Islandeady

History

Islandeady civil parish straddles the baronies of Carra and Burrishoole. Its name was reinterpreted in recent centuries as Oileán Éadaí but ultimately derives in fact from Oileán Éadain, where Éadan is a gaelicised form of the Anglo-Saxon name Aedwine or Haedwine. A person of this name was ordained bishop of Mayo in the late eighth century, according to the medieval chronicler Symeon of Durham. The Islandeady townland of Raheens is mentioned in an early biography of Saint Patrick by Tírechán (700c). Islandeady townland was historically called Illaneedan. Islandeady belonged to the 'Patrician lands of Connacht'. The date given by historians to St.Patrick's missionary work in Islandeady is 440 A.D., where he preached on the shores of a lake in the peaceful little parish. Today, the modern village lies within the townlands of Rinnaseer and Cloonan. On 2 September 1973 during 'The Troubles', Royal Ulster Constabulary reservists from Lisnaskea were attacked by gunmen at Kilbree Lower on the Westport-Castlebar road, as they were on their way home from a fishing holiday in Westport. There were no fatalities, but three members were wounded by automatic fire.