The town sits on the River Deel near the northern shore of Lough Conn. Crossmolina is about 9 km (5.6 mi) west of Ballina on the N59 road.

[19] The town is referenced in the Leigh's pocket road book of Ireland, published in 1827, as a "village in Mayo", whose "most remarkable object is the ruin of an Abbey dedicated to the Virgin Mary".

[20] Poitín, a traditional Irish spirit made from fermented grain or potatoes, boasts a high alcohol content.

In the early 19th century, Ireland's government worried about prevalent illegal private distillation, leading to frequent conflicts with locals.

By February 1816, North Mayo's poitín production alarmed the government enough to station troops in the town to curb the trade.

Large landowners, often residing in England, rented land to tenant farmers with precarious tenure, risking eviction at any time.

[25][26][27]In December 1813, violence again broke out when a crowd of local residents, armed with pikes and guns, tried to take back cattle that had been sequestered to pay for outstanding rent arrears.

In December 1821, John Carr, Peter Gillaspy, Eneas Early, and Mathew Chambers were imprisoned for their Ribbonmen membership and for administering illegal oaths.

[34] The town was badly damaged during the "Night of the Big Wind" (Irish: Oíche na Gaoithe Móire) that swept across Ireland on 6 January 1839.

That June, the Archbishop of Tuam visited and reported to the London Times seeing "half-starved men, women, and children" in Crossmolina and surrounding areas.

Richard Sharpe, an agent for the Palmer estate with extensive land in Crossmolina, spearheaded relief efforts by organizing oat shipments to combat starvation.

George Vaughn Jackson, a local landlord and relief committee secretary, described the dire situation in the London Times, mentioning starving mothers, men seeking work, and rampant fever, indicating widespread starvation and disease.

The once-green stalks of potato ridges quickly succumbed to blight, resulting in a putrid stench emanating from the rotting crops.

Reverend St. George Knox, a local Protestant clergyman, detailed the town's distress in a letter to the London Evening Standard.

He noted rising provisions prices, the poor congregating for relief, and sixteen deaths in one month, with about 900 parishioners unable to buy food.

Despite these conditions, Knox highlighted the population's remarkable patience and peacefulness, emphasizing "no depredations were committed", despite daily starvation deaths.

[45] An article in the London Evening Standard from January 1847 described a dire situation in the town, with inquests held for those who died suddenly, likely from diseases caused by lack of food.

It reported that scores were dying daily in North Mayo from malnutrition-related illnesses, with some eating raw vegetables in desperate attempts to combat hunger.

McHale - Parish Priest of Adergoole was arrested under the same Coercion Act for holding a Land League meeting in the Roman Catholic Chapel.

[56] The activities of the Crossmolina Land League were discussed in the House of Commons during the debate on the Protection of Persons and Property (Ireland) Bill in January 1881.

Bradford MP W. E. Forster claimed that armed League members pressured local tenants into refusing rent payments beyond Griffith's Valuation amounts.

[61] On Sunday, 28 August 1910, a riot broke out in Crossmolina when the leader of the All for Ireland League (AFIL) - William O'Brien MP - tried to hold an open-air meeting in the town center.

[81][82] On 25 October 1942, an RAF plane from Newfoundland attempted an emergency landing in Pulladoohy, near Crossmolina, but crashed upside down, killing the pilot.

[84] The town received significant media attention when Mary Feehan, a 19-year-old from Crossmolina was acquitted of murder after enduring three separate trials.

Her first trial in May resulted in a guilty verdict and a life sentence, but the Irish Court of Criminal Appeal ordered a retrial due to judicial misdirection.

In her third trial, the jury ultimately returned a “not guilty” verdict, prompting an emotional reaction from Feehan, who collapsed outside Dublin’s Central Criminal Court, surrounded by supporters.

[85] A new Crossmolina Fire Station, which cost just under €2 million, was officially opened in 2023 by the Minister for Housing, Local Government and Heritage Darragh O’Brien TD.

In 1926, heavy rainfall in North Mayo led to severe floods, inundating shops, homes, and roads, sweeping away livestock, potato pits, and turf stacks.

[88] In September 1945, the River Deel overflowed after a gale, severely flooding Chapel Street, where waters reached four feet, damaging shops.

The realization of the Crossmolina Flood Relief Scheme is contingent upon the successful conclusion of the Department for Public Expenditure and Reform's consultation process and an independent review.