Editing Castlebar

{{short description|Town in County Mayo, Ireland}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=October 2018}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox settlement
|settlement_type        = Town
|name                   = Castlebar
|native_name            = {{lang|ga|Caisleán an Bharraigh}}
|native_name_lang       = ga
|image_skyline =
{{Photomontage
| photo1a = The_Mall_Castlebar.jpg
| photo2a = Market_Street_Castlebar.jpg
| photo2b = Mayo_Peace_Park_Castlebar_Ireland.jpg
| photo4a = Sculpture in Market Square, Castlebar - geograph.org.uk - 5220706.jpg
| position = center
| color = white
| border = 2
}}
|image_caption          = A montage of Castlebar. From top: {{ubl|The Mall|Market Street|The Peace Park|The Pikes Sculpture (dedicated to the [[Races of Castlebar]]) at Market Square)}}
|image_shield           = Castlebar Coat of Arms.png
|shield_size            = 100px
|motto = Ar Aghaidh<br/>(Meaning: ''Forward'')
|pushpin_map            = Ireland
|pushpin_label_position = right
|pushpin_map_caption    = Location in Ireland
|coordinates            = {{coord|53.8608|-9.29880|dim:100000_region:IE|display=inline,title}}
|blank_name_sec1        = Irish Grid Reference
|blank_info_sec1        = {{iem4ibx|M146905}}
|population_as_of       = [[2022 census of Ireland|2022]]
|population             = 13054
|population_footnotes   = <ref name="cityPop">{{cite web | url = https://citypopulation.de/en/ireland/towns/mayo/29327__castlebar/ | website = citypopulation.de | title = Castlebar (Ireland) Agglomeration | access-date = 1 July 2023 }}</ref>
|subdivision_type       = Country
|subdivision_name       = Ireland
|subdivision_type1      = [[Provinces of Ireland|Province]]
|subdivision_name1      = [[Connacht]]
|subdivision_type2      = [[Counties of Ireland|County]]
|subdivision_name2      = [[County Mayo]]
| established_title       = Founded
| established_date        = 1235
| established_title1      = Incorporated
| established_date1       = 1613
|unit_pref              = Metric
|elevation_m            = 49
|website                = {{URL|www.castlebar.ie}}
| area_code_type = [[Telephone numbers in the Republic of Ireland|Telephone area code]]
| area_code = +353(0)94
| postal_code_type        =[[Eircode]] routing key
| postal_code             =F23
|timezone                = [[Western European Time|WET]]
|utc_offset              = ±0
|timezone_DST            = [[Irish Standard Time|IST]]
|utc_offset_DST          = +1
}}
'''Castlebar''' ({{Irish place name|Caisleán an Bharraigh|Barry's Castle}}) is the [[county town]] of [[County Mayo]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]. Developing around a 13th-century castle of the [[de Barry family|de Barry]] family, from which the town got its name, the town now acts as a social and economic focal point for the surrounding hinterland.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://www.mayo.ie/getmedia/b7373cd9-986e-4c88-a5fe-9f399c74dc92/1-Document1,29386,en.pdf | publisher = Mayo County Council | website = mayo.ie | title = Castlebar And Environs Development Plan 2008-2014 | accessdate = 29 June 2022 }}</ref> With a population of 13,054 in the [[2022 census of Ireland|2022 census]] (up from 7,648 in the 1991 census),<ref name="cityPop"/> Castlebar was one of the fastest growing towns in Ireland in the early 21st century.<ref>{{cite news |url = https://www.irishtimes.com/news/booming-castlebar-grows-and-grows-1.267654 | publisher = Irish Times | website = The Irish Times | title = Booming Castlebar grows and grows | date = 8 January 2001 | accessdate = 29 June 2022 | quote = Castlebar is now the second fastest growing town in the State }}</ref>

A campus of [[Atlantic Technological University]] and the [[National Museum of Ireland – Country Life|Country Life section of the National Museum]] are two important facilities in the area. The town is [[rail transport in Ireland|linked by railway]] to [[Dublin]], [[Westport, County Mayo|Westport]] and [[Ballina, County Mayo|Ballina]]. The main route by road is the [[N5 road (Ireland)|N5]].

==History==
===Anquity===
The 5th century saw the construction of [[Turlough Abbey]] near Castlebar.

