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44-634: Ballinrobe Community School is a secondary school in Ballinrobe , County Mayo . It is a mixed gender school and it was opened in September 1990, after the merging of 3 second level schools in Ballinrobe. As of the 2024 school year, William Culkeen was the principal and 771 students (403 boys and 368 girls) were enrolled in the school. The school was founded after the Sacred Heart Secondary School,

88-450: A 23-hour struggle fighting the elements, he felt it was best to land somewhere in Ireland. Vaitkus spotted an open field at Ballinrobe and came down, with the airplane suffering extensive damage, but he himself suffered no injuries. Lituanica II was crated for shipment to Lithuania, where it was restored. He went to Kaunas, where he was given a hero's welcome. According to the 2016 census ,

132-409: A day between Galway and Ballina , and passes through Ballinrobe and Castlebar. Ballinrobe railway station opened on 1 November 1892, the terminus of a branch line from Claremorris. The station closed to passengers on 1 June 1930, but remained open for goods traffic, particularly livestock, until final closure on 1 January 1960. The station building is now a private residence. Ballinrobe Racecourse

176-733: A debate in Dáil Éireann in May 2018, Éamon Ó Cuív asked Kevin Moran (formerly the Minister for Public Expenditure and Reform) about the plans the Office of Public Works had for Bunadober Mill. Moran said that the OPW undertook work at the site to conserve the buildings and its historic contents, which involved repair of buildings, recording of artefacts and storing and cataloguing objects that were in vulnerable condition. He said that

220-469: A marketing centre for local produce. Perishable goods such as butter, meat, and bread were sold in the lower floor, while the upper floor was used as a meeting hall. Ballinrobe District Court was housed in the Market House and it has been permanently closed since 1 September 2010. Saint Mary's Catholic Church contains eight low light windows by Harry Clarke which were commissioned by Monsignor d'Alton in

264-552: A more powerful engine. New equipment was added, which Darius and Girėnas did not have, such as a variable-pitch propeller to improve engine performance and a radio compass. Lituanica II was test-flown extensively to ensure its success. Vaitkus arrived at Floyd Bennett Field in New York in May 1935. That year, prior to his arrival, no pilots had been able to fly over the Atlantic due to poor weather conditions, and so he had to wait until

308-583: A number of other priests between 1649 and 1875, who were associated with the Augustine Abbey. Fr. Conway was appointed the first curate of Ballinrobe in 1847. He was the minister to both Ballinrobe and Partry for a number of years and was responsible for negotiating permission, with a Colonel Knox to construct St. Mary's Catholic Church on Main Street. The church was started under Fr. Conway in 1853. Subsequent curates were Fr. Hardiman and Dean Ronayne. Fr. Hardiman

352-568: A pair of shoes were shared in rotation, by different members of a family. In 1839, the Union Workhouse of the Poor Law Union of Ballinrobe was founded. Ballinrobe suffered greatly during the Great Famine of 1845 to 1849. With 2,000 inmates at the height of the famine, the workhouse was so overcrowded that on 23 March 1847, The Mayo Constitution reported: In Ballinrobe the workhouse is in

396-651: A show annually in Ballinrobe Community School . The 3rd Mayo Boy Scout group is in Ballinrobe. Genealogical records for the region (such as Church of Ireland, Roman Catholic, and civil documents; and gravestone inscription records) are held at the South Mayo Family Research Centre on Main Street. Ballinrobe Livestock Mart is one of only two marts in County Mayo ; it is held every Wednesday. Local employers include McHale Farm Machinery on

440-589: Is a rare horizontal mill. The surrounding area was once titled Bun an dTobar (Bottom of the Spring Wells). The water flowing here arrives by an underground river. When tested with dye, it was established its mother source was the Bulkaun River that runs through part of Ballinrobe town. The mill's location probably dates back many centuries. It contains mill machinery which once powered a range of operations, including blacksmithing, stone and wood cutting. An area near

484-528: Is credited with bringing the Mercy Order of nuns to Ballinrobe in 1851, and Dean Ronayne is credited with bringing the Christian Brothers there in 1876. The local Sisters of Mercy Convent was founded from Westport in 1851. Their mission included the education of children, visitation and care of the sick, and helping the poor. In 1935, Feliksas Vaitkus landed his plane, Lituanica II , near Ballinrobe. He

