Admiral Browne

  Admiral William Browne   was born in Foxford , County Mayo , Ireland on June 22 , 1777 and died in Buenos Aires , Argentina on March 3 , 1857 . Brown’s victories in the Independence War , the Argentina-Brazil War , and the Guerra Grande in Uruguay earned the respect and appreciation of the Argentine people, and today he is regarded as one of Argentina’s national heroes. Creator and first admiral of the country’s maritime forces, he is commonly known as the “father of the Argentine Navy ”.

Wars

1)        War with Spain

2)        War with Brazil

3)        War with Uruguay  

 Last years

In 1847, Admiral Brown came back to his hometown Foxford accompanied by his daughter.

After the fall of the Rosas regime many naval officers found themselves discharged, but not the Commander of the Navy. Brown remained honoured for his long and loyal service to the nation. Retiring to his villa, Casa Amarilla at Barracas, Brown was visited by Grenfell, his opponent in the Brazilian war, who remarked how ungrateful the Republic was to its good servants; the old Admiral replied: "Mr Grenfell, it does not burden me to have been useful to the mother country of my children; I consider the honours and the wealth superfluous when six feet of earth are enough to rest so many difficulties and pains."

On March 3, 1857 he died and was buried with full military honours. The Argentine government issued a comuniqué stating that "with a life of permanent service to the national wars that our motherland has fought since its independence, William Brown symbolized the naval glory of the Argentine Republic". ^[14] During his burial, General Bartolomé Mitre famously said: "Brown in his lifetime, standing on the quarterdeck of his ship, was worth a fleet to us". ^[15] His grave is currently located in the Recoleta cemetery in Buenos Aires. ^[7]

Michael Davitt

Davitt's Death                                                                                                                                                        Michael Davitt died on May 30th 1906 at the age of sixty of acute septic poisoning. Not wishing to have a public funeral, Davitt's body was brought quietly to the Carmelite Friary, Clarendon Street, and Dublin. Over 18,000 people filed past his coffin the next day, train then brought his coffin to Foxford, County Mayo. A huge crowd attended his funeral in the grounds of Straide Abbey, in the shadow of the church where he was baptised.

Family and Marriage Davitt married Mary Yore, of Oakland’s, California in 1886
His three sisters and his mother settled in America in 1873
His father was buried in Scranton, Pennsylvania.

Michael and Mary Davitt had five children - three sons and two daughters, one of whom Kathleen, died of tuberculosis (TB) at the age of seven in ---

The Fenians                                                                                                                                                                  Joining the Fenians in 1865 he rose through the ranks to become organising secretary for England and Scotland but was arrested in 1870 for arms smuggling and sentenced to fifteen years penal servitude. After seven years he was released.

  Birth/Life
Michael Davitt was born in Straide, County Mayo, on March 25th 1846 at the height of the Great Famine. Davitt was the second of five children in his family. At the young age of four Michael and his family were evicted from their home and forced to emigrate to Haslingden, Lancashire, England. At the age of eleven while working in a cotton mill. Davitt arm was so badly maimed in an accident that it had to be amputated. At the ago of sixteen, whilst working for the local postmaster, he began evening classes in Irish history at the Mechanic's Institute. It was at this time that his thoughts began to turn to politics and he joined the Fenian movement in England.




Davitt’s Achievements Here are some of his greatest achievements:

1.         The Land League

2.        Labour Rights Activist

3.        Author, International Humanitarian

4.        GAA Patron

5.        Member of Parliament

Charles Haughey  
    
  http://www.ireland.com/focus/haughey/ITstories/story11.htm
http://www.politics.ie/wiki/index.php?title=Charles_Haughey
Some more information on the links to websites ^^

