St Mullin's
Encyclopedia
St Mullin's is a village situated in the south of County Carlow
on the eastern bank of the River Barrow
in Ireland
. It is located less than 2 km off the R729 regional road
.
, who founded a monastery there in the early 7th century. Ruins of a later monastic buildings still remain, located in an old cemetery. A large mound, the remains of a Norman
motte, exists near the entrance to the cemetery.
Nestling between the Blackstairs Mountains on one side and Brandon Hill on the other, the locality acquired its name from St. Moling. A 7th century cleric, prince, poet, artist and artisan, St Moling built a monastery here with the help of "Gobban Saor", the legendary Irish builder. In the 8th century manuscript, known as "The Book of Mulling", there is a plan of the monastery, the earliest known plan of an Irish monastery which shows four crosses inside and eight crosses outside the circular monastic wall. It is said that St. Moling dug a mile-long watercourse with his own hands to power his mill, a task that took seven years! He became Bishop of Ferns, died in 697 and is buried at St. Mullin's. The St. Moling watercourse is still there, but the original monastery was plundered by the Vikings in 951 and was again burned in 1138. An abbey was built on the site later, in the Middle Ages. A 9th century High Cross, depicting the Crucifixion and the Celtic spiral pattern, stands outside the remains of the abbey and there are also some domestic medieval buildings, including one that has an unusual diamond-shaped window. St. Moling's Mill and Well are a short distance away.
There is also now a coffee shop and self catering cottages in St. Mullins. Details can be found at http://www.oldgrainstorecottages.ie
St. Mullins is also the starting/finishing point for the Barrow Way long distance walk , for visitors who prefer a shorter walk, enjoy the 6 km Slí na Sláinte route, start with a cup of coffee at the Mullicháin Cafe on the quay and walk the tow path to the first lough on the Barrow ,up through Bahana Woods and return via Templenabo to the village.
The mountain ranges of Mount Leinster, the Blackstairs and Mount Brandon, together with the Barrow, Nore and Suir river systems, provides a truly scenic background. An added bonus is the climate, with lower rainfall, gentler breezes and more sunshine than the rest of Ireland - hence the name "Sunny South-East".
http://www.oldgrainstorecottages.ie/MullichainCafeWalks.pdf
County Carlow
County Carlow is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Carlow, which lies on the River Barrow. Carlow County Council is the local authority for the county...
on the eastern bank of the River Barrow
River Barrow
The Barrow is a river in Ireland. It is one of The Three Sisters; the other two being the River Suir and the River Nore. The Barrow is the longest and most prominent of the three rivers...
in Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. It is located less than 2 km off the R729 regional road
Regional road
A regional road in Ireland is a class of road not forming a major route , but nevertheless forming a link in the national route network. There are over 11,600 kilometres of regional roads. Regional roads are numbered with three digit route numbers, prefixed by "R" A regional road in Ireland is a...
.
History
The place is named after Saint MolingSaint Moling
Mo Ling was the second Bishop of Ferns in Ireland. The town of Monamolin in County Wexford is named after him, as is the parish church in Ballycanew....
, who founded a monastery there in the early 7th century. Ruins of a later monastic buildings still remain, located in an old cemetery. A large mound, the remains of a Norman
Normans
The Normans were the people who gave their name to Normandy, a region in northern France. They were descended from Norse Viking conquerors of the territory and the native population of Frankish and Gallo-Roman stock...
motte, exists near the entrance to the cemetery.
Nestling between the Blackstairs Mountains on one side and Brandon Hill on the other, the locality acquired its name from St. Moling. A 7th century cleric, prince, poet, artist and artisan, St Moling built a monastery here with the help of "Gobban Saor", the legendary Irish builder. In the 8th century manuscript, known as "The Book of Mulling", there is a plan of the monastery, the earliest known plan of an Irish monastery which shows four crosses inside and eight crosses outside the circular monastic wall. It is said that St. Moling dug a mile-long watercourse with his own hands to power his mill, a task that took seven years! He became Bishop of Ferns, died in 697 and is buried at St. Mullin's. The St. Moling watercourse is still there, but the original monastery was plundered by the Vikings in 951 and was again burned in 1138. An abbey was built on the site later, in the Middle Ages. A 9th century High Cross, depicting the Crucifixion and the Celtic spiral pattern, stands outside the remains of the abbey and there are also some domestic medieval buildings, including one that has an unusual diamond-shaped window. St. Moling's Mill and Well are a short distance away.
Details
Today, in addition to the historic remains, the village consists of a Pub/Shop and a small number of houses.There is also now a coffee shop and self catering cottages in St. Mullins. Details can be found at http://www.oldgrainstorecottages.ie
Local Attractions & Amenities
As well as being a good spot for anglers, St. Mullins is one of the stop-off points for pleasure barges/cruisers who ply the River Barrow. The building of the canal system on the Barrow began here in 1750 and the Old Grain Store was built to store goods coming up the river from the sailing ships in New Ross.The horses and carts came down the tracks from the Blackstairs mountains to gather their supplys and sell their goods for export.Horses were kept in the old stables to pull the barges up river and the blacksmith was on hand to repair the barges and shoe the draught horses.By 1920 the Bolinger engine had arrived and the long serving horses were no longer needed.St. Mullins is also the starting/finishing point for the Barrow Way long distance walk , for visitors who prefer a shorter walk, enjoy the 6 km Slí na Sláinte route, start with a cup of coffee at the Mullicháin Cafe on the quay and walk the tow path to the first lough on the Barrow ,up through Bahana Woods and return via Templenabo to the village.
The mountain ranges of Mount Leinster, the Blackstairs and Mount Brandon, together with the Barrow, Nore and Suir river systems, provides a truly scenic background. An added bonus is the climate, with lower rainfall, gentler breezes and more sunshine than the rest of Ireland - hence the name "Sunny South-East".
Local Walks
A list of local walks can be found through the following linkhttp://www.oldgrainstorecottages.ie/MullichainCafeWalks.pdf
See also
- List of towns and villages in Ireland