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528-470: Is the only racecourse in Mayo. The town has a long horse racing tradition. It hosted a steeplechase in 1834 and there are records of meetings as far back as 1774. The current track has been there since 1921. The racecourse was awarded best racecourse in Ireland for 2012 and 2023 by Horse Racing Ireland. Ballinrobe Golf Club is the oldest in Mayo, formed in 1895. Cloonacastle Estate, which dates back to 1238, became

572-613: The Partry Angling Club are three fishing clubs around Ballinrobe. The World Cup fishing competition takes place each year at the August bank holiday weekend. Feliksas Vaitkus His parents came from Lithuania in 1904, settling in the old "Lithuanian Downtown" in Chicago's Bridgeport neighborhood where Vaitkus was born three years later. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1928, and after graduating from advanced pilot’s training school,

616-511: The (river) Robe') is a town in County Mayo in Ireland. It is located on the River Robe , which empties into Lough Mask two kilometres to the west. As of the 2022 census , the population was 3,148. The town is in a civil parish of the same name. Ballinrobe is considered to be one of the oldest towns in Mayo, dating to 1390. In 1337, the registry of the Dominican friary of Athenry mentions

660-470: The 150th anniversary of St. Mary's a book describing the panels was published. The windows form part of the Ballinrobe Heritage Walk which covers 30 historic sites in the town. These are marked with bronze ground markers and a free booklet is available in the local library. It was common practice for people from the countryside to walk barefoot when heading towards Ballinrobe. When they reached

704-490: The Baker ). In 1704, a new law required the registration of Catholic priests. The Catholic Church was suppressed throughout Ireland. There are no records for any Catholic rites in the area before 1831, however, some priests continued to perform the rites in secret. The name of one of them is known: Fr. Duffy ministered in Ballinrobe from 1696 until 1712. He was captured and deported to Spain, where he died. There appears to have been

748-634: The Castlebar Road, Jennings Meats on the Neale Road, Cawe Suspended Ceilings on Watson's Lane, Tesco on the Claremorris Road and Cummins SuperValu and Hardware stores on New Street. There are several renovated, historic structures in and around the town. Bunadober Mill , also known locally as Moran's Mill, is located off the Ballinrobe/Clonbur road (L1613 and R345) close to Cairn Daithi and

792-733: The Christian Brothers school and the Vocational school merged in 1990. In the 1850s, the Sisters of Mercy provided Ballinrobe with primary education, founding the Mercy Intermediate School in 1920 and later founding the Sacred Heart Secondary School. The Christian Brothers opened a second level school in 1879 and 10 pupils were prepared for the first Intermediate exams held in Ireland in that year. The Vocational School opened in 1962. The school teaches Junior and Senior Cycle as well as offering an optional Transition Year. Several students in

836-541: The aircraft suffering extensive damage. He was lucky to be alive and uninjured. Lituanica II was crated for shipment to Lithuania, where it would be restored. By ship and by train he made his way to Kaunas where he was given a hero’s welcome. Feliksas Vaitkus was the only pilot to fly across the North Atlantic in 1935, and even though he landed in Ireland and not in Kaunas, he was entered in aviation’s history books for being

880-492: The autumn of 1924. The windows depict scenes from the life of Jesus and Mary, and eight Irish saints. Ballinrobe has one of the largest collections of Harry Clarke stained-glass panels in St. Mary's Church, with the first four inserted in 1924. This was followed by a further 12 panels in 1925 when Clarke visited the town to view his work. There are eight of his signed drawings for these windows in existence, with copies in Ballinrobe. For

924-562: The boundary on the southwest of the ruins. In 1922, during the Irish Civil War , a great deal of the structure was burned, although the main portion remains to this day. Ballinrobe lies some 48 km (30 mi) north of Galway , on the N84 road from Galway to Castlebar . A bypass for the town has been proposed. The town is linked to Claremorris by the R331 road . A bus service runs three times

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968-553: The chief meteorologist gave him a favorable weather report. It was not until four months later, on the evening of September 20, he was informed that the weather along his route had improved, where conditions were average, with no major changes expected in the next 24 hours. Encouraged with this news, Vaitkus decided to fly. He carried five ham and egg sandwiches, a quart of coffee and lemonade, fruit, plus two gallons of water. One thousand letters were onboard too to be delivered to Lithuania, and ribbons from Lithuanian-Americans of Chicago for

