placenamesKnockmore
An Cnoc Mór
The village’s nineteenth-century church and the rise of its GAA club provide two enduring centres of local life between Foxford and Ballina.
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
- An Cnoc Mór · Irish · main form · validated name
- Knockmore · English · main form
Place & story
Christ the King Church
Knockmore’s Church of Christ the King was under construction in 1837 and completed in 1845, with a date of 1840 also recorded on the building. Its cruciform plan joins the nave to two transepts and a shallow chancel. Later generations altered it: the interior was improved in 1915, the sanctuary reordered in 1966 and the roof replaced in 1998. A Celtic cross marks the entrance gable. These successive campaigns mean that its present form combines the early nineteenth-century church with later changes to worship and maintenance. [2]
A rapid rise through football’s ranks
Knockmore GAA Club was established in 1958 and registered in 1960. Its first title came with the North Mayo junior championship in 1968. An intermediate championship followed within four years, then senior county and provincial successes the following year. The club’s own history records the importance of underage teams alongside adult football, including the boys’ minor league and championship successes of 2019. It also describes fundraising for organisations such as Mayo and Roscommon Hospice and Hope House, linking the club’s activities to wider community support. [3]
Kevin McLoughlin’s early Sundays
In a 2016 GAA interview, Mayo footballer Kevin McLoughlin recalled growing up in Knockmore and being brought by his father to Sunday training after Mass. He described the strong rivalry with neighbouring Ballina and Crossmolina during the 1990s and early 2000s, when all three clubs reached All-Ireland finals within a few years. His own club career overlapped with long-serving players including Declan Sweeney and Kevin O’Neill. The account connects a county player’s development with particular teammates, childhood routines and the competitive local setting around St Joseph’s Park. [4]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Mayo
- Barony
- Tirawley
- Civil parish
- Ballynahaglish
- Coordinates
- 54.01542, -9.17479 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 1417296 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Knockmore. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Catholic Church of Christ the King, record 31304801 · National Inventory of Architectural Heritage
- Club History · Knockmore GAA
- My Club: Kevin McLoughlin – Knockmore, 31 March 2016 · Gaelic Athletic Association
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.