County Mayo is a county in the west of Ireland in the province of Connacht. The county is named after the village of Mayo, which is now Mayo Abbey. The province of Connacht has the greatest number of native Irish speakers. Mayo is the third-largest of Ireland’s 32 counties in area and 15th largest in terms of population. Crossmolina is a town in County Mayo. Also, the name of the parish in which Crossmolina is situated. The town sits on the River Deel.
Places of Interest
- The peak of Croagh Patrick, the mountain from which St. Patrick banished the snakes from Ireland.
- The highest point in Mayo and Connacht is Mweelrea at 2,671 feet.
- The river Moy is renowned for its salmon fishing.
- Ireland’s largest island, Achill Island, lies off Mayo’s west coast.
- Mayo has Ireland’s highest cliffs.
- County Mayo has a long history and prehistory like megalithic tombs and ritual stone circles.
The Great Famine
The population of Ireland grew to over 8 million people prior to the Irish Famine of 1845/1847. The Irish people depended on the potato crop. In August of 1845, a killer fungus started to destroy the potato crop. When the famine struck, about a million people died and about another million left the country. In County Mayo, nearly 90% of the population depended on the potato as a staple food!
The Mayo North Heritage Center
Near the town of Crossmolina and on the grounds of Enniscoe Estate. A place to trace your family roots in North Mayo. The center has parish and civil records along with census records and land records from the 1850’s.
(Photos by RSheridan)