1012-462: The corner of the Neale Road and Lough Mask road, they would stop and put on their shoes. On the way home, people would sit and take their shoes off and walk home barefoot in order to protect their shoes from wear and tear. On 29 November 2019, a sculpture was unveiled by the Minister for Rural and Community Development, Michael Ring, which serves as a reminder of Ballinrobe's history. The shoe sculpture

1056-476: The external of the main buildings was in a 'reasonable condition', but several areas would require further attention before the building could be opened to visitors. There is a river walk called the Bowers Walk in Ballinrobe, which stretches for three kilometres along the River Robe . In 2019, it received funding to be developed and upgraded. Cranmore House was built in 1838 by Alexander Clendining Lambert who

1100-444: The graves of Steponas Darius and Stasys Girėnas . The next day, September 21, at 6:45 in the morning, Lituanica II was headed for Europe. Unfortunately, Vaitkus had to fight the worst possible weather conditions, flying through rain, fog, and icing, so that most of his navigation had to be by his new radio compass. More than once he noticed ice forming on the wings and had to descend to a lower altitude until it thawed off. Vaitkus

1144-463: The house is not open to the public due to its poor condition, but forest walks and fishing is possible on Lough Carra. In 1698, it was the site of a Commission of Inquiry which among other things, relocated property from Catholic to Protestant landlords. In 1716, the County Assizes (Civil and Criminal Courts) were held in Ballinrobe, most likely in the Market House. It was rebuilt in 1752 and became

1188-431: The largest and most important in the area. Market day in Ballinrobe was Monday. Each commodity had its special place in the town. Well into the mid-1900s, turf , hay, potatoes, turnips, and cabbage were sold on Abbey Street; poultry on Glebe Street; calves on Bridge Street; and cloth, flannel, woollen socks, lace, wheat, oats, and barley outside the Market House. There were special livestock fairs held at different times of

1232-405: The mill was used in the 1800s and 1900s as a laundry for washing blankets from the two local barracks, the infantry and cavalry. From 1885, the mill was operated by William Walsh and several others. Around 1900, John and Bridget Moran took over, followed by their son, who built a corn drying kiln. In 1980, the mill closed and was taken under state protection in 1996 as a National Monument . During

1276-414: The monastery de Roba , an Augustinian friary whose restored ruins are one of the landmarks of the town today. A Royal Patent granted to the people of Ballinrobe on 6 December 1606 by King James allowed the town to hold fairs and markets. Obtaining a market charter was an important step in the economic development of a town and required having a spokesperson who was in the king's favour. The town became

1320-401: The most awfully deplorable state, pestilence having attacked paupers, officers, and all. In fact, this building is one horrible charnel house, the unfortunate paupers being nearly all the victims of a fearful fever, the dying and the dead, we might say, huddled together. The master has become the victim of this dread disease; the clerks, a young man whose energies were devoted to the well-being of

1364-496: The new home for the club during its centenary year in 1995. Flanagan Park, which has a floodlit pitch, is the home of Ballinrobe Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) club. Moytura Hurling Club, which was formed in 2006, plays on the Ballinrobe Community School pitch. The Green is the home of Ballinrobe Town Football Club and Ballinrobe Rugby Club. Ballinrobe and District Angling Club, Lough Mask Angling Club, and

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1408-444: The population of Ballinrobe was 91% white (including 1,841 white Irish [58.82%], 637 other white [20.35%] and 134 [4.82%] white Irish traveller), 0.38% black (12) and 5.18% Asian (162). Additionally, 2% (62) were from other ethnic or cultural background, while 9.01% (282) did not state their ethnicity. The Ballinrobe Agricultural Society hold their show usually at the end of August or early September. Ballinrobe Musical Society puts on

1452-548: The same epidemic. Now the Ballinrobe board have complied with the Commissioner's orders, in admitting a houseful of paupers and in striking a new rate, which cannot be collected; while the unfortunate inmates, if they escape the awful epidemic, will survive only to be the subjects of a lingering death by starvation! Ninety-six people died in just one week in April 1849. The dead were buried in unmarked, shallow graves, located just outside

