Editing Castlebar (section)

===Medieval period===
In the early medieval period, the Castlebar area was dominated by Gaelic clans, notably the Quinns (Ó Coinn), who lent their name to the parish of Aglishcowane, meaning "Church of Ó Coinn". The area featured crannogs and ringforts, indicative of early settlement patterns.<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=The Normans |url=https://castlebarstreetnames.weebly.com/the-normans.html |website= |location= |publisher= |access-date=21 May 2025}}</ref>

[[Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland|The Norman invasion of Ireland]] in the late 12th century brought significant changes. By 1235, the invading de Barra (Barry) family had established a castle on the banks of the Castlebar River, around which the town developed. This castle, known as Caisleán an Bharraigh, gave the town its name. The de Barra's stronghold later came under the control of the de Burgo (Burke) family, who faced challenges from other clans and English forces.<ref name="Hoban">{{cite web |last=Hoban |first=Brian |date= |title=Castlebar Town A Brief History  |url=https://castlebarchamber.wordpress.com/history/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |website= |location= |publisher= |access-date=21 May 2025}}</ref> The castle was located at the end of Castle Street, where the town river is thought to have originally flowed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://castlebarstreetnames.weebly.com/castle-street.html|title=Castle Street|publisher=The Street Names of Castlebar|access-date=26 November 2023}}</ref>

In 1586, Sir John Bingham was granted the castle by his brother Sir [[Richard Bingham (soldier)|Richard Bingham]], the Governor of Connacht, marking the beginning of English administrative influence and the start of the [[Bingham baronets]] of Castlebar, who would rule Castlebar for generations.<ref name="Hoban"/><ref name="irishhistory.com">{{cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=History of Castlebar, Co. Mayo |url=https://www.irishhistory.com/connacht/co-mayo/castlebar/history-of-castlebar-co-mayo/?utm_source=chatgpt.com |website= |location= |publisher= |access-date=21 May 2025}}</ref>

The town was granted a charter of incorporation in 1613 by [[James VI and I|James I of England]]. Under the charter the town had a [[portreeve]] (mayor) and a fifteen-member corporation and was entitled to elect two members to the [[Parliament of Ireland]].<ref>{{cite web
| url          = https://www.mayo-ireland.ie/en/towns-villages/castlebar/history/castlebar-historical-fact.html
| title        = A Summary of the History of Castlebar in Co. Mayo
| last         = Hoban
| first        = Brian
| date         = 
| website      = Mayo Ireland
| publisher    = Mayo Ireland
| access-date  = 9 April 2023
| quote        = }}</ref>