A couple of people asked me about the beginnings of the Mayo Historical Society of which I posted recently, regarding Ms McManus’s participation.

It was established informally in 1955 when a group of educationalists met and decided to form a Society following a lecture held in the Imperial Hotel by Mrs. Cecil Woodham Smith, who wrote “The Great Hunger”. The inaugural meeting was held on 10th December 1956 in the Vocational School, Castlebar with guest speaker Sir Charles Petrie, President of the Military History Society.

The original Officers were; Chairman, Rev A’O'Toole, CC, Castlebar; Secretary, Ms. Kathleen Desmond, County Librarian; and Committee members; Mrs. M. Hanley N.T.; Ms Bea Hynes, Solr; Miss L Walsh N.T.; Messrs. P. Buckley; F. Joyce; J. Garavan, Solr; H Hoban N.T.; J. McCormack; J. O’Donnell, County Secretary and J.C. Daly, N.T.

They were originally called “Castlebar Historical Society” but substituted ‘Mayo’ when members joined from outside the town. By 1960, they had a total membership of seventy, who paid an annual subscription of 5/-. Lectures were given in either the Vocational School or in the Imperial Hotel by well known persons such as Fr. FX Martin, Professor of Medieval History, UCD and Chief Justice, C.A. Maguire, President of the Supreme Court. Topics ranged from ‘Franciscans in Mayo’; ‘Irish Folklife and Customs’ to ‘Irish Stained Glass’. The last lecture was by Rev Liam Swords, Swinford on the ‘Life and Times of an Elizabethan Bishop’ in January 1967.

A new Society was formed shortly afterwards in Ballina called the North Mayo Historical Society so the Castlebar based one disbanded.

In 1986, Mayo Historical & Archaeological Society, based in Castlebar was reactivated after a lapse of many years, under the stewardship of Noel O’Neill and others. Each year since then, the society has organised a series of very successful historical, archaeological and geographical lectures, which are held during the winter months, and these have attracted large audiences from all over the country.