Ballinrobe () is a town in

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

in Ireland. It is located on the

River Robe The River Robe ( ga, Abhainn an Róba) is a river in County Mayo, Ireland. It rises near Ballyhaunis, then flows generally west for , where it drains into Lough Mask. The river's name in Irish is ''An Róba'', first recorded as ''Rodba'' in ...

, which empties into

Lough Mask Lough Mask () is a limestone lake of about in Counties Mayo and Galway, Ireland, north of Lough Corrib. Lough Mask is the middle of the three lakes, which empty into the Corrib River, through Galway, into Galway Bay. Lough Carra flows into ...

two kilometres to the west. As of the 2016 census, the population was 2,786.

History

Foundation and development

Ballinrobe is considered to be one of the oldest towns in Mayo, dating to 1390. In 1337, the registry of the Dominican friary of

Athenry Athenry (; ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland, which lies east of Galway city. Some of the attractions of the medieval town are its town wall, Athenry Castle, its priory and its 13th century street-plan. The town is also well known by virtu ...

mentions the monastery ''de Roba'', an

Augustinian Augustinian may refer to: *Augustinians, members of religious orders following the Rule of St Augustine *Augustinianism, the teachings of Augustine of Hippo and his intellectual heirs *Someone who follows Augustine of Hippo * Canons Regular of Sain ...

friary whose restored ruins are one of the landmarks of the town today. A Royal Patent granted to the people of Ballinrobe on 6 December 1606 by King James allowed the town to hold fairs and markets. Obtaining a market charter was an important step in the economic development of a town and required having a spokesperson who was in the king's favour. The town became the largest and most important in the area. Market day in Ballinrobe was Monday. Each commodity had its special place in the town. Well into the mid-1900s,

turf Sod, also known as turf, is the upper layer of soil with the grass growing on it that is often harvested into rolls. In Australian and British English, sod is more commonly known as ''turf'', and the word "sod" is limited mainly to agricultu ...

, hay, potatoes, turnips, and cabbage were sold on Abbey Street; poultry on Glebe Street; calves on Bridge Street; and cloth, flannel, woollen socks, lace, wheat, oats, and barley outside the Market House. There were special livestock fairs held at different times of the year for pigs, cattle, and sheep. ''Ballinrobe Chronicle'' was the local newspaper published from 1866–1903. On 17 May 1919, the first of the Republican law courts were set up in Ballinrobe. The first court under the direct authority of the Dail sat at Ballinrobe, on 17 May 1920 and was reported with some pride in the national press. Two Ballinrobe bakeries, Western Pride and Country Crust, merged in 1989 to form Irish Pride (later acquired by Pat the Baker).

Religion

In 1704, a new law required the registration of Catholic priests. The Catholic Church was suppressed throughout Ireland. There are no records for any Catholic rites in the area before 1831, however, some priests continued to perform the rites in secret. The name of one of them is known: Fr. Duffy ministered in Ballinrobe from 1696 until 1712. He was captured and deported to Spain, where he died. There appears to have been a number of other priests between 1649 and 1875, who were associated with the Augustine Abbey. Bridge_St

Fr. Conway was appointed the first curate of Ballinrobe in 1847. He was the minister to both Ballinrobe and

Partry Partry ( ga, Partraí) is a villagePartry
Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved: 2012-04-15. and a

Feliksas Vaitkus Feliksas Vaitkus (1907–1956), also known as Felix Waitkus, was an American-born Lithuanian pilot and the sixth pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic. Biography His parents came from Lithuania in 1904, settling in the old "Lithuanian Downtow ...

landed his plane, ''Lituanica II'', near Ballinrobe. He was the sixth person to make a successful flight over the Atlantic Ocean with a single engine, single seat airplane. Vaitkus fought terrible weather conditions and was helped considerably by hourly broadcasts from an Irish radio station. He learned that

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

was fogged in, as well as all areas heading east as far as the

Baltic Sea The Baltic Sea is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that is enclosed by Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Germany, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Russia, Sweden and the North and Central European Plain. The sea stretches from 53°N to 66°N latitude and from ...

. He knew that he could not make it to

Kaunas Kaunas (; ; also see other names) is the second-largest city in Lithuania after Vilnius and an important centre of Lithuanian economic, academic, and cultural life. Kaunas was the largest city and the centre of a county in the Duchy of Trakai ...

due to his low fuel supply, and being exhausted after a 23-hour struggle fighting the elements, he felt it was best to land somewhere in Ireland. Vaitkus spotted an open field at Ballinrobe and came down, with the airplane suffering extensive damage, but he himself suffered no injuries. ''Lituanica II'' was crated for shipment to

Lithuania Lithuania (; lt, Lietuva ), officially the Republic of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos Respublika, links=no ), is a country in the Baltic region of Europe. It is one of three Baltic states and lies on the eastern shore of the Baltic Sea. Lithuania ...

, where it was restored. He went to

, where he was given a hero’s welcome.

Demographics

According to the 2016 census, the population of Ballinrobe was 91% white (including 1,772 white Irish 4.1% 640 other white 3.14%and 107 .87%white Irish traveller), 0.25% black (7) and 4.3% Asian (119). Additionally, 2% (58) were from other ethnic or cultural background, while 2.28% (63) did not state their ethnicity.

Culture

The Ballinrobe Agricultural Society hold their show usually at the end of August or early September. Ballinrobe Musical Society puts on a show annually in

Ballinrobe Community School Ballinrobe Community School is a secondary school in Ballinrobe, County Mayo. It is a mixed gender school and it was opened in September 1990, after the merging of 3 second level schools in Ballinrobe. As of the start of the 2020 school year, Wil ...

. The 3rd Mayo

Boy Scout A Scout (in some countries a Boy Scout, Girl Scout, or Pathfinder) is a child, usually 10–18 years of age, participating in the worldwide Scouting movement. Because of the large age and development span, many Scouting associations have split ...

group is in Ballinrobe. Genealogical records for the region (such as Church of Ireland, Roman Catholic, and civil documents; and gravestone inscription records) are held at the South Mayo Family Research Centre on Main Street. Ballinrobe Livestock Mart is one of only two marts in

; it is held every Wednesday. Ballinrobe Livestock Mart is also one of the few marts in the EU licensed to trade in Dromedary Camels. This is due to the town of Ballinrobe being the largest consumer of camel meat per capita in Ireland. Local employers include McHale Farm Machinery on the Castlebar Road, Jennings Meats on the

Neale Neale may refer to: * Neale (surname) * Neale, County Mayo * Neale (electric car) See also * Neil Neil is a masculine name of Gaelic and Irish origin. The name is an anglicisation of the Irish ''Niall'' which is of disputed derivation. The Irish ...

Road, Cawe Suspended Ceilings on Watson's Lane,

Tesco Tesco plc () is a British multinational groceries and general merchandise retailer headquartered in Welwyn Garden City, England. In 2011 it was the third-largest retailer in the world measured by gross revenues and the ninth-largest in th ...

on the Claremorris Road and Cummins SuperValu and Hardware stores on New Street.

Built heritage

There are several renovated, historic structures in and around the town.

Bunadober Mill

Bunadober Mill, also known locally as Moran's Mill, is located off the Ballinrobe/Clonbur road (L1613 and R345) close to Cairn Daithi and is a rare horizontal mill. The surrounding area was once titled ''Bun an dTobar'' (Bottom of the Spring Wells). The water flowing here arrives by an underground river. When tested with dye, it was established its mother source was the Bulkaun River that runs through part of Ballinrobe town. The mill's location probably dates back many centuries. It contains mill machinery which once powered a range of operations, including blacksmithing, stone and wood cutting. An area near the mill was used in the 1800s and 1900s as a laundry for washing blankets from the two local barracks, the infantry and cavalry. From 1885, the mill was operated by William Walsh and several others. Around 1900, John and Bridget Moran took over, followed by their son, who built a corn drying kiln. In 1980, the mill closed and was taken under state protection in 1996 as a

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

. During a debate in

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...