===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>

===18th Century===
The [[Linenhall Arts Centre|Linen Hall]], established as a clearing house for local linen materials, was completed in 1790.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/31209038/the-linen-hall-linenhall-street-knockthomas-castlebar-mayo  |title=The Linen Hall, Linenhall Street, Knockthomas, Castlebar, County Mayo|publisher=National Inventory of Architectural Heritage|access-date=26 November 2023}}</ref>

====Races of Castlebar====
{{multiple image
| align = right
| direction = horizontal
| width = 
| total_width = 400
| image1 = Castlebar Races WynneC.jpg
| image2 = Green harp flag of Ireland.svg
| image3 = 
| caption1 = Print depicting the "[[Castlebar Races]]" of 1798
| caption2 = Following the Races of Castlebar, Castlebar became apart of the short-lived "[[Republic of Connacht]]"
| caption3 = 
| caption_align = center
| footer =
| footer_align = centre
| alt1 = 
}}

Armed conflict has been the centrepiece of the town's historical heritage. French forces under the command of General [[Jean Joseph Amable Humbert|Jean Humbert]] aided in a rout of the British garrison in the town during the failed [[Irish Rebellion of 1798]], which was so comprehensive it would later be known as "The [[battle of Castlebar|Races of Castlebar]]".<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.irishidentity.com/stories/castlebarraces.htm|title=The Rising in the West|website=www.irishidentity.com|access-date=24 January 2013|archive-date=19 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131019210822/http://www.irishidentity.com/stories/castlebarraces.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> A short-lived provisional [[Irish Republic (1798)|Irish Republic]] had been declared upon General Humbert's arrival at Killala. Following the victory at Castlebar [[John Moore (Irish politician)|John Moore]], head of the Mayo [[United Irishmen]] and the brother of a local landowner, was declared president of the Province of Connacht. His remains are today interred in a corner of the town green, known as the Mall<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.patrickcomerford.com/2010/06/remembering-1798-in-castlebar.html|title=Remembering 1798 in Castlebar|first=Patrick|last=Comerford|access-date=10 November 2019|archive-date=10 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191110125000/http://www.patrickcomerford.com/2010/06/remembering-1798-in-castlebar.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

===19th century===
[[File:Main Street, Castlebar, Co. Mayo (5785938352).jpg|thumb|Castlebar, circa 1880]]
[[Castlebar Military Barracks]] was established in 1834:<ref>{{cite web|url= http://www.mayo-ireland.ie/en/towns-villages/castlebar/history/historical-tour.html|title=Historical tour of Castlebar|publisher=Mayo, Ireland|access-date=8 December 2015}}</ref> it was finally closed in March 2012 and the buildings and grounds have been purchased by the local town and county councils.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/news/barracks-closures-will-see-500-redeployed-1.12500|title=Barracks closures will see 500 redeployed|publisher=Irish Times|date=  17 November 2011| access-date=8 December 2015}}</ref>

During the mid-19th Century (including the period of the [[Great Irish famine]]), [[George Bingham, 3rd Earl of Lucan]] became known as "The Exterminator" for his ruthless actions against his tenants in the Castlebar area. The third Lord Lucan earned his nickname by carrying out mass evictions of tenants who were unable to pay rent. This period saw widespread starvation in the area, leading to the deaths of thousands and the emigration of many more. In contrast, the fourth Earl was a more favourable figure locally. He lowered rents, donated land for schools and the Catholic church, and his successor, [[George Bingham, 4th Earl of Lucan]], gifted the town centre park, known as the Mall, to the people of Castlebar in 1922.

The [[Irish National Land League]] was founded by [[Michael Davitt]], of [[Straide]] in County Mayo, at the Imperial Hotel in Castlebar on 21 October 1879.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9788:council-should-purchase-land-league-hotel&Itemid=51|publisher=The Mayo News| title = Council should purchase Land League hotel |website=www.mayonews.ie|access-date=10 November 2019|archive-date=29 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201029081201/https://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9788:council-should-purchase-land-league-hotel&Itemid=51|url-status=live}}</ref> The Land League sought to directly challenge Anglo-Irish landlords such as the Binghams and fought for tenants rights.

