The Costello Name
In the mid 10th century two Irish kings, Dermot MacMorrough of Leinster, and Tiernan O"Rourke were feuding over O"Rourke's wife. O"Rourke, with the help of King Rory O"Connor of Connaught got the upper hand, and MacMorrough fled to England seeking the help of Henry II, King of England. Henry was busy fighting with the King of France over his holdings in Normandy, and referred MacMorrough to his Cambro (Welsh) Norman lords is Wales, particularly Richard DeClaire, Earl of Pembroke, commonly known as "Strongbow". MacMorrough offered Strongbow his daughter's hand in marriage plus the successorship to his Kingdom in Leinster. Strongbow saw this as chance to obtain a Kingship in Ireland, out from under the heavy hand of Henry II, plus marriage to MacMorrough's very beautiful daughter; so he gathered together a group of his fellow Cambro(Welsh)-Norman vessals, and invaded Ireland to help MacMurrough. These Normans invaded Ireland in five waves between 1167 and 1172. Among the Norman knights assisting Strongbow was Gilbert deAngulo, from Angle in Pembrokshire, and his two sons, Jocelyn and Costelo deAngulo. The deAngulos settled in Co. Meath (in Leinster) and established Baronies there after their successful invasion.
Costellos are of Cambro (Welsh)-Norman descent from the family of Gilbert deAngulo (later: Gilbert N'angle), who participated in the Norman invasion of Ireland (1167-1172AD) with Richard deClare (Strongbow).Gilbert had 2 sons: Jocelyn and Costilo, later known as MacOisdealbh (Gaelic for Son of Costilo) participated in the Norman invasion of Connaught in 1235, along with the deBurgos (Burkes) and the deLacys. Alluagh Mór, along the river near Ballaghaderreen, was the powerbase of the area and consisted of a three ring fort from which the ruler ruled the whole area. When Gilbert de Angulos crossed the Shannon at Carrick-on-Shannon in or about 1170 and moved South he ousted the O'Gara's from Alluagh Mór and then build his great castle Castlemór Mac Oisdealbhaig. With this castle as a base, Gilbert conquered the surrounding area until he had conquered and established the Barony of MacOisdealbh (later: MacCostello or The Barony of Costello) in eastern Mayo & western Roscommon, which lasted some 400 years. The Costellos were the first of the great Norman families in Ireland to use the "Mac" (Son of) prefix to their name.
Smaller castles were set up as defensive points surrounding this castle and also to control the Barony. Also from here, he inter-married with the local chieftans, the McDermots, the O'Garas, the O'Connors. It was the centre of life of the area and a norman town grew up about the place until the end of the 14th. century. His castle was not for show .......... it was for war. 50 years after it was founded it was sacked by the O'Connors. In 1336 the O'Connors took it again and almost raised it to the ground. Three times it was be-sieged in the 16th Century until finally it was burned at the end of the nine years war and the stones were used to build a linen mill. Along the way the name "de Angulos" became "Costello" through its association with the Barony of Costello and by mis-spelling and mis-pronouncation. After only three generations, they began to give themselves a surname formed in the Irish manner, with the clan taking Jocelyn de Angulo as their eponymous forebear. Jocelyn was rendered Goisdealbh in Irish, and the surname adopted was Mac Goisdealbhaigh, later given the phonetic English equivalent ‘Costello’. The adopted name Mac Oisdealbhaigh eventually became anglicized as Costello. Like many other Cambro-Norman families they became "More Irish than the Irish themselves". The Barony of MacCostello is still an identifiable geopolitical district in Mayo to this day, and the Costello name is very common in Mayo. The Costellos are described in the "Annals of the Four Masters" as the sons of Oisdealb". Along with fighting the Costellos were religious and founded their first Abbey at Ballyhaunis, which still exists and is in use to this present day. It was built by Jordah Dubh MacCostello for the Augustinian Friars in 1419.
