Mullinavat
| Mullinavat Irish: Muileann an Bhata | |
| County Kilkenny | |
|---|---|
 Main Street, Mullinavat | |
| Location | |
| Grid reference: | S565243 |
| Location: | 52°22’5"N, 7°10’16"W |
| Data | |
| Population: | 233 |
| Local Government | |
| Council: | Piltown |
| Dáil constituency: |
Carlow–Kilkenny |
Mullinavat is a town and townland in the south of County Kilkenny, in the Barony of Knocktopher. Its main industries are tourism and agriculture.
The town's name in Irish, Muileann an Bhata means 'mill of the stick',[1] which, according to local tradition, may refer to a mill which could only be approached by means of a rough stick over the Glendonnel River, close to where Mullinavat Bridge is now located.
About the village
Two streams, Abhainn na Bhata and the Poulanassa River, join the Blackwater River to the south of Mullinavat. Other local geographic features include Tory Hill (Sliabh gCruinn, meaning 'round mountain') which rises to 951 feet above sea level. This hill is said to have derived its name from an outlaw named Edmund Den, who was active in the area around the year 1700. There is a pattern held each year on Tory Hill on the second Sunday of July. This is locally called 'Tory Hill Sunday' and 'Frocchans Sunday'. It was not previously a religious celebration, but consisted of local people gathering to pick the wild berries called 'Frocchans'. In the "holy year" of 1950, a large cross was erected on the summit of the hill, and since then the rosary had been said by the people who gather beneath the cross.
Named after 'Fort of the Wren', nearby Listrolin is in the Walsh Mountains, overlooking Mullinavat, Mooncoin, Kilmacow and Tempelorum. Listrolin and the Walsh Mountains were acquired by the Walsh family when they landed in Ireland with Strongbow in the 12th century. This area was controlled by the family until the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in the 17th century. It was once home to several castles owned by the family's descendants. In 1946, the townlands of Clonassy, Listrolin and Rochestown were annexed from Mooncoin, becoming part of Mullinavat district parish. The ancient church of this district stood in Listrrolin, in the laneway leading over the Assy River to Ballinacoaley.
Afforestation in the area has been undertaken by Coillte. Forestry has been important in Mullinavat since the 1960s, mainly conifer plantations. Government policy has also promoted the development of deciduous woodland using species such as oak, beech and fraxinus|ash.
History
Evidence of ancient settlement in the area includes a number of fulacht fiadh, enclosure and ringfort sites in the surrounding townlands of Deerpark, Garrandarragh and Glendonnell.[2]
Mullinavat was historically associated with milling, and 19th century saw mill and corn mill buildings still stand in Mullinavat and Glendonnell townlands.[3][4] The local church, Saint Beacon's Catholic Church in Garrandarragh, dates to around 1890.[5] A 19th century Church of Ireland church, outside the town, was demolished in the 20th century - though its graveyard remains.[6] These churches, and Kilbeacon parish, are historically associated with Saint Beacon.
Clonassey Castle is located in the area, and the remains of the foundations are to be seen in what is still known as the 'Castle Field'. Its last occupant was Robert Walsh, Member of Parliament for County Kilkenny in the Parliament of Ireland of 1689. He was killed at the Siege of Limerick in 1691.
Inchicarron (or Inchacarran) Castle, to the east of Mullinavat, was occupied by poet John Mac Walter Walsh. He was known as 'Tatter Jack Walsh', Tatter meaning father or head of the clan. Only one of his poems survives, but the name of the best-known Walsh dance tune is still 'Tatter Jack Walsh'. In his old age, his property was confiscated, and he betook himself to friends in Lismatigue. He died in 1660 and was reputedly buried in Kilbeacon cemetery.
Sport
- Football: Mullinavat Football Club, formed in 1887
- Gaelic football Mullinavat GAA
References
- ↑ Muileann an Bhata / Mullinavat: Placenames Database of Ireland
- ↑ Record of Monuments and Places - County Kilkenny. Dublin: National Monuments and Historic Properties Service. 1996.
- ↑ "Glendonnell, Mullinavat, Kilkenny". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/12326018/glendonnell-mullinavat-kilkenny. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ↑ "Mullinavat, Mullinavat, Kilkenny". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/12326006/mullinavat-mullinavat-kilkenny. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ↑ "Saint Beacon's Catholic Church, Garrandarragh, Mullinavat, Kilkenny". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/12326012/saint-beacons-catholic-church-garrandarragh-mullinavat-kilkenny. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
- ↑ "Kilbeacon Church, Garrandarragh, Kilkenny". National Inventory of Architectural Heritage. https://www.buildingsofireland.ie/buildings-search/building/12404003/kilbeacon-church-garrandarragh-kilkenny. Retrieved 12 August 2024.