Ballycastle, County Mayo
| Ballycastle Irish: Baile an Chaisil | |
| County Mayo | |
|---|---|
| |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | G104378 |
| Location: | 54°16’60"N, 9°22’0"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 249 (2002) |
| Post town: | Ballina |
| Postcode: | F26 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Ballina MD |
| Dáil constituency: |
Mayo |
Ballycastle is a village in County Mayo, situated north-west from Ballina, near Mayo's northern coast. The name Ballycastle is from the Irish Baile an Chaisil meaning 'townland of the castle'.
Ballycastle is situated on the rugged coast of North Mayo, with its northern boundary exposed to the wild Atlantic Ocean. To the west of the town are the Stags of Broadhaven, to the east lies Killala Bay while to the south are the towns of Crossmolina and Ballina. It was at the Céide Fields that the first settlers began to farm the slopes of the Behy/Glenurla hillside over 5,000 years ago. Ballycastle is host to the annual Healyfest festival. The festival takes place every August Bank-holiday weekend and has grown from strength to strength since its inception in 2005. This event attracts bands from all over Ireland and beyond for a weekend of great fun and great music.[1]
Public transport
A bus route serves Ballycastle Mondays to Fridays inclusive providing a few services to/from Ballina via Killala.[2]
History
The Roman Catholic parish of Ballycastle is a combination of the two ancient parishes of Kilbride and Doonfeeney. The name Ballycastle was in use as early as 1470 and was referred to as a parish in the Catholic directory of 1836.[3]
Famous people from Ballycastle include the Gaelic footballer Tommy Langan. He won two All-Ireland Senior Football Championships with the Mayo GAA senior county team and was named on the Football Team of the Millennium.[4]
References
- ↑ Healyfest. WesternPeople. Accessed 12 March 2012.
- ↑ http://www.buseireann.ie/inner.php?id=247#Mayo
- ↑ Ballycastle Website. Causeway Coastal Route. Accessed 12 March 2012.
- ↑ mayo.ireland.ie. Accessed 12 March 2012.
