Doolough
Encyclopedia
Doolough is a coastal townland covering an area of 2493 acres (10.1 km²) in Kiltane
Parish, Erris
, North County Mayo
. It is on the Doohoma
peninsula
south of Belmullet
town. Its name comes from its location on miles of local sand dunes and beach
es.
With the arrival of Anglo-Norman
families into Erris, families of Barretts, Burkes and Lynotts settled in the Doolough area. Sir Edmund Barrett, known as the Baron of Irrus, is recorded as residing in a castle at Doolough in 1585. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth 1 for his favours to the Crown. His sons, Edmund and Richard were brought up in the household of Lord Essex in England. For the family's loyalty to the Crown, King James I
in 1605 granted Sir Edmund more land in Erris and also a licence to hold a weekly fair at Doolough.'. This suggests that there was an affluence in the area at this time. The castle referred to was likely to have been located in the area known as Caislean or Caiseal. Part of the castle was still in use until 1937.http://towns.mayo-ireland.ie/WebX?14@1.KOQcbFlfoqE.0@.ee86eee and the cobbles and stones from the castle were removed for the making of roads and houses in the area. Strangely it seems that the Barrett family had a major row with the crown in the early 17th century and went into armed revolt against it. They were shot and hanged like dogs and their property was confiscated.
By 1619 the castle was in the hands of Michael Cormuck who owned the Castle at Inver td in Kilcommon
, Erris
. After the Cromwell
http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/button_link.png period in the mid seventeenth century, the property passed into the hands of the new landlords of Erris - the Shaens, Carters and Binghams.
The first road connecting Erris with Ballina
and Castlebar
was completed in 1824. During the Irish famine the first substantial road to Doolough, Bothar na Sop, was constructed as a famine relief road. This allowed the people from Doolough to access the newly burgeoning Belmullet
, situated approximately seven miles away. A road was also constructed to the Doolough Coastguard Station.
During the famine there were many evictions in the area and the Bingham landlords living in Doolough were reputed to be cruel landlords (CSOPR reports No. 31404 Mayo 1882). At the end of the nineteenth century when the Land League was most active, the people of the Doolough area were reputed to have been particularly vehement activists due to their poor treatment during the famine.
Doolough had a Coastguard Station, visible on the 1838 O.S. map, which was operational until the late 1880’s.http://towns.mayo-ireland.ie/WebX?14@1.KOQcbFlfoqE.0@.ee86eee In 1853 a fishing officer attached to the Doolough Coastguard Station sent the following report to the Government regarding the fishing conditions in the area:
Observation: Fishing much improved. No new curing establishment has been formed. There is one in existence. The fishing would be more productive if the men had better boats and gear.
In 1899 the landlords were approached by the Congested Districts Board
to sell their estates. Arthur Shaen Bingham was willing to sell some parts of his property provided that he was paid such a price for the sale as he regarded was sufficient. Eventually, a deal was struck and the Congested Districts Board and the Land Commission stripped and divided the land among the tenants.
A consequence of events in the 19th century was to be discovered in the 20th, when a number of skeletons were exposed by the prevailing winds on the extensive sand banks in Doolough. This was a children’s burial ground dating from the time of the Famine and the following years. In the early 1950’s, the remains were collected in large boxes, and subsequently buried in Glencastle
Cemetery.
Many vessel have been lost along the coastline in Doolough. The Thompson and the Mitchell, both merchant ships were shipwrecked on this coast and the Lee, a coastguard boat was also lost. In the 1940s the Thelma, with a load of coal drifted onto Doolough Point where she was wrecked. Coal can still be found among the rocks along here.http://www.irishwrecksonline.net/Lists/MayoWestList.htm
and dog racing events on the strand at Doolough, showjumping, deep sea fishing, sports events, walks, dog show, contests, music for young and old etc...http://www.rte.ie/tv/programmes/gioddaiup.html
The Strand’s other main claim to fame is its distinction as the setting of the sports in J.M. Synge’s well known play ‘The Playboy of the Western World
’.
Kiltane
-Origins:Kiltane derives its name from Cill Seadhna, or Seadhna's church, which was in the townland of Kiltane by the banks of the Owenmore river. The name 'Seadhna' was well known in the Early Christian Period. There is mention of a bishop and priest of that name in an old tract but no detail as...
Parish, 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...
, North 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...
. It is on the Doohoma
Doohoma
- General Description :Doohoma, is named after the mass grave situated in the sand dunes in close proximity to the sea. This was as a result of the great Great Famine of 1845....
peninsula
Peninsula
A peninsula is a piece of land that is bordered by water on three sides but connected to mainland. In many Germanic and Celtic languages and also in Baltic, Slavic and Hungarian, peninsulas are called "half-islands"....
south of 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. Its name comes from its location on miles of local sand dunes and beach
Beach
A beach is a geological landform along the shoreline of an ocean, sea, lake or river. It usually consists of loose particles which are often composed of rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles or cobblestones...
es.
