Louisburgh, County Mayo

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“Louisburgh” redirects here. For other uses, see Louisburgh (disambiguation).

Louisburgh
Cluain Cearbán

Location

WGS-84 (GPS) Coordinates:
53.7667° N 9.8167° W

Irish Grid Reference
L803812

Statistics

1 m

Population (2002)
- Town:
- Rural:

207
755

Louisburgh (Irish: Cluain Cearbán) is a small town on the southwest corner of Clew Bay. It is home to the Grace O'Malley Interpretive Centre, and close to Old Head Wood and Delphi.

The main geographical features around Louisburgh are Croagh Patrick to the east, the Sheaffrey and Mweelrea Mountains to the south, the Atlantic to the west and Clew Bay to the north. Originally a planned town it retains many of the eighteenth century features in style and scale.

Louisburgh is built on the Bunowen River part of which is a salmon fishery. Nearby Roonagh Pier, approx 6km from the town, is the departure point for ferries to Clare Island and Inishturk. There are a number of beaches in the area renowned for their cleanliness and each year, generally in April, the town hosts a traditional music festival - Féile Chois Chuan - which attracts a large number of enthusiasts from many parts of Ireland and abroad.

Louisburgh is experiencing an upturn in its fortunes as is the rest of Ireland. For many years emigration and joblessness prevailed but more recently high employment especially in construction has prevailed due to a large a number of holiday homes being built. Many local people commute to work in nearby towns such as Westport and Castlebar, each of which have a growing industrial base.

Recreationally, Louisburgh is a paradise for fishermen, surfers, hill walkers, beach-walkers and photographers. It is hoped that its unrivalled seclusion and tranquility on the very western edge of Europe will endure into the future.

Recently the theatre has received a major boom in the town with the addition of a second drama society. The new group entitled Ceoil agus Drama i gCluain Cearban (Music and Drama in Louisburgh) formed with a focus on children's theatre and pantomine. They then went on to perform the first ever pantomime in Louisburgh helping to raise over 1,000 euro for the local Order of Malta group.