Mullinavat is a town in south County Kilkenny

County Kilkenny

County Kilkenny 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 city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...

, 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,...

. Its main industries are tourism

Tourism

Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...

 and agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

. It has a renowned sporting history, particularly in hurling

Hurling

Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...

.

Location and access

The village is located centrally on the N9 national primary road

National primary road

A national primary road is a road classification in the Republic of Ireland. National primary roads form the major routes between the major urban centres. There are over 2,700km of national primary roads. This category of road has the prefix "N" followed by one or two digits...

 from Waterford

Waterford

Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...

 to Dublin. The town was by-passed in July 2010 when the Kilkenny

Kilkenny

Kilkenny is a city and is the county town of the eponymous County Kilkenny in Ireland. It is situated on both banks of the River Nore in the province of Leinster, in the south-east of Ireland...

 -- Waterford section of the M9

M9 motorway (Ireland)

The M9 motorway is a motorway in Ireland linking the M7 at Kilcullen to Waterford. Opened in sections between 1994 and 2010, the final section opened on 9 September 2010....

 opened. There are link roads to New Ross

New Ross

New Ross is a town located in southwest County Wexford, in the southeast of Ireland. In 2006 it had a population of 7,709 people, making it the third largest town in the county after Wexford and Enniscorthy.-History:...

 and Piltown

Piltown

Piltown, historically known as Ballypoyle , is a small village in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It lies on the R698 regional road, which was the N24 national primary road before the locality was bypassed in 2002....

 from the town centre. The town is bounded by Killahy in the upper end of the parish to Fahee (Fahy) in the lower end, a distance of 7.4 miles (11.9 km). In the west lies Rathnasmolagh with Listrolin at the eastern extremity, a distance of 6.6 miles (10.6 km). The town measures 48.84 square miles (78.6 kilometres).

Bus

The town is served by buses from both Bus Éireann

Bus Éireann

Bus Éireann provides bus services in Ireland with the exception of those operated entirely within the Dublin Region, which are provided by Dublin Bus. Bus Éireann, established as a separate company in 1987, is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann. The logo of Bus Éireann incorporates a red Irish...

 and Kavanaghs Rapid Express, thanks to its location on the main Dublin Waterford route. Kavanaghs Buses run day and night, serving Dublin Airport. Bus Éireann

Bus Éireann

Bus Éireann provides bus services in Ireland with the exception of those operated entirely within the Dublin Region, which are provided by Dublin Bus. Bus Éireann, established as a separate company in 1987, is a subsidiary of Córas Iompair Éireann. The logo of Bus Éireann incorporates a red Irish...

's services run from 05.30 and finish at 19.40 on the Dublin Route, and 09.00 until 23.00 on the Waterford route, but are subject to change. Online timetable. Despite campaigns, there is no commuter service to Waterford from Mullinavat, as it is located in the Kilkenny county area.

Name

The town's name in Irish translates as 'The Mill of the Stick'. Tradition has it that the name was derives from an mill which could only be approached by means of a rough stick over the Glendonnel River, where the bridge on the main road is now, beside the Garda

Garda Síochána

, more commonly referred to as the Gardaí , is the police force of Ireland. The service is headed by the Commissioner who is appointed by the Irish Government. Its headquarters are located in the Phoenix Park in Dublin.- Terminology :...

 Barracks.

Historical parishes

Mullinavat originally comprised the civil parish

Civil parish

In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...

es of Kilbecan, Kilahy and Rossinan, all located in the barony

Barony (Ireland)

In Ireland, a barony is a historical subdivision of a county. They were created, like the counties, in the centuries after the Norman invasion, and were analogous to the hundreds into which the counties of England were divided. In early use they were also called cantreds...

 of Knocktopher

Knocktopher

Knocktopher is a village in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is situated on the M9 between the villages of Stoneyford to the north, and Ballyhale to the south....

. Prior to 1842, Mullinavat formed one Ecclesiastical parish with Kilmacow

Kilmacow

Kilmacow or Killmacow is a small village and townland in south County Kilkenny, Ireland.-Geography:Situated about 7 km south of Mullinavat and 8 km north from Waterford City, Kilmacow consists of an Upper and Lower Village approximately 1 km apart...

. In the middle of the 18th century, Mullinavat consisted of only a few houses. In 1801, the number of houses was 35, with 158 inhabitants. The erection of a church here in 1805 had a decided influence on the general improvement of the village, which in 1841 had 110 inhabited houses. In 1871, the population of Mullinavat was 531. The parish church of Kilbecan was in use up to 1830, then used as a Protestant church. It was dedicated to St. Becan, Bishop and confessor whose feast day is set down as May 27.

