Porturlin

Porturlin (Irish: Port Durlainne) is a Gaeltacht village and townland on the northwest coast of County Mayo, Ireland. It is situated in the barony of Erris and parish of Kilcommon. Porturlin townland has an area of approximately 2261.5 acres (9.1 km2) and, as of 2011, had a population of 59 people.

History
In the decade following the surprise landing of the French at Killala in 1798, the English commenced the erection of watch towers along the coastal regions. By the start of the 19th century, various installations including watch houses, signal posts, station houses, and coastguard stations were constructed in this vicinity, identifiable on the 1838 Ordnance Survey Map. A road was constructed to the area in the 1840s. In the early 20th century a lace school was operated here by the Congested Districts Board.

Fishing
Challenges in fishing persisted for numerous years, with a petition to the Lord Lieutenant and Governor General of Ireland being submitted in 1886. Signed by twenty-two individuals from Porturlin, the document requested the establishment of a landing slip for the local fishermen. Within six months, the Roads and Harbour Commissioners completed the construction of a 210-foot landing slip, amounting to £204. Sir Thomas Brady, husband to the namesake of the Annie Brady Bridge, oversaw the construction. In 1894, the Congested Districts Board set up a processing facility for herring and mackerel in this location.

In 1909, further developments amounting to £71 were allocated for repairing the pier, along with £3 designated for rock removal. In tandem, an investment of £141 was channeled into constructing an approach road. By 1952 the original pier had deteriorated, resulting in its complete collapse. To address this, a barge was erected. Eventually, in 1965, Mayo County Council initiated the construction of a fresh pier, catering to a greater number of vessels.

Geography
Richard Webb, present during the famine years to assess the situation for the Society of Friends, noted that the prime fishing area in Mayo was located off Porturlin. "The only access by land is over a high and boggy mountain so wet and swampy that it is difficult to reach it even in Summer ... During my stay fishing was impracticable, owing to the severity and uncertainty of the weather. The mornings are frequently fine, and such as an experienced person would suppose suitable for the purposes of the fishermen, but towards noon the weather changes, the sky becomes overclouded and the winds blow with violence, and certain danger would await the frail currachs, or small boats that are employed in this coast, which is lined with cliffs ranging from fifty feet to five hundred feet in height. For about ten miles the only ports are the coves of Portacloy and Porturlin, and even these are not easily gained when a heavy swell sets in."