Castlebar Transmitter

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 (up from 7,648 in the 1991 census), Castlebar was one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland in the early 21st century.

A campus of Atlantic Technological University and the Country Life section of the National Museum are two important facilities in the area. The town is linked by railway to Dublin, Westport and Ballina. The main route by road is the N5.

History

Anquity

The 5th century saw the construction of Turlough Abbey near Castlebar.

Medieval period

In the early medieval period, the Castlebar area was dominated by Gaelic clans, notably the Quinns (Ó Coinn), who lent their name to the parish of Aglishcowane, meaning "Church of Ó Coinn". The area featured crannogs and ringforts, indicative of early settlement patterns.

The Norman invasion of Ireland in the late 12th century brought significant changes. By 1235, the invading de Barra (Barry) family had established a castle on the banks of the Castlebar River, around which the town developed. This castle, known as Caisleán an Bharraigh, gave the town its name. The de Barra's stronghold later came under the control of the de Burgo (Burke) family, who faced challenges from other clans and English forces. The castle was located at the end of Castle Street, where the town river is thought to have originally flowed.

In 1586, Sir John Bingham was granted the castle by his brother Sir Richard Bingham, the Governor of Connacht, marking the beginning of English administrative influence and the start of the Bingham baronets of Castlebar, who would rule Castlebar for generations.

The town was granted a charter of incorporation in 1613 by James I of England. Under the charter the town had a portreeve (mayor) and a fifteen-member corporation and was entitled to elect two members to the Parliament of Ireland.

18th Century

The Linen Hall, established as a clearing house for local linen materials, was completed in 1790.

Races of Castlebar

Armed conflict has been the centrepiece of the town's historical heritage. French forces under the command of General Jean Humbert aided in a rout of the British garrison in the town during the failed Irish Rebellion of 1798, which was so comprehensive it would later be known as "The Races of Castlebar". A short-lived provisional Irish Republic had been declared upon General Humbert's arrival at Killala. Following the victory at Castlebar John Moore, head of the Mayo United Irishmen and the brother of a local landowner, was declared president of the Province of Connacht. His remains are today interred in a corner of the town green, known as the Mall

19th century

Castlebar Military Barracks was established in 1834: it was finally closed in March 2012 and the buildings and grounds have been purchased by the local town and county councils.

During the mid-19th Century (including the period of the Great Irish famine), George Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan became known as "The Exterminator" for his ruthless actions against his tenants in the Castlebar area. The third Lord Lucan earned his nickname by carrying out mass evictions of tenants who were unable to pay rent. This period saw widespread starvation in the area, leading to the deaths of thousands and the emigration of many more. In contrast, the fourth Earl was a more favourable figure locally. He lowered rents, donated land for schools and the Catholic church, and his successor, George Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan, gifted the town centre park, known as the Mall, to the people of Castlebar in 1922.

The Irish National Land League was founded by Michael Davitt, of Straide in County Mayo, at the Imperial Hotel in Castlebar on 21 October 1879. The Land League sought to directly challenge Anglo-Irish landlords such as the Binghams and fought for tenants rights.

20th century

Western Hat Factory and Little Jerusalem

In 1939, Castlebar became a refuge for Jews escaping Central Europe. Members of that community established the Western Hat Factory, officially opened on 1 May 1940 under the direction of Franz Schmolka, a Slovakian Jewish industrialist. The factory became one of the most significant employers in the town, at its height providing work for up to 270 people. It operated entirely on turf-generated steam and was considered a pioneering model of sustainable, locally-powered industry for its time. The Bishop of Galway Michael Browne blessed the factory and encouraged local Catholic women to purchase hats from the factory to wear to mass instead of headscarves.

The factory was part of a broader effort by the Irish government, led by then-Minister for Industry and Commerce Seán Lemass, to attract Jewish refugees with industrial expertise to revitalise Ireland's underdeveloped western counties. Schmolka and Irish Jewish businessman Marcus Witztum, along with other Jewish entrepreneurs from Austria, France, and Czechoslovakia, were granted permission to relocate both personnel and equipment to Ireland. Witztum used the oppertunity to helps Jews escape Nazi persecultion. Around thirty Jewish families came to Castlebar during this period, many of whom settled in the Blackfort area on the Newport Road. This neighbourhood became informally known as “Little Jerusalem”.

