Barroosky (also spelt as Barroskey or Barrooskey. Irish: ''Barr Rúscaígh'', meaning "top of the undulation") is a

Gaeltacht A ( , , ) is a district of Ireland, either individually or collectively, where the Irish government recognises that the Irish language is the predominant vernacular, or language of the home. The districts were first officially recognised ...

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

within the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

Kilcommon Kilcommon () is a civil parish in Erris, north County Mayo, consisting of two large peninsulas; Dún Chaocháin and Dún Chiortáin. It consists of 37 townlands, some of which are so remote that they have no inhabitants. Habitation is conc ...

County Mayo County Mayo (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, it is named after the village of Mayo, County Mayo, Mayo, now ge ...

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. It is located within the ecclesiastical parish of Kilcommon-Erris. Barroosky townland has an area of approximately . Barroosky is also the name of the

electoral division An electoral (congressional, legislative, etc.) district, sometimes called a constituency, riding, or ward, is a geographical portion of a political unit, such as a country, state or province, city, or administrative region, created to provid ...

(ED) in which the townland lies. As of 2022, Barroosky ED had a population of 96 people.

History

Irish folklore Irish folklore () refers to the folktales, balladry, music, dance and mythology of Ireland. It is the study and appreciation of how people lived. The folklore of Ireland includes banshees, fairies, leprechauns and other mythological creatures, ...

, Barroosky is mentioned in the epic tale of

Táin Bó Flidhais ''Táin Bó Flidhais'', also known as the ''Mayo Táin'', is a tale from the Ulster Cycle of early Irish literature. It is one of a group of works known as Táin Bó, or "cattle raid" stories, the best known of which is ''Táin Bó Cúailnge''. ...

. T.H. White, an author of Arthurian novels, speculated that the area encompassing Slieve Fyagh, more specifically from the townlands of Barroosky and Srahnaplaia to Sheskin Lodge, may have been the site of the sixth-century battle of Cuil Conaire. According to White,

Ailill Inbanda Ailill Inbanda mac Eógain (died 549) was a king of Connacht from the Ui Fiachrach branch of the Connachta. He was the son and successor of Eógan Bél, who was slain by the northern Ui Neill in 542. His nickname Inbanda means "womanish" or eff ...

, a

King of Connacht The Kings of Connacht were rulers of the ''cóiced'' (variously translated as portion, fifth, province) of Connacht, which lies west of the River Shannon, Ireland. However, the name only became applied to it in the early medieval era, being named ...

, was killed there during the conflict. The area is also mentioned in a popular Erris folktale called the ''Fool of Barr Rúscaígh'' as part of the year of the French celebrations. In 1911, the population was recorded as 34. In September 1922, during the

Irish Civil War The Irish Civil War (; 28 June 1922 – 24 May 1923) was a conflict that followed the Irish War of Independence and accompanied the establishment of the Irish Free State, an entity independent from the United Kingdom but within the British Emp ...

, the Battle of Glenamoy took place nearby.

Geography

Barroosky sits in a region largely made up of peat-rich

blanket bog Blanket bog or blanket mire, also known as featherbed bog, is an area of peatland, forming where there is a climate of high rainfall and a low level of evapotranspiration, allowing peat to develop not only in wet hollows but over large expanses ...

, a landscape typical of the northern coastline of

and the wider

Erris Erris is a barony in northwestern County Mayo in Ireland consisting of over , much of which is mountainous blanket bog. It has extensive sea coasts along its west and north boundaries. The main towns are Belmullet and Bangor Erris. The name E ...

area. The Barroosky River, a tributary of the

Glenamoy River The Glenamoy River (Irish language, Irish: ''Abhainn Ghleann na Muaidhe'') is a river in north County Mayo, in the northwest of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It contains sea trout and salmon. Geography The Glenamoy River rises from its source ...

, flows through a valley in this area. Slieve Fyagh, a hill with a height of 335 metres, is the highest point in Barroosky. The name of the hill is thought to mean either ‘mountain of the rushes’ or ‘wooded mountain’.

Glenamoy bog

The Glenamoy bog complex is located in the northwest of Erris, County Mayo, and includes parts of Barroosky. It is mostly made up of oceanic blanket bog in its inland areas. The area is principally drained by four rivers: the Belderg, Glenglassra,

Glenamoy Glenamoy () is a village in the civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of Kilcommon, Erris in the northern part of County Mayo in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The R314 road (Ireland), R314 road passes through Glenamoy. Glenamoy is also an El ...

and Muingnabo. With little tree cover, the exposed region experiences frequent strong winds and has a wet, oceanic climate.

Sheskin forestry

Barroosky is situated near to the Sheskin Forest (not to be confused with Sheskin,

County Monaghan County Monaghan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of Border Region, Border strategic planning area of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town ...

) which stretches from near Ballycastle to Bellacorick. The forest is a large area of conifer

forest plantation A tree plantation, forest plantation, plantation forest, timber plantation, or tree farm is a forest planted for high volume production of wood, usually by planting one type of tree as a monoculture forest. The term ''tree farm'' also is used to ...

established on the blanket bogs. A hunting lodge built by the McDonnell family and later owned by the Jameson family, now in ruins, lies there.

References

{{County Mayo Townlands of County Mayo

History

Geography

Glenamoy bog

Sheskin forestry

See also

References