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Louisburgh is a small town on the south shore of Clew
Bay in County Mayo, in the west of Ireland. Standing on the banks
of the Bunowen river, Louisburgh has had a relatively short but varied
history.
Founded just over two hundred years ago, in 1795, by
Lord Altamont [John Browne], Louisburgh was planned and built on the
pattern that exists to this day, a four street system with a central
cross roads, known locally as "the Square". The town's
name came about because of the Browne family's links to the battle of
Louisbourg, Nova Scotia in 1758. The town has
witnessed the tragedy of the Great Famine and the hardships suffered,
through the upheaval of Irish politics and the struggle for
independence, to the modern Ireland we see today. Previous to the
founding of Louisburgh, the area around these shores was home to Grainne
ni Mhaille or Grace O'Malley, the Pirate Queen of Connaught.
Remains of her presence are still visible today on Clare
Island, and her life is portrayed in Louisburgh in the Grainne ni
Mhaille Centre in Church Street. A more in depth history of
Louisburgh is available at local book shops, "Louisburgh A
History" [ISBN 0 9526078 0 8] written by local man John
Lyons. |