehensive it would later be known as "The Races of Castlebar
Battle of Castlebar
The Battle of Castlebar occurred on 27 August near the town of Castlebar, County Mayo, during the Irish Rebellion of 1798. A combined force of 2,000 French and Irish routed a force of 6,000 British militia in what would later became known as the "Castlebar Races", or Races of...
". A short-lived provisional Republic of Connaught
Republic of Connaught
The Irish Republic, more commonly referred to as the Republic of Connacht, was a short-lived Irish breakaway state established with French Directory military support for 13 days during the Irish Rebellion of 1798.-Proclamation:...
was declared following the victory and John Moore
John Moore (Irish politician)
John Moore was an Irish statesman and rebel leader.-Early life:From Ashbrook, near Straide, Co. Mayo, John Moore was the son of a prosperous merchant, George Moore. He was educated at the Catholic school of Douai, and at the University of Paris under the assumed name of "Bellew"...
, head of the Mayo United Irishmen and the brother of a local landowner, was declared its president. His remains are today interred in a corner of the town green, known as the Mall, previously the cricket grounds of Lord Lucan, whose family (the Binghams) have owned and still own large tracts of the town and county. The town received its charter from King James I in 1613, and is today governed by an urban district council, a subdivision of Mayo County Council. The Lake in Castlebar is also known as Lough Lannagh.
The Irish National Land League
Irish National Land League
The Irish Land League was an Irish political organization of the late 19th century which sought to help poor tenant farmers. Its primary aim was to abolish landlordism in Ireland and enable tenant farmers to own the land they worked on...
was founded by Michael Davitt
Michael Davitt
Michael Davitt was an Irish republican and nationalist agrarian agitator, a social campaigner, labour leader, journalist, Home Rule constitutional politician and Member of Parliament , who founded the Irish National Land League.- Early years :Michael Davitt was born in Straide, County Mayo,...
, of Straide in County Mayo, at the Imperial Hotel in Castlebar on 21 October 1879. Castlebar expanded rapidly during the 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...
, 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
and 2000s largely as a result of the efforts of influential local politicians such as Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny
Enda Kenny is an Irish Fine Gael politician, and has been the Taoiseach since 2011. He has led Fine Gael since 2002. He served as Minister for Tourism and Trade from 1994 to 1997. He is also a two-term Vice President of the European People's Party.Kenny has been a Teachta Dála for Mayo since...
, Padraig Flynn
Padraig Flynn
Pádraig "Pee" Flynn is a former Irish politician. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála in 1977. He was returned at each subsequent election until 1993...
and Beverly Flynn.
The name of the town comes from the castle built in 1235 (see above). This castle is depicted in the top of the crest, with two yew trees on either side because Castlebar is the county town of Mayo . The castle ruins still remain. The crosses represent the parish of Aglish (the official name of the parish of Castlebar). The 1798 'Races of Castlebar' is commemorated with the Pikes in the top left-hand corner. Underneath, the words 'Ar Aghaidh' can be found, which means 'Forward'.
Culture
Festival
A festival or gala is an event, usually and ordinarily staged by a local community, which centers on and celebrates some unique aspect of that community and the Festival....
s and traditions, among which is the International Four Days' Walk. A well-established blues music festival in venues across the town takes place on the weekend before the first Monday in June each year. During the 1970s and 1980s the town hosted the International Castlebar Song Contest
Castlebar Song Contest
The Castlebar Song Contest was an annual international song contest that was first staged in 1966 in Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland. The contest was initially organised by the Castlebar Chamber of Commerce as part of a drive to increase tourism to the town...
which was televised nationally on RTE
Raidió Teilifís Éireann
Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...
. The Museum of Country Life is located on the outskirts of Castlebar, and is the only branch of the National Museum of Ireland located outside Dublin.
Castlebar is home to The Linenhall Arts Centre, which exhibits visual art throughout the year, as well as hosting live drama and music performances. The Linenhall also organises an annual children's arts festival called Roola Boola (an anglicisation
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
of the Irish
Irish language
Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...
phrase rí rá agus ruaile buaile which in this context means "boisterous fun"). The Royal Theatre and Event Centre, with a capacity of two thousand two hundred fully seated, four thousand standing, hosts larger-scale productions and popular music concerts.
There are Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland (Anglican), Elim Pentecostal and Spiritualist churches in the town. There is a recently-established Mayo male voice choir and Mayo Concert Orchestra. There is also a marching band in the town - one of the few survivng marching bands west of the Shannon Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Castlebar experienced significant immigration, growth and investment.
