I was lucky enough to visit Ireland three times in 2022 and none of them were for wakes! In June, I went back with my seven year old son, Liam. We had a great time visiting family and touring the mullet with a special tour of Blacksod Lighthouse. In September, Jenna and I went back … Read More ..
Author: mcoyle1960
Aerial Drone Photos of Tipp and the Family Homes
Thanks to Jack Walsh Drone Photography, we have some great pictures of Aunt Sheila and Uncle Frank’s homes on the peninsula by Tipp Pier. You can view them under the top menu Photo Galleries->Scenic Belmullet Area. All seven images can be downloaded in high quality from this link.
Famine and the Village of Clogher
If you have even a drop of Irish blood running through your veins, you are familiar with the Great Famine which started in 1845. While starvation killed tens of thousands, it was actually disease which caused the most deaths (over 400,000). On the Mullet, entire villages were wiped off the map to this day, and … Read More ..
St. Deirbhile (DER-vill-uh)
In ancient Irish times, arranged marriages were the norm, especially among nobility. But unlike many other societies, a woman was allowed to decline the arrangement if it wasn’t to her liking. That’s exactly what a beautiful young Deirbhile MacDaithi did in the early 6th century. Unfortunately, the suitor – a prince – was persistent. By … Read More ..
The Canal Through Belmullet
One of the defining elements of Belmullet is the canal that has been cut to connect Broadhaven and Blacksod bays. In fact, it’s the reason Sir Arthur Shaen founded the town in 1715. Connecting the two bays provided the British Navy a shortcut around the Mullet when pursuing area pirates (which were probably fisherman from … Read More ..
Denis Bingham on the Mullet
Few families have inflicted more anguish in Erris than the Binghams. Starting back in the late 1500s, Sir Richard Bingham was appointed governor of Connacht. In addition to seizing Irish and Norman lands for the British Crown, he also slaughtered over a thousand seamen from the Spanish Armada which had become shipwrecked on the northern … Read More ..
The Signal Towers of the Mullet
Ireland was once circled by 80 signal towers which were easily mistaken for castles. These were build in the early 19th century to protect the UK (of which Ireland was a part of at the time) from a possible French invasion. Each tower was within line-of-sight of its two nearest neighbors, and by hanging signal … Read More ..
The Ogham Stone at Cross Abbey
Starting back in the 4th century, an ancient alphabet named Ogham made its appearance around Ireland and Wales. It’s use was “monumental” in that it was used for property boundary markers and on grave stones. Usually, it was written wrapping around the corner of a large vertical stone. While hundreds of Ogham stones survive in … Read More ..
James Tuke. A forgotten hero of the Mullet.
Both my mother and father were born about 4 miles from each other on the Mullet. And in case I haven’t already bored you with the story – my mother’s maiden name is also Coyle, so I’m a Coyle on both sides of the Family Tree. Today, I’d like to introduce you to a gentleman … Read More ..
The Mayo Curse and All Ireland 2016
Last week, while in Ireland for a holiday, Dublin and Kerry faced off in the All Ireland semi-finals. It was odd to be in a pub rooting for Kerry. For some reason unknown to me, the people of Mayo would rather have played the historically best team (Kerry with 37 wins) instead of Dublin (with … Read More ..
Last week, while in Ireland for a holiday, Dublin and Kerry faced off in the All Ireland semi-finals. It was odd to be in a pub rooting for Kerry. For some reason unknown to me, the people of Mayo would rather have played the historically best team (Kerry with 37 wins) instead of Dublin (with 25 wins). Of course, Dublin won because the people of Mayo never seem to get what they wish for. I got the impression that most of Ireland feels Dublin is like our own New York Yankees. Dubliners feel their shite doesn’t smell and everyone else is beneath them.
Still, I was so confident that Mayo would be victorious that I strolled into a Paddy Power and plopped down 10 quid for them to win.
That evening in the quiet hotel bar, I was chatting with a pleasant gent from Dublin and I teased that I couldn’t wait to collect my winning bet. Then he said, “They’ll never win because of The Curse.”
Curse? What friggin curse? How come no one ever mentioned this curse to me before? I gotta be sitting in a pub in Ireland across from a Dubliner to hear about it? That’s like learning about sex “on the street.” Someone should have told me!
In 1951, the last year Mayo won the All Ireland, the team bus was weaving its way home from Croke Park. When they got to Foxford, the rowdy lads passed a funeral without a single one of them blessing themselves. The priest, upon seeing this, cursed the team, saying, “Mayo football will never win another All Ireland as long as the heart beats in a member of this team.” (Stone cold, Father. Stone cold.)
As of this weekend, two of the team members from 1951 are still alive – Paradigm Carney and Paddy Prendergast. If you thought Bartman had it rough, imagine how these two gentlemen feel. This weekend, if I were them, I’d be afraid to leave my home for fear of a hit-and-run or a poisoned pint!
Still, I’m a White Sox fan, not the Cubs, so curses have no place in my life. I’m hoping to be at Gaelic Park this Sunday morning with my Mayo flag and Paddy Power ticket. I plan to go home a winner!