Irishtown, County Mayo Explained

Irishtown
Native Name:Irish: An Baile Gaelach
Native Name Lang:ga
Settlement Type:Village
Pushpin Map:Ireland
Pushpin Label Position:bottom
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in Ireland
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Ireland
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1:Connacht
Subdivision Type3:County
Subdivision Name3:County Mayo
Unit Pref:Metric
Population As Of:2022
Population:182
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone1:WET
Utc Offset1:+0
Timezone1 Dst:IST (WEST)
Utc Offset1 Dst:-1
Coordinates:53.6628°N -8.8889°W

Irishtown [1] is a village in County Mayo, Ireland, located on the southern county border with County Galway about halfway between Claremorris and Tuam on the R328 regional road. Irishtown is in the Civil Parish of Crossboyne, Barony of Clanmorris and the Catholic Diocese of Tuam. It is sometimes referred to as 'The Cradle of the Land League' due to its connections with the founding of the Irish National Land League.[2]

Demographics

Irishtown was designated as a census town by the Central Statistics Office for the first time in the 2016 census,[3] when its population was 129 people and by the 2022 census this had risen to 182. [4]

Land League

Local tenant farmers were threatened with eviction from their holdings on the estate of the local parish priest, The Very Rev. Geoffrey Canon Burke, and in response a meeting took place on 20 April 1879 that brought about a reversal of the potential evictions as well as a 20 percent reduction in rent. The meeting was the genesis of what would later that year become the Land League.[5]

Amenities and sport

There are several facilities situated in the village, including the national (primary) school, community centre, church, corner shop, one pub, playground and playing fields, the former being renovated in 2010.[6] The primary school, Irishtown National School, had an enrollment of over 60 children as of 2021.[7]

Gaelic football is the predominant sport in the area. In 1973, Irishtown and its neighbouring village, Ballindine, amalgamated to form Davitts GAA club. The club won two Mayo Intermediate titles in 1981 and 2011, and were crowned Connacht Intermediate Football Champions in 2011.[8]

See also

Notes and References

  1. Web site: An Baile Gaelach/Irishtown . Placenames Database of Ireland (logainm.ie) . 13 October 2021.
  2. Web site: Irishtown, Crossboyne Civil Parish . irelandgenweb.com . 2011 . 17 August 2011.
  3. Web site: Census of Population 2016 - Profile 2 Population Distribution and Movement . Central Statistics Office . cso.ie . 26 June 2021 . 26 new census towns were created for the 2016 Census [..including..] Irishtown .
  4. Web site: Irishtown, Co. Mayo . CSO.ie . 16 June 2024 .
  5. Book: Berresford Ellis, Peter . Peter Berresford Ellis . Eyewitness to Irish History . John Wiley and Sons . 2007 . 191 . 978-0-470-05312-6 .
  6. Web site: Irishtown in Co. Mayo . Mayo Ireland Ltd . 16 June 2024.
  7. Web site: Directory Page - Irishtown N S . Department of Education . gov.ie . 7 July 2021 . 12 September 2021 .
  8. Web site: About the club . davittsgaa.com . 12 September 2021 . Mayo Inter Championship Winners 1981, 2011 [..] Connacht Intermediate Championship Winners 2011 .