Following the end of World War II, the Jewish population in Castlebar began to decline. Some families returned to continental Europe, while others moved to Dublin or emigrated elsewhere.

The hat factory continued to operate until the 1980s, remaining a central part of Castlebar’s industrial landscape for over four decades. The Factory provided stable employment for local families and was a major contributor to the town’s post-war economy. The factory produced a range of high-quality felt hats, many of which were exported abroad. During its peak years in the 1940s and 1950s, the factory employed up to 270 workers. The technical expertise of the founders, combined with local labour and raw materials such as turf and wool, made the factory a rare success story in a region otherwise beset by emigration and limited industrial development.

By the 1970s, however, changing fashion trends, global competition, and the decline of the felt hat industry led to a gradual downturn in business. In 1981 the Western Hat Factory closed its doors.

Coat of arms

The name of the town comes from the castle built in about 1235 (see above). This castle is depicted as part of the town's coat of arms, with two yew trees on either side because Castlebar is the county town of Mayo (). The crosses represent the parish of Aglish (the official name of the parish of Castlebar). The 1798 'Races of Castlebar' is commemorated by pikes. Underneath are the words 'Ar Aghaidh', meaning 'forward'.

Demographics

Castlebar has experienced significant demographic changes over the past two centuries, with population figures showing notable fluctuations from 5,404 in 1821 to a low of 3,022 in 1861 in the wake of the Great Irish famine. There was a gradual recovery through the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After steady but modest growth for much of the 20th century, Castlebar expanded rapidly during the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. The population grew by one-third in the six years between the 1996 and 2002 census, reflecting a broader trend of urbanisation and economic development in Ireland during the Celtic Tiger period. According to the 2016 census, the town's population reached 12,068, representing a threefold increase from the 1926 figure of 4,256. By 2022, this figure had risen again to 13,054, marking Castlebar's continuing role as a key urban centre in County Mayo.

Culture

Castlebar is the location for important festivals and traditions, among which is the International Four Days' Walk. A well-established blues music festival in venues across the town took place for many years on the weekend before the first Monday in June, but has not taken place since 2011. During the 1970s and 1980s the town hosted the International Castlebar Song Contest which was televised nationally on RTÉ. In 1981 and 1982, the town played host to the Occasion at the Castle music festival.

The Museum of Country Life is located on the outskirts of Castlebar, and is the only branch of the National Museum of Ireland located outside Dublin.

Castlebar is home to the Linenhall Arts Centre, which exhibits visual art throughout the year, as well as hosting live drama and music performances. The Royal Theatre and Event Centre has capacity of 2,200 people fully seated or 4,000 people standing. hosts larger-scale productions and popular music concerts.

There are Roman Catholic, Church of Ireland (Anglican), Elim Pentecostal, and evangelical (Calvary Church Castlebar) churches in the town. An Islamic mosque was opened in October 2023.

Economy

Castlebar is home to the health care company Baxter Healthcare and manufacturer Fort Wayne Metals.

Transport

Road

Castlebar is served by the N5 national primary road and the N60 and N84 national secondary roads. In 1990 a relief road was built around Castlebar, removing through traffic on the N5 from the main street. This road is a basic two-lane road. It suffers from chronic congestion, particularly in the summer months when thousands of tourists have to negotiate the bottleneck en route to neighbouring Westport and Achill Island. A bypass of Castlebar of dual-carriageway standard was approved by An Bórd Pleanala in July 2014, and construction began in late 2019. It was completed in 2023.

Rail

Castlebar railway station is a station on the Dublin to Westport service. Passengers can travel to Ballina and Foxford by travelling to Manulla Junction and changing trains

The station opened on 17 December 1862.

Old airport

Castlebar used to have a commercial airport; the site where it once stood is now occupied by Castlebar Retail Park. The airport's IATA code was CLB and its ICAO code was EICB.

