Comhar Dún Chaocháin Teo
Encyclopedia
Comhar Dún Chaocháin Teo is a community development
co-operative based in the peripheral, rural, Gaeltacht
, North Mayo
area of Ireland
. It is registered with the Registry of Friendly Societies
and its purpose is to promote the linguistic, cultural, infrastructural, educational and social development of the parish of Kilcommon
in Erris
, and to develop in an integrated and sustainable manner the material and human resources of the area. The Irish
name Comhar Dún Chaocháin Teo means "Caochán's Fort Co-operative, Limited". Comhar means "co-operative"; Dún
refers to an ancient promontory fort
; Caochán was a one-eyed king (caoch meaning "blind") of legend
who resided in the fort here during the time of the Ulster Cycle
of tales; Teo is short for Teoranta, meaning "limited" in Irish.
The organisation which is based in the Seanscoil (old schoolhouse) in the village of Carrowteige
, co-ordinates development at local level from the bottom up, provides information and assistance to local voluntary groups in relation to developing and managing projects, sourcing funding, etc., and has worked in partnership with a number of state and semi-state agencies
in its efforts to develop the parish and encourage industry such as the development, mapping and signposting of walking trails along the numerous cliffs in this parish, promoting rural tourism enterprises and development in keeping with the natural resources and traditions of this remote area of Ireland.
-based projects and services as well as launched several publications of local and historical interest. The organisation has won several awards for their work in the Irish language.
The co-operative organises training courses, summer camp
s, Irish pre-school services
, an after-school service, festivals, environmental schemes, the development and promotion of Carrowteige
loop cliff walks in conjunction with the longer walking trails in the county - the Western Way
and the Bangor Trail
— and publishes a quarterly community newsletter.
Irish language services help people acquire basic Irish. Maps, information brochures, CD-ROMs, postcards, a library of folklore and Irish language material and photographs are available in the centre at Carrowteige.
farmers' market
which is held on Saturdays during the summer months in Belmullet
town.
Growing consumer
awareness of food quality
, origin, distance travelled, and seasonality prompted the launch of the market. It provides a forum for local producers to develop new food initiatives and offers shoppers fresh local food including vegetables, free range
hen and duck eggs, home baking, fish, herbs & small plants, seaweed
products and prepared dishes.
Community development
Community development is a broad term applied to the practices and academic disciplines of civic leaders, activists, involved citizens and professionals to improve various aspects of local communities....
co-operative based in the peripheral, rural, Gaeltacht
Gaeltacht
is the Irish language word meaning an Irish-speaking region. In Ireland, the Gaeltacht, or an Ghaeltacht, refers individually to any, or collectively to all, of the districts where the government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant language, that is, the vernacular spoken at home...
, North 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...
area of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. It is registered with the Registry of Friendly Societies
Companies Registration Office (Ireland)
The Companies Registration Office registers and incorporates companies in the Republic of Ireland as well as filing their annual returns.The CRO has a number of core functions:The incorporation of companies....
and its purpose is to promote the linguistic, cultural, infrastructural, educational and social development of the parish of Kilcommon
Kilcommon
Kilcommon is a civil parish in Erris, north Mayo consisting of two large peninsulas; Dún Chaocháin and Dún Chiortáin. It consists of 37 townlands, some of which are so remote that they have no inhabitants...
in Erris
Erris
Erris is a barony in northwestern County Mayo in Ireland consisting of over , much of which is mountainous blanket bog. It has extensive sea coasts along its west and north boundaries. The main towns are Belmullet and Bangor Erris. The name Erris derives from the Irish 'Iar Ros' meaning 'western...
, and to develop in an integrated and sustainable manner the material and human resources of the area. 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...
name Comhar Dún Chaocháin Teo means "Caochán's Fort Co-operative, Limited". Comhar means "co-operative"; Dún
Dun
Dun is now used both as a generic term for a fort and also for a specific variety of Atlantic roundhouse...
refers to an ancient promontory fort
Promontory fort
A promontory fort is a defensive structure located above a steep cliff, often only connected to the mainland by a small neck of land, thus utilizing the topography to reduce the ramparts needed. Although their dating is problematic, most seem to date to the Iron Age...
; Caochán was a one-eyed king (caoch meaning "blind") of legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
who resided in the fort here during the time of the Ulster Cycle
Ulster Cycle
The Ulster Cycle , formerly known as the Red Branch Cycle, one of the four great cycles of Irish mythology, is a body of medieval Irish heroic legends and sagas of the traditional heroes of the Ulaid in what is now eastern Ulster and northern Leinster, particularly counties Armagh, Down and...
of tales; Teo is short for Teoranta, meaning "limited" in Irish.
The organisation which is based in the Seanscoil (old schoolhouse) in the village of Carrowteige
Carrowteige
Ceathrú Thaidhg is a Gaeltacht village and townland on the Dún Chaocháin peninsula in northwestern County Mayo, Ireland. It is within Kilcommon parish in the barony of Erris...
, co-ordinates development at local level from the bottom up, provides information and assistance to local voluntary groups in relation to developing and managing projects, sourcing funding, etc., and has worked in partnership with a number of state and semi-state agencies
State-sponsored bodies of the Republic of Ireland
A State-Sponsored Body is the name given in Ireland to a state-owned enterprise , that is to say, a commercial business which is benficially owned, either completely or majority, by the Irish Government...
in its efforts to develop the parish and encourage industry such as the development, mapping and signposting of walking trails along the numerous cliffs in this parish, promoting rural tourism enterprises and development in keeping with the natural resources and traditions of this remote area of Ireland.