===20th century===
====Western Hat Factory and Little Jerusalem====
In 1939, Castlebar became a refuge for [[Emigration of Jews from Nazi Germany and German-occupied Europe|Jews escaping Central Europe]].<ref name="CT 1 May 2023">{{cite news |last=Gillespie |first=Tom |date=1 May 2023 |title=Castlebar’s hat factory 80 years on |url=https://www.con-telegraph.ie/2021/05/01/castlebars-hat-factory-80-years-on/ |work=[[Connaught Telegraph]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=21 May 2025}}</ref><ref name="Forward 2017">{{cite news |last=Cawley Weintraub |first=Elaine |date=23 February 2017 |title=The Secret Jewish History of Penicillin |url=https://forward.com/community/364076/the-secret-jewish-history-of-penicillin/ |work=[[Forward.com]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=21 May 2025}}</ref><ref name="Kenny 2023">{{cite news |last=Kenny |first=Tom |date=20 July 2023 |title=The Hat Factory |url=https://www.advertiser.ie/galway/article/136626/the-hat-factory |work=[[Galway Advertiser]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=21 May 2025}}</ref><ref name="Katz 2019">{{cite news |last=Katz |first=Deborah |date=25 July 2019 |title=Little-Known Holocaust History: Marcus Witztum: ‘The Irish Schindler’ |url=https://www.jewishpress.com/sections/features/little-known-holocaust-history-marcus-witztum-the-irish-schindler/2019/07/25/ |work=[[Jewish Press]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=21 May 2025}}</ref> Members of that community established the Western Hat Factory, officially opened on 1 May 1940<ref name="CT 17 May 2020"/> under the direction of Franz Schmolka, a Slovakian Jewish industrialist. The factory became one of the most significant employers in the town, at its height providing work for up to 270 people. It operated entirely on turf-generated steam and was considered a pioneering model of sustainable, locally-powered industry for its time.<ref name="CT 1 May 2023"/> The [[Bishop of Galway]] [[Michael Browne (bishop of Galway)|Michael Browne]] blessed the factory and encouraged local Catholic women to purchase hats from the factory to wear to mass instead of headscarves.<ref name="Forward 2017"/>

The factory was part of a broader effort by the Irish government, led by then-Minister for Industry and Commerce [[Seán Lemass]], to attract Jewish refugees with industrial expertise to revitalise Ireland's underdeveloped western counties. Schmolka and Irish Jewish businessman Marcus Witztum, along with other Jewish entrepreneurs from Austria, France, and Czechoslovakia, were granted permission to relocate both personnel and equipment to Ireland.<ref name="CT 17 May 2020">{{cite news |last= |first= |date=17 May 2020 |title=John Eddie McEllin was driving force behind Western Hats factory  |url=https://www.con-telegraph.ie/2020/05/17/john-eddie-mcellin-was-driving-force-behind-western-hats-factory/ |work=[[Connaught Telegraph]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=21 May 2025}}</ref> Witztum used the oppertunity to helps Jews escape Nazi persecultion.<ref name="Katz 2019"/> Around thirty Jewish families came to Castlebar during this period, many of whom settled in the Blackfort area on the Newport Road. This neighbourhood became informally known as “Little Jerusalem”.<ref name="CT 1 May 2023"/><ref name="Forward 2017"/><ref name="CT 17 May 2020"/>

Following the end of [[World War II]], the Jewish population in Castlebar began to decline. Some families returned to continental Europe, while others moved to Dublin or emigrated elsewhere.<ref name="Forward 2017"/>

The hat factory continued to operate until the 1980s, remaining a central part of Castlebar’s industrial landscape for over four decades. The Factory provided stable employment for local families and was a major contributor to the town’s post-war economy. The factory produced a range of high-quality felt hats, many of which were exported abroad. During its peak years in the 1940s and 1950s, the factory employed up to 270 workers. The technical expertise of the founders, combined with local labour and raw materials such as turf and wool, made the factory a rare success story in a region otherwise beset by emigration and limited industrial development.<ref name="CT 1 May 2023"/><ref name="Forward 2017"/>

By the 1970s, however, changing fashion trends, global competition, and the decline of the felt hat industry led to a gradual downturn in business.<ref name="Kenny 2023"/> In 1981 the Western Hat Factory closed its doors.<ref>{{cite news |last=McGovern |first=Oisin |date=30 October 2023 |title=Calls to take Castlebar hat factory into state ownership |url=https://www.mayonews.ie/news/home/1335830/calls-to-take-castlebar-hat-factory-into-state-ownership.html |work=[[Mayo News]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=21 May 2025 |quote=The now-derelict factory operated for 42 years on the Newport Road before closing in 1981.}}</ref>

