County Mayo Historical Heritage & Diaspora
County Mayo is a dramatic western county characterized by boglands, rugged peninsulas, Achill Island, and the holy mountain of Croagh Patrick. Mayo holds an extraordinary place in Irish social history as the birthplace of the Irish National Land League, founded by Michael Davitt in 1879, which fundamentally altered Irish land ownership through tenant boycotts and legal reform.
During the Great Famine of 1845–1852, Mayo experienced catastrophic population loss; over a third of its residents perished or emigrated. Mayo families embarked on dangerous journeys on foot across Ireland to reach shipping ports.
In the United States, Mayo immigrants became the backbone of heavy industrial cities. In Cleveland, Ohio, so many Mayo natives settled in the “Flats” and the West Side that Cleveland became known affectionately as “the capital of County Mayo.” Similarly, in Scranton, Pennsylvania, Mayo men dominated the anthracite coal seams.
Dominant Mayo lineages include Gallagher, Walsh, Burke, Moran, Higgins, Durkan, and Loftus.