Rossport
Encyclopedia
Ros Dumhach is a Gaeltacht
village
and townland
in northwest County Mayo
, Ireland
. It is within the barony of Erris
and parish of Kilcommon
. It lies close to the mouth of Broadhaven Bay
on the headland where the confluence of three rivers meet (the Muingnabo, the Glenamoy and the Gweedaney) flowing into Sruth Fada Conn Bay. Its area is 1446 acres (5.9 km²).
About the year 1707, Thomas Bournes, a Cromwell
ian from Co. Sligo was granted Rossport and neighbouring Muingnabo from Arthur Shaen. In 1727 he transferred his interest in Rossport to his brother George, who settled in the townland in 1756. Two other branches of the Bournes family had settled in Stonefield and Portacloy, two townlands on the Dún Chaocháin
peninsula. The old Protestant graveyard well-hidden on the hillside above the village bears testament to the Protestant past of the townland. Like other landlords, the Bournes had tenants. While some landlords treated their tenants despicably, it would appear from reports that the Bournes treated their tenants with some compassion. Another George Bournes, probably a great grandson of the original man referred to previously, is reported to have written to the Protestant Bishop of Killala
requesting relief for the starving tenants. The bishop got several tons of meal and potatoes and George received some of it for his tenants.
Samuel Bournes inherited Rossport from his father George and in 1832 he cleared tenant farmers off the southern end of the townland to build a substantial and commodious two storey house with suitable offices and walled garden. He availed of the Land Loan Scheme to improve his estate - in 1849 he received £600 and in 1859, a further £300.
The Bournes estate provided some of its tenants with other employment in the form of an industrial school which taught knitting and sewing. During the famine of 1845 - 47 the Society of Friends (Quakers) sent food relief to tenants of the Bournes in Rossport.
There was a huge population of landless people who were close to destitution who were not Bournes tenants and the Bournes felt threatened 'For although the people are now perfectly quiet still, their destitution may force them to destroy the lives and properties of others (from Outrage papers 1846). Samuel Bournes requested that there be police brought to Rossport to quell any trouble. By 1866 there was a police barracks based in a small thatched cottage in the village.
By 1881 the Bournes family had moved back to London. During 'the Troubles' the barracks was burned and the police moved into the old Bournes dwelling where they remained until they left the district in about 1959. In 1959 it was made into a Gael Linn
college, the predecessor of the current (secondary school
) Colaiste Chomain in the middle of the village to which it moved in 1968. The old police barracks is still there in a field overlooking Sruth Fada Conn Bay.
Mrs. Bournes distributed clothing among the poor which she received from the Ladies Irish Clothing Society. The Bournes distributed porridge and soup from their dwelling on a daily basis. A large bell was rung when the food was ready for distribution. The Bournes also set up a school, which like all schools was used for proselytizing but unlike most, the teacher taught in the Irish language, the main role being to educate rather than to turn people into Protestants.
. The current in this bay is extremely strong and it was difficult to negotiate by boat. In 1900 the secretary of the Congested Districts Board
wrote:
"The possible sites for a bridge are two:-
These are rough estimates and include the cost of approaches"
Nothing much happened and in 1914 Fr. Timlin became parish priest of the area. He tried to urge the government to build the bridge but unfortunately it coincided with the beginning of World War I
and the Government, having other things on its mind, shelved the project.
man ridiculing the Rossport people for mourning Buchanan's dog.
Highlanders and the 5th Lancers. He had an entourage of servants and workers with him - game keepers, dogs, guns, meat, fish, whiskey, wine and fishing tackle. When he went into Belmullet
the shopkeepers all gave him credit so delighted with their distinguished guest as they were. Mr. Allan Sutherland borrowed everywhere he went and paid nobody. He always semed to have forgotten his cheque book. He bought horses locally which he kept on a trial basis but in reality he sold them to Dublin for £10 each. He lived in Rossport House even though the Bournes family in London did not want him there. He had found the property in the Field Magazine but he never paid the Bournes a penny of rental. Finally the law caught up with him and he was sentenced to seven year's penal servitude for horse stealing and other offences. He pleaded guilty to all the charges. It was disclosed in court that he had received a legacy of over £4,000 and had squandered the lot on horses and gambling.
were jailed for refusing to allow Royal Dutch Shell
access to their lands. Shell, with the assistance of the Irish government
, propose to lay a high pressure, unodourised raw gas
pipeline straight from the Corrib gas field
through the village. The An Bord Pleanala
Oral hearing held in the summer of 2009 in the Broadhaven Bay
Hotel in Belmullet
was attended daily by many Rossport residents has declared this route unacceptable on safety grounds. Shell drew up proposals to bring the pipeline up Sruth Fada Conn Bay which they presented to An Bord Pleanala in May 2010. On 31 May, An Bord Pleanala received a new Environmental impact statement
2010
In 2007, Rossport native Willie Corduff
won the Goldman Environmental Prize
for his opposition to the Corrib Gas Project.
