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Mohill

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Mohill
Maothail
Town
Statue of the blind harpist Turlough O'Carolan in Mohill
Statue of the blind harpist Turlough O'Carolan in Mohill
CountryIreland
ProvinceConnacht
CountyCounty Leitrim
Elevation
82 m (269 ft)
Population
 (2011)[1]
 • Total
928
Irish Grid ReferenceN088963

Mohill (Irish: Maothail) is a town in County Leitrim, Ireland. The town of Carrick-on-Shannon is approximately 16 km (10 miles) away.

The town is built on a slope toward the Rinn River and is centred on a cross-road of the Main Street and the principal cross streets of Glebe Street and Hyde Street. Hyde Street is named after Rev Arthur Hyde, grandfather of Douglas Hyde, first President of Ireland, who spent part of his childhood in the town and who Hyde terrace is named after.

History

There is evidence the ancient locality of Mohill was devastated by Bubonic plague in the 6th century. Mohill, or Maothail Manachain, is named for St. Manachan, who founded a monastery there as early as 500AD. The Monastery was taken over by Augustinians in the 13th century and was later closed in the time of King Henry VIII. The site of the settlement is now occupied by a Protestant church and graveyard, but ruins remain nearby of a round tower. Hyde Street is named after Rev Arthur Hyde, grandfather of Douglas Hyde, first President of Ireland, who spent part of his childhood in the town.

Ownership of the town passed to the Crofton family during the plantations and areas around the town were owned by the Clements family (Lord Leitrim),[2] who built the nearby Lough Rynn estate and was also the owner of what is now Áras an Uachtaráin.

Mohill Poor Law Union was formed 12 September 1839 and covered an area of 215 square miles (560 km2). The population falling within the union at the 1831 census had been 66,858. The new workhouse, built in 1840-42, occupied a 6-acre (24,000 m2) site and was designed to accommodate 700 inmates.

Main article: Shrine of Manchan

The beautiful shrine of Manchan was supposedly kept at the monastery in Mohill, probably until the seventeenth century, before being transferred elsewhere, possibly Clonfert Cathedral, for some unrecorded reason.[3][4] It is presently kept at the Catholic church in Boher, county Offaly.

Townlands

Religion

The Roman Catholic parish of Mohill also includes the nearby church areas of Eslin and Gorvagh and is administered from St Patrick's Church at the top of the town. The Church of Ireland is located at the bottom (east) of the town where the Augustinian Monastery once stood.

People

Mohill is closely associated with Turlough Carolan, the blind harpist, who lived in the town after his marriage. Douglas Hyde, first president of Ireland, whose family originated from the town, also spent some of his childhood there.

Transport

The town was served by the narrow gauge Cavan and Leitrim Railway, which closed in 1959. Mohill railway station opened on 24 October 1887 and finally closed on 1 April 1959.[5]

The R202 regional road runs through the centre of the town.

The nearest station is Dromod railway station on the Dublin-Sligo railway line.

Mohill is served four times daily Monday to Saturday by the Locallink Ballinamore to Carrick on Shannon bus service which also gives two daily connections to Dromod Train station.

Events

The town hosts a large Agricultural Show and Summer festival in August.

On the last Sunday in August The Annual Mohill Honda 50 Run is organized by Peadar Flynn in aid of local charities.

Sport

The parish of Mohill currently has two Gaelic Football Clubs, Mohill who play in Division One and Eslin a Division Two team. The Mohill Club also fields teams in Divisions 3 and 5, whilst Eslin field their second team in Division 5 also. Both Clubs have won Senior Titles in the past and in fact Mohill Faugh-an-Bealaghs won the first ever Leitrim Championship in 1890, defeating Ballinamore in the final. Ironically Eslin won their first title the following year by defeating Mohill in the Final. Eslin won the last of their 3 Titles in 1917 but have won several Junior Championships in the meantime. Mohill won the last of their 5 Senior Titles in 2006 defeating St. Marys by one point in a game which saw them complete a dramatic comeback. Mohill and Eslin have often amalgamated for underage competition under the name St. Manachans, named after the patron saint of the parish.

Arguably Leitrim and one of Irelands greatest footballers, Packy McGarty was born in Mohill. McGarty had the distinction of playing for his county over 4 decades 1949-73 but his finest hour was in the 1958 Connacht Final despite the heart breaking defeat to Galway. There was in fact at one time 3 Senior teams in the parish as Gorvagh also had a Club. In fact Gorvagh were the kingpins of Leitrim football in the 1920s and are the only team in the County to win 4 titles in a row 1924-28, when they were led by their inspirational captain Jack Bohan. The top scorer on the Leitrim team in the late 50's and throughout the 60's was Cathal Flynn who was born in Gorvagh and formed a lethal partnership with McGarty during this period.

Mohill also had a successful soccer team, Mohill Town FC and a Hurling club, St. Finbarrs but sadly both are now defunct. Some Mohill players do however still line out with the neighbouring Gortlettragh Hurling Club. Mohill also has a well known Basketball Club and in 2008 the Mohill Under 16 Girls basketball team won the National Title in the Community Games competition. Mohill is also home to the South Leitrim Harriers who hunt throughout the winter in the surrounding countryside. Mohill also had a very successful athletic club which its participants won multiple races all over the country.

Culture

1856: Slater's Directory describes Mohill as a prosperous, thriving market town - "(Main Street) contains several good shops well-stocked with the various articles of fashion and of local requisites. Great progress is manifest in its general appearance and of its size is considered one of the most stirring, and is certainly the most thriving town of any in the surrounding counties".

Education

  • Primary School(s): St. Manchan's National School (amalgamation of St. Joseph's Girls National School and St. Michael's Boys National School, opened in 2005) and the Hunt National School
  • Secondary School(s): Mohill Community College (Irish: Coláiste Pobail Maothail) - (amalgamation of Marian College and Mohill Vocational School, opened in 2009)

See also

List of towns and villages in Ireland

References

  1. ^ "Population Classified by Area" (PDF). p. 47. Retrieved 25 Oct 2016.
  2. ^ loughrynn.net
  3. ^ Graves 1874, pp. 136.
  4. ^ Jewitt 1876, pp. 134.
  5. ^ "Mohill station" (PDF). Railscot - Irish Railways. Retrieved 2007-11-18.

Secondary sources

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Mohill.
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