Charlestown, County Mayo

Charlestown
Baile Chathail
Town
Charlestown
Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°57′51″N 8°47′39″W / 53.9642°N 8.7942°W / 53.9642; -8.7942Coordinates: 53°57′51″N 8°47′39″W / 53.9642°N 8.7942°W / 53.9642; -8.7942
Country Ireland
Province Connacht
County County Mayo
Elevation 60 m (200 ft)
Population (2016)[1]
 • Total 1,033
  includes Bellahy, County Sligo
Time zone UTC+0 (WET)
 • Summer (DST) UTC-1 (IST (WEST))
Irish Grid Reference G479019
Website http://charlestown.ie

Charlestown (Irish: Baile Chathail[2]) is a town in County Mayo, Ireland, contiguous with Bellaghy, County Sligo, located on the N17 road near its junction with the N5.

History

Charlestown was built in the mid-19th century on the initiative of Lord Dillon's agent, Charles Strickland, adjoining Bellaghy in County Sligo.[3] Including Bellaghy, the town has a population of approximately 1000.[1]

There are two schools in Charlestown, St. Attracta's National School and St.Joseph's Marist Convent.

The village was the subject of a serialised social commentary in The Irish Times by John Healy. This was later published as Death Of An Irish Town, and later republished as No One Shouted Stop! Written in 1967, it was highly critical of government policies towards rural areas, and took Charlestown as an example solely because it was the town of the author's birth.

Sport

Roman Catholic church in Charlestown

Gaelic Football team Charlestown Sarsfields reached the All-Ireland club semi-final in 2001, losing out on a final spot by two points.

In 2012 the town's sporting offering was further complemented with the formation of Charlestown Amateur Boxing Club. The IABA affiliated club has since acquired numerous National and Provincial titles. Based in the old Cloonfane National School, Charlestown's boxers have been selected to represent Ireland internationally and County Mayo in inter-county competition.

Transport

Trains ran through Charlestown from 1895 to 1963. The village had a station on the GS&W line from Claremorris to Collooney, part of the Western Railway Corridor. Charlestown station opened on 1 October 1895, closed for passenger traffic on 17 June 1963, and finally closed altogether on 3 November 1975.[4]But if the Western Rail Corridor reopens from Galway onto Sligo the train service could be restored in future.

People

Charlestown was the home town of Irish Times and Western People journalist John Healy who wrote a series of articles about the town which were later turned into a book, No One Shouted Stop. The owner of the Freeman's Journal, Irish Senator Martin FitzGerald, was born on Main Street, Charlestown.[5] Michael O'Doherty, Archbishop of Manila, was born in Charlestown, and it was also the home town of Margaret Sweeney, grandmother of Noel and Liam Gallagher of Oasis.[6]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "Population and Actual and Percentage Change 2011 to 2016". Central Statistics Office (Ireland). Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  2. ↑ "Baile Chathail/Charlestown". Placenames Database of Ireland. Government of Ireland - Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and Dublin City University. Retrieved 9 January 2018.
  3. ↑ http://www.mayo-ireland.ie/en/towns-villages/charlestown/history/early-history-of-charlestown.html
  4. ↑ "Charlestown station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
  5. ↑ "Senator Martin Fitzgerald 1867 - 1927". Mayo Ireland. 2005. Retrieved 30 October 2014.
  6. ↑ http://www.mayonews.ie/index.phpoption=com_content&task=view&id=5722&Itemid=38%5Bpermanent+dead+link%5D
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