Will schools close due to Storm Amy? Latest update amid Met Éireann weather warnings
Search
02 Oct 2025
Search
02 Oct 2025
Please allow ads as they help fund our trusted local news content.
Kindly add us to your ad blocker whitelist.
If you want further access to Ireland's best local journalism, consider contributing and/or subscribing to our free daily Newsletter .
Support our mission and join our community now.
To continue reading this article, you can subscribe for as little as €0.50 per week which will also give you access to all of our premium content and archived articles!
Alternatively, you can pay €0.50 per article, capped at €1 per day.
Thank you for supporting Ireland's best local journalism!
DELVING DEEPER Author Dr John O’Callaghan, an experienced mountain walk leader, has a deep love of Mayo’s diverse landscape and the stories behind the names that mark it.
Mayo researcher and writer John O’Callaghan has just published a book that is sure to fascinate many living in Mayo and with Mayo connections. Entitled ‘West Mayo Placenames – Origin and Meaning’, it will be officially launched in Westport Town Hall Theatre tomorrow evening (Wednesday), December 4, at 6pm.
John’s immensely popular Townland Tales columns, which ran in this newspaper for several years, form the foundations of further explorations described in this unique and well-researched book, which presents the origin and meaning of townland names and placenames in the three baronies of Murrisk, Burrishoole and Erris.
West Mayo contains a rich social history and topography. Through a deep mapping of a selection of townlands in each barony, John leads the reader on a journey of discovery into a richer sense of place.
The history hidden behind the placenames (or logainmneacha, as Gaeilge) is revealed in the unfolding of their meanings through every generation.
John O’Callaghan’s love of his home place (áit dhúchais) is captured on every page. He evokes a true sense of each place detailed in the book.
In conjunction with presenting his research into the meanings of the placenames, John describes what makes each place so special and unique. His book is also filled with wonderful photographs of each of the places visited.
About the author
John O’Callaghan is a native of Westport and lives there with his wife, Noreen. He is passionate about all things Mayo. An avid hillwalker, lover of landscape and a qualified mountain leader, he holds an MA In Irish Studies on rewilding and a PhD in Chemistry.
In 2012, John wrote the winning entry that secured Westport’s place as The Best Place to Live in an Irish Times competition. He is the secretary of Westport Civic Trust and represent Mountaineering Ireland on the Board of the Irish Uplands Forum.
When not participating in hillwalking expeditions, he conducts research into what makes Mayo townlands so special and unique.
All are welcome to attend tomorrow evening’s launch in Westport Town Hall Theatre.
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.
This publication supports the work of the Press Council of Ireland and Office of the Press Ombudsman, and our staff operate within the Code of Practice of the Press Council. You can obtain a copy of the Code, or contact the Council, at www.presscouncil.ie, Lo-call 1800 208 080 or email: info@presscouncil.ie.