1496-604: The school have scored the country's top marks in the Leaving Certificate, with one student achieving 8 A1s in 2002, and another also with 8 A1s in 2016. The school offers sporting and extracurricular activities to its students. The school's Gaelic football team won the 2017 Paddy Drummond Cup. In golf, a team from the school won the Irish Schools Junior Championship in 2013. Ballinrobe Ballinrobe ( Irish : Baile an Róba , meaning 'town of

1540-621: The sixth pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic. He was recalled to active duty in the Army Air Corps in 1940, serving as the chief test pilot at the Boeing Aircraft Co. in Seattle, testing hundreds of B-17 and B-29 bombers. He was recalled again to serve in the U.S. Air Force during the Korean War . He died of a heart attack while stationed at Wiesbaden , Germany , on July 25, 1956, at

1584-473: The union, has been added to the victims; the matron, too, is dead; and the respected, and esteemed physician has fallen before the ravages of pestilence, in his constant attendance on the diseased inmates. This is the position of the Ballinrobe house, every officer swept away, while the number of deaths among the inmates is unknown; and we forgot to add that the Roman Catholic chaplain is also dangerously ill of

1628-571: The year for pigs, cattle, and sheep. Ballinrobe Chronicle was the local newspaper published from 1866 to 1903. On 17 May 1919, the first of the Republican law courts were set up in Ballinrobe. The first court under the direct authority of the Dail sat at Ballinrobe, on 17 May 1920 and was reported with some pride in the national press. Two Ballinrobe bakeries, Western Pride and Country Crust, merged in 1989 to form Irish Pride (later acquired by Pat

1672-530: Was an agent of the Knox family. He leased the land on which the house was built from Colonel Charles Nesbit Knox of Castle Lack, County Mayo. It is now a ruin, having had its roof removed in 1960, and is situated at the corner of Bowgate Street and Main Street. Moore Hall was the house and estate of George Henry Moore and family, is situated six miles north of Ballinrobe. The Moores were an aristocratic Irish family who built Moore Hall between 1792 and 1795. The ruin of

1716-442: Was carved by Tommy Kerrigan, a local artist, who carved the pair of boots using solid oak. The plaque beside the sculpture states the following: In the past, people from the country side put on their shoes / boots at this spot before walking into Ballinrobe. This saved wear and tear. Children did not use footwear until they were 16 years or more and from St. Patrick's Day to October 1st, women frequently wore no shoes. On occasions,

1760-469: Was christened Lituanica II on Sunday, April 22, 1934. When the pilot originally chosen for the flight unexpectedly resigned in the spring, the Lithuanian organizers turned to Feliksas Vaitkus, and he accepted the challenge to fly to Lithuania. The original flight date was postponed to 1935 because modifications were needed to strengthen the aircraft's structure due to the installation of extra fuel tanks and

1804-640: Was commissioned a second lieutenant in the Air Corps . In 1931, he was placed in the reserves with the rank of first lieutenant and returned to civilian life to work with his father-in-law who operated a flying school in Kohler, Wisconsin . A few months after the Lituanica tragedy, some prominent members of the Chicago Lithuanian community discussed the possibility of financing another transatlantic flight. This idea

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1848-604: Was greeted with much enthusiasm, and enough funds were raised during this difficult period, the Great Depression . A much faster and more modern aircraft (compared to the original Lituanica ) was purchased from the Lockheed Aircraft Corp., called the Lockheed Vega , the same model used by Wiley Post in his round-the-world flight, and by Amelia Earhart , the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic. The aircraft

1892-572: Was helped considerably by hourly broadcasts from an Irish radio station. He learned that Dublin was fogged in, as well as all areas heading east as far as the Baltic Sea . He knew that he could not make it to Kaunas due to his low fuel supply, and being exhausted after a 23-hour struggle fighting the elements, he felt it was best to come down somewhere in Ireland. He spotted an open field in Cloongowla at Ballinrobe , County Mayo and landed there, with

1936-563: Was the sixth person to make a successful flight over the Atlantic Ocean with a single engine, single seat airplane. Vaitkus fought terrible weather conditions and was helped considerably by hourly broadcasts from an Irish radio station. He learned that Dublin was fogged in, as well as all areas heading east as far as the Baltic Sea . He knew that he could not make it to Kaunas in Lithuania due to his low fuel supply, and being exhausted after

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