placenamesBelmullet
Béal an Mhuirthead
J. M. Synge recorded midsummer celebrations and people setting out for seasonal work from Belmullet.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Béal an Mhuirthead · Irish · main form · validated name
- Belmullet · English · main form
Place & story
Saint John’s Eve in the square
In his early twentieth-century account of Erris, J. M. Synge described a large Saint John’s Eve bonfire in Belmullet’s town square. Boys cheered and tossed burning brands into the air. The following day brought a market, with people bargaining over livestock, woven cloth, used clothes, brushes and household wares. His report gives a particular witness’s view of the celebration and its setting. His proposed Druidic explanation for the fires was an interpretation, rather than proof of their ancient origin. [2]
Leaving for seasonal work
From windows overlooking the same square, Synge watched groups of young men and women passing towards an early steamer. They began arriving around two in the morning; some carried their boots and walked barefoot. He placed these departures within the district’s seasonal harvest migration. This was a journey to paid work followed by an intended return, distinct from the assisted family emigration schemes of the previous century. [2]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Belmullet. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Erris, in In Wicklow, West Kerry and Connemara, 1911, pp218–224 · J. M. Synge
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.