==Coat of arms==
The name of the town comes from the castle built in about 1235 (see above).<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mayo-ireland.ie/en/towns-villages/castlebar/castlebar.html|title=Castlebar, Co. Mayo West of Ireland &#124; mayo-ireland.ie|website=www.mayo-ireland.ie|access-date=10 November 2019|archive-date=10 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191110133645/https://www.mayo-ireland.ie/en/towns-villages/castlebar/castlebar.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.castlebar.ie/Nostalgia_and_History/The-Castlebar-Coat-of-Arms.shtml|title=The Castlebar Coat of Arms|website=www.castlebar.ie}}</ref> This castle is depicted as part of the town's coat of arms, with two yew trees on either side because Castlebar is the county town of Mayo ({{Irish place name|Maigh Eo|plain of the yew trees}}). The crosses represent the parish of Aglish (the official name of the parish of Castlebar). The 1798 'Races of Castlebar' is commemorated by pikes. Underneath are the words 'Ar Aghaidh', meaning 'forward'.

==Demographics==
{{Historical populations|state=collapsed
|1821|5404
|1831|6373
|1841|5137
|1851|4016
|1861|3022
|1871|3571
|1881|3855
|1891|3558
|1901|3585
|1911|3698
|1926|4266
|1936|4826
|1946|4951
|1951|5288
|1956|5321
|1961|5852
|1966|6292
|1971|6476
|1981|7423
|1986|7645
|1991|7648
|1996|8532
|2002|11371
|2006|11891
|2011|12318
|2016|12068
|2022|13054
|footnote=<ref>Histpop.org for post 1821 figures</ref><ref>1813 estimate from Mason's Statistical Survey</ref><ref>For a discussion on the accuracy of pre-famine census returns see JJ Lee “On the accuracy of the Pre-famine Irish censuses Irish Population, Economy and Society edited by JM Goldstrom and LA Clarkson (1981) p54</ref><ref>New Developments in Irish Population History, 1700–1850 by Joel Mokyr and Cormac O Grada in The Economic History Review, New Series, Vol. 37, No. 4 (Nov., 1984), pp. 473–488</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.cso.ie/census |title=Cso.ie - Census |access-date=21 July 2009 |archive-date=20 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100920090814/http://cso.ie/census |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.citypopulation.de/php/ireland.php?cityid=0235 | title=City Population – Castlebar (Mayo) | access-date=5 March 2014 | archive-date=28 September 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130928214625/http://www.citypopulation.de/php/ireland.php?cityid=0235 | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="census2016">{{cite web | url = http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=ST2016&Geog_Code=9396D478-6852-45A1-BBAB-C11696D4BBAA | publisher = Central Statistics Office | work = Census 2016 | title = Sapmap Area - Settlements - Castlebar | date = April 2016 | access-date = 8 September 2019 | archive-date = 27 October 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201027213554/http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=ST2016&Geog_Code=9396D478-6852-45A1-BBAB-C11696D4BBAA | url-status = live }}</ref>
}}

Castlebar has experienced significant demographic changes over the past two centuries, with population figures showing notable fluctuations from 5,404 in 1821 to a low of 3,022 in 1861 in the wake of the [[Great Irish famine]]. There was a gradual recovery through the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After steady but modest growth for much of the 20th century, Castlebar expanded rapidly during the 1980s, 1990s, and 2000s. The population grew by one-third in the six years between the 1996 and 2002 census, reflecting a broader trend of urbanisation and economic development in Ireland during the [[Celtic Tiger]] period. According to the 2016 census,<ref name="census2016"/> the town's population reached 12,068, representing a threefold increase from the 1926 figure of 4,256.<ref>"Castlebar,", ''Encyclopædia Britannica'', 14th ed., vol. 5 (London and New York, 1929).</ref> By 2022, this figure had risen again to 13,054, marking Castlebar's continuing role as a key urban centre in County Mayo.<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |date=29 June 2023 |title=Press Statement Census 2022 Results Profile 1 - Population Distribution and Movements Mayo  |url=https://www.cso.ie/en/csolatestnews/pressreleases/2023pressreleases/pressstatementcensus2022resultsprofile1-populationdistributionandmovementsmayo/ |website=CSO.ie |location= |publisher= |access-date=21 May 2025 |quote=Looking at Mayo, we can see that Castlebar was the largest town, with a population of 13,054 in April 2022.}}</ref>

