Ballycastle (Irish: Baile an Chaisil, meaning 'town of the fort')[2] is a village in County Mayo, Ireland, situated northwest from Ballina, near Mayo's north coast. It lies on the edge of the Mayo Gaeltacht.
Ballycastle
Baile an Chaisil | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 The R314 road passing through Ballycastle | |
  Ballycastle Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates: 54°16′47″N 9°22′21″W / 54.2797°N 9.3725°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Connacht |
| County | County Mayo |
| Elevation | 78 m (256 ft) |
| Population | 219 |
| Time zone | UTC 0 (WET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-1 (IST (WEST)) |
| Irish Grid Reference | G104378 |
Ballycastle is situated on the coast of north County Mayo, with its northern boundary exposed to the 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 Ballina and Crossmolina.
History
edit
The Céide Fields, approximately 7 km north of Ballycastle, was where the first settlers began to farm the slopes of the Behy/Glenurla hillside, over 5000 years ago.
The parish of Ballycastle is a combination of the two ancient parishes of Kilbride and Doonfeeney.[3] The name Ballycastle was in use as early as 1470 and was referred to as a parish in the Catholic directory of 1836.[4]
Notable people
editNotable people from Ballycastle include the Gaelic footballer Tommy Langan who won two All-Ireland Senior Football Championships for Mayo and was named on the Football Team of the Millennium.[5]
Transport
editBallycastle lies at the junction of the R314 and R315 regional roads. Bus Éireann route 445 serves Ballycastle on weekdays to Ballina via Killala.[6]
Events
editBallycastle is host to Healyfest, a music event which takes place in a pub in the village on each August Bank Holiday.[7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ "Census 2016 Sapmap Area: Settlements Ballycastle". Central Statistics Office. Retrieved 23 March 2018.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Baile an Chaisil/Ballycastle". Placenames Database of Ireland. Government of Ireland - Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Dublin City University. Retrieved 6 July 2018.
- ^ "Ballycastle History, Co. Mayo, in the West of Ireland | mayo-ireland.ie". www.mayo-ireland.ie. Retrieved 8 October 2024.
- ^ Ballycastle Website. Archived 19 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine Causeway Coastal Route. Accessed 12 March 2012.
- ^ Ballycastle in County Mayo in the West of Ireland. mayo.ireland.ie. Accessed 12 March 2012.
- ^ "Commuter, Rural & Local Services – Mayo". Bus Éireann. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
- ^ "All change as pub drops Bitcoin". independent.ie. Independent News & Media. 30 September 2014. Retrieved 10 August 2020.