Geevagh ()
is a village in the south-east corner of
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 dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
, on the
R284 regional road. The name, meaning "the windy (place)", describes a climatic feature of the village and its surrounding countryside. The name Geevagh also refers to the local
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
parish, the boundaries of which are wider than those of the village itself.
Geography
Geevagh and most of its surrounding parish lie wedged between ''Carrane Hill'' (458 m) to the north east and a series of
drumlins
A drumlin, from the Irish Gaelic, Irish word ''droimnín'' ("littlest ridge"), first recorded in 1833, in the classical sense is an elongated hill in the shape of an inverted spoon or half-buried egg formed by glacier, glacial ice acting on und ...
to the south west, roughly 170 m in height. Two notable lakes lie encircled by these hills to the south west: ''Lough Bo'' (93 m) and ''Lough Nasool'' (109 m). Lough Nasool (Lake of the Eye) is unusual in that it has on several occasions drained away, and in the summer of 2006 it almost completely drained, diverted into underground channels.
Lying just beyond the southern borders of Geevagh lies a much larger lake:
Lough Arrow
Lough Arrow () is a freshwater lake in the northwest of Ireland. This large, scenic lake covers an area of and lies mostly in County Sligo with a smaller part in County Roscommon. It is a popular trout fishing lake.
Geography
Lough Arrow lies m ...
. To the east lies the border with
County Roscommon
"Steadfast Irish heart"
, image_map = Island of Ireland location map Roscommon.svg
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Ireland
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 = Connacht
, subdi ...
and to the north beyond Carrane Hill lies
County Leitrim
County Leitrim ( ; gle, Contae Liatroma) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the ...
. To the west lies the village of
Riverstown
Riverstown, historically called ''Ballyederdaowen'' (), is a village in County Sligo, Ireland. Known for its musical tradition it is located at a bridging point of the River Unshin (Arrow), 17.2 km (10 miles) south of Sligo town and 4  ...
and most of
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 ...
. The underlying rock structure is a combination of limestone, shale and sandstone, many examples of which can be seen in the local stone walls. A
blanket bog
Blanket bog or blanket mire, also known as featherbed bog, is an area of peatland, forming where there is a climate of high rainfall and a low level of evapotranspiration, allowing peat to develop not only in wet hollows but over large expanses o ...
covers the top of Carrane Hill and boggy land with poor quality soil is a feature of the local farms, the shallow soil being fertile enough to support only low density mixed farming of cattle and sheep. As a consequence of this, many local farmers supplement their meager income from farming with wages from jobs in the local big town of
Sligo
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 List of urban areas ...
. One of the few local industries that supplied work to generations of men from the locality was the
Arigna
Arigna (, formerly ''Cairn An Ailt''), is a village in County Roscommon, Ireland. It is near Lough Allen (on the Shannon-Erne Waterway), on a designated scenic route between Keadue and Sliabh an Iarainn. Arigna is situated in Kilronan Parish ...
coal mines, located near the community of ''Glenkillamey'' to the north of Geevagh. This mine was in operation in one form or another since the 18th century and provided a low grade coal to a small power station operated by the ESB (
Electricity Supply Board
The Electricity Supply Board (ESB; ga, Bord Soláthair an Leictreachais) is a state owned (95%; the rest are owned by employees) electricity company operating in the Republic of Ireland. While historically a monopoly, the ESB now operates as ...
) since 1958. However the mine closed for the last time in 1990 hitting the local communities hard, particularly in the Arigna/Glenkillamey area. In keeping with its past involvement in power generation, 2005 saw the installation of six wind turbines at ''Carrownadargny''. These electricity generating turbines are each capable of producing 0.85MW of power, and are manufactured by the Spanish company
Gamesa
Gamesa (formerly Galletera Mexicana S.A. de C.V. "Mexican Biscuit Company") is Mexico's largest manufacturer of cookies. The company also makes flour, ready to eat cereals and other related products. It is headquartered in San Nicolás de los Gar ...
. The towers on which the turbines stand are 44 metres high, with a combined blade diameter of 52 metres. The turbines can produce enough energy to save 13770 tonnes of .