==Culture==
[[File:Linen hall-castlebar.JPG|thumb|Linenhall Arts Centre]]
[[File:Country Life Museum - geograph.org.uk - 113145.jpg|thumb|Museum of Country Life]]
Castlebar is the location for important festivals and traditions, among which is the International Four Days' Walk.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.discoverireland.ie/Whats-On/castlebar-international-four-days-walking-festival/13024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121027021021/http://www.discoverireland.ie/Whats-On/castlebar-international-four-days-walking-festival/13024|url-status=dead|title=Castlebar International Four Days Walking Festival|archive-date=27 October 2012}}</ref> A well-established [[blues music]] festival in venues across the town took place for many years on the weekend before the first Monday in June, but has not taken place since 2011.<ref>[http://www.castlebarblues.com/ Castlebar Blues] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20130215170125/http://www.castlebarblues.com/ |date=15 February 2013 }}</ref> During the 1970s and 1980s the town hosted the International [[Castlebar Song Contest]] which was televised nationally on [[RTÉ]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10409:castlebar-song-contest-to-be-chronicled-for-posterity&catid=23:news&Itemid=46|title=The Mayo News|website=www.mayonews.ie|access-date=24 January 2013|archive-date=10 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150610225904/http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=10409:castlebar-song-contest-to-be-chronicled-for-posterity&catid=23:news&Itemid=46|url-status=live}}</ref> In 1981 and 1982, the town played host to the [[Occasion at the Castle]] music festival.<ref>{{cite web |last= |first= |date=27 April 2022 |title=Occasion, Occasion: Castlebar, 1981 |url=https://theblackpoolsentinel.com/2022/04/27/occasion-occasion-castlebar-1981/ |website= |location= |publisher= |access-date=}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Gillespie |first=Tom |date=11 February 2023 |title=Rock festival days in Mayo’s county town |url=https://www.con-telegraph.ie/2023/02/11/rock-festival-days-in-mayos-county-town/ |work=[[Connaught Telegraph]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=20 May 2025}}</ref>

The [[National Museum of Ireland – Country Life|Museum of Country Life]] is located on the outskirts of Castlebar, and is the only branch of the [[National Museum of Ireland]] located outside Dublin.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.museum.ie/en/info/find-us-national-museum-ireland-country-life.aspx|title=Find Us &#124; Directions &#124; Maps &#124; Country Life &#124; National Museum &#124; Mayo|access-date=24 January 2013|archive-date=12 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130412093258/http://www.museum.ie/en/info/find-us-national-museum-ireland-country-life.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref>

Castlebar is home to the [[Linenhall Arts Centre]], which exhibits visual art throughout the year, as well as hosting live drama and music performances.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.thelinenhall.com/|title=Theatre, music, dance, cinema and art in Mayo, Linenhall Arts Centre|first=The Linenhall Arts|last=Centre|website=www.thelinenhall.com|access-date=11 August 2005|archive-date=3 November 2005|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051103030840/http://www.thelinenhall.com/|url-status=live}}</ref> The Royal Theatre and Event Centre has capacity of 2,200 people fully seated or 4,000 people standing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://theroyal.ie/|title=The Royal - Perfect Tips and Ideas for Life|website=The Royal|access-date=10 November 2019|archive-date=10 August 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200810222613/http://theroyal.ie/|url-status=live}}</ref> hosts larger-scale productions and popular music concerts.

There are Roman Catholic, [[Church of Ireland]] (Anglican), [[Elim Pentecostal]], and evangelical (Calvary Church Castlebar) churches in the town. An Islamic [[mosque]] was opened in October 2023.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.midwestradio.ie/index.php/news/70876-new-mosque-opening-today-in-castlebar|title=New Mosque Opening Today in Castlebar}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Kelly |first=Tom  |date=14 October 2023 |title=Opening of new mosque in Mayo is clearly a symbolic moment |url=https://www.con-telegraph.ie/2023/10/14/opening-of-new-mosque-in-mayo-is-clearly-a-symbolic-moment/ |work=[[Connaught Telegraph]] |location= |publisher= |access-date=20 May 2025}}</ref>

