Meelin is a village in northern Duhallow

Duhallow

Duhallow is a barony located in the north-western part of County Cork, Ireland.- Legal context :Baronies were created after the Norman invasion as subdivisions of counties and were used for administration. Baronies continue to be regarded as officially defined units, but they are no longer used...

, County Cork

County Cork

County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. At 832 feet above sea level it is thought to be Ireland's highest village although Glencullen

Glencullen

Glencullen , is a village in south County Dublin. It is also a townland in the civil parish of Kilternan, in the Barony and Poor Law Union of Rathdown in Dun Laoghaire-Rathdown County....

, Dublin

County Dublin

County Dublin is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Dublin Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the city of Dublin which is the capital of Ireland. County Dublin was one of the first of the parts of Ireland to be shired by King John of England following the...

 sits 27.5 metres above Meelin at 922 feet. The village is situated near the border of Cork

County Cork

County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...

 and Limerick

County Limerick

It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...

.

History

Fulacht fiadh

Fulacht fiadh

A fulacht fiadh is a type of archaeological site found in Ireland. In England, Scotland, Wales and the Isle of Man they are known as burnt mounds. They commonly survive as a low horseshoe-shaped mound of charcoal-enriched soil and heat shattered stone with a slight depression at its centre showing...

's are found in Meelin and around the Duhallow area. There is also a 4,000 year old burial mound in the village.

1900's

In the early 20th century quarries were set up in the village and employed over 100 people. But in the 1920s quarrying started to slow down and by 1964 it had stopped altogether. In 1963, English geologist William Morton

William Morton

William Morton may refer to:* William T.G. Morton , American dentist, the first to use ether anesthesia* William Morton , American boxer, see Boxing at the 1955 Pan American Games* William Morton , Scottish cricketer...

 carried out a survey of the limestone area around the village and assumed there might be oil

Petroleum

Petroleum or crude oil is a naturally occurring, flammable liquid consisting of a complex mixture of hydrocarbons of various molecular weights and other liquid organic compounds, that are found in geologic formations beneath the Earth's surface. Petroleum is recovered mostly through oil drilling...

 deep in the rocks. After three oil companies drilled over 5,000 feet into the rocks, no oil or gas was found.

Churches

The Church of Saint Joseph was built in 1837, Meelin is part of the Clonfert parish. In 1871 a Bell for the Church was brought to the village by John Murphy. It was built over the gallery in a bell tower and remained there until 1970 when repairs were carried out on the Church.

Sport

The village is home to Meelin GAA

Meelin GAA

Meelin GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Meelin, Cork, Ireland which forms part of the parish of Rockchapel and Meelin. The club is affiliated to the Duhallow division of Cork GAA. The club has both a hurling and a Gaelic football teams...

 which was founded in 1928.
Hurling is the predominant sport in Meelin. The Meelin Hurling team won the Cork Junior A County Championship in 2010. They will play in the Intermediate grade in 2011. Football is also played at Junior B Level.

See also

• List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland
• List of towns and villages in County Cork