placenamesBallindoo or Doocastle
Caisleán an Dumha
Doocastle’s nineteenth-century estate is associated with a Mayo parliamentarian whose political career and reputation as a piper travelled far beyond the locality.
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
- Caisleán an Dumha · Irish · main form · validated name
- Ballindoo or Doocastle · English · main form
- Doocastle · English · main form
Place & story
The cottage and estate
Doocastle Cottage belonged to a small estate leased by the McDonnells from the Lindsey Bucknalls from the late eighteenth century. At Griffith’s Valuation Joseph M. McDonnell held the house from John B. Lindsey, with a valuation of £10. The University of Galway’s estate history records its advertisement for sale in 1873, when Darcy relatives occupied the house, and the purchase of 856 acres by Dr Hughes. The cottage subsequently became a ruin. [2] [3]
Joe Mór at Westminster
Joseph Myles McDonnell, known as Joe Mór, supported Daniel O’Connell’s campaign to repeal the Union. He won a Mayo by-election in March 1846 after defeating George Henry Moore. At Westminster he opposed Peel’s Irish coercion bill and supported repeal of the Corn Laws and factory reform. His parliamentary career was brief: Moore defeated him in the general election of 1847. McDonnell withdrew from later political activity as his financial difficulties worsened and died in Dublin in January 1872. [4]
The piper’s reputation
McDonnell was remembered for playing the Irish pipes as well as for politics. The History of Parliament’s research account preserves an anecdote that he tried to carry his instrument into the Commons chamber, only for friends to stop him at the door. The story belongs to the recollections surrounding his public personality. It gives Doocastle’s former resident a musical association distinct from his recorded votes and electoral contests. [4]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Mayo
- Barony
- Costello
- Civil parish
- Kilturra
- Within
- Ballindoo or Doocastle
- Coordinates
- 54.01945, -8.64085 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 1414292 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Ballindoo or Doocastle. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- McDonnell (Doocastle), estate125 · University of Galway, Landed Estates Database
- Doocastle Cottage, property104 · University of Galway, Landed Estates Database
- MP of the Month: Joseph Myles McDonnell, thwarted bagpiper, 19 February 2014 · History of Parliament, Victorian Commons research team
- Kennedy's Lounge and attached house, Doocastle, County Mayo illustration: based on a Kennedy's Lounge, Doocastle, Couinty Mayo, Ireland (22 July 2022) by Djm-leighpark. AI-assisted watercolour and ink adaptation; cream paper margins added, incidental clutter omitted and fine details simplified. Licence: CC BY-SA 4.0.
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Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.