==Economy==
[[File:Castlebar large view from above.jpg|upright=1.5|thumb|Aerial view of Castlebar]]
Castlebar is home to the health care company [[Baxter Healthcare]] and manufacturer Fort Wayne Metals.
<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.idaireland.com/facts-about-ireland/selecting-location/west/ |title=West - IDA Ireland Investment Promotion Agency |access-date=2014-03-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140318212028/http://www.idaireland.com/facts-about-ireland/selecting-location/west/ |archive-date=18 March 2014 |df=dmy-all }}</ref>

==Transport==
===Road===
Castlebar is served by the [[N5 road (Ireland)|N5]] [[national primary road]] and the [[N60 road (Ireland)|N60]] and [[N84 road (Ireland)|N84]] [[national secondary road]]s. In 1990 a relief road was built around Castlebar, removing through traffic on the N5 from the main street. This road is a basic two-lane road. It suffers from chronic congestion, particularly in the summer months when thousands of tourists have to negotiate the bottleneck en route to neighbouring [[Westport, County Mayo|Westport]] and [[Achill Island]]. A bypass of Castlebar of dual-carriageway standard was approved by An Bórd Pleanala in July 2014,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mayonews.ie/news/20239-bord-pleanala-gives-green-light-to-new-n5 |title=Bord Pleanála gives 'green light' to new N5 |publisher=Mayonews.ie |date=2014-07-08 |access-date=2019-11-10 |archive-date=23 April 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160423211833/http://www.mayonews.ie/news/20239-bord-pleanala-gives-green-light-to-new-n5 |url-status=live }}</ref> and construction began in late 2019. It was completed in 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Castlebar Bypass Section Of The New N5 Westport To Turlough Road To Open |url=https://www.mayo.ie/en-ie/news/castlebar-bypass-section-of-the-new-n5-westport-to |access-date=2024-09-17 |website=MayoCoCo |language=en}}</ref>

===Rail===
[[Castlebar railway station]] is a station on the [[Dublin Heuston railway station|Dublin]] to Westport service. Passengers can travel to [[Ballina, County Mayo|Ballina]] and [[Foxford]] by travelling to [[Manulla Junction]] and changing trains<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.irishrail.ie/index.jsp?p=119&n=147|title=Irish Rail Printable Timetables|access-date=10 August 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402042758/http://www.irishrail.ie/train-timetables/timetables-by-route|archive-date=2 April 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>

The station opened on 17 December 1862.<ref>{{cite web | title=Castlebar station | work=Railscot – Irish Railways | url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | access-date=6 September 2007 | archive-date=26 September 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926042407/http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref>

===Old airport===
Castlebar used to have a commercial airport; the site where it once stood is now occupied by Castlebar Retail Park.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.castlebar.ie/photos/muirsind/airport/index.html |title=Airport |publisher=Castlebar.ie |access-date=2019-11-10 |archive-date=21 October 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201021044222/http://www.castlebar.ie/photos/muirsind/airport/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The airport's [[IATA code]] was CLB and its [[ICAO airport code|ICAO code]] was EICB.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.world-airport-codes.com/ireland/castlebar-8054.html |title=Castlebar - Ireland |publisher=World-airport-codes.com |date=2007-07-25 |access-date=2019-11-10 |archive-date=29 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190929093354/https://www.world-airport-codes.com/ireland/castlebar-8054.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

==Education==
[[File:Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology at Castlebar. - geograph.org.uk - 586127.jpg|thumb|Atlantic TU campus in Castlebar]]

In addition to a number of [[National school (Ireland)|national (primary) schools]], Castlebar's [[Education in the Republic of Ireland#Secondary education|secondary schools]] include [[St Gerald's College]] (a [[Lasallian educational institutions|De La Salle]] boys school), [[St Joseph's Secondary School, Castlebar|St Joseph's Secondary School]] (a girls school), and [[Davitt College]] (a mixed vocational school).{{citation needed|date=December 2019}}

Third level and further education colleges in the town include [[Atlantic TU]]'s Mayo campus (formerly [[Galway-Mayo Institute of Technology]]), the Mayo, Sligo & Leitrim [[Education and Training Board]], and Castlebar College of Further Education.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ccfe.ie/default.asp|title=Castlebar College of Further Education|website=www.ccfe.ie|access-date=2016-11-20|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161121044400/http://www.ccfe.ie/default.asp|archive-date=21 November 2016|url-status=dead|df=dmy-all}}</ref>

