Local Notes: Indian community celebrates in Ballyhaunis
Members of the Indian community in Mayo filled the Community Hall in Ballyhaunis recently with song, dance and the scent of spices in the food served for the happy celebration of the Onam festival.
Over 100 people filled the Community Hall in Ballyhaunis recently with song, dance and the scent of spices in the food served for the happy celebration of the Onam festival.
“It’s a tradition which celebrates the rule of the benevolent king Mahabali,” explained Jenish Jon, president of Knock Indian Malayalee Association (KIMA) who moved to Ireland five years ago to take up his job as a nurse in the Queen of Peace Nursing Home in Knock.
Malayalee denotes a person who is from the south-westerly Indian region of Kerala and who speaks the local language of that region, Malayalam.
“We’re here from Ballyhaunis, Knock, Kiltimagh and Tooreen,” said Jon.
Some of the others celebrating in the hall work at the Sonas Nursing Home, also in Knock, while staff from Mayo University Hospital were also present, a testament to the demand in Mayo for Indian care workers and medical staff. In the KIMA group there are also “IT workers, accountants and healthcare assistants,” noted Jon.
Wearing his pink-hued mundu, the traditional robe commonly worn by males in Kerala, Jon explains that his group hasn’t felt the sense of threat from anti-immigration activists which the Indian community in Dublin spoke publicly about last month.
“In Mayo we didn’t feel any of that up to the moment.”
Jon thinks anti-immigration commentators in Ireland have confused asylum seekers with migrants arriving on work permits to fill Ireland’s skills shortage. He is keen to stress that many highly qualified workers have been recruited from Kerala to come to Ireland on working visas.
“I completed five levels of courses to come here,” explained Jon.
Kerala is home to a large Catholic population and members of Jon’s group are largely Christian and congregate for a weekly mass in Knock Shrine.
“There are three Indian priests on staff at the Shrine,” said Jon. “They say our mass in the local language. We go for the English mass as well. Our services tend to be longer than the Irish mass, usually 90 minutes.”
After a traditional lamp lighting ceremony at the Community Hall a female dance troupe performed the Thiruvathiria, moving in a circular formation around the lit candles.
Watching on, Jon expects his community to grow in Mayo given local demand for skilled Indian workers. He lives in the Maples estate in Ballyhaunis with his wife who works in Mayo University Hospital in Castlebar.
As the community grows, home comforts arrive at the Onam celebration in Ballyhaunis in the form of dishes served by an Indian catering company based in Dublin and Waterford which delivered the food.
Nearer to home, Jon explains that there’s an Indian shop near the hospital in Castlebar. In Kiltimagh, there’s an Indian restaurant.
That will help make the local Indian community feel at home. Like all migrant groups, finding affordable housing remains a challenge however, and the rising cost has been noticeable.
“I was paying €650 per month a few years ago but now it’s €900 and if I was to take out a new lease now it will be €1,300,” explained Jon.
What’s billed as Connacht’s first Climate Café will open its doors on Saturday, September 27th, from 11:30am to 1pm at the Friary House, Ballyhaunis, with organisers “inviting people from across the region to gather, connect, and share ideas on climate action, biodiversity, and local environmental issues".
A talk by local historian Michael Kelly recently in the Community Hall revealed the treasure trove of information on the history and heritage of local townlands in old maps.
In a presentation on local townland names as part of the autumn genealogy programme run by Ballyhaunis Community Council, Michael displayed an 1893 Ordinance Survey map to show the long-vanished Logboy House, twice the scale of the local church. He has long sought, in vain, to locate a photograph of the long-demolished house, relying instead on maps to estimate its scale.
“Much of the Nolan Farrell estate was sold in 1851 through the Encumbered Estates Act," he explains.
Maps of the estate for the purposes of land courts in the late 19th century show the sitting tenants of the time.
Depopulation prompted by the Famine and, later by land reform, reduced the number of people living on the Nolan Farrell estate from 670 in 1843 to 143 in 1911, a dramatic decline by any standards.
Ordinance Survey maps detail local settlements, allowing researchers to compare the terrain, infrastructure and housing of earlier times against those of today. Another great cartographical resource, Ball’s map of Mayo (1830) shows settlements clustered much more closely together in the hinterlands of Ballyhaunis, with fewer dispersed one-off homes.