Entertainment
Castlebar has a selection of places to eat and drink. There is a broad range of types of food available: Italian (Al Muretto, Portifino Italiano), Indian, Chinese, Irish (An Carraig), Cox's and fast food (Cafollas, Danollas, Blue Thunder, Top Nosh, Supermacs, Dominos Pizza, McDonalds and Apache Pizza) as well as cafes (Cafe Rua, Moka and McCarthys).A lot of the public houses closed during the building boom during the 1990s. In 1990, Castlebar had 54 licensed premises, although this number had fallen to less than 30 public houses by 2008. Castlebar is a garrison market town; there was a tradition of open air markets mostly selling livestock, which meant there was a healthy daytime drinking trade in Castlebar, but this has disappeared. For a combination of factors since the introduction of the smoking ban and the EU single payment grant to farmers, most public houses offer food to help subsidize the drop in alcohol sales.
One of the oldest pubs in Castlebar is John McHale's pub, located on New Line. The pub is known for its sale of a Meejum of Guinness, which is slightly less than a pint. It once officially had 'the best pint of Guinness in Ireland' according to a national tabloid.
Economy
Castlebar is traditionally a market town, and it is still a major destination for shoppers from all over the west of Ireland.It boasts an increasing number of national and international chain stores, and several new shopping areas have been developed in the past 10–12 years on what were considered the outskirts of the town. The modern shopping precinct along Hopkins Road is now the commercial heart of the town, surpassing Main Street. Stores include Argos, Tesco, Dunnes Stores, Aldi, Next and Homebase, as well as smaller names such as McLoughlins Bookshop and Liam Cannons Fruit & Veg.
Castlebar is the second largest retail centre in Connacht, after Galway city. It comes in ahead of Sligo, despite that town's greater population. A survey by consultants Experian showed that €284 million is spent in by shoppers in Castlebar every year. The Irish Retail Centre Rankings show Castlebar is the 12th largest retail centre in the Republic of Ireland in terms of retail spend, and 20th on the island of Ireland overall.
However, the survey counts many major shopping centres separately from the cities they are situated in. If the spend for several major shopping centres in the Dublin area is included in the Dublin figures, Castlebar becomes the seventh largest retail centre in the Republic, surpassed only by the Republic's five main cities and the town of Tralee.
Major renovations have taken place on Main Street, Linen Hall Street and Castle Street in recent months. This has resulted in a more pedestrian friendly environment with attractive features.
Transport
Castlebar is a served by the N5 national primary roadNational primary road
A national primary road is a road classification in the Republic of Ireland. National primary roads form the major routes between the major urban centres. There are over 2,700km of national primary roads. This category of road has the prefix "N" followed by one or two digits...
and the N60
N60 road (Ireland)
The N60 road is a national secondary road in Ireland, linking Castlebar, County Mayo to Roscommon town. The quality of the road varies significantly, with County Roscommon having a better alignment. The worst section of the route is between Castlebar and Claremorris where some stretches are...
and N84
N84 road (Ireland)
The N84 road is a national secondary road in Ireland. It is a major route in the West connecting Galway city with Castlebar. The route is of poor quality with a few short good sections in County Mayo between Ballintubber and Ballinrobe. Ballinrobe has become a bottleneck on the route in recent...
national secondary road
National secondary road
A national secondary road is a category of road in Ireland. These roads form an important part of the national route network, but are secondary to the main arterial routes which are classified as national primary roads. National secondary roads are designated with route numbers higher than those...
s. In 1990 a relief road was built around Castlebar removing through traffic on the N5 from the main street. This road is a basic 2 lane road with no hard shoulders, and suffers from chronic congestion, particularly in the summer months when thousands of tourists have to negotiate the bottleneck on route to neighbouring Westport and Achill. A bypass of Castlebar of dual-carriageway standard is awaiting funding.
Castlebar railway station
Castlebar railway station
Castlebar railway station serves the town of Castlebar in County Mayo, Ireland.The station opened on 17 December 1862....
opened on 17 December 1862.
Primary
- Snugboro NS (Mixed)
- St Patricks De La Salle NS (Boys only)
- St Angelas National School (Girls only)
- Scoil Raifterí (Mixed)
- Breaffy NS (Mixed)
- Derrywash NS (Mixed)
- St Mary's primary school, Ballyheane, (mixed)
2nd Level
- St. Gerald's CollegeSt. Gerald's CollegeSt. Gerald's College is an all-boys secondary school in Castlebar, County Mayo. As of January 2009, there are about 40 teachers and 600 students attending the school. The original school was opened in 1909. The current school was opened in 1971. In 2009 the school celebrated its centenary.-External...
De La Salle (Boys only) - St Joseph's Secondary School (Girls only)
- Davitt College (Mixed vocational school)
GAA
The local Gaelic football and hurlingHurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
team is the Castlebar Mitchels club; a club with a proud and illustrious past, including 27 Mayo senior football championships and one Mayo senior hurling championship titles. Castlebar Mitchels are second only to Ballina Stephenites in terms of the amount championships won. After a couple of years in the doldrums, the club regained its place amongst Mayo
Mayo GAA
The Mayo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Mayo GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Mayo and the Mayo inter-county teams.-History:...
