Louisburgh () is a small town on the southwest corner of

Clew Bay Clew Bay (; ) is a large ocean bay on the Atlantic coast of County Mayo, Ireland. It is roughly rectangular and has more than a hundred small islands on its landward side; Ireland's best example of sunken drumlins. The larger Clare Island guar ...

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 home to Sancta Maria College and the

Gráinne O'Malley Gráinne O'Malley (, ; – ), also known as Grace O'Malley, was the head of the Ó Máille dynasty in the west of Ireland, and the daughter of Eóghan Dubhdara Ó Máille. Upon her father's death, she took over active leadership of the lords ...

Interpretive Centre.

Transport

Road access

Louisburgh is located on the R335 regional road. It can be approached from Westport (13 miles) or from Leenane (19 miles). The former approach passes along

on one side and

Croagh Patrick Croagh Patrick (), nicknamed 'the Reek', is a mountain with a height of and an important site of pilgrimage in County Mayo, Ireland. The mountain has a pyramid-shaped peak and overlooks Clew Bay, rising above the village of Murrisk, several ...

on the other, while the latter passes through lake and mountain scenery past Doo Lough and Delphi Lodge.

Bus services

Bus Éireann Bus Éireann (; "Irish Bus") is a state-owned bus and coach operator providing services throughout Republic of Ireland, Ireland, with the exception of Dublin, where bus services are provided by sister company Dublin Bus. It is a subsidiary of C ...

local route 450 (Louisburgh-

Lecanvey Lecanvey () or Leckanvy () is a seaside village in County Mayo, Ireland, between Westport and Louisburgh, about 2 km west of Murrisk. It has a small beach with Lecanvey Pier. To the south is Croagh Patrick Croagh Patrick (), nicknamed ...

-Westport-

Achill Achill Island (; ) is an island off the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland in the barony (Ireland), historical barony of Burrishoole, County Mayo. It is the largest of the Irish isles and has an area of approximately . Achill had a popu ...

) provides several daily journeys in each direction. The company's Thursday-only route to Killeen and Killadoon was discontinued in November 2020.

Rail access

The nearest rail services are from Westport railway station, approximately 24 km distant. There are several trains a day from Westport to

Dublin Heuston Heuston Station, ( ; ; formerly Kingsbridge Station) also known as Dublin Heuston, is one of Dublin's largest railway stations and links the capital with the south, southwest and west of Ireland. It is operated by Iarnród Éireann (IÉ), ...

via

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midland Region, Ir ...

History

Most of Louisburgh lies within the

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 ...

of Clooncarrabaun (an anglicisation of ''Cluain Cearbán''). The town was constructed in

1795 Events January–June * January – Central England records its coldest ever month, in the CET records dating back to 1659. * January 14 – The University of North Carolina opens to students at Chapel Hill, becoming the ...

by the 3rd Earl of Altamount (later 1st

Marquess of Sligo Marquess of Sligo is a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created in 1800 for John Browne, 3rd Earl of Altamont. The Marquess holds the subsidiary titles of Baron Mount Eagle, of Westport in the County of Mayo (created 10 September 1760), ...

), John Denis Browne of Westport, to house Catholic refugees who fled sectarian conflict in the north of Ireland. Originally a

planned town A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...

, it retains many of the eighteenth-century features in style and scale. The 1st Marquess of Sligo named the town Louisburgh in memory of his Uncle, Captain Henry Browne, who fought on the British side against the French in the battle of Louisburg in 1758. Louisburg (or Louisbourg in French) was a French fortress on

Cape Breton Island Cape Breton Island (, formerly '; or '; ) is a rugged and irregularly shaped island on the Atlantic coast of North America and part of the province of Nova Scotia, Canada. The island accounts for 18.7% of Nova Scotia's total area. Although ...

, Nova Scotia, Canada. As a result of the British victory, a temporary unit of Louisbourg Grenadiers was formed, in which his Uncle was a captain. Kilgeever Abbey is just outside the town, and consists of a ruined church, a graveyard and a holy well, where pilgrimages or

patterns A pattern is a regularity in the world, in human-made design, or in abstract ideas. As such, the elements of a pattern repeat in a predictable manner. A geometric pattern is a kind of pattern formed of geometric shapes and typically repeated li ...

take place.

Geography

Louisburgh is built on the Bunowen River, part of which is a salmon fishery. Nearby Roonagh Pier, approx 6 km from the town, is the departure point for ferries to

Clare Island Clare Island ( or ''Oileán Chliara''), also historically Inishcleer, is a mountainous island guarding the entrance to Clew Bay in County Mayo, Ireland. Historically part of the kingdom of Umhaill, it is famous as the home of the 16th century p ...

and

Inishturk Inishturk (''Inis Toirc'' in Irish, meaning ''Wild Boar Island'') is an inhabited island of County Mayo, in Ireland. Geography The island lies about off the coast; its highest point reaches above sea level. Between Inisturk and Clare Isl ...

