Irishtown, County Mayo

Irishtown (Irish: Baile Gaelach) 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.[1]

Land League

Local tenant farmers were threatened with eviction from their holdings on the estate of the local parish priest, Canon Geoffrey 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.[2]

Amenities

There are several facilities situated in the village, including the National School (first founded in 1897), community centre, church, corner shop, playground and playing fields, the former being renovated in 2010. The one remaining public house in the village, Bourke's Bar, was once a renowned venue for the Showband's period of the 1960s.

Sport

Gaelic football is the predominant sport in the village and its environs. Since 1973, Irishtown and its neighbouring village, Ballindine, amalgamated to form Davitt's G.A.A. club. Since its conception, Davitt's have won numerous underage title's, most noteworthy being the three consecutive Under-21 Mayo County titles in 1983, 1984 and 1985 respectively. The club has also won two Mayo Intermediate titles in 1981 and 2011. They were also crowned Connacht Intermediate Champions in 2011 and went on to play in the All-Ireland Intermediate final in that same year where they lost out to Kerry side Milltown-Castlemaine. The club contested numerous Senior final's in the 1980s and in 1996, won the Mayo Senior League. Davitt's G.A.A. has had numerous players who went on to play for Mayo in underage and senior levels. Those players who represented Mayo in Senior level were David McDonagh, Alan Roche, Colm Boyle, Paul Carey, Liam Nyland and Michael Conroy.

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Irishtown, Crossboyne Civil Parish". irelandgenweb.com. 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2011.
  2. ↑ Berresford Ellis, Peter (2007). Eyewitness to Irish History. John Wiley and Sons. p. 191. ISBN 0-470-05312-7.


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