The Neale
County Mayo, West of Ireland
Snuggled close to the isthmus of Cong is the small village of The Neale or An Eill, with its historical and archaeological wealth virtually unknown.
Spread over the landscape are the ruins of the Norman castles occupied by the McDonnell mercenaries. Adjacent to The Neale village is the home of the first Englishman to settle in the country - sheriff and map maker - John Browne.
His descendant Lord Kilmaine,
was responsible for the building of 'The Temple', a Doric-like structure made of carved stone, but never completed. The base was built sometime before 1865 when the Doric columes were added to give the structure elevation. The Temple was used by the ladies of the Big House for family meetings and relaxing.
Another peculiar structure at The Neale, is a step pyramid, approximately 30 ft high and 40 ft wide, which was built around 1760 by John Browne, the 1st Baron of Kilmaine. According to locals, one explanation as to the reason for its building was that Lord Kilmaine, in his efforts to ease the extreme poverty of his tenants, employed them to pick up the stones around his estate and build them into a pyramid. In later years a wind-vane adorned the top of the pyramid, so the landlord could indulge in his passion for meteorology and the recording of weather systems. The Office of Public Works refurbished the Pyramid in 1990.
Other Landmarks
Other notable landmarks in The Neale area include:
- St John the Baptist Church & Calvary in the centre of the village, built in 1875, the foundation for which, was laid by Rev Fr O'Malley
- Fr O'Malley Millenium Park in honour of Fr John O’Malley for his role in the success of the Land League movement and his enormous support of his parishioners. He built the old Neale school in 1883 and the existing church in 1875. This monument was erected from the stone from the old school and church
- The Long Stone (Lia Lugha) is at the fork of the roads from Cross and Cong, south of the Neale village. It is reputed to mark the burial place of Lugh Lamhfhada (Lu of the Long Hand) who was slain in the Battle of Moyturna. Lu was the son of Nuadha, King of the Tuatha De Danann
- Gods of the Neale - approx 200 yards east of The Neale village, inside the old demesne wall and close to the ruins of Lord Kilmaine's house, is a collection of stone slabs with carvings of three mythical figures, a griffin, a unicorn and an angel is enshrined in a stone structure. The inscription on the monument names the sculptured figures as Deithe Feile, Diana Ffeale, and The Gods of The Neale, from which The Neale gets its name. Among other mythological characters mentioned in the inscription is Lugh Lamhfhada (Lú Lamhfhada), reputed to be buried under the nearby 'Long Stone'.
The Land League
The Neale village also hosted the great uncrowned king of Ireland, Charles Stewart Parnell, and Michael Davitt during the Land League era. The system of organised ostracisation of over bearing landlords and agents - later termed boycotting by Fr O'Malley (Parish priest in The Neale), was first put into operation at Lough Mask House where Captain Boycott attempted to raise the rents. Journalists from all over Europe and America converged on the tiny village to witness the non-violent resistance, which in later years, was the hallmark of Gandhi and Martin Luther King.
The map below shows the area of Cong, Cross and The Neale
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1 Ashford Castle |
14 Lisloughry Point |