==Sport==
===GAA===
[[File:MacHale Park, Castlebar, Ireland, November 2016.jpg|thumb|[[MacHale Park]]]]
The local [[Gaelic football]] and [[hurling]] team is the [[Castlebar Mitchels GAA]] club. Throughout its history, the club has won over 30 [[Mayo Senior Football Championship]] titles and two [[Mayo Senior Hurling Championship]] titles. The club reached the [[All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship]] final in 2014 and 2016.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/st-vincents-crowned-champions-courtesy-of-connolly-masterclass-30099752.html|title=St. Vincent's crowned champions courtesy of Connolly masterclass |accessdate=31 March 2014 |work=[[Irish Independent]] |date=17 March 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/ballyboden-dominate-castlebar-to-win-first-ever-all-ireland-title-34549960.html|title=Ballyboden dominate Castlebar to win first ever All Ireland title |accessdate=19 March 2016 |work=[[Irish Examiner]] |date= 17 March 2016}}</ref> Other nearby GAA clubs include Breaffy GAA, Parke GAA, Islandeady GAA and Ballyvary Hurling Club.

[[MacHale Park]] in Castlebar is one of the larger [[Gaelic Athletic Association|GAA]] grounds in [[Ireland]], with a capacity of approximately 28,000.<ref>{{cite web|url = https://mayogaa.com/news-detail/10078903/ | title = Re-surfacing Of Hastings Insurance Machale Park | website = mayogaa.com | date = 18 April 2022 | accessdate = 25 August 2022 }}</ref> In the early 21st century, the [[Mayo GAA|Mayo county board]] oversaw the building of a new stand with dressing rooms and offices underneath.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

===Soccer===
Local soccer teams include [[Castlebar Celtic F.C.]], which was established in 1924. As of 2014, it had a team playing in the Mayo Super League and a [[Castlebar Celtic W.F.C.|senior women's side]] playing in the Continental [[Women's National League (Ireland)|Women's National League]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Clubs: Castlebar Celtic FC|url=http://wnl.fai.ie/clubs/castlebar-celtic-fc.htm|work=Women's National League|publisher=[[Football Association of Ireland|FAI]]|access-date=27 February 2014}}{{dead link|date=July 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> There is also a youth program which provides teams from under 10s to under 18s for boys and under 14 to under 17 for girls, as well as an under 8 academy. They play their home games in [[Celtic Park (Castlebar)|Celtic Park]], in the centre of the town. Castlebar Town FC were formed in the 1970s (as Castlebar United) as an alternative to Celtic. Other local teams include Snugboro United, Ballyheane FC, Manulla FC and Ballyvary Blue Bombers.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

===Rugby===
Castlebar RFC, a [[rugby union]] club and one of the original founding members of the Connacht branch of the IRFU in 1885, reformed 1928 and again revived in the 1970s. Its grounds are located at Cloondeash on the outskirts of the town, with two pitches and a club house. The club, which plays in a navy and light blue strip, participates in provincial (Connacht Junior League Div.1B) and national league competitions. Castlebar won the Cawley Cup in 2009 and reached the final in 2017. The ladies team, which was formed in 2012, won the Connacht Development League Final in November 2013.{{citation needed|date=August 2022}}

===Other sports===
There is an 18-hole golf club in the town, as well as athletics, basketball, racquetball, tennis and other clubs. The council provides an indoor heated swimming pool and there are numerous gyms.

There are also several martial arts clubs in the area,{{citation needed|date=June 2018}} and Castlebar hosted the WOMAA World Martial Games in both 2007 and 2008.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.womaa1.com/womaa.html|title=womaa|website=www.womaa1.com|access-date=24 January 2013|archive-date=16 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016050418/http://www.womaa1.com/womaa.html|url-status=live}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=June 2018}}