History
This townland has been well populated throughout the years for its relatively remote location. In 1841 just before the Great Famine there were almost 600 people recorded as living here. By 1911 that population had almost halved to just 311 inhabitants.With the arrival of Anglo-Norman
Anglo-Norman
The Anglo-Normans were mainly the descendants of the Normans who ruled England following the Norman conquest by William the Conqueror in 1066. A small number of Normans were already settled in England prior to the conquest...
families into Erris, families of Barretts, Burkes and Lynotts settled in the Doolough area. Sir Edmund Barrett, known as the Baron of Irrus, is recorded as residing in a castle at Doolough in 1585. He was knighted by Queen Elizabeth 1 for his favours to the Crown. His sons, Edmund and Richard were brought up in the household of Lord Essex in England. For the family's loyalty to the Crown, King James I
James I of England
James VI and I was King of Scots as James VI from 24 July 1567 and King of England and Ireland as James I from the union of the English and Scottish crowns on 24 March 1603...
in 1605 granted Sir Edmund more land in Erris and also a licence to hold a weekly fair at Doolough.'. This suggests that there was an affluence in the area at this time. The castle referred to was likely to have been located in the area known as Caislean or Caiseal. Part of the castle was still in use until 1937.http://towns.mayo-ireland.ie/WebX?14@1.KOQcbFlfoqE.0@.ee86eee and the cobbles and stones from the castle were removed for the making of roads and houses in the area. Strangely it seems that the Barrett family had a major row with the crown in the early 17th century and went into armed revolt against it. They were shot and hanged like dogs and their property was confiscated.
By 1619 the castle was in the hands of Michael Cormuck who owned the Castle at Inver td in 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...
, 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...
. After the 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....
http://bits.wikimedia.org/skins-1.5/common/images/button_link.png period in the mid seventeenth century, the property passed into the hands of the new landlords of Erris - the Shaens, Carters and Binghams.
The first road connecting Erris with 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...
and Castlebar
Castlebar
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...
was completed in 1824. During the Irish famine the first substantial road to Doolough, Bothar na Sop, was constructed as a famine relief road. This allowed the people from Doolough to access the newly burgeoning 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"...
, situated approximately seven miles away. A road was also constructed to the Doolough Coastguard Station.
During the famine there were many evictions in the area and the Bingham landlords living in Doolough were reputed to be cruel landlords (CSOPR reports No. 31404 Mayo 1882). At the end of the nineteenth century when the Land League was most active, the people of the Doolough area were reputed to have been particularly vehement activists due to their poor treatment during the famine.
Doolough had a Coastguard Station, visible on the 1838 O.S. map, which was operational until the late 1880’s.http://towns.mayo-ireland.ie/WebX?14@1.KOQcbFlfoqE.0@.ee86eee In 1853 a fishing officer attached to the Doolough Coastguard Station sent the following report to the Government regarding the fishing conditions in the area:
- 1852 - 189 second class boats fished, 520 fishermen, no boys.
- 1853 - 185 boats fished 677 fishermen and 51 boys.
Observation: Fishing much improved. No new curing establishment has been formed. There is one in existence. The fishing would be more productive if the men had better boats and gear.
In 1899 the landlords were approached by the Congested Districts Board
Congested Districts Board for Ireland
The Congested Districts Board for Ireland was established by the Chief Secretary, Arthur Balfour in 1891 to alleviate poverty and "congested" living conditions in the west of Ireland....
to sell their estates. Arthur Shaen Bingham was willing to sell some parts of his property provided that he was paid such a price for the sale as he regarded was sufficient. Eventually, a deal was struck and the Congested Districts Board and the Land Commission stripped and divided the land among the tenants.
A consequence of events in the 19th century was to be discovered in the 20th, when a number of skeletons were exposed by the prevailing winds on the extensive sand banks in Doolough. This was a children’s burial ground dating from the time of the Famine and the following years. In the early 1950’s, the remains were collected in large boxes, and subsequently buried in Glencastle
Glencastle
Glencastle is a village of about 30 people in the northwest of County Mayo, Ireland. The townland incorporates an area of . The Irish language is still dominant there.- Topography :...
Cemetery.
Many vessel have been lost along the coastline in Doolough. The Thompson and the Mitchell, both merchant ships were shipwrecked on this coast and the Lee, a coastguard boat was also lost. In the 1940s the Thelma, with a load of coal drifted onto Doolough Point where she was wrecked. Coal can still be found among the rocks along here.http://www.irishwrecksonline.net/Lists/MayoWestList.htm
Doolough Races
The world famous Geesala Festival is a week long community based festival with a large range of events organised from the famous horse racingHorse racing
Horse racing is an equestrian sport that has a long history. Archaeological records indicate that horse racing occurred in ancient Babylon, Syria, and Egypt. Both chariot and mounted horse racing were events in the ancient Greek Olympics by 648 BC...
and dog racing events on the strand at Doolough, showjumping, deep sea fishing, sports events, walks, dog show, contests, music for young and old etc...http://www.rte.ie/tv/programmes/gioddaiup.html
The Strand’s other main claim to fame is its distinction as the setting of the sports in J.M. Synge’s well known play ‘The Playboy of the Western World
The Playboy of the Western World
The Playboy of the Western World is a three-act play written by Irish playwright John Millington Synge and first performed at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, on January 26, 1907. It is set in Michael James Flaherty's public house in County Mayo during the early 1900s...
’.