The first chapel built in the Mullinavat district since the reformation, stood in the townland of Deerpark. It was called the 'Chapel of Scart' as it was situated close to the townsland of Scart. Its site is on the west side of the Waterford Road, near the Blackwater River. It is handed down that whenever the river became so swollen as to be impassable, the people at the Clonassey and Ballyda side used to assemble on Sunday mornings on the western bank, opposite the chapel. They would kneel and pray while the people on the other side had mass within the chapel walls. This chapel was in use for a long period and was abandoned in 1772. The next chapel called 'The Chapel of Park' stood at the village of Park. It was closed in 1805, having been used as the district chapel for '33 years, the term of our Lord's life on Earth'. The present chapel of Mullinavat was built in 1805, during the pastoral term of rev. Marum p.p., of Kilmacow. It stands in the townsland of Garrandarragh ('oak grove'). It was renovated in 1960. The first chapel in Bigwood was in use from about 1787 to 1824. Another chapel was built in 1842 by the contributions of the people of neighbouring townlands in the parishes of Mullinavat, Kilmacow, Glenmore and Slieverue

Slieverue

Slieverue, officially Slieveroe , is a village in South County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland. It is also a parish in Ossory. Despite the name, the land is relatively low-lying and fertile.Slieverue is listed as a census town in the 2002 census....

. This chapel was in use until 1966 when the present church was erected during the pastoral term of Very Rev. Canon D. Hughes.

Killahy

The parish of Killahy was mentioned at the time of the suppression of the religious houses in 1540. The parish church of Killahy was about 33 ft (10.1 m). long, and 19 ½ ft. wide. It was dedicated to the exaltation of the Holy Cross on September 14. About two or three hundred yards to the SouthEast, in the townland

Townland

A townland or bally is a small geographical division of land used in Ireland. The townland system is of Gaelic origin—most townlands are believed to pre-date the Norman invasion and most have names derived from the Irish language...

 of Red Acres, there was a holy well known as the 'Well of the Holy Cross

Christian cross

The Christian cross, seen as a representation of the instrument of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, is the best-known religious symbol of Christianity...

'. It was frequented for devotional purposes until about 1850, when it was destroyed by its owner.

Rossinan

The parish of Rossinan was also mentioned at the suppression of the religious houses. The original Irish

Irish language

Irish , also known as Irish Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is now spoken as a first language by a minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language of a larger proportion of...

 name Rois Seanain meaning 'The point or Wood of St. Synan or Senanus'. Whether this saint in identical with his namesake, the patron of the adjoining parish of Kilmacow is unknown. The parish church of St. Synan was situated in Rossinan, close to the left bank of the Blackwater River

Munster Blackwater

The Blackwater or Munster Blackwater is a river which flows through counties Kerry, Cork, and Waterford in Ireland. It rises in the Mullaghareirk Mountains in County Kerry and then flows in an easterly direction through County Cork, through Mallow and Fermoy...

. No trace of the church now remains as the railway line from Waterford

Waterford

Waterford is a city in the South-East Region of Ireland. It is the oldest city in the country and fifth largest by population. Waterford City Council is the local government authority for the city and its immediate hinterland...

 to Kilkenny was constructed over it around 1850. The graveyard

Graveyard

A graveyard is any place set aside for long-term burial of the dead, with or without monuments such as headstones...

 met the same fate, as the road from Waterford to Mullinavat runs through the centre of it.

Tory Hill

Tory Hill (Ir. Sliabh gCruinn, 'Round Mountain') rising to a height of 966 ft (294.4 m). above sea level, is said to have derived its name from an outlaw named Edmund Den, who flourished in this locality 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 never was a religious celebration, but merely consisted of the people of the neighbourhood 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

Rosary

The rosary or "garland of roses" is a traditional Catholic devotion. The term denotes the prayer beads used to count the series of prayers that make up the rosary...

 had been said by the people who gather beneath the cross.

Listrolin, Clonassey and Ballinacooley

Named after 'Fort of the Wren', Listrolin is situated in the heart of the Walsh Mountains, overlooking Mullinavat, Mooncoin

Mooncoin

Mooncoin is a town situated in the far south of County Kilkenny, in Ireland, just 10 km from Waterford City on the main Waterford to Limerick road...

, Kilmacow and Tempelorum. The mountains were acquired by the Walsh family when they landed in Ireland with Strongbow

Strongbow

The term Strongbow may refer to:*Richard de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke, a Norman earl also known by the nickname "Strongbow"*Strongbow Cider*Beleg Cúthalion , a character in JRR Tolkien's Quenta Silmarillion...