. There are a number of stunning beaches in the area renowned for their cleanliness. Nearest to the town are "majestic Old Head", Bunowen and Carramore while Carrowniskey, Cross, Lecanvey are within easy reach. Further to the west and south are the famed beaches of White Strand of Tallabawn, Silver Strand and

Uggool Beach Uggool Beach () is a large beach in County Mayo, on the west coast of Ireland, located south of the town of Louisburgh. It is situated at the mouth of Killary Harbour to its south, with Silver Strand to its north, Mweelrea mountain to its east a ...

. Each year, on the May Bank Holiday Weekend, the town hosts a traditional music festival - Féile Chois Chuan - which attracts a large number of enthusiasts from many parts of Ireland and abroad. The main geographical features around Louisburgh are

to the east, the

Sheeffry Hills The Sheeffry Hills or Sheeffry Mountains () is a range of hills and mountains in County Mayo, Ireland. It is bounded to the west by Glencullin Lough and Doo Lough; to the south by Glenummera and Tawnyard Lough; to the east by Owenmore Glen and ...

and

Mweelrea Mweelrea (; ) is a mountain on the Atlantic coast of County Mayo, Ireland. Rising to , it is the highest mountain in the western province of Connacht, and is noted for its southeastern cliff-lined corries, and its views. Mweelrea overlooks Kill ...

Mountains to the south, the

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second largest of the world's five oceanic divisions, with an area of about . It covers approximately 17% of Earth's surface and about 24% of its water surface area. During the Age of Discovery, it was known for se ...

to the west and

to the north.

Economy and culture

Louisburgh experienced an upturn in its fortunes during the economic boom in Ireland. For many years emigration and joblessness prevailed. During the boom there was high employment especially in construction due to a large a number of holiday homes being built. Many local people commute to work in nearby towns such as Westport and

Castlebar Castlebar () is the county town of County Mayo, Ireland. Developing around a 13th-century castle of the de Barry family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal point for the surrounding hinterland. Wi ...

, each of which have a growing industrial base. Louisburgh has facilities for fishermen, surfers, hill walkers, beach-walkers and photographers. Recently the theatre has received a major boost in the town with the addition of a second drama society. The new group entitled ''Ceol agus Dramá i gCluain Cearbán'' (Music and Drama in Louisburgh) formed with a focus on children's theatre and

pantomime Pantomime (; informally panto) is a type of musical comedy stage production designed for family entertainment, generally combining gender-crossing actors and topical humour with a story more or less based on a well-known fairy tale, fable or ...

. They then went on to perform the first ever pantomime in Louisburgh helping to raise over 1,000 euro for the local

Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta, and commonly known as the Order of Malta or the Knights of Malta, is a Catholic Church, Cathol ...

group. Since the group's inception in 2006 they have produced 6 annual pantos ''Dick Whittington'' (2006), ''Cinderella'' (2007), ''Aladdin'' (2008), ''Snow White'' (2009), "''Robin Hood''" (2010) and "''Hansel and Gretel''" (2011).

Notable people

* James Berry (1842–1914), writer. * John Heneghan SSC, Columban missionary kidnapped and killed by Japanese forces during the Second World War in the Philippines. * Mike McCormack, author *

Austin O'Malley Austin O'Malley is an Irish Gaelic football manager and former player. He represented both the Mayo and Wicklow county teams. Career O'Malley won three Connacht Senior Football Championship medals with Mayo. He was involved when Mayo lost the ...

Mayo GAA The Mayo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) () or Mayo GAA is one of the 32 County board (Gaelic games), county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Mayo and the Mayo county teams. The M ...

footballer. * Martin O'Toole (1925–2013), Fianna Fáil TD and senator. *

Michael Viney Michael Viney MRIA (6 February 1933 – 30 May 2023) was a British-born Irish artist, author, broadcaster and journalist. Best known for his writings on nature, he contributed to ''The Irish Times'' from 1962. Early life and beginning of caree ...

, writer for The Irish Times. *

John McEvilly John McEvilly (1818–1902) was an Irish Roman Catholic Church clergyman who served as the Archbishop of Tuam from 1881 to 1902. He was born on 15 April 1818 in Louisburgh, a small town near Westport, County Mayo, Ireland., ''The Episcopal Su ...

, archbishop.

Notes

External links

Louisburgh, Co. Mayo in the West of Ireland , mayo-ireland.ie
{{Authority control Towns and villages in County Mayo 1795 establishments in Ireland Populated places established in 1795