In 2011, Risteard O'Domhnaill's documentary film 'The Pipe' was premiered in the Green Film festival in Leicester, UK.
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...
village
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
and townland
Townland
A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...
in northwest 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...
, 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 within the barony of 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 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...
. It lies close to the mouth of Broadhaven Bay
Broadhaven Bay
Broadhaven Bay is a natural bay of the Atlantic Ocean situated on the northwestern coast of County Mayo, Ireland. The opening of the bay faces northward, stretching between Erris Head on the west side and Kid Island on the east side with approximately 8.6 km between the two sides.It borders...
on the headland where the confluence of three rivers meet (the Muingnabo, the Glenamoy and the Gweedaney) flowing into Sruth Fada Conn Bay. Its area is 1446 acres (5.9 km²).
Bournes
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....
ian from Co. Sligo was granted Rossport and neighbouring Muingnabo from Arthur Shaen. In 1727 he transferred his interest in Rossport to his brother George, who settled in the townland in 1756. Two other branches of the Bournes family had settled in Stonefield and Portacloy, two townlands on the Dún Chaocháin
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...
peninsula. The old Protestant graveyard well-hidden on the hillside above the village bears testament to the Protestant past of the townland. Like other landlords, the Bournes had tenants. While some landlords treated their tenants despicably, it would appear from reports that the Bournes treated their tenants with some compassion. Another George Bournes, probably a great grandson of the original man referred to previously, is reported to have written to the Protestant Bishop of Killala
Bishop of Killala
The Bishop of Killala is an episcopal title which takes its name after the town of Killala in County Mayo, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with other bishoprics.-History:...
requesting relief for the starving tenants. The bishop got several tons of meal and potatoes and George received some of it for his tenants.
Samuel Bournes inherited Rossport from his father George and in 1832 he cleared tenant farmers off the southern end of the townland to build a substantial and commodious two storey house with suitable offices and walled garden. He availed of the Land Loan Scheme to improve his estate - in 1849 he received £600 and in 1859, a further £300.
The Bournes estate provided some of its tenants with other employment in the form of an industrial school which taught knitting and sewing. During the famine of 1845 - 47 the Society of Friends (Quakers) sent food relief to tenants of the Bournes in Rossport.
There was a huge population of landless people who were close to destitution who were not Bournes tenants and the Bournes felt threatened 'For although the people are now perfectly quiet still, their destitution may force them to destroy the lives and properties of others (from Outrage papers 1846). Samuel Bournes requested that there be police brought to Rossport to quell any trouble. By 1866 there was a police barracks based in a small thatched cottage in the village.
By 1881 the Bournes family had moved back to London. During 'the Troubles' the barracks was burned and the police moved into the old Bournes dwelling where they remained until they left the district in about 1959. In 1959 it was made into a Gael Linn
Gael Linn
Gael Linn is an organization devoted to the Irish language and arts.It is a non-governmental, non-profit organization, founded in 1953 to foster the Irish language and promote artistic events. On the business side, they run the Gael-Linn Records record label, which is partly funded by the Irish...
college, the predecessor of the current (secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
) Colaiste Chomain in the middle of the village to which it moved in 1968. The old police barracks is still there in a field overlooking Sruth Fada Conn Bay.
Mrs. Bournes distributed clothing among the poor which she received from the Ladies Irish Clothing Society. The Bournes distributed porridge and soup from their dwelling on a daily basis. A large bell was rung when the food was ready for distribution. The Bournes also set up a school, which like all schools was used for proselytizing but unlike most, the teacher taught in the Irish language, the main role being to educate rather than to turn people into Protestants.
Proposed bridge
Around the turn of the 20th century, the government contemplated the erection of a bridge across Sruth Fada Conn Bay from Rossport to GlengadGlengad
Glengad is a small Gaeltacht village in the parish of Kilcommon in northwest County Mayo, Ireland. The townland is also known as Dooncarton , a name which comes from an Iron Age tribal chieftain called Ciortan, a character who appears in the Ulster Cycle legend of the Táin Bó Flidhais.The village...
. The current in this bay is extremely strong and it was difficult to negotiate by boat. In 1900 the secretary of the Congested Districts Board
Congested Districts Board
Congested Districts Board may mean or refer to:*the Congested Districts Board for Ireland*the Congested Districts Board...
wrote:
"The possible sites for a bridge are two:-
- for a wooden bridge just under Rossport House, cost £1,000
- for a suspension bridge a little below the present ferryFerryA ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
, cost perhaps £700.
These are rough estimates and include the cost of approaches"
Nothing much happened and in 1914 Fr. Timlin became parish priest of the area. He tried to urge the government to build the bridge but unfortunately it coincided with the beginning of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
and the Government, having other things on its mind, shelved the project.