Early Life He was born in Castlebar, County Mayo on September 16, 1925. He was born into a strong Republican family as both his parents had fought in the War of Independence with the South Derry Battalion of the 2nd Northern Division in County Derry; his father was the Officer Commanding, located around the Swatragh area where they lived. His father accepted the Anglo-Irish Treaty grudgingly mainly due to his loyalty to Michael Collins . He became a member of the Irish Army and fought on the pro-treaty side during the Civil War . His father had risen to the rank of Commandant when Charles was born. The family moved to a farm in Dunshaughlin, County Meath in 1928 when his father had retired from the Army. In the early 1930s Haughey’s father’s health deteriorated further and the family moved to Donnycarney in Dublin
Education . Haughey was educated at Scoil Mhuire Primary School in Marino and won a scholarship to St. Joseph’s CBS in Fairview. He developed a great affinity for Gaelic games. Charles contemplated joining the army but after winning a scholarship to UCD he completed a B.Comm degree as he had decided to start a career in accountancy rather than the Army. After achieving his B.Comm he passed his accountancy exams and studied for a B.L at King’s Inns. His father died in 1947 and he joined Fianna Fáil that same year. In 1951 he married Maureen Lemass, whom he had met while they were at UCD together, the eldest daughter of then Taoiseach Seán Lemass .

Early Political Life His career in politics didn’t start well. He lost in the 1951 General Election . He was co-opted to Dublin City Council in 1953 but lost his seat in 1955, having also lost out at the 1954 General Election . He also failed to be elected in a by-election in 1956.Finaly in 1957 he was elected to Dáil Éireann for the constituency of Dublin North East in the general election of that year. He took the seat of Harry Colley , a founder member of the party, and a veteran of the Easter Rising , War of Independence and the Civil War .
Death

Haughey died following a long illness on 13th June 2006. He had been diagnosed with prostate cancer in the 1990s.

Humbert
http://www.politics.ie/wiki/index.php?title=General_Humbert http://www.wargame.ch/wc/nwc/newsletter/September2001/Newsletter15/Ireland.html
http://www.catholic.org/international/international_story.php?id=20987

More information on all the links provided

       Emma Browne, Father Andrew Conroy, Parish Priest of Addergoole & Irish Patriot.
www.addergoole-mayo.com/conroy.html

       The Battle of Ballinamuck 1798 .
http://longford.local.ie/content/47511.shtml/ballinamuck/history/general

       Diary of an Expedition: Humbert's Army of Ireland, 1798 .
www.iol.ie/~fagann/1798/conaught.htm

       National 1798 Centre, Enniscorthy, Co. Wexford.
www.iol.ie/~98com/english.htm

The map of the Battle of Ballinamuck is based on a Record Place Map , scale 1:10,560, published by Ordnance Survey Ireland, Phoenix Park, Dublin.

Races of Castlebar

On 6 August 1798 a French fleet with 4000 men left the port of La Rochelle and headed straight for Ireland. General Humbert arrived at Kilcummin Strand in County Mayo on 22 August 1798 with 1100 men and captured Killala. The remaining part of the invasion fleet, led by General Hardy, was delayed and sailed strait in a British blockade when trying to catch-up. General Hardy's ships were dispersed and would never reach the Irish coast.
Luckily the decimated French army landed far from the British forces, which were concentrated around Dublin and in the turbulent regions of northeast Ulster and south Leinster. Although many Irish from County Mayo joined the French they could not compensate the 3000 well trained and war hardened soldiers from General Hardy. Obviously General Humbert had to change his plans.

The initial plan was an outflanking movement through Ulster. While advancing United Irishmen would join them and they would engage Dublin from the north. At the same time the rebels in south Leinster would have been regrouped and move up to Dublin from the south.
General Humbert thought that, even with the United Irishmen, his army would not stand a change against the 100,000 British forces in Ireland. He decided to use the element of surprise and headed almost straightforward to the east.

