Foxford

Foxford, historically called Bellasa (Irish: Béal Easa, meaning "mouth of the waterfall"), is a village 16 km south of Ballina in County Mayo, Ireland. It stands on the N26 national primary route from Swinford to Ballina and has a railway station served by trains between Manulla Junction and Ballina.

Situated between the Nephin and Ox Mountains, Foxford lies on the River Moy, a salmon-fishing river, and close to Loughs Conn and Cullin, which have some brown trout fishing. The Foxford Way is an 86-km waymarked tourist trail that circles Foxford, taking in the Ox Mountains, roads, bogland, archeological sites, lakeshores, and river banks.

Foxford developed around the eponymous Woollen Mills which have been producing the famous Foxford blankets since 1892.

Transport

Rail

Foxford railway station is a station on the Manulla Junction to Ballina line (which connects to the Westport - Dublin service). The station opened on 1 May 1868. In 1963, despite local opposition, it was closed. It reopened in 1988.

Road

The busy N26 road passes through the town, the narrow bridge over the River Moy is a bottleneck. Over 10,000 vehicles cross the bridge everyday, en route to Ballina and north Mayo. It is proposed to bypass the village by dual-carriageway when the proposed Ballina to Bohola road commences construction. However, this major piece of infrastructure is now on hold due to government cutbacks in public spending, despite several million euro of preparation work and compulsory purchase orders.

Notable people

The poet and theatre director F. R. Higgins was born in Foxford.
Admiral William Brown, father of the Argentine Navy, hero of the Argentine War of Independence, and defender of Buenos Aires during the Cisplatine War was born in Foxford.. Statues and monuments to him are found throughout Argentina, and his name is honoured with several streets, squares, towns, and associations. Busts of Admiral Brown have also been erected in Foxford and Dublin.