The following information was provided by Mr Steve Dolan, Manager of The Irish Workhouse Centre, Portumna, Co. Galway
The Castlerea Poor Law Union was officially declared in 1839. The Workhouse was opened in 1846 at a cost of £10,300. It was built to house a maximum capacity of 1,000 inmates, but census records show that the true number of inmates reached as high as 2,997 in 1848. The Castlerea Workhouse was built to accomodate people from the areas of Artagh, Ballinlough, Ballintober, Bellanagar, Castleplunket, Castlerea, Frenchpark, Killulagh, and Loughlinn in Co. Roscommon, Ballymoe, Ballynakill, Glannamadday, Kilkerrin, and Tampultogher in Co. Galway, and Ballaghadereen, Ballyhaunis, Bekan, and Castlemore in Co. Mayo.
The Castlerea Workhouse was demolished in 1974 and the site is now occupied by cottages.
References
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