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MAYO

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Originally appearing in Volume V17, Page 937 of the 1911 Encyclopedia Britannica.
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MAYO , a western See also:

county of See also:Ireland, in the See also:province of See also:Connaught, bounded N. and W. by the See also:Atlantic Ocean, N.E. by See also:Sligo, E. by See also:Roscommon, S.E. and S. by See also:Galway. The See also:area is 1,380,390 acres, or about 2157 sq. m., the county being the largest in Ireland after See also:Cork and Galway. About two-thirds of the boundary of Mayo is formed by See also:sea, and the See also:coast is very much indented, and abounds in picturesque scenery. The See also:principal inlets are Killary See also:Harbour between Mayo and Galway; Clew See also:Bay, in which are the harbours of See also:Westport and See also:Newport; Blacksod Bay and Broad Haven, which See also:form the See also:peninsula of the See also:Mullet; and See also:Killala Bay between Mayo and Sligo. The islands are very numerous, the principal being Inishturk, near Killary Harbour; See also:Clare See also:Island, at the mouth of Clew Bay, where there are many islets, all formed of See also:drift; and See also:Achill, the largest island off Ireland. The coast scenery is not surpassed by that of See also:Donegal northward and See also:Connemara southward, and there are several small coast-towns, among which may be named Killala on the See also:north coast, Belmullet on the See also:isthmus between Blacksod Bay and Broad Haven, Newport and Westport on Clew Bay, with the watering-See also:place of Mallaranny. The majestic cliffs of the north coast, however, which reach an extreme height in Benwee See also:Head (892 ft.), are difficult of See also:access and rarely visited. In the eastern See also:half of the county the See also:surface is comparatively level, with occasional hills; the western half is mountainous. Mweelrea (2688 ft.) is included in a See also:mountain range lying between Killary Harbour and Lough See also:Mask. The next highest summits are Nephin (2646 ft.), to the See also:west of Lough See also:Conn, and Croagh See also:Patrick (2510 ft.), to the See also:south of Clew Bay. The See also:river Moy flows northwards, forming See also:part of the boundary of the county with Sligo, and falls into Killala Bay. The courses of the other streams are See also:short, and except when swollen by rains their See also:volume is small.

The principal lakes are Lough Mask and Lough See also:

Corrib, on the See also:borders of the county with Galway, and Loughs Conn in the See also:east, Carrowmore in the north-west, Beltra in the west, and Carra adjoining Lough Mask. These loughs and the smaller loughs, with the streams generally, afford admirable See also:sport with See also:salmon, sea-See also:trout and See also:brown trout, and See also:Ballina is a favourite centre. See also:Geology.—The See also:wild and barren west of this county, including the See also:great hills on Achill Island, is formed of " See also:Dalradian " rocks, See also:schists and quartzites, highly folded and metamorphosed, with intrusions of See also:granite near Belmullet. At Blacksod Bay the granite has been quarried as an ornamental See also:stone. Nephin Beg, Nephin and Croagh Patrick are typical See also:quartzite summits, the last named belonging possibly to a See also:Silurian See also:horizon but rising from a metamorphosed area on the south See also:side of Clew Bay. The schists and gneisses of the Ox Mountain See also:axis also enter the county north of See also:Castlebar. The Muilrea and See also:Ben Corm range, bounding the See also:fine See also:fjord of Killary Harbour, is formed of terraced Silurian rocks, from See also:Bala to See also:Ludlow See also:age. These beds, with intercalated lavas, form the mountainous west See also:shore of Lough Mask, the east, like that of Lough Corrib, being formed of See also:low Carboniferous See also:Limestone ground. Silurian rocks, with Old Red See also:Sandstone over them, come out at the west end of the See also:Curlew range at Ballaghaderreen. Clew Bay, with its islets capped by glacial drift, is a submerged part of a synclinal of Carboniferous strata, and Old Red Sandstone comes out on the north side of this, from near Achill to Lough Conn. The See also:country from Lough Conn northward to the sea is a See also:lowland of Carboniferous Limestone, with L. Carboniferous Sandstone against the Dalradian on the west.