Robert Buchanan
Robert Buchanan, a Scotsman, left his medical studies in Britain and came to Rossport Lodge in 1874. He was an amateur doctor, and he and his wife tended the sick of the townland. They showed great tenderness towards all the sick and afflicted. He and his wife fed half the starving villagers, and they were generous to the Buchanans in return. He was also a poet. When the Buchanans' dog died the villagers of Rossport came to offer their condolences and sympathy. A song of mockery called 'Madadh Buchanan' was composed by a GlengadGlengad
Glengad is a small Gaeltacht village in the parish of Kilcommon in northwest County Mayo, Ireland. The townland is also known as Dooncarton , a name which comes from an Iron Age tribal chieftain called Ciortan, a character who appears in the Ulster Cycle legend of the Táin Bó Flidhais.The village...
man ridiculing the Rossport people for mourning Buchanan's dog.
Allan Sutherland
In 1893 an English man arrived in Rossport. He appeared to be wealthy and told people he was Allan Sutherland, Captain of the ArgyllArgyll
Argyll , archaically Argyle , is a region of western Scotland corresponding with most of the part of ancient Dál Riata that was located on the island of Great Britain, and in a historical context can be used to mean the entire western coast between the Mull of Kintyre and Cape Wrath...
Highlanders and the 5th Lancers. He had an entourage of servants and workers with him - game keepers, dogs, guns, meat, fish, whiskey, wine and fishing tackle. When he went into 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"...
the shopkeepers all gave him credit so delighted with their distinguished guest as they were. Mr. Allan Sutherland borrowed everywhere he went and paid nobody. He always semed to have forgotten his cheque book. He bought horses locally which he kept on a trial basis but in reality he sold them to Dublin for £10 each. He lived in Rossport House even though the Bournes family in London did not want him there. He had found the property in the Field Magazine but he never paid the Bournes a penny of rental. Finally the law caught up with him and he was sentenced to seven year's penal servitude for horse stealing and other offences. He pleaded guilty to all the charges. It was disclosed in court that he had received a legacy of over £4,000 and had squandered the lot on horses and gambling.
Rossport Five and the Corrib gas controversy
Rossport came to national prominence in 2005 when five local menRossport Five
The Rossport Five are James Brendan Philbin, brothers Philip and Vincent McGrath, Willie Corduff and Micheál Ó Seighin. All five are from Kilcommon parish, Erris, County Mayo, Ireland and were jailed on 29 June 2005 by Justice Finnegan, President of the High Court of the Republic of Ireland, for...
were jailed for refusing to allow Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
access to their lands. Shell, with the assistance of the Irish government
Irish Government
The Government of Ireland is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.-Members of the Government:Membership of the Government is regulated fundamentally by the Constitution of Ireland. The Government is headed by a prime minister called the Taoiseach...
, propose to lay a high pressure, unodourised raw gas
Natural gas
Natural gas is a naturally occurring gas mixture consisting primarily of methane, typically with 0–20% higher hydrocarbons . It is found associated with other hydrocarbon fuel, in coal beds, as methane clathrates, and is an important fuel source and a major feedstock for fertilizers.Most natural...
pipeline straight from the Corrib gas field
Corrib Gas Field
The Corrib gas project entails the extraction of a natural gas deposit off the northwest coast of Ireland. The project includes a development of the Corrib gas field, and constructions of the natural gas pipeline and a gas processing plant. The project has attracted considerable...
through the village. The An Bord Pleanala
An Bord Pleanála
An Bord Pleanála is an independent statutory administrative tribunal that decides on appeals from planning decisions made by local authorities in the Republic of Ireland. As of 2007 The Planning Board directly decides major strategic infrastructural projects under the provisions of the Planning...
Oral hearing held in the summer of 2009 in the Broadhaven Bay
Broadhaven Bay
Broadhaven Bay is a natural bay of the Atlantic Ocean situated on the northwestern coast of County Mayo, Ireland. The opening of the bay faces northward, stretching between Erris Head on the west side and Kid Island on the east side with approximately 8.6 km between the two sides.It borders...
Hotel 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"...
was attended daily by many Rossport residents has declared this route unacceptable on safety grounds. Shell drew up proposals to bring the pipeline up Sruth Fada Conn Bay which they presented to An Bord Pleanala in May 2010. On 31 May, An Bord Pleanala received a new Environmental impact statement
Environmental impact statement
An environmental impact statement , under United States environmental law, is a document required by the National Environmental Policy Act for certain actions "significantly affecting the quality of the human environment". An EIS is a tool for decision making...
2010
In 2007, Rossport native Willie Corduff
Willie Corduff
Willie Corduff is an Irish environmental activist from the farming community of Rossport, parish of Kilcommon, Erris. Corduff's parents first arrived in Rossport in 1947, and reclaimed a farm by hand out of bogland. He became a campaigner against Shells' activities in his local area...
won the Goldman Environmental Prize
Goldman Environmental Prize
The Goldman Environmental Prize is a prize awarded annually to grassroots environmental activists, one from each of the world's six geographic regions: Africa, Asia, Europe, Islands and Island Nations, North America, and South and Central America. The prize includes a no-strings-attached award of...
for his opposition to the Corrib Gas Project.
In 2011, Risteard O'Domhnaill's documentary film 'The Pipe' was premiered in the Green Film festival in Leicester, UK.
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland