Neale, County Mayo
|
The Neale An Éill
|
|
|---|---|
| Town/Village | |
 The Neale
|
|
| Coordinates: 53°34′23″N 9°13′30″W / 53.573°N 9.225°WCoordinates: 53°34′23″N 9°13′30″W / 53.573°N 9.225°W | |
| Country | Ireland |
| Province | Connacht |
| County | County Mayo |
| Elevation | 60 m (200 ft) |
| Time zone | WET (UTC+0) |
| • Summer (DST) | IST (WEST) (UTC-1) |
| Irish Grid Reference | M189588 |
Neale, also known as the Neale (in Irish, An Éill), is a small village in the south of County Mayo in Ireland. It is located near the villages of Cong 4 km to the south-west, Cross 4 km to the south and the town of Ballinrobe about 5 km to the north.
The Neale is steeped in historical and archaeological wealth which is virtually unknown. Spread over the landscape are the ruins of the Norman castles occupied by the McDonnell mercenaries. Adjacent to The Neale village is the home of the first Englishman to settle in the country – sheriff and map maker – John Browne. The Neale village also hosted the great uncrowned king of Ireland, Charles Stewart Parnell, and Michael Davitt during the Land League era. The system of organised ostracisation of over bearing landlords and agents – later termed boycotting by Fr. O'Malley (Parish priest in The Neale), was first put into operation at Lough Mask House where Captain Boycott attempted to raise the rents. Journalists from all over Europe and America converged on the tiny village to witness the non-violent resistance, which in later years, was the hallmark of Gandhi and Martin Luther King.
On 27 October 2012, the Neale GAA Junior team became the first team within the Club to win the County Mayo Junior Club Championship beating a much fancied Ardnaree team by 2–09 to 1–17 after extra time at MacHale Park Castlebar. Playing Junior status for the last 110 years, the Neale then took their place at Intermediate level in 2013 for the first time in the Club's proud history. Ecstatic scenes of joy and emotion were ever present upon the sound of the final whistle to what was a fairytale ending to a County Final that will never be forgotten.
The Pyramid of The Neale is an example of a folly. A folly was building that served no purpose and there are five main types: Temples, Pillars, Grottos, and Small Castles. This step pyramid was built around 1760 and is a 30 foot structure rising from a series of steps from the base nearly 40 feet in width. The present John Kilmaine in Alcester, England gave us the following information: "It is said that the pyramid is constructed on the old tumulus. The building of the pyramid is attributed to Sir John Browne the 7th Baronet and 1st Baron of Kilmaine, in memory of his brother, Sir George Browne. The structure, which at one time was crowned by a lead figure of Apollo, was designed by the Earl of Charlemont for his brother in law, Sir John Browne, The Neale". There are a few varying stories of the building of the Pyramid. One such story is that Lord Kilmaine was anxious to find a way of relieving the extreme poverty of his tenants in the post famine years, so he eemployed several men to pick up the stones around the estate.He had those stones piled up and built into a pyramid. This provided the poor people with a little additional income. In the later years a wind-vane adorned the top of the pyramid, so the landlord could indulge in his passion for meteorology and the recording of weather systems over a pereiod of 30 years. The Office of Public Works refurbishedthe Pyramid in 1990.
...
Wikipedia