(the name "Jordan" also derived from Costello when some water was carried back from the River Jordan and was used to baptize a new born baby ..... the child was also given the name of Jordan as well as Costello ie. Jordan Costello. Later the name Costello was dropped and thus the name Jordan began. Other surnames such as Jocelyn, Waldron, Nangle decended from the Costello name and were originally Costello).
The structure of the Abbey shows that the area was both wealthy and had very skilled craftsmen. On visiting the Abbey you will notice that it is situated on a hill. That hill was originally the site of a Costello or de Angulos Castle dating from the 13th. Century (1245). You can still see the buttress of the castle with some inscriptions outside the Abbey Church.
They also founded another Abbey at Urlaur in 1434 halfway between Ballyhaunis and Ballaghadrerreen on the shores of Lough Urlaur. It was a Dominician Abbey. It was founded by the ruler of the Barony of Costello at the request of his wife and was in use until 1846. Buried here is the remains of "Arthur Robert Gorges Costello, last Dynast and Baron De Angulo who died on Jaunary 31st 1891". A flat headstone marks the grave and is still in excelent condition. (I have copied the text above as it appears on the grave stone and you will notice that the spellings have changed over time).
Eventually, the Costello's lost most of their wealth and power to the Dillon's. If you ever visit the site of Castle Mór just outside Ballaghaderreen and go to Backaugh Hill (about a mile away) you have a view of well over 30 miles all around. You can see most of Connaught from here ....... the west coast of Mayo, the mountains of Sligo and south Donnegal and on a good day you can see far into the lands of Meath. This is why the location was so important ...... whoever controlled this area controled the gateway to Connaught from the East.
After the distruction of Castle Mór and the loss of most of the Barony to Dillon, the Costello's retained just the northern portion of the Barony and moved to Edmondstown House. The family held lands in County Mayo, in the barony of Costello (named for them), in the east of that county, until the end of the sixteenth century. In 1565, their principal seat was in Ballaghadereen. The feuding between the Costellos and their neighbors the MacDermots, gave rise to many a tale, none more moving, perhaps, than the tragic love story of Una MacDermot, daughter of the last chief of that name, and the son of the chieftain MacCostello, Tomás Láidir; ...... he fell in love with Una Bán McDermott and she with him, but neither family would allow them to marry, until both of them died of broken hearts and are buried and lie in adjoining graves on Trinity Island in Lough Key which is visable from Lough Key Forest Park. Some say that Tomás Láidir was murdered by the Dillons but I have no real evidence of this. Below is an addendum written by Delia Henry (Charlestown, Co. Mayo).
The Costello's lived in Edmondstown House from the beginning of the 16th century.Tomás Láider and his older brother Dudley lived here. Dudley fought to regain the Barony . He became a well known reparee ( a wild Irish rebel, so called for his being armed with a repaire, or half-pike), Dubhaltach (Dudley) Costello, who, after failing to recover his family estates, devoted his life to wreaking vengeance on the new Cromwellian proprietors. He was finally killed in battle.
Arthur Robert Gorges Costello buit a new house in 1864 close to Edmondstown House on the style of a Scottish Manor House. When he built this house he had little money and had to borrow heavily to complete it. As a result he died in poverty on his way to Dublin. The house was bought by the Catholic Church for the Diocese of Achonry from the Costellos and is, today, the residence of the Bishop of Achonry. The Costello Crest is still carved in stone above the door as you enter. (On my visit there in 1995, Bishop Flynn personally gave a grand tour of the place and spent much time outlining the history of the house and the way it was structurally built). During the "Costello" era, Daniel O'Connell often visited and stayed with the Costello's at this house. At the rear of the house there is a walkway through the estate which is still known to this day as "The Counseller's Walk" - named after the great man who used the walk way as a means of both exercise and a way of "getting his thoughts together".
In 1877 the Costello Memorial Chapel in Carrick-on-Shannon was built by Edward Costello to his wife who died aged 46. It was blessed and opened on 1878 and his wife who had been embalmed was buried that day to the left hand side of the door as you go in. Edward, himself, when he died in 1891 was buried on the right hand side of the door. Its the 2nd. smallest chapel in the world at just 12ft by 16ft The 2 coffins are visable underneath a special hardened glass with just the aisle to the altar seperating the two.