. This vast area was controlled by the family until Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell

Oliver Cromwell was an English military and political leader who overthrew the English monarchy and temporarily turned England into a republican Commonwealth, and served as Lord Protector of England, Scotland, and Ireland....

 invaded the area. The Mountains were full of castles owned by the family's descendants. See Inchicarron Castle, Clonassey Castle and Ballinacooley Castle. In 1946 the townslands 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. Around the year 1850, the remains of the old church and graveyard were uprooted and tilled.

Clonassey Castle

Stood in the second field from the road under John Murphy's house. 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

Member of Parliament

A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...

 for County Kilkenny

County Kilkenny

County Kilkenny 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 city of Kilkenny. The territory of the county was the core part of the ancient Irish Kingdom of Osraige which in turn was the core of the Diocese of...

 in the parliament

Parliament of Ireland

The Parliament of Ireland was a legislature that existed in Dublin from 1297 until 1800. In its early mediaeval period during the Lordship of Ireland it consisted of either two or three chambers: the House of Commons, elected by a very restricted suffrage, the House of Lords in which the lords...

 of 1689. He was slain at the siege of Limerick in 1691.

Inchicarron Castle

Stood where Simon Dwyer now lives and was occupied by John Mac Walter Walsh, a poet of considerable merit. He was known as 'Tatter Jack Walsh', Tatter meaning father or head of the clan

Clan

A clan is a group of people united by actual or perceived kinship and descent. Even if lineage details are unknown, clan members may be organized around a founding member or apical ancestor. The kinship-based bonds may be symbolical, whereby the clan shares a "stipulated" common ancestor that is a...

. Unfortunately 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 is believed to have lived on the moat

Moat

A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that surrounds a castle, other building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive water defences, including natural or artificial lakes, dams and sluices...

 where R. Dalton now lives. There he died in 1660 and was buried in Kilbeacon cemetery.

Sport:GAA club history

Mullinavat Football Club was formed in 1887, the first year of official Gaelic Athletic Association

Gaelic Athletic Association

The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...

. championships. Gaelic football

Gaelic football

Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...

 was the dominant sport in the parish until around 1913 when a hurling team from Mullinavat entered the Junior championship for the first time. The present pitch

Association football pitch

An association football pitch is the playing surface for the game of association football made of turf. Its dimensions and markings are defined by Law 1 of the Laws of the Game, "The Field of Play".All line markings on the pitch form part of the area which they define...

 was bought in 1953 for £590. Fr. Joseph Gallavan C.C. was the driving force behind the purchase and development of the field.

The appointment as parish priest in 1983 of the legendary Kilkenny coach Monsignor

Monsignor

Monsignor, pl. monsignori, is the form of address for those members of the clergy of the Catholic Church holding certain ecclesiastical honorific titles. Monsignor is the apocopic form of the Italian monsignore, from the French mon seigneur, meaning "my lord"...

 Tommy Maher was of crucial importance to the development of hurling in Mullinavat. Fr. Tommy as he is better known needs no introduction to followers of hurling. A past pupil of St Kieran's College

St Kieran's College

St. Kieran's College, Kilkenny, Ireland is primarily a Secondary school for boys. It has long been a nursery for hurling, and is located on College Road in Kilkenny in County Kilkenny, Ireland.- History :...

, he was a member of the Kilkenny team beaten by Tipperary

Tipperary

Tipperary is a town and a civil parish in South Tipperary in Ireland. Its population was 4,415 at the 2006 census. It is also an ecclesiastical parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly, and is in the historical barony of Clanwilliam....

 in the 1945 All-Ireland Hurling Final

All-Ireland Hurling Final

The All-Ireland Hurling Final is the last match to be played in the All-Ireland Hurling Championships . The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final is one of the biggest sporting occasions to be held in Ireland every year...

. He won a County Championship medal with Thomastown

Thomastown

-Landmarks:Kilfane Glen is a restored historic 1790s garden of romantic era with waterfall, woodland walks and cottage orne. The garden is listed as an Irish Heritage garden and was awarded assistance in 1993 by the European Union Cultural Commission...

 in 1946. In the mid-1950s he became coach to the Kilkenny team and quickly made his presence felt as Kilkenny, in 1957 ended the County Wexford

County Wexford

County Wexford 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 Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...

 dominance in Leinster

Leinster

Leinster is one of the Provinces of Ireland situated in the east of Ireland. It comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Mide, Osraige and Leinster. Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the historic fifths of Leinster and Mide gradually merged, mainly due to the impact of the Pale, which straddled...

. During his term as coach, which was a new concept then, Kilkenny captured seven All-Irelands. In 1983 he was appointed Parish Priest of Mullinavat and immediately became involved in the local hurling scene. It came as no surprise to anybody that, in 1984, Mullinavat won the Junior Championship, and in 1985, won the Special Junior B Championship. A couple of years later, he retired completely from the game but his interest has never waned and he is currently the Club President.