in May 2018,

Éamon Ó Cuív Éamon Ó Cuív (; born 23 June 1950) is an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who has been a Teachta Dála (TD) for the Galway West constituency since the 1992 general election. He previously served as Deputy Leader of Fianna Fáil from 2011 to 2 ...

asked Kevin Moran (formerly the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform) about the plans the

Office of Public Works The Office of Public Works (OPW) ( ga, Oifig na nOibreacha Poiblí) (legally the Commissioners of Public Works in Ireland) is a major Irish Government agency, which manages most of the Irish State's property portfolio, including hundreds of ow ...

had for Bunadober Mill. Moran said that the OPW undertook work at the site to conserve the buildings and its historic contents, which involved repair of buildings, recording of artefacts and storing and cataloguing objects that were in vulnerable condition. He said that the external of the main buildings was in a 'reasonable condition', but several areas would require further attention before the building could be opened to visitors.

Bowers Walk

There is a river walk called the Bowers Walk in Ballinrobe, which stretches for three kilometres along the

. In 2019, it received funding to be developed and upgraded.

Cranmore House

Cranmore House was built in 1838 by Alexander Clendining Lambert who was an agent of the Knox family. He leased the land on which the house was built from Colonel Charles Nesbit Knox of Castle Lack, County Mayo. It is now a ruin, having had its roof removed in 1960, and is situated at the corner of Bowgate Street and Main Street.

Moore Hall

Moore Hall was the house and estate of George Henry Moore and family, is situated six miles north of Ballinrobe. The Moores were an aristocratic Irish family who built Moore Hall between 1792 and 1795. The ruin of the house is not open to the public due to its poor condition, but forest walks and fishing is possible on Lough Carra.

Market House

In 1698, it was the site of a Commission of Inquiry which among other things, relocated property from Catholic to Protestant landlords. In 1716, the County Assizes (Civil and Criminal Courts) were held in Ballinrobe, most likely in the Market House. It was rebuilt in 1752 and became a marketing centre for local produce. Perishable goods such as butter, meat, and bread were sold in the lower floor, while the upper floor was used as a meeting hall. Ballinrobe District Court was housed in the Market House and it has been permanently closed since 1 September 2010.

St. Mary's RC Church

County_Mayo_-_Saint_Marys_Catholic_Church_-_

Saint Mary's Catholic Church contains eight low light windows by

Harry Clarke Henry Patrick Clarke (17 March 1889 – 6 January 1931) was an Irish stained-glass artist and book illustrator. Born in Dublin, he was a leading figure in the Irish Arts and Crafts Movement. His work was influenced by both the Art Nouveau and ...

which were commissioned by Monsignor d'Alton in the autumn of 1924. The windows depict scenes from the life of Jesus and Mary, and eight Irish Saints. Ballinrobe has one of the largest collections of Harry Clarke Stained-glass panels in St. Mary's RC Church with the first four inserted in 1924. This was followed by a further 12 panels in 1925 when Harry Clarke visited Ballinrobe to view his work. There are eight of his signed drawings for these windows in existence with copies in Ballinrobe. For the 150th anniversary of St. Mary’s a book give an in-depth description of the panels was published. These windows form part of the Ballinrobe Heritage Walk which covers 30 historic sites in Ballinrobe. These are marked with bronze ground markers and a free booklet is available in the local library.

Shoe Corner

It was common practice for people from the countryside to walk barefoot when heading towards Ballinrobe. When they reached the corner of the Neale Road and Lough Mask road, they would stop and put on their shoes. On the way home, people would sit and take their shoes off and walk home barefoot in order to protect their shoes from wear and tear. On 29 November 2019, a sculpture was unveiled by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring, which serves as a reminder of Ballinrobe's history. The shoe sculpture was carved by Tommy Kerrigan, a local artist, who carved the pair of boots using solid oak. The plaque beside the sculpture states the following:

In the past, people from the country side put on their shoes / boots at this spot before walking into Ballinrobe. This saved wear and tear. Children did not use footwear until they were 16 years or more and from St. Patrick's Day to October 1st, women frequently wore no shoes. On occasions, a pair of shoes were shared in rotation, by different members of a family.