Kelly also pointed to publicly available records that detail the history of the Ballyhaunis townland of Tooraree, home to one of the largest race meetings in Connacht, with race goers from across the country riding the train to Ballyhaunis. Another great source for genealogists and historians, the Civil Death Records lists the death of Thomas Owens from Carrowkeel during one such meeting.
Delving briefly into the history of the Logboy townland, Michael quoted from a letter sent by the landlord, Nolan Farrell, to the Royal Irish Constabulary - drawn from the archives - naming Thomas Delaney, whom he describes as “chief agitator” and secretary of the Logboy branch of the Irish Land League and a suspect in the murder of a Nolan agent, Luke Dillon, killed in November 1881. Nolan Farrell also framed Delaney’s brother-in-law, the local curate, for a sermon he delivered in Logboy Church in favour of the Land League.
The genealogy programme continues on September 24th with a workshop on researching family trees led by Seamus Bermingham from the Mayo Genealogy Group.
The Claremorris Drama Group is returning to the stage this autumn with a much-anticipated production of , a play by Walter Macken which will feature several veterans of Ballyhaunis drama in the lead roles. The play will come to the Community Hall in Ballyhaunis on September 26th and 27th.
This much-loved classic tells the story of Paddo O’Reilly, a man returning to his home in Galway city after serving time in prison, only to find that the world – and his family – have changed more than he ever expected.
Set in 1950s Ireland, is a moving exploration of redemption, belonging, and the quiet struggles that unfold behind closed doors.
The production is directed by Pat Doyle, a longstanding member of the Ballyhaunis St Patrick’s Drama Group and, in more recent years, an active contributor to the Claremorris Drama Group. Pat also takes to the stage in the role of Trapper.
Padraig Hegarty takes on the complex role of Paddo O’Reilly, a man returning to the family and community he left behind - only to discover that “home” is no longer what it once was. His wife Daylia (Karen Hahessy), torn between love and betrayal, makes every effort to welcome her husband back while holding together the family that has changed in his absence.
Their children, Willie (Karl Coyne) and Josie (Rachael Comer), face long-buried truths, generational tension, and shifting loyalties.
Adding further richness to the story are Noel Armstrong as Dovetail, the town’s voice of gossip and suspicion; Christina Jordan as Bid, the neighbour with more wisdom than she lets on; Mary Dixon as the shrewd and watchful Mrs Green; Maureen Walsh as the sweet-natured Lily O’Green; and Sean Browne as Manchester, a symbol of the world outside rural Ireland and the change it brings.
This deeply human story is brought to life by a dedicated and talented local cast, with themes that will resonate long after the curtain falls. Behind the scenes, the group is supported by a stage crew of John Fallon, Brendan Conwell, and Ciaran Moran. The production comes to Ballyhaunis Community Hall on Friday and Saturday, September 26th and 27th, before going to Garrymore Community Hall on Saturday, October 11th. There will be a further performance at McWilliam Park Hotel, Claremorris on October 17th.
Work continues on putting together ‘Annagh 2025’, the 48th edition of the Ballyhaunis annual parish magazine with the deadline for material October 10th.
The editorial committee is accepting articles, club reports and photographs to be considered for inclusion in this year’s issue.
A special appeal is made to secretaries and PROs of local clubs and organisations to make sure reports are submitted in good time. Material may be emailed to info@annaghmag.ie or given to any committee member: Tommy Caulfield, Noreen Ruane Dalton, John Kilduff, Jim Lundon, Edward Mulhern, Seamus Mulrennan, Nell Rochford, Mike Griffin, Gabriel Smith, Paul Waldron.
The annual general meeting of Ballyhaunis Community Council takes place on Wednesday, September 24th, and is open to all.
The organisation’s accounts will be presented on the evening as well as reports on various activities and organisations of which the community council is part. The meeting commences at 8pm in the Community Hall.
Jude Walsh, from the Mayo Beekeepers' Association, will be giving a live demonstration and talk on beekeeping from 2 to 4pm on Saturday, September 27th, at the National Museum of Ireland, Turlough Park, Castlebar.
Discover the world of bees at this engaging event - perfect for nature lovers, families, and curious minds of all ages.
Admission is free. Booking is required. Telephone 094-9031751 or email bookingscountrylife@museum.ie.
