Murrisk

Murrisk Muraisc
—  Town  —
Murrisk Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°46′42″N 9°37′53″W / 53.7783°N 9.6315°W / 53.7783; -9.6315Coordinates: 53°46′42″N 9°37′53″W / 53.7783°N 9.6315°W / 53.7783; -9.6315
Country	Ireland
Province	Connacht
County	County Mayo
Elevation	70 m (230 ft)
Population (2002)
- Urban	235
Time zone	WET (UTC+0)
- Summer (DST)	IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference	L925821

Murrisk (Irish: Muraisc) is one of the Baronial divisions of County Mayo^[1] and also a village in County Mayo, Ireland, on the south side of Clew Bay, about 8 km west of Westport and 4 km east of Lecanvey.

Murrisk lies at the foot of Croagh Patrick and is the starting-point for pilgrims who visit the mountain. Every year, on the last Sunday of July, thousands of people converge on the village to make the pilgrimage. There is a small interpretative centre in the village, which focuses on Croagh Patrick.

Places of interest

The Abbey ruins, 1792

Famine Memorial

The ruined Murrisk Abbey just to the seaward side of the village was an Augustinian abbey founded in 1457 by the O'Malley family. It was suppressed in the Reformation, but survived for some time.

Murrisk is also the site of Ireland's National Famine Memorial, designed by Irish artist John Behan, which abstractly resembles a coffin ship filled with dying people. The monument was unveiled in July 1997 by President Mary Robinson.^[2]

Religion

Murrisk is part of both the Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland parishes of Oughaval. Catholic records consist of marriages (from 1825) and baptisms (from 1845) and Church of Ireland records of baptisms, marriages and burials (all from 1802). These records are held at the South Mayo Family Research Centre in Ballinrobe which is 32 km southeast of Westport.

Towns and villages in the Barony of Murrisk

• Murrisk
• Louisburgh
• Westport
• Carrownisky
• Killary Harbour

See also

Barony of Murrisk shown in flesh colour bottom left of County Mayo

• List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

1. ^ Ireland's History in Maps - Baronies page 3
2. ^ http://www.mayo-ireland.ie/Mayo/Towns/Murrisk/Index.htm