placenamesAchonry
Achadh Conaire
The surviving church buildings at Achonry preserve its ecclesiastical history, while the creamery connected local farming with a wider co-operative movement.
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
- Achadh Conaire · Irish · main form · validated name
- Achonry · English · main form
Place & story
The medieval cathedral remains
An east gable with fragments of a traceried window survives from Achonry’s medieval cathedral. The community heritage survey dates the window’s style to the late fifteenth or early sixteenth century. Most of the north and south walls have disappeared, making the building’s original length difficult to establish. The later Church of Ireland cathedral also occupies part of the earlier site. Cross-inscribed stones and a carved corbel add evidence of older Christian activity within this layered church landscape. [2]
Saint Crumnathy’s
The smaller Church of Ireland cathedral opened in 1822 after Dean Arthur Henry Kenny sought an architect for a new building in 1820. Its tower, completed in 1828, carries an octagonal spire. Inside, the former vestry became a small chancel, while canopied stalls and a bishop’s throne expressed the building’s cathedral role. Gifts of a reading desk and altar in 1915 and an oak throne in 1916 marked later changes. Saint Crumnathy’s was deconsecrated in 1998. [2]
Achonry’s place in the co-operative movement
Achonry Creamery Society played a part in the expansion of co-operative dairying in the west during the 1950s. A later regional history places it alongside the National Farmers’ Association and Macra na Feirme in that revival. In 1972 Achonry joined other north-western co-operatives in the formation of North Connacht Farmers. A merger with Kiltoghert in 2000 created Connacht Gold, renamed Aurivo in 2013. Butter production at Achonry ended in 2016, closing a long period of local processing as the larger organisation concentrated production elsewhere. [3]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Achonry. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- The Cathedrals of Achonry · Elaine Conroy, Achonry Mullinabreena Heritage and Culture
- Mayo co-operative creameries, the original cash cow, 4 November 2016 · Mayo Advertiser
- Former St Crumnathy's Cathedral, Achonry illustration: based on a Achonry Cathedral by JohnArmagh. AI-assisted watercolour and ink adaptation; cream paper margins added, incidental clutter omitted and fine details simplified. Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0.
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2026-09-19. How this page was prepared.