placenamesSheean
An Sián
The road between Westport and Castlebar brought Sheean into the record of famine distress in 1831 and later land agitation.
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 Sián · Irish · main form · validated name
- Sheean · English · main form
Place & story
The food convoy in 1831
The National Archives catalogue describes an 1831 report by Samuel Abbott, a constabulary sergeant major at Westport, concerning a food convoy attacked at Sheean. A constable and soldiers of the 34th Regiment were escorting supplies to Castlebar’s relief committee when a large crowd took eight cartloads. Abbott reported a prolonged confrontation ending in deaths among the crowd. The catalogue preserves the official account of an encounter during severe food shortages. [2]
A gathering place for political campaigns
A Mayo Advertiser historical account describes Sheean Hill as a recurring meeting ground. It records protests in 1840, a Repeal gathering in 1845 and a Land League meeting on 31 October 1880. Tenant farmer Thomas Duffy chaired the latter gathering, where speakers included John J. Louden and John Lavelle. The hill’s political importance therefore extended across several generations of agitation. [3]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Mayo
- Barony
- Burrishoole
- Civil parish
- Islandeady
- Within
- Clogher
- Coordinates
- 53.80546, -9.47254 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 1417315 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Sheean. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- CSO/RP/OR/1831/1139: documents on fatalities following the taking of famine-relief provisions · National Archives of Ireland, Chief Secretary’s Office Registered Papers catalogue
- Sheean Hill – history and folklore, 15 April 2022 · Mayo Advertiser
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.