Lahardane, also sometimes spelled Lahardaun (, meaning "Half on Hill"), is a village in the parish of Addergoole, County Mayo,

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 ...

, adjacent to

Lough Conn Lough Conn () is a lake in County Mayo, Ireland. With an area of about , it is Ireland's seventh largest lake. With its immediate neighbour to the south, Lough Cullin, it is connected to the Atlantic Ocean by the River Moy. Lough Conn is noted ...

and to

Nephin Nephin or Nefin ( ga, Néifinn), at 806 metres (2646 ft), is the highest standalone mountain in Ireland and the second-highest peak in Connacht (after Mweelrea), Ireland. It is to the west of Lough Conn in County Mayo. ''Néifinn'' is v ...

, and close to the towns of Crossmolina,

Castlebar 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. W ...

and Ballina. The 2016 census recorded a population of 178.

History

Evidence of ancient settlement in the area include a ruined megalithic

cist A cist ( or ; also kist ; from grc-gre, κίστη, Middle Welsh ''Kist'' or Germanic ''Kiste'') is a small stone-built coffin-like box or ossuary used to hold the bodies of the dead. Examples can be found across Europe and in the Middle Ea ...

near Knockfarnagh, and a ringfort at Lisgorp. Historically, the people of Lahardane and the surrounding area helped the French army under General Humbert during the 1798 uprising when the local priest, Fr Andrew Conroy, led French and Irish forces to Castlebar though the Windy Gap, a passage through the Mountains. The British forces had been expecting the French to go to

Foxford Foxford () is a village 16 km south of Ballina in County Mayo, Ireland. It stands on the N26 national primary route from Swinford to Ballina and has a railway station served by trains between Manulla Junction and Ballina. Foxford lie ...

first, and were caught off-guard. This led to the ''

Races of Castlebar The Battle of Castlebar occurred on 27 August 1798 near the town of Castlebar, County Mayo, during the Irish Rising of that year. A combined force of 2,000 French troops and Irish patriots routed a combined force of 6,000-strong British and P ...

''. After the uprising was put down, Fr Conroy was hanged on the Mall in Castlebar, and is most likely buried in the old abbey in Addergoole cemetery. A Celtic cross now stands in Lahardane as a memorial these events. The cross was erected in 1937 by Michéal Ó Tiomanaidhe, the Gaelic scholar, writer and folklore collector who was born in Addergoole parish on 20 September 1853. In October 2017, the Lahardane GAA team won the Mayo Junior Football Championship for the very first time, and went on to win the Connacht Junior Football Championship in November 2017.

Culture

Titanic Village

Addergoole parish suffered the largest proportionate loss for any locality probably in the world when the

RMS Titanic RMS ''Titanic'' was a British passenger liner, operated by the White Star Line, which sank in the North Atlantic Ocean on 15 April 1912 after striking an iceberg during her maiden voyage from Southampton, England, to New York City, United ...

sank in 1912. The 'Addergoole Fourteen' boarded the ship at Queenstown (Cobh). Three survived the disaster. There is a plaque in St Patrick's Church, Lahardane to the memory of the fourteen, as well as a memorial garden filled with sculptures to honour their memory.

Fair Day

The history of the Lahardane Fair goes back to around 1900. It was a traditional

Harvest Festival A harvest festival is an annual celebration that occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times at different places. ...

, as was practised in the West of Ireland at the time, and it was always held on 15 August, a feast day and religious holiday. At that time, it was noted for its tradition in which local farmers hired younger labourers, and was sometimes known as the 'Hiring Fair'. This tradition died out in the 1920s, and it became a traditional day for the sale of cattle and sheep. This situation prevailed into the 1970s. Later, the Lahardane Parents Council decided to revive the Fair Day, and kept tradition with 15 August (resisting the temptation to move it to the nearest weekend). It now runs as a fundraising event for the local national (primary) school.

Sport

The local Gaelic football team is the Lahardane McHales GAA. Founded in 1966, Lahardane McHales is made up of players drawn from across the parish of Addergoole. Under the management of John Maughan, The club won their first Mayo Junior title in 2017 defeating Kilmaine. They subsequently went on to win the Connacht Junior Football Championship, beating Ballymote of Sligo 1-15 to 3-05.

People

John MacHale , native_name_lang = , title = Archbishop of Tuam , image = John MacHale.jpg , image_size = , alt = , caption = , church = Roman Catholic Church , archdiocese = Tuam , elected = , appointed = , term_start = , term_end = , p ...

- (1789 – 1881) Catholic Archbishop of Tuam, and Irish nationalist, from whom the local Gaelic football club derives its name. He was born and raised in the area. * Mamie Cadden - (1891 – 1959) Nurse and abortionist. Born in

Scranton, Pennsylvania Scranton is a city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Lackawanna County. With a population of 76,328 as of the 2020 U.S. census, Scranton is the largest city in Northeastern Pennsylvania, the Wyoming V ...

but her family were from the area and returned early in her life. She attended Lahardane National School and was raised to adulthood in the area.

References

{{County Mayo Towns and villages in County Mayo