This street is also known as Rathbawn Road but is still referred to locally as Gallows Hill which alludes to the fact there was formerly a gallows in the area. A popular place name in many towns throughout Ireland, the gallows were used widely around
Castlebar from Anglo-Norman times up until 1873 when Ned Walsh, the last man executed in Castlebar was hanged for murdering his wife. There must have been gallows in the area in times before the street got its name as the townland name in which the road lies is called ‘Knockcroghery’ which translates from ‘Cnoc an Crochaire’ as ‘Hill of the Hangman’. After the jail was built in Castlebar executions began to take place at the Mall, a short walk from the jail. Famous victims of the gallows in Castlebar include Fr Conroy and George Robert ‘Fighting’ Fitzgerald. Click here for Bridge Street. |