Education

In addition to a number of national (primary) schools, Castlebar's secondary schools include St Gerald's College (a De La Salle boys school), St Joseph's Secondary School (a girls school), and Davitt College (a mixed vocational school).

Third level and further education colleges in the town include Atlantic TU's Mayo campus (formerly Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology), the Mayo, Sligo & Leitrim Education and Training Board, and Castlebar College of Further Education.

Sport

GAA

The local Gaelic football and hurling team is the Castlebar Mitchels GAA club. Throughout its history, the club has won over 30 Mayo Senior Football Championship titles and two Mayo Senior Hurling Championship titles. The club reached the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship final in 2014 and 2016. Other nearby GAA clubs include Breaffy GAA, Parke GAA, Islandeady GAA and Ballyvary Hurling Club.

MacHale Park in Castlebar is one of the larger GAA grounds in Ireland, with a capacity of approximately 28,000. In the early 21st century, the Mayo county board oversaw the building of a new stand with dressing rooms and offices underneath.

Soccer

Local soccer teams include Castlebar Celtic F.C., which was established in 1924. As of 2014, it had a team playing in the Mayo Super League and a senior women's side playing in the Continental Women's National League. There is also a youth program which provides teams from under 10s to under 18s for boys and under 14 to under 17 for girls, as well as an under 8 academy. They play their home games in Celtic Park, in the centre of the town. Castlebar Town FC were formed in the 1970s (as Castlebar United) as an alternative to Celtic. Other local teams include Snugboro United, Ballyheane FC, Manulla FC and Ballyvary Blue Bombers.

Rugby

Castlebar RFC, a rugby union club and one of the original founding members of the Connacht branch of the IRFU in 1885, reformed 1928 and again revived in the 1970s. Its grounds are located at Cloondeash on the outskirts of the town, with two pitches and a club house. The club, which plays in a navy and light blue strip, participates in provincial (Connacht Junior League Div.1B) and national league competitions. Castlebar won the Cawley Cup in 2009 and reached the final in 2017. The ladies team, which was formed in 2012, won the Connacht Development League Final in November 2013.

Other sports

There is an 18-hole golf club in the town, as well as athletics, basketball, racquetball, tennis and other clubs. The council provides an indoor heated swimming pool and there are numerous gyms.

There are also several martial arts clubs in the area, and Castlebar hosted the WOMAA World Martial Games in both 2007 and 2008.

Notable people

* Ulick Bourke (1829–1877), scholar; founder of the Gaelic Union
* Enoch Burke, anti-LGBT activist
* Louis Brennan (1852–1932), inventor
* Margaret Burke-Sheridan (1889–1958), opera singer
* Pádraig Carney (1928–2019), a Gaelic footballer who was known as the "Flying Doctor"
* Michael Feeney, chairman and founder of Mayo Peace Park Garden
* Pádraig Flynn (born 1939), former government minister and European Commissioner
* Charles Haughey (1925–2006), former Taoiseach
* John Hennen FRSE (1779–1828), military surgeon
* Enda Kenny (born 1951), former Taoiseach
* Mark Mellett (born 1958), former Chief of Staff of the Irish Defence Forces
* John MacHale (1789–1881), Archbishop of Tuam, Irish independence leader
* Ernie O'Malley (1897–1957), prominent officer in the Irish Republican Army during the Irish War of Independence and on the anti-Treaty side in the Irish Civil War; also a writer
* Patrick J. Rogers (1844–1897), American lawyer and politician
* William Joyce Sewell (1835–1901), Unionist colonel during the American Civil War, US senator from New Jersey
* Sally Rooney (born 1991), novelist and screenwriter

Twin towns – sister cities

Castlebar is twinned with:
* Dixon, United States
* Höchstadt an der Aisch, Germany
* Peekskill, United States

See also

* List of towns and villages in Ireland
* Murders of Jack and Tommy Blaine

References

External links

Castlebar Municipal District

Castlebar News

Visit Castlebar

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County towns in the Republic of Ireland
Former boroughs in the Republic of Ireland
Former urban districts in the Republic of Ireland
Towns and villages in County Mayo