Islandeady
Islandeady (Irish: Oileán Éadaí) is a village in County Mayo, Ireland, about halfway between the towns of Castlebar and Westport.
Islandeady
Oileán Éadaígh | |
|---|---|
Village | |
 St. Patrick's church, Islandeady | |
| Motto(s): Ar Aghaidh Le Chéile | |
  Islandeady Location in Ireland | |
| Coordinates: 53.8166667°N 9.4000°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Connacht |
| County | County Mayo |
| Area | |
| • Total | 42.02 km2 (16.22 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 57 m (187 ft) |
| Irish Grid Reference | M092879 |
The parish of Islandeady meets Castlebar to the east, Westport and Newport to the west, and Aughagower and Killawalla to the south. There is a view of Croagh Patrick to the west and Nephin to the northeast. The main route by road is the N5. The parish has four national schools and a private secondary school.
History
Islandeady parish straddles the baronies of Carra and Burrishoole. Its name was reinterpreted in recent centuries as Oileán Éadaí but ultimately derives in fact from Oileán Éadain, where Éadan is a gaelicised form of the Anglo-Saxon name Aedwine or Haedwine. A person of this name was ordained bishop of Mayo in the late eighth century, according to the medieval chronicler Symeon of Durham. The Islandeady townland of Raheens, is mentioned in an early biography of Saint Patrick by Tírechán (700c). Islandeady townland was historically called Illaneedan.[1] Islandeady belonged to the 'Patrician lands of Connacht'. The date given by historians to St.Patrick's missionary work in Islandeady is 440 A.D., where he preached on the shores of a lake in the peaceful little parish. Today the modern village lies within the townlands of Rinnaseer and Cloonan.
On 2 September 1973 during 'The Troubles', Royal Ulster Constabulary reservists from Lisnaskea were attacked by gunmen at Kilbree Lower on the Westport-Castlebar road, as they were on their way home from a fishing holiday in Westport. There were no fatalities but three members were wounded by machine-gun fire.[2]
Education
National schools in the area include Cloggernagh NS, Cougala NS, and Cornanool NS. St.Patrick's Academy is a local (private) secondary school.
Transport
Islandeady is served by the N5 (Westport-Dublin road) national primary road
Islandeady railway station, which was 2-km south of the village, operated between 1 May 1914 and 17 June 1963.
Amenities
Islandeady had a shop beside the church, but it closed in 1988. An embroidery and sewing shop, "Celtic Cross Stitch", is running behind the church. There is also a B&B beside the GAA pitch.
The main lakes in the area are Lough Bilberry and Lough Lannagh.
Notable people
- Ray Moylette, boxer.
- Enda Kenny, former Taoiseach.
See also
- Island Eddy, an off-shore island in Co. Galway
- List of towns and villages in Ireland
References
- Placenames Database of Ireland (see archival records)
- 'Northern visitors attacked by gunmen', The Mayo News, 8 September 1973.
