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Abbeyknockmoy

Annaghdown

Belclare

Caherlistrane

Claregalway

Clonberne

Cloonfad

Corofin

Cortoon

Dunmore

Headford

Kilconly

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Killererin

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Mountbellew

Shrule

Turloughmore

Mountbellew
 

About Mountbellew

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Things To See

Things To Do
 

History: The Bellews came to Ireland with the Norman Conquest and eventually a branch of the family settled in the Mountbellew area where they built a big house and established a flourishing estate. They were Catholic landlords, on good terms with their Protestant neighbours, who managed to maintain and increase their holdings by the sort of prudent balancing act employed by other Catholics as the political situation gradually improved for followers of that religion. The family chapel on the estate was later to become the parish church.
It was Sir Christopher Dillon Bellew (1763-1826), a reforming landlord of the early nineteenth century, who did much to shape the town by energetically promoting the Tuesday market to encourage good farming practice by the use of generous prizes for certain produce and to try to encourage the people to develop a surplus for selling and move away from reliance on the potato. He invited the Franciscan Brothers to the town where they founded a monastery in 1824 and opened a school for boys. He was also responsible for the final rebuilding of the house which had by now stood there since the 18th century. It was finished in the early 19th century and was a solid Georgian mansion.

 Franciscan Brothers Agricultural College, Mountbellew,
 Holy Rosary College .
 Forge Museum.