Aughris Pier

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Assemblies at the Pier

The fields around Aughris Pier were used for political meetings in the late 19^th and early 20^th  centuries. Charles Stewart Parnell’s assembly of 1890 drew large crowds here and an Irish language movement rally was attended by an estimated 8,000 people and was addressed by Douglas Hyde and JP Henry on Garland Sunday 27^th July 1901.

For reasons undocumented and long lost in oral tradition, at the turn of the 20^th century, the Aughris headland on the north Connacht coastline was still regarded as the Tara of the Barony of Tireragh.

Reporting on the Irish language movement rally, The Sligo Champion (3 August, 1901), recorded that: “The place of meeting was no less appropriate for such an occasion, as Aughris has many historic associations which recall the days when our grand old language flourished and the language of the foreigner was unknown.”

In 1918, the final year of World War 1, an anti-conscription rally was also held here.

Aughris Pier was constructed in the latter part of the 19^th century. At the turn of the 20^th century there were 20 boats fishing from there. Most of the people in the area worked in agriculture and supplemented their income by fishing. During the War of Independence guns were brought ashore here.

Now the pier is used by local fisherman, leisure enthusiasts, and for running water safety courses.