Dún Chaocháin walking trails
There are five looped walks in the area surrounding the village of Carrowteige. These vary from 3 km in length to walks which take several hours to complete. Information and detailed maps on the cliff top walking trails can be obtained in the centre in Carrowteige.Achievements
Since it was established in 1995 by Treasa MacGearraigh, Comhar Dún Chaochain Teo has developed a wide range of community and Irish languageIrish 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...
-based projects and services as well as launched several publications of local and historical interest. The organisation has won several awards for their work in the Irish language.
- The local 7th century AD graveyard at Cill Ghallagáin has been mapped, and information gathered on every grave which was published in 2009.
- Local folklorists gathered information on traditions and microtoponyms (local field and place names) which were mapped and published as the "Placenames and Heritage of Dún Chaocháin" (Logainmeacha agus oidhreacht Dhún Chaocháin), a bi-lingual publication dealing with the culture of the Gaelic race. These are records of the oral tradition known by the present generation, now preserved for the future.
- A local development plan for Kilcommon parish was created in 2007 to bringing together the skills, tradition, and culture of North Mayo for future development.
- Currently, Comhar Dún Chaocháin Teo is preparing a publication on the archaeological wealth of the parishFaulaghFaulagh is a townland in Kilcommon, Erris, County Mayo, Ireland, some in size. It's a remote spot on the main Ballycastle to Belmullet road. Faulagh and its neighbouring townland Muingerroon South are located on a mountain which skirts the townland of Bellanaboy where the contentious Corrib Gas...
.
The co-operative organises training courses, summer camp
Summer camp
Summer camp is a supervised program for children or teenagers conducted during the summer months in some countries. Children and adolescents who attend summer camp are known as campers....
s, Irish pre-school services
Naíonra
A naíonra is an Irish medium playgroup for pre-school children, which follows the principle of Total Early Immersion.-Definition:...
, an after-school service, festivals, environmental schemes, the development and promotion of Carrowteige
Carrowteige
Ceathrú Thaidhg is a Gaeltacht village and townland on the Dún Chaocháin peninsula in northwestern County Mayo, Ireland. It is within Kilcommon parish in the barony of Erris...
loop cliff walks in conjunction with the longer walking trails in the county - the Western Way
Western Way
The Western Way is a long-distance trail in Ireland. It is long and begins in Oughterard, County Galway and ends in Ballycastle, County Mayo. It is typically completed in seven days...
and the Bangor Trail
Bangor Trail
The Bangor Trail is a waymarked walking trail in Erris, North Mayo, Republic of Ireland. It is approx. 29 kilometres in length. It takes a route south from Bangor Erris through the Nephin Beg Mountain range to Newport and is a fairly tough, remote hiking trail. The area is largely Atlantic blanket...
— and publishes a quarterly community newsletter.
Irish language services help people acquire basic Irish. Maps, information brochures, CD-ROMs, postcards, a library of folklore and Irish language material and photographs are available in the centre at Carrowteige.
Erris farmers market
Comhar Dún Chaocháin Teo created the ErrisErris
Erris is a barony in northwestern County Mayo in Ireland consisting of over , much of which is mountainous blanket bog. It has extensive sea coasts along its west and north boundaries. The main towns are Belmullet and Bangor Erris. The name Erris derives from the Irish 'Iar Ros' meaning 'western...
farmers' market
Farmers' market
A farmers' market consists of individual vendors—mostly farmers—who set up booths, tables or stands, outdoors or indoors, to sell produce, meat products, fruits and sometimes prepared foods and beverages...
which is held on Saturdays during the summer months in Belmullet
Belmullet
Belmullet is a coastal Gaeltacht town with a population of around 2,000 on the Mullet Peninsula in the barony of Erris, County Mayo, Ireland. Its name means the "mouth of the mullet"...
town.
Growing consumer
Consumer
Consumer is a broad label for any individuals or households that use goods generated within the economy. The concept of a consumer occurs in different contexts, so that the usage and significance of the term may vary.-Economics and marketing:...
awareness of food quality
Food quality
Food quality is the quality characteristics of food that is acceptable to consumers. This includes external factors as appearance , texture, and flavour; factors such as federal grade standards and internal .Food quality in the United States is enforced by the Food Safety Act 1990...
, origin, distance travelled, and seasonality prompted the launch of the market. It provides a forum for local producers to develop new food initiatives and offers shoppers fresh local food including vegetables, free range
Free range
thumb|250px|Free-range chickens being fed outdoors.Free range is a term which outside of the United States denotes a method of farming husbandry where the animals are allowed to roam freely instead of being contained in any manner. In the United States, USDA regulations apply only to poultry and...
hen and duck eggs, home baking, fish, herbs & small plants, seaweed
Seaweed
Seaweed is a loose, colloquial term encompassing macroscopic, multicellular, benthic marine algae. The term includes some members of the red, brown and green algae...
products and prepared dishes.
External links
- Walk of the week: Children of Lir Loop (Irish IndependentIrish IndependentThe Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...
) - Erris Walks (Ireland.com)
- Children of Lir Loop (Ireland.com)
- Erris: Walking in North Mayo