Charlestown, County Mayo

Last updated

Charlestown
Baile Chathail
Town
Charlestownmayo.JPG
Charlestown town centre
Ireland adm location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Charlestown
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°57′51″N8°47′39″W / 53.9642°N 8.7942°W / 53.9642; -8.7942
Country Ireland
Province Connacht
County County Mayo
Elevation
60 m (200 ft)
Population
 (2016) [1]
  Total1,033
 includes Bellahy, County Sligo
Time zone UTC+0 (WET)
  Summer (DST) UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid Reference G479019
Website http://charlestown.ie

Charlestown (Irish : Baile Chathail) [2] is a town in County Mayo, Ireland, on the N17 road near its junction with the N5.

Contents

History

Charlestown was built in the mid-19th century on the initiative of Lord Dillon's agent, Charles Strickland, adjoining Bellaghy in County Sligo. [3] Including Bellaghy, the town has a population of approximately 1000. [1]

There are two schools in Charlestown, St. Attracta's National School and St.Joseph's Community College.

The village was the subject of a serialised social commentary in The Irish Times by John Healy. This was later published as Death Of An Irish Town, and later republished as No One Shouted Stop! Written in 1967, it was highly critical of government policies towards rural areas, and took Charlestown as an example solely because it was the town of the author's birth.

Sport

Roman Catholic church in Charlestown Charlestownchurch.JPG
Roman Catholic church in Charlestown

Gaelic Football team Charlestown Sarsfields reached the All-Ireland club semi-final in 2001, losing out on a final spot by two points.

In 2012 the town's sporting offering was further complemented with the formation of Charlestown Amateur Boxing Club. The IABA affiliated club has since acquired numerous National and Provincial titles. Based in the old Cloonfane National School, Charlestown's boxers have been selected to represent Ireland internationally and County Mayo in inter-county competition.

Transport

Trains ran through Charlestown from 1895 to 1963. The village had a station on the GS&W line from Claremorris to Collooney, part of the Western Railway Corridor. Charlestown station opened on 1 October 1895, closed for passenger traffic on 17 June 1963, and finally closed altogether on 3 November 1975. [4] But if the Western Rail Corridor reopens from Galway onto Sligo the train service could be restored in future.

Knock Airport is 5.6 miles southwest of Charlestown. [lower-alpha 1]

People

Charlestown was the home town of Irish Times and Western People journalist John Healy, who wrote a series of articles about the town which were later turned into a book, No One Shouted Stop. The owner of the Freeman's Journal , Irish Senator Martin FitzGerald, was born on Main Street, Charlestown. [5] Michael O'Doherty, Archbishop of Manila, was born in Charlestown.

Charlestown is also the hometown of Michael Ryan, executive director of the WHO Health Emergencies Programme, which is tasked with the international containment and treatment of COVID-19. [6]

Notable people

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Mayo</span> County in Ireland

County Mayo is a county in Ireland. In the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority. The population was 137,231 at the 2022 census. The boundaries of the county, which was formed in 1585, reflect the Mac William Íochtar lordship at that time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sligo</span> Town in Connacht, Ireland

Sligo is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of 20,608 in 2022, it is the county's largest urban centre and the 24th largest in the Republic of Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castlebar</span> Town in County Mayo, Ireland

Castlebar is the county town of County Mayo, Ireland. Developing around a 13th-century castle of the de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal point for the surrounding hinterland. With a population of 13,054 in the 2022 census, Castlebar was one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland in the early 21st century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ireland West Airport</span> Airport in County Mayo, Ireland

Ireland West Airport, officially known as Ireland West Airport Knock, commonly known as Knock Airport, is an international airport 5.6 km (3.48 mi) south-west of Charlestown, County Mayo, Ireland. The village of Knock is 20 km (12.43 mi) away. 750,000 passengers used the airport in 2017, making it the fourth-busiest in Ireland.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Longford</span> Town in County Longford, Ireland

Longford is the county town of County Longford in Ireland. It had a population of 10,952 at the 2022 census. It is the biggest town in the county and about one third of the county's population lives there. Longford lies at the meeting of Ireland's N4 and N5 National Primary Route roads, which means that traffic travelling between Dublin and County Mayo, or north County Roscommon passes around the town. Longford railway station, on the Dublin-Sligo line, is used heavily by commuters.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Claremorris</span> Town in County Mayo in Ireland

Claremorris is a town in County Mayo in the west of Ireland, at the junction of the N17 and the N60 national routes. It is the fastest growing town in the county. There was a 31% increase in the town's population between 2006 and 2011 and a 23% increase between 2002 and 2006. The population of Claremorris in the 2016 census was 3,687, rising from 3,412 in the 2011 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballaghaderreen</span> Town in County Roscommon, Ireland

