History and Museums of County Mayo

Here you will find links to historical articles related to County Mayo and you can visit the Museums of Mayo website for information on the museums.

As well as the links there are also many historical articles under the various towns and communities.

• A short introduction and History

• An Outline History of Mayo also divided into smaller sections:

  • Part 1 - Prehistory

  • Part 2 - 400 - 1600

  • Part 3 - 1600 - 1800

  • Part 4 - 1800 - 1900

  • Part 5 - 1900 - 1996




• Folklore of East Mayo - researched in Mayo Abbey

• Articles in the Connaught Telegraph

  • Lord Frederick Cavendish: Champion of the Oppressed by Tom Kelly

  • Forgotten Man of History: James Daly, the Telegraph's most celebrated editor

  • Michael Davitt: Mayo's Most Famous Son

  • 1852 in Mayo

  • Titanic - Irish survivor becomes nun

  • Titanic - the Mayo connection

  • Castlebar - Linenhall History




• The Great Famine in Co Mayo 1845 - 1849

Many of the towns and communities have sections on History, here a few examples:

• Mayo Abbey a small village that gave its name to County Mayo

• Charlestown history section has interesting accounts of some of its main characters as well as an excellent photo gallery from yesteryear

• Moores of Moorehall.

Browse our Towns & Villages section to find more historical articles.

There are many writers in County Mayo have documented interesting facets of Mayo's history, here a few books on Mayo's History:

• The Famine in Mayo A Portrait from Contemporary Sources  
  This book is not intended as such a study, but it wants to be a real portrait of the lives and deaths of Mayo's people as recorded by witnesses in newspapers, official records and books.

• Where The Sun Sets - History of North Mayo

• Westport The Tear and The Smile - nostalgia, laughter and tears, that recalls a time when Westport was young but growing

• Mayo - A Proud County - this book gives a glimpse of County Mayo, its past and its present, people, places and enterprise. It is a colourful compilation of magnificent photographs from many corners of the county and references many famous Mayo people.

• Claremorris in Restrospection - a little history and a few memories of Claremorris in times when virtue, character and a sense of responsibility and common pride were as prized as expensive houses, fancy cars and high social status. A valuable resource for people in and around Claremorris.