See also:

Industries.—There are some very fertile regions in the level portions of the county, but in the mountainous districts the See also:soil is poor, the holdings are subdivided beyond the possibility of affording proper sustenance to their occupiers, and, except where fishing is combined with agricultural operations, the circumstances of the peasantry are among the most wretched of any See also:district of Ireland. The proportion of tillage to pasturage is roughly as to 31. Oats and potatoes are the principal crops. See also:Cattle, See also:sheep, pigs and poultry are reared. Coarse See also:linen and woollen cloths are manufactured to a small extent. At Foxford woollen-See also:mills are established at a nunnery, in connexion with a See also:scheme of technical instruction. See also:Keel, Belmullet and See also:Ballycastle are the headquarters of sea and coast fishing districts, and Ballina of a salmon-fishing district, and these See also:fisheries are of some value to the poor inhabitants. A See also:branch of the Midland Great Western railway enters the county from See also:Athlone, in the south-east, and runs north to Ballina and Killala on the coast, branches diverging from Claremorris to Ballinrobe, and from Manulla to Westport and Achill on the west coast. The See also:Limerick and Sligo See also:line of the Great See also:Southern and Western passes from south to north-east by way of Claremorris. See also:Population and See also:Administration.—The population was 218,698 in 1891, and 199,166 in 1901. The decrease of population and the number of emigrants are slightly below the See also:average of the Irish counties. Of the See also:total population about 97% are rural, and about the same percentage are See also:Roman Catholics.

The See also:

chief towns are Ballina (pop. 4505), Westport (3892) and See also:Castle-See also:bar (3585), the county See also:town. Ballaghaderreen, Claremorris (Clare), Crossmolina and Swineford- are lesser See also:market towns; and Newport and Westport are small seaports on Clew Bay. The county includes nine baronies. Assizes are held at Castlebar, and See also:quarter sessions at Ballina, Ballinrobe, Belmullet, Castlebar, Claremorris, Swineford and Westport. In the Irish See also:parliament two members were returned for the county, and two for the See also:borough of Castlebar, but at the See also:union Castlebar was disfranchised. The See also:division since 1885 is into north, south, east and west See also:parliamentary divisions, each returning one member. The county is in the See also:Protestant See also:diocese of See also:Tuam and the Roman See also:Catholic dioceses of Taum, Achonry, Galway and Kilmacduagh, and Killala. See also:History and Antiquities.—Erris in Mayo was the See also:scene of the landing of the chief See also:colony of the Firbolgs, and the See also:battle which is said to have resulted in the overthrow and almost annihilation of this tribe took place also in this county, at Moytura near Cong. At the See also:close of the 12th See also:century what is now the county of Mayo was granted, with other lands, by See also:king See also:John to See also:William, See also:brother of See also:Hubert de See also:Burgh. After the See also:murder of William de Burgh, 3rd See also:earl of See also:Ulster (1333), the Bourkes (de Burghs) of the See also:collateral male line, rejecting the claim of William's heiress (the wife of Lionel, son of King See also:Edward III.) to the See also:succession, succeeded in holding the bulk of the De Burgh possessions, what is now Mayo falling to the branch known by the name of "MacWilliam Oughter," who maintained their virtual See also:independence till the See also:time of See also:Elizabeth. See also:Sir See also:Henry See also:Sydney, during his first viceroyalty, after making efforts to improve communications between See also:Dublin and Connaught in 1566, arranged for the shiring of that province, and Mayo was made See also:shire ground, taking its name from the monastery of Maio or Mageo, which was the seat of a See also:bishop.

Even after this See also:

period the MacWilliams continued to exercise very great authority, which was regularized in 1603, when " the Mac William Oughter," See also:Theobald See also:Bourke, surrendered his lands and received them back, to hold them by See also:English See also:tenure, with the See also:title of See also:Viscount Mayo (see BURGH, DE). Large confiscations of the estates in the county were made in 1586, and on the termination of the See also:wars of 1641; and in 1666 the restoration of his estates to the 4th Viscount Mayo involved another See also:confiscation, at the expense of See also:Cromwell's settlers. Killala was the scene of the landing of a See also:French See also:squadron in connexion with the See also:rebellion of 1798. In 1879 the See also:village of Knock in the south-east acquired notoriety from a See also:story that the Virgin See also:Mary had appeared in the See also:church, which became the resort of many pilgrims. There are See also:round towers at Killala, Turlough, Meelick and Balla, and an imperfect one at Aughagower. Killala was formerly a bishopric. The monasteries were numerous, and many of them of considerable importance: the principal being those at Mayo, Ballyhaunis, Cong, Ballinrobe, Ballintober, Burrishoole, See also:Cross or Holycross in the peninsula of Mullet, Moyne, Roserk or Rosserick and Templemore or Strade. Of the old castles the most notable are Carrigahooly near Newport, said to have been built by the celebrated See also:Grace O'Malley, and Deel Castle near Ballina, at one time the See also:residence of the earls of See also:Arran. See Hubert See also:Thomas See also:Knox, History of the County of Mayo (1908).

End of Article: MAYO

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