| Ballycastle Baile an Chaisil
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| — Town — | |
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Ballycastle
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| Coordinates: | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Connacht |
| County | County Mayo |
| Elevation | 78 m (256 ft) |
| Population (2002) | |
| • Urban | 249 |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Irish Grid Reference | G104378 |
Ballycastle (Irish: Baile an Chaisil, meaning "town of the castle") is a village in County Mayo, Ireland, situated northwest from Ballina, near Mayo's north coast in the West of Ireland. Ballycastle is also on the edge of an Irish speaking area called a Gaeltacht.
Ballycastle is situated on the rugged coast of North Mayo, with its northern boundary exposed to the wild Atlantic ocean. To the west of the town are the Stags of Broadhaven (600 million years old), to the east lies Killala Bay while to the south are the towns of Crossmolina and Ballina. It was at the Céide Fields that the first settlers began to farm the slopes of the Behy/Glenurla hillside over 5000 years ago. Ballycastle is host to the annual Healyfest festival. The festival takes place every August Bank holiday weekend and has grown from strength to strength since its inception in 2005. This event attracts bands from all over Ireland and beyond for a weekend of great fun and great music.
The parish of Ballycastle is a combination of the two ancient parishes of Kilbride and Doonfeeney. The name Ballycastle was in use as early as 1470 and was referred to as a parish in the Catholic directory of 1836.
Famous people from Ballycastle include the Gaelic footballer Tommy Langan. He won two All-Ireland Senior Football Championships with the Mayo GAA senior county team and was named on the Football Team of the Millennium.
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