Tourmakeady
Encyclopedia
Tuar Mhic Éadaigh is a small village in County Mayo
, Ireland
. It has a population of about 1000 people. It is located on the shores of Lough Mask
. Part of Tourmakeady was originally in neighbouring County Galway
, but was placed under the administration of County Mayo in 1898. Tourmakeady lies within the largest Gaeltacht
(Irish
speaking) region in Ireland.
On 3 May 1921, during the Irish War of Independence
the Irish Republican Army
south Mayo flying column of around 30 men together with a small number of men from east Mayo mounted an ambush at Tourmakeady.
The English actor Robert Shaw
, best known for his work in From Russia, With Love
, Jaws
and The Sting
, lived in Drimbawn House, Tourmakeady until his death in 1978.
From the time of the Great Famine of the mid-1840s onwards, Tourmakeady has experienced a high level of emigration. Many descendants of emigrants return to Tourmakeady every year to find their roots. The genealogical records for this area have been computerised at the South Mayo Family Research Centre in nearby Ballinrobe
to make the task of tracing roots easier.
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 has a population of about 1000 people. It is located on the shores of Lough Mask
Lough Mask
Lough Mask is a limestone lough of 22,000 acres in County Mayo, Ireland, north of Lough Corrib. Lough Mask is the upper of the two lakes, which empty into the Corrib River, through Galway, into Galway Bay. The lake is visited for its trout fishing...
. Part of Tourmakeady was originally in neighbouring County Galway
County Galway
County Galway 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 city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
, but was placed under the administration of County Mayo in 1898. Tourmakeady lies within the largest 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...
(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...
speaking) region in Ireland.
On 3 May 1921, during the Irish War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The 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...
the Irish Republican Army
Irish Republican Army
The 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...
south Mayo flying column of around 30 men together with a small number of men from east Mayo mounted an ambush at Tourmakeady.
The English actor Robert Shaw
Robert Shaw (actor)
Robert Archibald Shaw was an English actor and novelist, remembered for his performances in The Sting , From Russia with Love , A Man for All Seasons , the original The Taking of Pelham One Two Three , Black Sunday , The Deep and Jaws , where he played the shark hunter Quint.-Early life...
, best known for his work in From Russia, With Love
From Russia with Love (film)
From Russia with Love is the second in the James Bond spy film series, and the second to star Sean Connery as the fictional MI6 agent James Bond. Released in 1963, the film was produced by Albert R. Broccoli and Harry Saltzman, and directed by Terence Young. It is based on the 1957 novel of the...
, Jaws
Jaws (film)
Jaws is a 1975 American horror-thriller film directed by Steven Spielberg and based on Peter Benchley's novel of the same name. In the story, the police chief of Amity Island, a fictional summer resort town, tries to protect beachgoers from a giant man-eating great white shark by closing the beach,...
and The Sting
The Sting
The Sting is a 1973 American caper film set in September 1936 that involves a complicated plot by two professional grifters to con a mob boss . The film was directed by George Roy Hill, who previously directed Newman and Redford in the western Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.Created by...
, lived in Drimbawn House, Tourmakeady until his death in 1978.
From the time of the Great Famine of the mid-1840s onwards, Tourmakeady has experienced a high level of emigration. Many descendants of emigrants return to Tourmakeady every year to find their roots. The genealogical records for this area have been computerised at the South Mayo Family Research Centre in nearby Ballinrobe
Ballinrobe
-Early history:Dating back to 1390, Ballinrobe is said to be the oldest town in South Mayo. The registry of the Dominican friary of Athenry mentions the monastery de Roba, an Augustinian friary whose recently restored ruins are one of the historical landmarks of the town today...
to make the task of tracing roots easier.
External links
- Tourmakeady Web Site
- Tourmakeady Community Web Site
- http://www.podcasts.ie/weekly-shows/mayos-heritage/ In this audio podcast you can hear an excerpt from Michael John Casey's Heritage Tour of Tourmakeady (Programme 5 churches)