's elite senior football clubs in 2005. The club boasts a very strong youth football structure. McHale Park
McHale Park
McHale Park is a Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Castlebar, County Mayo, Ireland. It is the home of the Castlebar Mitchels and Mayo Gaelic football teams...
in Castlebar is one of the major Gaelic Athletic Association
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
grounds in Connacht
Connacht
Connacht , formerly anglicised as Connaught, is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the west of Ireland. In Ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for...
, with a capacity of 41,000. The Mayo
Mayo GAA
The Mayo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Mayo GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Mayo and the Mayo inter-county teams.-History:...
County board has recently built a new stand with dressing rooms and offices underneath and will build fifteen extra rows of seating to the 'Albany' end sometime in the near future. They have also built a new modern press area and TV stand on the Mchale Road side. Other nearby GAA clubs include Breaffy GAA, Parke GAA and Ballyvary Hurling Club.
Soccer
The local soccer team is Castlebar CelticCastlebar Celtic
Castlebar Celtic is an amateur Irish football club based in Castlebar, Co. Mayo, Republic Of Ireland. The club was founded in 1924 and currently competes in the Newstalk A Championship, the third tier of football in Ireland. Their second team competes in the Mayo Super League while the Under 20s...
, (est 1924) who currently have a team playing in the Mayo Super League and their senior women's side play in the Mayo Premier Division. In addition to this, they have a thriving youth structure in place, providing teams from under 10s to under 18s for boys and under 14 to under 17 for girls, as well as an under 8 Academy. Since the introduction of schoolboy football, the club has seen unmatched success at every age at county, provincial and national level. They play their home games in Celtic Park, in the centre of the town. Their traditional strip is made up of green and white hoops, white shorts and white socks. Castlebar Town FC were formed in the 1970s (as Castlebar United) as an alternative to Celtic. Their strip is made up of black and white striped shirts, black shorts and black socks.
Rugby
Castlebar RFC, a vibrant Rugby-Union club founded in the 1970s is located at Cloondeash, on the outskirts of the town. There are several pitches and a club house onsite, and the club actively participates in provincial (Connaught Junior League Div.1) and national league competitions. Castlebar are the current Cawley Cup Champions (2009). The Club plays in a navy and light blue strip.Other sports
There is an 18-hole golf club in the town, as well as active basketball, racquetball, tennis and other clubs. The council provides an indoor heated swimming pool and there are numerous gyms.There are also several martial arts clubs teaching a variety of disciplines including Karate, Kickboxing, Savate, Krav Maga, Haedong Kumdo, Ninjitsu and Tai Chi.
Over the years, Castlebar has hosted several major international Martial Arts seminars with instructors such as S. Kato Sensei (9th Dan Shotokan), T. Nagamine Hanshi-sei (10th Dan Matsubayashi-ryu) and Kim Jeong Seong (9th Dan Haedong Kumdo).
Castlebar also played host to the WOMAA World Martial Games in both 2007 and 2008 which saw hundreds of competitors from all over the world competing over the three day event.
Savate (Boxe Franciose) in Castlebar took a major step forward when Caoimhe Ryan won the Junior Ladies World Title in July 2011 at the event organised by the Federation Internationale de Savate in Lyon, France.
The World Darts Federation will be holding the 2011 World Cup there in September 2011.
Annalistic references
The Annals of the Four MastersAnnals of the Four Masters
The Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland or the Annals of the Four Masters are a chronicle of medieval Irish history...
contain a few references to the Castlebar area, then known as Claenglais:
- 1524. Great inclemency of weather, and mortality of cattle, in the beginning of the year.
- M1535.8. Mac Auliffe gained a great battle, in which were slain the Lord of Claenglais and Mac Gibbon, with a large battalion of the Clann-Sheehy. Maelmurry, son of Brian Mac Sweeny, was slain in the commencement and fury of the conflict.
- 1576. 13. Edmond Mac William Burke, of Castlebar, joined the sons of the Earl; and the consequence to him was, that the Lord Justice took Castlebar from him, and banished himself, with his wife and children, into Clanrickard.
People
- Ulick Bourke, scholar, founder of the Gaelic Union
- Louis BrennanLouis BrennanLouis Brennan was an Irish-Australian mechanical engineer and inventor.Brennan was born in Castlebar, Ireland, and moved to Melbourne, Australia in 1861 with parents...
, inventor - Michael Feeney, Chairman and Founder Mayo Peace Park
- Margaret Burke-Sheridan, opera singer
- Enda KennyEnda KennyEnda Kenny is an Irish Fine Gael politician, and has been the Taoiseach since 2011. He has led Fine Gael since 2002. He served as Minister for Tourism and Trade from 1994 to 1997. He is also a two-term Vice President of the European People's Party.Kenny has been a Teachta Dála for Mayo since...