Union Workhouse

In 1839, the Union Workhouse of the Poor Law Union of Ballinrobe was founded. Ballinrobe suffered greatly during the Great Famine of 1845 to 1849. With 2,000 inmates at the height of the famine, the workhouse was so overcrowded that on 23 March 1847, ''The Mayo Constitution'' reported:

In Ballinrobe the workhouse is in the most awfully deplorable state, pestilence having attacked paupers, officers, and all. In fact, this building is one horrible charnel house, the unfortunate paupers being nearly all the victims of a fearful fever, the dying and the dead, we might say, huddled together. The master has become the victim of this dread disease; the clerks, a young man whose energies were devoted to the well-being of the union, has been added to the victims; the matron, too, is dead; and the respected, and esteemed physician has fallen before the ravages of pestilence, in his constant attendance on the diseased inmates. This is the position of the Ballinrobe house, every officer swept away, while the number of deaths among the inmates is unknown; and we forgot to add that the Roman Catholic chaplain is also dangerously ill of the same epidemic. Now the Ballinrobe board have complied with the Commissioner's orders, in admitting a houseful of paupers and in striking a new rate, which cannot be collected; while the unfortunate inmates, if they escape the awful epidemic, will survive only to be the subjects of a lingering death by starvation!

Ninety-six people died in just one week in April 1849. The dead were buried in unmarked, shallow graves, located just outside the boundary on the southwest of the ruins. In 1922, during the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War ( ga, Cogadh Cathartha na hÉireann; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United ...

, a great deal of the structure was burned, although the main portion remains to this day.

Transport

Road

Ballinrobe lies some north of

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

, on the N84 road from Galway to

Castlebar Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Developing around a 13th century castle of the de Barry family, de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal poi ...

. A bypass for the town has been proposed. The town is linked to

Claremorris 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 an ...

by the R331 road.

Bus

A bus service runs three times a day between Galway and Ballina, and passes through Ballinrobe and Castlebar.

Rail

Ballinrobe railway station opened on 1 November 1892, the terminus of a branch line from Claremorris. The station closed to passengers on 1 June 1930, but remained open for goods traffic, particularly livestock, until final closure on 1 January 1960. The station building is now a private residence.

Sport

Ballinrobe Racecourse is the only racecourse in Mayo. The town has a long horse racing tradition. It hosted a steeplechase in 1834 and there are records of meetings as far back as 1774. The current track has been there since 1921. The racecourse was awarded best racecourse in Ireland for 2012 by Horse Racing Ireland. Ballinrobe Golf Club is the oldest in Mayo, formed in 1895. Cloonacastle Estate, which dates back to 1238, became the new home for the club during its centenary year in 1995. Flanagan Park, which has a floodlit pitch, is the home of Ballinrobe GAA club. Moytura Hurling Club, which was formed in 2006, plays on the Ballinrobe Community School pitch. The Green is the home of Ballinrobe Town Football Club and Ballinrobe Rugby Club. Ballinrobe and District Angling Club, Lough Mask Angling Club, and the

Partry Partry ( ga, Partraí) is a villagePartry
Placenames Database of Ireland. Retrieved: 2012-04-15. and a

William Brooke Joyce (24 April 1906 – 3 January 1946), known by his nickname Lord Haw Haw, was descended from farmers from Ballinrobe, and he ran a public house there for a number of years in the early 20th century. He was convicted of one count of high treason in 1945, and he was hanged on 3 January 1946, making him the last person to be executed for treason in the United Kingdom. *

Charles Boycott Charles Cunningham Boycott (12 March 1832 – 19 June 1897) was an English land agent whose ostracism by his local community in Ireland gave the English language the verb "to boycott". He had served in the British Army 39th Foot, which ...

(1832–1897) was a British

land agent Land agent may be used in at least three different contexts. Traditionally, a land agent was a managerial employee who conducted the business affairs of a large estate (house), landed estate for a member of the landed gentry, supervising the farmi ...

whose ostracism by his community around Ballinrobe gave rise to the term "

boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...

