Gweesalia

Gweesalia or Geesala (in Irish, and officially, Gaoth Sáile)^[1] is a small Gaeltacht village in County Mayo, Ireland. It is on the Gweesalia peninsula in the Electoral Division of Rathhill, in the Civil Parish of Kilcommon, in the Barony of Erris in the west of the county.

Gweesalia Gaoth Sáile Geesala
Village
John Millington Synge bar in Geesala
Gweesalia Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 54°06′45″N 9°53′57″W
Country	Ireland
Province	Connacht
County	County Mayo

The village has a general store, pub, community centre (that contains a boxing club and cafe), post office, St Columkille’s Catholic Church, playground and a hotel.^{[citation needed]}

History

Built heritage

Evidence of ancient settlement in the area include a ringfort and several reputed crannog sites in the neighbouring townlands of An Ráith, Tulachán Dubh and Dumha Locha.^[2] Within the village itself, the local Catholic church was designed by architect Ralph Henry Byrne and opened in 1932.^[3]

Synge connection

John Millington Synge's play, The Playboy of the Western World is reputedly set in the area,^[4] and its first act is based in a fictional shebeen (unlicensed pub) in Geesala.^[5][6] The play's "savage hero" is partially based on a man convicted of assaulting a woman on Achill Island in 1894, the details of which were recounted to Synge while on the Aran Islands.^[7][8]

Transport

On Saturdays only Bus Éireann route 446 links Gweesalia with Blacksod and Ballina.^[9] Onward bus and rail connections are available at Ballina.^{[citation needed]}

Sport

Geesala National School has won a number of county titles in Gaelic football and is well represented at minor, U-21 and senior levels. The village's boxing club has produced such boxers as Henry Coyle and Jimmy Monaghan, with some of its students achieving world titles in lightweight and bantamweight divisions.^{[citation needed]}

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

1. "Gaoth Sáile / Gweesalia". logainm.ie. Irish Placenames Commission. Retrieved 27 August 2020.
2. Record Of Monuments And Places As Established Under Section 12 Of The National Monuments (Amendment) Act 1994 - County Mayo. Dublin: National Monuments And Historic Properties Service. 1996.
3. "Saint Columkille's Catholic Church, Gweesalia, Gaoth Sáile [Gweesalia], Mayo". buildingsofireland.ie. National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
4. "Geesala in Co. Mayo". mayo-ireland.ie. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
5. "Playboy 100 years on". mayonews.ie. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
6. "Synge House fit for a playboy". irishexaminer.com. Irish Examiner. 25 August 2007. Retrieved 30 September 2020.
7. "Hero or villain? The gruesome tale of the 'real' Playboy of the Western World". independent.ie. Independent News & Media. 5 May 2012. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
8. "'The Playboy of The Western World' - John Millington Synge". mayo-ireland.ie. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
9. "Bus Éireann - Timetable - Route 446" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 May 2012. Retrieved 6 June 2012.