Bekan, County Mayo
Bekan is a village in County Mayo, Ireland. Because of the almost entirely rural population, it is traditionally a farming community. The village is between Ballyhaunis and Knock on the L1501 local road which connects the N60 and R323 roads.
Education
St. Joseph's National School, or Bekan National School, is a co-educational primary school which had 164 pupils in 2025.Transport
Bekan railway station opened on 1 January 1909 and closed on 17 June 1963.Religion
There is a 173-square-metre Jehovah's Witnesses Kingdom Hall with a seating capacity of 120 on the south side of Bekan, built by 200 volunteers during a weekend in 2004.St. Margaret Mary's Church is a local Catholic church in the centre of the village.
Sport
Eastern Gaels is the local Gaelic Football club, which represents both Bekan and Brickens. The Connacht Gaelic Athletic Association Centre of Excellence, built just outside the village in December 2012, is the main sporting facility in the area. The centre has a 3G pitch, five floodlit Gaelic games pitches, and a gymnasium.Notable people
Joseph Finnegan of the Massachusetts state senate was born in Bekan. He emigrated to Boston in 1916, where he became a lawyer and state representative for Dorchester, Boston before being elected to the upper chamber. Senator Joseph Finnegan Park in Dorchester is named in his honour. He became the father-in-law of future Apollo 11 astronaut Michael Collins when his eldest child, Patricia, married Collins in 1957Michael Murphy is Principal of Mayo College of Further Education with locations throughout Mayo. He studied in University of Galway where he obtained Bachelor of Commerce, Masters of Business Studies and Master of Science degrees.
He currently serves on the Board of Solas, Board of Nayo North East and as Planning and Training Officer for Mayo GAA.
He is the President of the Principals and Deputy Principal Association and Chair of Further Education Colleges Ireland.