Bohola
Bohola, Co. Mayo in the West of Ireland
Bohola is a village located on the N5 at the intersection of the Kiltimagh/Ballina road with the Swinford/Castlebar road. At the old crossroads of the village there is a Post Office, a Catholic Church, and 2 pubs.
Famous Bohola Natives
Bohola was the birthplace of the great athlete, Martin Sheridan (1881-1918) and there is a memorial in his honour on the village green. Martin won 9 Olympic medals (5 gold, 3 silver and 1 bronze) for his adopted country, the USA, in discus-throwing, high and long jumps, shot-putt and pole-vaulting at St. Louis (1904), Athens (1906) and London (1908). (These figures include 2 gold and 3 silver medals won in Athens which was not regarded as an "official" Olympics.)
A memorial to Martin Sheridan was unveiled in the village in 1966. It consists of a bronze bust of Martin mounted on a pedestal of Irish limestone and weighs 3 tons.
Other famous Bohola natives were brothers, Paul and Bill O'Dwyer, past pupils of Lismirrane National School. Paul O'Dwyer (1907 - 1998) was a well known American politician, lawyer and human rights campaigner who always sought justice for the underprivileged. He served as New York City Council President from 1974 to 1977. A fulfilment of a lifetime dream of his was the opening of the O'Dwyer Cheshire Home in 1976 on a site, donated by him, at his original homestead in Bohola. Throughout his lifetime Paul worked tirelessly to ensure its patients enjoyed a top class standard of care. Paul's brother William (Bill) O'Dwyer (1890 - 1964) also studied law and built up a successful law practice before serving as a King's County (Brooklyn) Court judge. In 1945 Bill was elected New York City Mayor and later appointed President Truman's US Ambassador to Mexico.
Another Bohola native, Frank Durkan (1930 - 2006), a nephew of the O'Dwyer brothers, gained fame in the USA as an Irish-American attorney and was well known for having represented numerous members of the Provisional Irish Republican Army (IRA).