www.tourmakeady.ie

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www.tourmakeady.com

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The name Tourmakeady, or Tuar Mhic Éadaigh, means the Bleach field of Mac Ceadaigh. Whereas no trace remains of the family of Keady, the tradition of Flax growing lived on in Tourmakeady to within living memory and the Bleach field was an area where the flax was laid out in the sun, bleached and dyed prior to spinning. It is indeed a coincidence that Tourmakeady is to this day famous for its textile industry for Gaeltarra Knitwear sweaters are to be found in all the world's best known fashion centers and of course they are made here in "the Bleach Field".

Although in fact Tourmakeady is only a small townland, (See Map Below) it contained in the past the residence of the Landlord, Archbishop Thomas Plunkett and so the Post Office was situated convenient to his house. The postal area of Tourmakeady became recognised as being the area between the Partry Mountains and Lough Mask, and extending from Dereendafderg (The little Oak Wood of the Red Ox) to Derrypark (The Field of the Oak.) In ancient times Tourmakeady was indeed covered in forest with oak predominant.

In Pre-Christian times much of present day South Mayo was divided in three parts or Partraigh. Partraigh an tSléibhe was the area between Craogh Patrick and Lough Mask. When the Catholic ecclesiastical areas or parishes were being named this area became known as Mount Partry; however Baile Ui Bhanín or Ballybannon was the recognised name of the gentle slopes of mountain on Lough Mask shore where many hundred years ago lived a Mac Ulkin, a member of the Staunton family who came from the shores of Lough Carra - possibly Moore Hall. The Moore’s were later landlords of this area. They were a Catholic family and were one of the few families of good landlords. However their goodness was their downfall for in the famine years of the 1840's when things were very bad in Ballybannon they did not press their starving tenants for rent and subsequently became bankrupt and had to sell out. Ballybannon was part of the Barony of Carra and it extended from Cappaduff northwards. Southwards from Churchfield was the Barony of Ross which up to recent years was part of County Galway. Part of this area was owned by a Maurice Fitzgerald in 1333.

Other parts were owned by the Joys also known as Seoighs or Joyce’s. This countryside became known as Joyce Country and Joyce’s abound to the present day, as indeed do Staunton’s in Baile Ui Bhanáin. Churchfield or Páirc a' Teampall was from Teampall Machaire Chaoile after St. Caoile. There is also a blessed well in Cappaduff called Tobair Chaoile.

Thomas Plunkett was the eldest son of the Lord Chancellor of Ireland. He came to Tourmakeady about 1807 and built a fishing lodge. He gradually bought up the small local landlords and evicted many of the tenants. When George Moore got into financial difficulties Plunkett bought him out. In 1839 Plunkett became Bishop of Tuam and set himself the task of converting Tourmakeady to Protestantism. His sister Katherine set up a Protestant school and many tenants were threatened with eviction unless they agreed to send their children to her school. During the famine years Katherine ran a soup kitchen for those who turned Protestant. She was known as Cáit a Bhrotháin (Kate of the Soup) and the term Sooper was applied to those who changed their religion. The local parish priest Pr. Pat Lavelle started a campaign to expose the Plunkett's. He instituted a number of court cases against them and received a great deal of publicity in the English Press of the time. Bishop Plunkett died in 1866 and is buried in the Church of Ireland Churchyard in Tourmakeady.

In 1847 George Moore gave some of the remaining portion of his land in Baile Ui Bhanáin to Archbishop Mc Hale to found a monastery to help counter the influence of the Plunkett’s. In 1848 the Franciscans started a school there which continued until 1927, when the Irish Government took over the school and built a new school Coláiste Mhuire, Tourmakeady. Coláiste Mhuire was an all Irish school specially provided to teach Irish to would-be National Teachers. It is still today an all-Irish school and now caters for boys and girls in the surrounding area.   It provides the children with a very high standard of education.

In the early 1900's Dr. Healy, Archbishop of Tuam gave a house in Baile Ui Bhanáin to The Gaelic League to found Coláiste Chonnacht, an Irish Summer College. This college flourished from 1905 to 1950 and was known as "The Cradle of the Gaelic League." Scholars came from all over Ireland and from many European Universities to learn Irish. Among the pupils of Coláiste Chonnacht was Sinéad Flanagan, wife of Éamonn De Valera. Also involved in the college was Patrick Pearse and his brother Willie, the Dillon brothers Myles and James, Thomas Clarke and many others.

In 1950 Gaeltarra Éireann, a state sponsored body set up to give employment in Gaeltacht areas, took over the Coláiste Chonnacht and started a knitwear industry which has became an important influence in Tourmakeady. In recent years Gaeltarra Knitwear has become a private company and is among the world famous fashion houses. They built a new modern factory, moving from George Moore's Baile Ui Bhanáin to Plunkett's Tourmakeady in the ould townland of the famous Bleachfield.   They have since moved to areas outside Tourmakeady.