". *

Noël Browne Noël Christopher Browne (20 December 1915 – 21 May 1997) was an Irish politician who served as Minister for Health from 1948 to 1951 and Leader of the National Progressive Democrats from 1958 to 1963. He served as a Teachta Dála (TD) from 1 ...

(1915–1997), the first inter-party government's minister for health, lived on Church Lane in his youth. He attended the local Christian Brothers School. Shocked by the absence of antenatal care for pregnant woman, and the resulting infant mortality rates in Ireland, he proposed free access to health care for mothers and children in a new "mother and child scheme". * James Cuffe (1707–1762) of Elmhall and Ballinrobe, was a landowner in County Mayo. In 1742 he succeeded his father-in-law as a member of parliament for County Mayo in the

Irish House of Commons The Irish House of Commons was the lower house of the Parliament of Ireland that existed from 1297 until 1800. The upper house was the House of Lords. The membership of the House of Commons was directly elected, but on a highly restrictive fra ...

, sitting until 1760. * Peter Ford (born 1962) is a former Mayo footballer and manager of the

Galway GAA The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae na Gaillimhe) or Galway GAA are one of the 32 county boards in Ireland; they are responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway, and f ...

and

Sligo GAA Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the largest urban cent ...

football teams. *

Edward Jennings (VC) Edward Jennings VC (ca. 1820 – 10 May 1889) was an Irish recipient of the Victoria Cross, the highest and most prestigious award for gallantry in the face of the enemy that can be awarded to British and Commonwealth forces. Details He was ap ...

(1820–1889) was born in Ballinrobe. He was in the

Bengal Army The Bengal Army was the army of the Bengal Presidency, one of the three presidencies of British India within the British Empire. The presidency armies, like the presidencies themselves, belonged to the East India Company (EIC) until the Govern ...

during the

Indian Mutiny The Indian Rebellion of 1857 was a major uprising in India in 1857–58 against the rule of the British East India Company, which functioned as a sovereign power on behalf of the British Crown. The rebellion began on 10 May 1857 in the fo ...

when he was awarded the

Victoria Cross The Victoria Cross (VC) is the highest and most prestigious award of the British honours system. It is awarded for valour "in the presence of the enemy" to members of the British Armed Forces and may be awarded posthumously. It was previously ...

for bravery. * John King (1865–1938) from Currabee, Ballinrobe was a sailor in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

and one of only 19 in history to receive the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest military decoration and is awarded to recognize American soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, guardians and coast guardsmen who have distinguished themselves by acts of valor. ...

twice. *

Henry Blosse Lynch Henry Blosse Lynch (18071873) was an Anglo-Irish explorer. Life Henry Blosse Lynch was third of the eleven sons of Major Henry Blosse Lynch (1778-1823) of Partry House, Ballinrobe, County Mayo, His mother was Elizabeth Finnis (from Hythe, Kent ...

(1807–1873), was born at Partry House and grew up on his family's 1,500-acre estate. He became a decorated explorer in Africa and the Middle East and was a navy commander. * Rory O'Neill, a

drag queen A drag queen is a person, usually male, who uses drag clothing and makeup to imitate and often exaggerate female gender signifiers and gender roles for entertainment purposes. Historically, drag queens have usually been gay men, and part o ...

who performs as "Panti Bliss", is from Ballinrobe. He has performed all over the world, appeared on television, hosted

Alternative Miss Ireland The Alternative Miss Ireland (AMI) was an annual gay event which took place in Dublin, Ireland, on the Sunday closest to St. Patrick's Day, 17 March. It occurred over three-and-a-half hours and featured a pastiche of the beauty pageant rounds ...

, and runs a nightclub in

called Pantibar. * Donal Vaughan is a former Mayo footballer who is a local business owner in Ballinrobe. * Emer Colleran (1945–2018) was a microbiologist, academic and environmental advocate.

References

External links

Historical Ballinrobe
{{County Mayo Towns and villages in County Mayo Populated places established in the 1390s