Ballaghaderreen is a town in County Roscommon, Ireland. It was part of County Mayo prior to 1898. It is located just off the N5 National primary road. The population was 1,808 in the 2016 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N5 road (Ireland)</span> Road in Ireland

The N5 road is a national primary road in Ireland, connecting Longford town with Westport. It is the main access route from Dublin to most of County Mayo, including the county's largest towns, Castlebar, Ballina, and Westport.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Western Railway Corridor</span> Irish transport link

The Western Railway Corridor is a term, used since c. 2003, for a partly disused railway line running through the west of Ireland. Currently two sections of the line, from Limerick via Ennis to Athenry and from Collooney to Sligo, see regular services, with other sections either closed or only technically classed as open.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N17 road (Ireland)</span> Road between counties Galway and Sligo in Ireland

The N17 road is a national primary road in Ireland, and is part of the Atlantic Corridor route. It begins in County Galway and ends in County Sligo. On 27 September 2017 the southern, Tuam–Galway, section was upgraded to motorway status and designated M17.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Swinford</span> Town in County Mayo, Ireland

Swinford is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is surrounded by a number of smaller villages, including Midfield and Meelick. It is just off the N5 road, located 18 km (11 mi) from Ireland West Airport Knock. Situated on a tributary of the River Moy, Swinford is known for its fishing waters, including the Callow lakes and the lakes of Conn and Cullin. Swinford was bypassed in 1993 by the N5 route and was the first town in Mayo to be bypassed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballindine</span> Village in Connacht, Ireland

Ballindine is a village in County Mayo, Ireland. It is located along the Western Railway Corridor, 6.5 km (4 miles) south of Claremorris. The N17 road passes through the village, carrying over 10,000 vehicles daily, and it connects to the R328 road on the south side of town.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kiltimagh</span> Town in County Mayo, Ireland

Kiltimagh is a town in County Mayo in Ireland. As of the 2016 census, the town had a population of 1,069 people. Although there is no river going through the town, three rivers flow around the town: the Glore River, Yellow River and Pollagh River. The town centre sits at the crest of a hill surrounding The High Fort in Fortlands and built out linearly on the main road from there.

Charlestown–Bellahy is an urban area crossing the boundaries of County Mayo and County Sligo in Ireland. It comprises the adjoining villages of Charlestown, County Mayo, and Bellaghy, County Sligo. It had a population of 753 at the 2002 census.

John Healy (1930–1991) was an Irish journalist from Charlestown, County Mayo, who wrote for Western People and The Irish Times.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlestown railway station (Ireland)</span> Irish disused railway station

Charlestown railway station is a disused railway station close to the village of Charlestown in County Mayo, Ireland. The station was originally opened in 1895, as part of the route between Claremorris and Sligo. It was closed to passenger traffic in 1963, with goods traffic ending in 1975.

Bellaghy, in County Sligo in Ireland, is a border-town adjoined to Charlestown, County Mayo.

Charlestown Sarsfields GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in Charlestown, County Mayo, Ireland. Their most notable achievement was winning the Connacht Senior Club Football Championship in 2001. Tom Parsons is a notable current player, having won two Connacht titles with Mayo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ballina, County Mayo</span> Town in County Mayo, Ireland

Ballina is a town in north County Mayo, Ireland. It lies at the mouth of the River Moy near Killala Bay, in the Moy valley and Parish of Kilmoremoy, with the Ox Mountains to the east and the Nephin Beg mountains to the west. The town occupies two baronies; Tirawley on the west bank of the Moy River, and Tireragh, a barony within County Sligo, on its east banks. At the 2022 census, the population of Ballina was 10,556.

References

Notes

  1. Charlestown is the nearest town to the airport with the Eircode finder giving the airport address as of May 2021 as Ireland West Airport Knock, Kilgariff, Charlestown, Co. Mayo.. note also there are multiple townlands named Kilgariff in County Mayo and this one has been also named Kilgarriff West.

References

  1. 1 2 "Sapmap Area: Settlements Charlestown–Bellahy". Census 2016. Central Statistics Office (Ireland) . Retrieved 29 June 2020.
  2. "Baile Chathail/Charlestown". Placenames Database of Ireland. Government of Ireland - Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Dublin City University . Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  3. "Early History, Charlestown Co. Mayo West of Ireland | mayo-ireland.ie". www.mayo-ireland.ie.
  4. "Charlestown station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 16 September 2007.
  5. "Senator Martin Fitzgerald 1867 - 1927". Mayo Ireland. 2005. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  6. "Charlestown man at heart of worldwide fight against coronavirus". www.mayonews.ie. 10 March 2020. Archived from the original on 20 March 2020. Retrieved 20 March 2020.