One of the newer streets of the town, Cavendish Lane
does not appear in the 1840s map. The street is named after Frederick Cavendish. Born in England in 1777 he moved to Dublin, working in the civil service. Later he moved to Castlebar and the first edition of his newspaper The Connaught Telegraph was printed on St Patrick’s Day, 1828. In its first editorial he promised to be just and fight for the rights of the poor. It was a nationalist newspaper that rivalled the conservative Mayo Constitution by supporting Daniel O’ Connell, The Gaelic Athletic Association and berated the landed gentry, in particular the landlords that engaged in evictions during the Famine. Cavendish died in and proprietorship passed to his wife who upheld the same principles.The newspaper Cavendish founded is the longest running regional newspaper still in circulation in Ireland today. Click here for Chapel Street. |