History
In common with much of County Sligo, there are many signs of ancient habitation in the locality, including cairns,
megalithic
A megalith is a large stone that has been used to construct a prehistoric structure or monument, either alone or together with other stones. There are over 35,000 in Europe alone, located widely from Sweden to the Mediterranean sea.
The ...
tombs, and ring forts. Later signs of early Christian structures includes the ruins of a church attributed to Saint Patrick. Many of these old structures have spawned a rich story-telling tradition in the locality with many outlandish tales explaining their origins, such as the tale "
Balor
In Irish mythology, Balor or Balar was a leader of the Fomorians, a group of malevolent supernatural beings. He is often described as a giant with a large eye that wreaks destruction when opened. Balor takes part in the Battle of Mag Tuired, a ...
of the Evil Eye" being associated with the disappearance of Lough Nasool.
There is however evidence of many church ruins including in particular
Ballindoon
Ballindoon () Friary was a Dominican priory beside Lough Arrow 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
A province is almost always a ...
Abbey on the shores of Lough Arrow, a Dominican Priory from the early 16th century. It contains the grave of Terence McDonough, a member of the local clan that governed much of the area prior to the post-Cromwellian seizure of the land in the parish and its dispersal amongst English settler families such as King and Nicholson, and later its transfer to landlords such as Duke, Keogh and Whitney. Despite undoubted hardship, including sustained emigration, the community survived through resilience, finding sustenance in the family, the
Roman Catholic
Roman or Romans most often refers to:
*Rome, the capital city of Italy
*Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD
*Roman people, the people of ancient Rome
*'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...
church, the
Gaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...
, music and the local pubs, though not necessarily in that order.
2008 marked a centenary in the history of Geevagh. As of 1908, widespread evictions from the local Keogh estate meant many poor families eked out an existence of sorts on the rough barren slopes of Carrane Hill. A campaign of non-payment of rent exposed many families to such a fate, and in an effort to prevent further evictions, the
Land League
The Irish National Land League (Irish: ''Conradh na Talún'') was an Irish political organisation of the late 19th century which sought to help poor tenant farmers. Its primary aim was to abolish landlordism in Ireland and enable tenant farmer ...
organised demonstrations to prevent delivery of eviction notices by local postmen, which led to several confrontations in January 1908 between a large number of citizens and the police. Court cases ensued against around two dozen locals, some of whom ended up serving hard labour in prison for up to six months. While the court cases and prison terms were ongoing, the local community rallied around the families of the prisoners, making sure their farms were worked and tilled. It was not until summer 1909 that a resolution came with the release of the last prisoners, to much local rejoicing by the parish as a whole. John C. Mc Ternan in his book ''Olde Sligo'' (1997) records the 1908 events in detail.
A new school was built in 2001, followed by several new building projects around Geevagh crossroads. However, in keeping with many other communities post the 2008 financial crisis, emigration became the only option for young people in a stagnant economy.
Notable people
*
Carmel Gunning
Carmel Gunning is an Irish composer and musician, from Sligo, Ireland. Gunning is one of Ireland's most accomplished tin whistle players who is also known for her singing and flute playing and also plays guitar and button accordion. Gunning's ...
, Traditional Irish musician
*
Joe Costello, Former Labour TD for Dublin Central
*
Eileen MacDonagh, Contemporary artist and sculptor
*
Patrick J. McCarthy, Former Mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, USA in the mid-19th century
See also
*
List of towns and villages in Ireland
Further reading
* McGloin, A & Moore, S - (Editors) "In the shadow of Carran Hill".(1997)
* McCormack, D "Minor Footprints" (2006) Chapters 1 - 16.
* Mc Ternan, J.C "Olde Sligo: Aspects of town and county over 750 years"(1997)
* Conlon, A " A History of Geevagh Parish 1500-1800" (2021)
References
External links
Geevagh Community websiteGeevagh National SchoolGeevagh TownlandsSligo Geology - Section 1The Schools' Collection
{{County Sligo
Towns and villages in County Sligo