by the local town and county councils. Armed
conflict has been the centrepiece of the town's historical heritage. French
forces under the command of
General
Humbert
aided in a rout of the
English garrison in the town during the failed
Irish Rebellion of 1798, which was so
comprehensive it would later be known as "The
Races of Castlebar". A
short-lived provisional
Republic
of Connaught
was declared
following the victory and
John
Moore, head of the Mayo
United
Irishmen
and the brother of a
local landowner, was declared its president. His remains are today interred in
a corner of the town green, known as the Mall, previously the cricket grounds
of Lord Lucan, whose family (the Binghams) have owned and still own large
tracts of the town and county. The town received its charter from King James I
in 1613, and is today governed by an urban district council, a subdivision of
Mayo County Council. The Lake in Castlebar is also known as Lough Lannagh.
The Irish
National Land League was founded
by Michael Davitt, of Straide in County Mayo, at the Imperial Hotel
in Castlebar
