Carnacon or Carrownacon () is a village,

townland A townland ( ga, baile fearainn; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a small geographical division of land, historically and currently used in Ireland and in the Western Isles in Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of Gaelic origi ...

and area in central

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 ...

, Ireland. It is situated about from

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 ...

, and is about from

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 ...

and

Ballinrobe Ballinrobe () is a town in County Mayo in Ireland. It is located on the River Robe, which empties into Lough Mask two kilometres to the west. As of the 2016 census, the population was 2,786. History Foundation and development Ballinrobe is con ...

Village

Carnacon is situated on the shores of a mayfly fishing lake, Lough Carra. Around the village are a number of

stately homes An English country house is a large house or mansion in the English countryside. Such houses were often owned by individuals who also owned a town house. This allowed them to spend time in the country and in the city—hence, for these peopl ...

, ringforts, and historical and archaeological sites. These include the Doon archaeological peninsula and a number of ring forts. The village has a parish church, national school, community centre, grocery store and two pubs. Carnacon Ladies GAA Football team represents the area.

History

Moore Hall was built by George Moore between 1792 and 1795. It was home to George Moore, novelist, and John Moore, who was President of the short-lived

Republic of Connacht The Irish Republic of 1798, more commonly known as the Republic of Connacht, was a short-lived state proclaimed during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 that resulted from the French Revolutionary Wars. A client state of the French Republic, it the ...

. The Moore family won the

Chester Cup The Chester Cup is a flat handicap horse race in Great Britain open to horses aged four years or older. It is run over a distance of 2 miles, 2 furlongs and 147 yards () at Chester in ...

in England in 1846, with a horse called Coranna. The horse was trained locally and the winnings went towards assisting the local community during the famine. The house was burnt down in the 1920s by the

Irish Republican Army The Irish Republican Army (IRA) is a name used by various paramilitary organisations in Ireland throughout the 20th and 21st centuries. Organisations by this name have been dedicated to irredentism through Irish republicanism, the belief tha ...

; its remains are still somewhat intact. Towerhill House was home to the Blake family, who were a landlord family in the west. The Mayo flag originated on this estate in 1885. Clooneen Mill is present on the grounds of Towerhill. Towerhill was sold in the late 1940s and the Land Commission divided the estate between local farmers. Anything of use was taken from the house. Its roof was removed and the house was abandoned. Its remains are still somewhat intact. Carnacon House, built in 1740, was the home of General James McDonnell, a leader in the rising of

1798 Events January–June * January – Eli Whitney contracts with the U.S. federal government for 10,000 muskets, which he produces with interchangeable parts. * January 4 – Constantine Hangerli enters Bucharest, as Prince of Wa ...

. It is the only remaining significant home not abandoned and has been owned by a local family since the 1950s. Burriscarra Abbey was founded in 1298 by Adam Staunton for the White Friar of Carmelite Brothers.

Environment

Farming is the main activity in the area. The local environment aids a long grass-growing season. The area extends over approximately 7,166 acres. 741 acres of this is woodland, owned and managed by

Coillte Coillte (; meaning "forests"/"woods") is a state-owned commercial forestry business in Ireland based in Newtownmountkennedy. Coillte manage approximately 7% of the country’s land, and operates three businesses - their core forestry business, a ...

. Other natural features include Kiltoom Woods, Lough Carra and the area's

horseshoe bat Horseshoe bats are bats in the family Rhinolophidae. In addition to the single living genus, ''Rhinolophus'', which has about 106 species, the extinct genus '' Palaeonycteris'' has been recognized. Horseshoe bats are closely related to the Old ...

Heritage sites

Local heritage sites include Burriscarra Abbey, Moore Hall, Cloneen Mill, a mass rock and several

ringfort Ringforts, ring forts or ring fortresses are circular fortified settlements that were mostly built during the Bronze Age up to about the year 1000. They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland. There are also many in South Wales ...

People

Cora Staunton Cora Staunton (born 13 December 1981) is an Irish sportswoman. She is best known as a ladies' Gaelic footballer, winning four All-Irelands and three Ladies' National Football League titles with Mayo. She has also been an All Star on eleven o ...

, ladies Gaelic footballer. * George Henry Moore, statesman, provider of famine relief. *

George Augustus Moore George Augustus Moore (24 February 1852 – 21 January 1933) was an Irish novelist, short-story writer, poet, art critic, memoirist and dramatist. Moore came from a Roman Catholic landed family who lived at Moore Hall in Carra, County Mayo. He ...

, Irish novelist and part of the

Irish Literary Revival The Irish Literary Revival (also called the Irish Literary Renaissance, nicknamed the Celtic Twilight) was a flowering of Irish literary talent in the late 19th and early 20th century. It includes works of poetry, music, art, and literature. O ...

. * John Moore, statesman, 1798 rebel leader and former President of Connacht. *

Maurice George Moore Maurice George Moore, (10 August 1854 – 8 September 1939) was an Irish author, soldier and politician. Early life Moore was the second of four sons born to George Henry Moore of Moore Hall, County Mayo, and Mary Blake of Ballinafad, County ...

, soldier, author, politician and a senator in the Seanad. *

Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin Aoibhinn Ní Shúilleabháin (; born 25 October 1983) is an Irish academic, broadcaster and musician. She also won the Rose of Tralee contest in 2005. Life Early life Ní Shúilleabháin is a native of Carnacon near Ballyglass, County Mayo. ...

, academic, musician and broadcaster.

Gallery

File:Moore Hall 22nd Aug 2010 003.JPG, Moore Hall façade, County Mayo File:Lough carra.jpg, Lough Carra File:The Ruins of Towerhill.jpg, Facade and inside of Towerhill

References

External links

Lough Carra Information WebsiteHistory of Moore Hall Website
{{County Mayo Towns and villages in County Mayo Townlands of County Mayo