==Notable people==
{{see also|Category:People from Castlebar|List of people from County Mayo}}
[[File:Enda Kenny 2015 (cropped).jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|right|[[Enda Kenny]], former Taoiseach  (2011–2017)]]
* [[Ulick Bourke]] (1829–1877), scholar; founder of the [[Gaelic Union]]
* [[Burke family (Castlebar)|Enoch Burke]], anti-LGBT activist 
* [[Louis Brennan]] (1852–1932), inventor
* [[Margaret Burke-Sheridan]] (1889–1958), opera singer
* [[Pádraig Carney]] (1928–2019), a [[Gaelic football]]er who was known as the "Flying Doctor"
* [[Michael Feeney (MBE)|Michael Feeney]], chairman and founder of Mayo Peace Park Garden
* [[Pádraig Flynn]] (born 1939), former government minister and [[European Commissioner]]
* [[Charles Haughey]] (1925–2006), former [[Taoiseach]]
* [[John Hennen]] [[FRSE]] (1779–1828), military surgeon
* [[Enda Kenny]] (born 1951), former [[Taoiseach]]<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/enda-bids-sad-farewell-to-mother-26796811.html |title=Enda bids sad farewell to mother |work=Irish Independent |date=29 November 2011 |first=Lise |last=Hand |access-date=4 March 2016 |archive-date=7 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160307164953/http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/enda-bids-sad-farewell-to-mother-26796811.html |url-status=live }}</ref>
* [[Mark Mellett]] (born 1958), former [[Chief of Staff of the Defence Forces (Ireland)|Chief of Staff]] of the [[Defence Forces (Ireland)|Irish Defence Forces]]
* [[John MacHale]] (1789–1881), Archbishop of Tuam, Irish independence leader
* [[Ernie O'Malley]] (1897–1957), prominent officer in the [[Irish Republican Army]] during the [[Irish War of Independence]] and on the anti-[[Anglo-Irish Treaty|Treaty]] side in the [[Irish Civil War]]; also a writer
* [[Patrick J. Rogers]] (1844–1897), American lawyer and politician<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/eveningjournalal1883slsn/page/146/mode/1up?view=theater |title=Evening Journal Almanac, 1883 |year=1883 |pages=146 |via=[[Internet Archive]] |access-date=3 December 2023}}</ref>
* [[William Joyce Sewell]] (1835–1901), Unionist colonel during the [[American Civil War]], US senator from [[New Jersey]]
* [[Sally Rooney]] (born 1991), novelist and screenwriter<ref name=Armitstead>{{cite web|last=Armitstead|first=Claire|date=2 December 2018|title=Sally Rooney: 'I don't respond to authority very well'|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2018/dec/02/sally-rooney-interview-dont-respond-authority-normal-people|work=The Guardian|access-date=22 January 2019}}</ref>

==Twin towns – sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in the Republic of Ireland}}
Castlebar is [[Sister city|twinned]] with:
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Dixon, Illinois|Dixon]], United States<ref>{{cite web|title=Sister Cities|url=https://www.dixongov.com/departments/commissions-associations-boards/sister-cities-association/sister-cities.html|website=dixongov.com|publisher=City of Dixon Illinois|access-date=2020-12-31|archive-date=26 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126042905/https://www.dixongov.com/departments/commissions-associations-boards/sister-cities-association/sister-cities.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Höchstadt|Höchstadt an der Aisch]], Germany<ref>{{cite web|title=20th anniversary of Castlebar twinning with German town to be marked|url=https://www.con-telegraph.ie/2020/09/15/20th-anniversray-of-castlebar-twinning-with-german-town-to-be-marked/|website=con-telegraph.ie|publisher=The Connaught Telegraph|date=2020-09-15|access-date=2020-12-31|archive-date=18 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200918192959/https://www.con-telegraph.ie/2020/09/15/20th-anniversray-of-castlebar-twinning-with-german-town-to-be-marked/|url-status=live}}</ref>
*{{flagicon|USA}} [[Peekskill, New York|Peekskill]], United States<ref>{{cite web|title=Featured Irish Cities In the Valley: Peekskill|url=https://hvmag.com/life-style/featured-irish-cities-in-the-valley-peekskill/|website=hvmag.com|publisher=Hudson Valley Magazine|date=2015-03-05|access-date=2020-12-31|archive-date=18 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210318164340/https://hvmag.com/life-style/featured-irish-cities-in-the-valley-peekskill/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland|List of towns and villages in Ireland]]
* [[Murders of Jack and Tommy Blaine]]

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
* [https://www.mayo.ie/castlebarmd Castlebar Municipal District]
* [http://www.castlebar.ie/ Castlebar News]
* [https://www.castlebarmayo.com/ Visit Castlebar]

{{County Mayo}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Castlebar| ]]
[[Category:County towns in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:Former boroughs in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:Former urban districts in the Republic of Ireland]]
[[Category:Towns and villages in County Mayo]]