Before heading for Dublin General Humbert had to take care of Castlebar, which was held by General Gerard Lake. In what became known as The Races of Castlebar the French-Irish army captured Ballina on 24 August. General Lake decided to retreat and on 27 August 1798 General Humbert captured Castlebar, including supplies and guns.
In the following days several other towns fell and on 31 August Humbert proclaimed the Provisional Republic of Connaught. Motivated by the successes of the French-Irish force the rebellion flared up in the counties Longford and Westmeath and France decided to sent a small reinforcement force of 270 men.
Jean Joseph Amable Humbert HUMBERT, Jean Joseph Amable, French soldier, born in Rouvray, Lorraine, 25 November, 1755; died in New Orleans, Louisiana, in February, 1823. He was a merchant at the time of the French revolution of 1789, when he left his business to enlist in the army. His gallantry on the field caused his promotion to major general on 9 April, 1794, and lieutenant-general in 1798, when he was placed in command of the French army that was sent to Ireland, but was compelled to surrender to Lord Cornwallis. In 1802 General Humbert commanded a division of the army that was sent by Napoleon to Santo Domingo under General Leclerc, and was appointed governor of Port au Prince. He was subsequently exiled to Brittany for his republican convictions, and afterward went to the United States to escape imprisonment. He settled in New Orleans, where he maintained himself by teaching. In 1814 the revolutionists sought the aid of General Humbert, and he collected in New Orleans an army of about 1,000 men of different nationalities, with which he went to Mexico. The Indian chief Toledo sent him some of his warriors, and under their guidance he reached El Puente Del Rey, between Jalapa and Vera Cruz. The revolutionists had been defeated before his arrival, and, after gaining several partial advantages over the Spanish forces, he disbanded his army, and in the spring of 1817 returned to New Orleans, where he taught in a French college till his death.

Mary Robinson
http://www.politics.ie/wiki/index.php?title=Mary_Robinson
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Robinson
Lots more information on the links to websites


She was Born on 21 May, 1944, in Ballina, County Mayo, Mary Robinson is a barrister by profession and was appointed Reid Professor of Criminal Law in Trinity College Dublin when she was 25 years of age. She founded the Irish Centre for European Law in 1988, with her husband, Nicholas (married 1970)

Elected as a representative of the University of Dublin, she was a member of Seanad Éireann (Upper House of Parliament) 1969 -89.

She served on the following parliamentary committees:
Joint Committee on EC Secondary Legislation 1973 - 89 and Chairman of its Social Affairs Sub-Committee 1977 - 87, Chairman of its Legal Affairs Committee 1987 - 89; Joint Committee on Marital Breakdown 1983 - 85. She was a member of Dublin City Council 1979 - 83.
On 3 December, 1990, Mary Robinson was inaugurated as the seventh President of Ireland. She resigned from the office of President on 12 September, 1997, to take up appointment as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

CAREER
 Rank – 7^th President
Term – 3 December 1990 to 12 September 1997
Proceeded by – Patrick Hillery
Succeeded by – Mary McAleese
Party – Labour

PERSONAL
Date of birth – 21 May 1944
Place of birth - Ballina
Spouse – Nick Robinson
Profession – Barrister, Former Senator

Scenic & Historic Attractions

Mayo has more than 3,000 historic and archeologic sites including Great Houses, ancient abbeys, castles, standing stones, portal tombs and more.  Begin your visit to Mayo at the National Museum of Ireland - Country Life (external link) at Turlough Park House just outside Castlebar or one of Mayo's many other great museums (more information on the Museums of Mayo website - external link).  Or, visit one of Ireland's oldest continuously used churches at Ballintubber Abbey (external link; pictured).  Other major sites of interest are the historic Foxford Woolen Mills (external link) and the Ceide Fields (external link)--one of the earliest population centres in Mayo.

Blue Flag Beaches

Mayo has more than a dozen Blue Flag beaches as well as other amazing beaches.  This is all down to Mayo's long and winding coastline which stretches from Killala Bay in the north, around the Belmullet Peninsula, past Achill Island and Clew Bay's 365 islands including Clare and Inishturk down to the Golden Strand in the southwest.  Visit our links pages to learn more about Mayo's beaches.