A Mayo author has won a prestigious award at Listowel Writers’ Week.
‘Castlebar Prison & The Bridewells of County Mayo 1835–1935’ by Dr Michael M O’Connor won first prize in the Nilsson Local Heritage Award category at Listowel Writers’ Week 2026.
The award recognises the best work on local history and heritage published in Ireland within the past year.
Earlier this year, the book was awarded the Contribution to Local History Award at the Mayo County Council Cathaoirleach’s Awards.
Drawing on extensive archival material from repositories in Ireland, Britain, and the United States, the book tells the story of Castlebar Prison, the associated Prison Bridewells at Ballina, Ballinrobe, Belmullet, Swinford, and Westport, and the people who worked in and were incarcerated in these institutions.
It also examines the role Castlebar Prison played during the Great Famine, the Fenian Rising, the Land War, and the Revolutionary Period 1912–1923. The imprisonment and treatment of women and children, as well as those suffering from mental disorders, also feature prominently in the study.
Dr O’Connor has published several local history books in recent years and has been highly acclaimed for the depth of his research on hitherto unknown subjects.
