Mayo History Spotlight: Information Board Unveiled at Aglish Graveyard in Castlebar

An information board has been erected at Aglish Graveyard in Castlebar, drawing fresh attention to a historic burial ground where hundreds former patients of the Castlebar District Lunatic Asylum, later known as St Mary’s Hospital, are believed to be buried in unmarked graves.

The project has been delivered by Castlebar Tidy Towns in partnership with Castlebar Municipal District and the St Mary’s Historical and Heritage Society, following a surge in public interest in the site.

Chairman of Castlebar Tidy Towns, Gerard Deere, said the initiative grew from long-standing efforts to protect and improve the burial ground.

“My neighbour is an elderly gentleman who was the land steward at St Mary’s Hospital for over 40 years. The burial ground is a passion of his and he wants the memory to be somewhere,” Mr Deere said.

“About 20 years ago he himself and the committee from the St Mary’s Historical Society cleared the area so much to put up a little headstone and put a path.”

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That pathway later deteriorated and was closed for safety reasons, leaving the site largely inaccessible.

“He was very anxious to have some proper recognition but you couldn’t get in and people didn’t know about it,” Mr Deere said. “A few months ago he asked me could I help him out… so I mentioned it to the Tidy Towns committee and they said just get involved in this.”

Working with Castlebar Municipal District, the group created a new pathway, cleared overgrowth and improved visibility into the burial ground. As work progressed, local curiosity increased.

“A lot of people were checking what was happening there. Most of them had never been down to see the plaque. […] We said look we need to do something about this, make people more aware of it,” Mr Deere said.

The new information board details the history of the burial ground, which served patients of the former Castlebar District Lunatic Asylum from the late 19th century until 1922. St Mary’s Hospital opened on April 26, 1866 and will mark its 160th anniversary later this year.

The asylum was built following an 1817 report by the Select Committee on the Relief of the Lunatic Poor, which highlighted the lack of mental health facilities in Ireland.

Before the Castlebar hospital opened, Mayo patients were required to travel to the Connaught Lunatic Asylum in Ballinasloe, which opened in 1833.

Records show that patients who died in the asylum and whose families did not take their remains home were buried on the asylum grounds at Aglish.

Minutes from a Board of Governors meeting in December 1885 show that, with approval from the then Home Secretary Lord Balfour, the graveyard was formally established for the burial of Roman Catholic inmates.

Historical documents indicate the burial ground was in use between 1878 and 1922. A review of death and discharge registers shows that 1,956 patients died in the asylum between 1866 and 1922, with most deaths attributed to physical illnesses, particularly tuberculosis.

It remains unclear how many of those patients were buried at Aglish, as many were taken home by families where possible.

Burials at Aglish ceased in 1922 when the new cemetery at Lough Lannagh on the Westport Road came into use. Approximately 350 patients were later buried there in unmarked graves, with individually marked graves introduced from the 1990s onwards.

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Mr Deere said estimates suggest that well over a thousand people may be buried at Aglish.

“There’s no proper estimates for the record as well… there’s no proper names of them, there’s no names on headstones,” he said. “They’re from all over Mayo people.”

He said the aim of the project is to ensure the site is treated with dignity and respect.

“I think it’s only right to have a dignified resting place and that people understand,” he said.

Mr Deere said he has been surprised by the public response since the information board was installed, with many locals unaware of the burial ground’s existence.

The project has also involved local schools, including students from St Gerald’s College, who planted daffodils and bluebells in the area earlier this year.

Looking ahead, Castlebar Tidy Towns plans further landscaping and maintenance in partnership with the St Mary’s Historical and Heritage Society, which holds extensive historical archives. Funding has been secured through Mayo County Council with support from councillors across the county.

Mr Deere acknowledged the support of David Mellette, Joe Mangan and Anthony O’Malley from Castlebar Municipal District, and highlighted the historic significance of the surrounding old gaol wall, believed to be the last remaining section of the original Castlebar jail.

“There’s a whole historical thing about the old gaol wall… it’s the last remaining piece of the old jail,” he said.

Local groups hope the new signage will continue to raise awareness of the site’s social and historical importance while supporting efforts to develop a fitting memorial for those buried there.

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