, TaoiseachTaoiseachThe Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is... - Pádraig FlynnPadraig FlynnPádraig "Pee" Flynn is a former Irish politician. He was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil Teachta Dála in 1977. He was returned at each subsequent election until 1993...
, former Government Minister and European CommissionerEuropean CommissionerA European Commissioner is a member of the 27-member European Commission. Each Member within the college holds a specific portfolio and are led by the President of the European Commission... - Charles HaugheyCharles HaugheyCharles James "Charlie" Haughey was Taoiseach of Ireland, serving three terms in office . He was also the fourth leader of Fianna Fáil...
, former TaoiseachTaoiseachThe Taoiseach is the head of government or prime minister of Ireland. The Taoiseach is appointed by the President upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas , and must, in order to remain in office, retain the support of a majority in the Dáil.The current Taoiseach is... - Archbishop John McHale, Archbishop of Tuam, Irish independence leader
- Ernie O'MalleyErnie O'MalleyErnie O'Malley was an Irish Republican Army officer during the Irish War of Independence and a commander of the anti-treaty IRA during the Irish Civil War. O'Malley wrote three books, On Another Man's Wound, The Singing Flame, and Raids and Rallies. The first describes his early life and role in...
(18971897 in Ireland-Arts and literature:* Bram Stoker's novel, Dracula, is published for the first time.* Amanda McKittrick Ros publishes Irene Iddesleigh.-Football:*International*Irish Cup-Births:*1 March - Robert Bowers, cricketer ....
– 19571957 in Ireland-Events:*January 1 - Seán South and Fergal O'Hanlon are killed in an IRA attack on an RUC barracks in Brookeborough, County Fermanagh. The two men become part of republican folklore.*January 24 - Sir Alfred Chester Beatty becomes the first honorary Irish citizen....
), prominent officer in the Irish Republican ArmyIrish Republican ArmyThe Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
during the Irish War of IndependenceIrish War of IndependenceThe Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
and on the anti-TreatyAnglo-Irish TreatyThe Anglo-Irish Treaty , officially called the Articles of Agreement for a Treaty Between Great Britain and Ireland, was a treaty between the Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and representatives of the secessionist Irish Republic that concluded the Irish War of...
side in the Irish Civil WarIrish Civil WarThe Irish Civil War was a conflict that accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State as an entity independent from the United Kingdom within the British Empire....
; also a writer.
Twinning
Castlebar is twinnedTown twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...
with the following places:
- HöchstadtHöchstadt-Geography:Höchstadt is situated on the river Aisch, 18 km northwest of Erlangen and 22 km south of Bamberg. Originally it was the capital of the Höchstadt district, but then it became part of the new Erlangen-Höchstadt district.-Division of the town:...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate... - PeekskillPeekskill, New YorkPeekskill is a city in Westchester County, New York. It is situated on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across from Jones Point.This community was known to be an early American industrial center, primarily for its iron plow and stove products...
, United StatesUnited StatesThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district... - AurayAurayAuray is a commune located in the Morbihan department of Brittany in France. Inhabitants of Auray are called Alréens.-Geography:The city is surrounded by the communes of Crac'h to the south and west, Brech to the north and Pluneret to the east. It is crossed by the Loch, a small coastal river...
, FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France... - BallymenaBallymenaBallymena is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland and the seat of Ballymena Borough Council. Ballymena had a population of 28,717 people in the 2001 Census....
, United KingdomUnited KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages... - AnconaAnconaAncona is a city and a seaport in the Marche region, in central Italy, with a population of 101,909 . Ancona is the capital of the province of Ancona and of the region....
, ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
- Museum of Country LifeMuseum of Country LifeThe Museum of Country Life is located in Turlough Village, 8 km northeast of Castlebar, County Mayo in Ireland. Established in 2001, the museum is part of the National Museum of Ireland. The museum exhibits the way of life of rural Irish people between 1850 and 1950, and it is in the grounds...
, Castlebar, County Mayo - Mayo Peace Park Lannagh Road,Castlebar.
- County Mayo Peace Park and Garden of RememembranceCounty Mayo Peace Park and Garden of RememembranceThe County Mayo Peace Park and Garden of Rememembrance is a project to document natives of County Mayo who lost their lives in both World Wars.-History:...
Castlebar is also twinned with Dixon Illinois home town of Ronald Reagan
External links
- Official Castlebar website
- Mayo Echo (published online)
- Castlebar Celtic official website
- Castlebar RFC official website
- The Connaught Telegraph
- PureMayo, The Pocket Guide to County Mayo
- Mayo Peace Park - Mayo Peace Park and Garden of Remembrance,Lannagh Road,Castlebar