A noble bearer of this name is John A. Costello who held the post of Taoiseach, or Prime Minister, of Ireland from 1948-1951 and again from 1954-1957
All Costello's, wherever they may be, owe their roots to the Barony of Costello in the areas surrounding Ballaghaderreen. Its a proud heritage !
Researched & Compiled by Gerry Costello
Addendum to the Costello Saga: by Delia Henry (Charlestown)
(1)
The following may be of interest relative to the place where the Romantic Tomas Laidir MacCostello was said to be murdered. One day in 1934 when teaching in Tavneena National School, the Principal, Mr Gerry Henry asked me, Delia Henry, if I knew where "Sithestin" west of Swinford was? Although I lived in Killaturley, Swinford was our postal and Market town and I went to Secondary School there, I had never heard of that place and I said I would find out if it existed. An elderly neighbour of ours, The Lenihans, one Luke Tunney visited in our house. He was about seventy years of age at the time. On his next visit, I put the question to him, was there a village named Sithestin, west of Swinford. After a few moments, he said no, and I quote his own words "There is no Sithestin, but Sithestin Dubhaltaigh" now known as Barcul. It is situated between Shammer Cross roads and the Charlestown/Ballyhaunis road. I had never heard of the word "Dubhaltagh" before, but I cycled through Barcul many times.
The next day I repeated the statement made by Luke Tunney. The Principal got a book called "The Love songs of Connaught" by Douglas Hyde and there in the print was "Sisthestin a Dubhaltaigh" "Dudley's Sithestin". The poem Una Bhain, composed by Tomas Laidir MacCostello, about his lost love, Una McDermott, was on page 117 and underneath it was an account of the place where he was murdered by the Dillons.
(2)
The Descendents of The Costellos in the Charlestown area owned some two hundred acres of land at one time, and their Tomb is in Tample graveyard,with the following inscription on it.
"Gloria in Excelsis"
O Lord have mercy on the soul of Thomas Costello Esq, of Hagfield,who departed this life, February the 1st, 1822, aged 95 years, also his wife, Maria Costello, who departed this life, 6th of January 1810, aged 75 years.
His son Thomas Costello Esq, who departed this life, August 1st, 1828, aged 78 years.
His son Edward Costello Esq, who departed this life, the 2nd of August 1811,aged 59 years. His son Richard Costello Esq, who departed this life, the 1st of September 1859 aged 95 years, and his grand-daughter Louise Costello, who departed this life, on the 10th of June, 1860, aged 19 years.
Erected by Peter Costello Esq.
Also buried in this Tomb are the following Descendents:
Frances Wynne, nee Costello, wife of Andrew Wynne.
Margaret Mulligan, nee Wynne,who was buried on the 16th of February 1987 By her son James,"Seamus" Mulligan.
The Descendents of the Costello family named above still live in the Charlestown area. They are: James"Seamus" Mulligan, his nephew Michael Giblin, Nieces Marcella McBrien, Patricia Leonard, Aclare, Evelyn O!Keefe, and Jacqueline Cummins, Swinford.
Maire McDonnell-Garvey in her Book, 'Mid Connacht', gives a very interesting and detailed account of the Costello Era, and the transition of their lands to the Dillons. In chapter six, the great work done by Charles Strickland - Chairman Of Gallen and Costello relief committee - for the relief of the Poor during the Famine years, deserves the credit given to it. However, though not mentioned in this account, his greatest achievement must be the founding of the town of Charlestown, where the first house was built in 1846, also, the foundation of the Catholic Church was laid in 1856, and the first Mass was celebrated there in 1858. The Church and Town in the Parish of Kilebeagh, in the Barony of Costello, have much to be grateful for the work done by Lord Dillon's agent,Charles Strickland.
Delia Henry. 2003.
