Beltra () is a village in

County Sligo County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province of Connacht. Sligo is the administrative capital and largest town in the county. Sligo County Council is the local ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

. Beltra is situated between the

Ox Mountains The Ox Mountains or Slieve Gamph () are a mountain range in County Sligo on the west coast of Ireland. They are also known as Saint Patrick's Mountains after the saint who built churches on its slopes and left his name to some of its wells. Ge ...

and the Atlantic Ocean. There is a public house named AJ's situated near Beltra woods and Beltra Post Office. Farming, haulage and construction are the main sources of employment in Beltra. Beltra has an annual agricultural show each September.

History

The village takes its name from the beach nearby along the western shore of

Ballysadare Ballysadare (), locally also Ballisodare, is a town in County Sligo, Ireland. It is about 7 kilometres (4 miles) south of Sligo town. The town developed on an important crossing of the Owenmore River. History Toponymy The Ox Mountains () ...

bay. There are several old names for the strand, the most common being ''Trá Eóchaille'', Strand of the Yew Wood, or after Eochaille the wright. ''Trá Ruis Airgid'', Strand of Red Silver, perhaps because of the silver and lead mine at Abbeytown near Ballysadare. The mine contains the mineral pyrargyrite an ore also known as "dark red silver" or "ruby silver". Other names are ''Trá Mná Mairbe'' (Strand of the Dead Women) and ''Trá an Cháirn'' (Strand of the Cairn). In Irish mythology, the

Firbolg In medieval Irish myth, the Fir Bolg (also spelt Firbolg and Fir Bholg) are the fourth group of people to settle in Ireland. They are descended from the Muintir Nemid, an earlier group who abandoned Ireland and went to different parts of Europe. ...

King

Eochaid mac Eirc In Irish mythology Eochaid (modern spelling: Eochaidh), son of Erc, son of Rinnal, of the Fir Bolg became High King of Ireland when he overthrew Fodbgen. He was the first king to establish a system of justice in Ireland. No rain fell during his r ...

met his death here after the first Battle of Moytura. The king was buried here in a cairn that existed on the strand known as "the stone-heap of the Strand of Eothail". Also killed and buried here were the three sons of Nemed, i.e., Cesarb, Luamh, and Luachra, leaders of the pursuing Tuatha de Danann. They were interred at the west end of the strand, at a place since called Leca Mic Nemed, or the grave-slab of the sons of Nemed. In the 19th century there was a constabulary barracks in the village. A local hero called Kieran Dowd Died while cutting down a tree in beltra wood and is now remembered by the name Woody. A local villager called Stephen Kilcullen also died whilst strimming in the wood and is known by locals as the strimmer king, A Martian crater, the Beltra crater is named after the village.

History

References

See also