Castlebar —County Mayo

Castlebar (Caislean an Bharraigh) is the administrative town of Co Mayo. The castle from which the town got its name, was built in the middle of the 13th century by one of the Barry family from Buttevant, Co. Cork.
Until the collapse of the rising, Castlebar was the capital of the 'Provisional Republic of Connacht'. A 1798 memorial stands at the entrance to the Mall in honour of the French soldiers who died on Irish soil that year. The pleasant tree-lined Mall, once a cricket pitch of Lord Lucan, is now a town park.
Castlebar, with a population of 6,073 (1991), is now a developing, industrial, commercial and services centre. There are a number of walking trails in the vicinity. The town holds an annual festival in June/July. Why not visit Christchurch - this fine Church was completed in 1739 and renovated in the early 1800s. The feature clock tower was added during renovations in 1807. The graveyard contains many interesting headstones and also a fascinating plaque commemorating six members of the Frazer Fencibles who were killed in battle in 1798.