In 1989 Mullinavat won the Intermediate Championship when trained by Jim Walsh. Jim was a prominent hurler on the Mullinavat team for many years and played for the County minor team in 1966. He won an intermediate All-Ireland medal in 1972. The team reached the semi-final of the senior championship in 1993 but were relegated to the intermediate grade in 1994. In 1997 they reached the semi-final of this grade and in 1998 they contested the junior football final. In 1998 Fr. Tommy Maher retired as parish priest and was replaced by another famous hurling coach, Fr. Liam Barron, who has guided the Kilkenny minor teams to many victories in recent times. The victory of the minor team in 1998 was the springboard for further championship success in the following years. In 1999 the Club won The Intermediate Football League, the Special Junior B Hurling league, the Roinn B under-21 Championship and reached the final of the Intermediate Hurling Championship. In 2000 the Intermediate football championship was won and in 2001 the Club won the Intermediate Hurling championship. After a brief two years in the top flight the club was relegated back to Intermediate ranks, but senior status was regained in 2006 after an emphatic victory in the Intermediate Championship. The club was relegated to Intermediate the following year but reached the Intermediate final again in 2010 only to lose out by a point to Dicksboro. In 2011 they won Minor-B championship.

Economy

Mullinavat's economy is typical to that in south Kilkenny. Its main economic activities are Tourism, Construction, and Agriculture although it does have a growing services sector, particularly in retailing and hospitality as well as hardware and machinery hire. Nonetheless the town serves its local population well, with many public services, from health centres to agricultural training and advice in the Teagasc centre.

Strict planning rulings from Kilkenny County Council forbid large-scale development in the town. Some locals regularly criticize the council on this issue, as the towns young, highly educated workforce ultimately leave the town for employment in major cities, particularly Waterford. The majority of the population commute to Waterford by car, with a small minority by bus.

Agriculture and Forestry

Mulinavat is in an area of productive land, which has been exploited for Agriculture

Agriculture

Agriculture is the cultivation of animals, plants, fungi and other life forms for food, fiber, and other products used to sustain life. Agriculture was the key implement in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that nurtured the...

 and Forestry

Forestry

Forestry is the interdisciplinary profession embracing the science, art, and craft of creating, managing, using, and conserving forests and associated resources in a sustainable manner to meet desired goals, needs, and values for human benefit. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands...

. The main forms of agriculture are tillage

Tillage

Tillage is the agricultural preparation of the soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shovelling, picking, mattock work, hoeing, and raking...

 of barley

Barley

Barley is a major cereal grain, a member of the grass family. It serves as a major animal fodder, as a base malt for beer and certain distilled beverages, and as a component of various health foods...

, oats

OATS

OATS - Open Source Assistive Technology Software - is a source code repository or "forge" for assistive technology software. It was launched in 2006 with the goal to provide a one-stop “shop” for end users, clinicians and open-source developers to promote and develop open source assistive...

, wheat

Wheat

Wheat is a cereal grain, originally from the Levant region of the Near East, but now cultivated worldwide. In 2007 world production of wheat was 607 million tons, making it the third most-produced cereal after maize and rice...

, miscanthus

Miscanthus

Miscanthus is a genus of about 15 species of perennial grasses native to subtropical and tropical regions of Africa and southern Asia, with one species Miscanthus is a genus of about 15 species of perennial grasses native to subtropical and tropical regions of Africa and southern Asia, with one...

, and maize

Maize

Maize known in many English-speaking countries as corn or mielie/mealie, is a grain domesticated by indigenous peoples in Mesoamerica in prehistoric times. The leafy stalk produces ears which contain seeds called kernels. Though technically a grain, maize kernels are used in cooking as a vegetable...

. Production of sugarbeet stopped with the closure of the Carlow

Carlow

Carlow is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2006 census. The...

 sugar plant.
The other main agriculture activity is dairy

Dairy

A dairy is a business enterprise established for the harvesting of animal milk—mostly from cows or goats, but also from buffalo, sheep, horses or camels —for human consumption. A dairy is typically located on a dedicated dairy farm or section of a multi-purpose farm that is concerned...

ing. Most farmers in the area work with the Glanbia

Glanbia

Glanbia plc is an international nutritional solutions and cheese group, headquartered in Ireland. Glanbia is listed on the Irish and London Stock Exchange . The Group has four segments; US Cheese & Global Nutritionals, Dairy Ireland, Joint Ventures & Associates and Other Business...

 group. There is also beef or livestock farming. Minority forms of farming include bull breeding (Hereford) and poultry

Poultry

Poultry are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of producing eggs, meat, and/or feathers. These most typically are members of the superorder Galloanserae , especially the order Galliformes and the family Anatidae , commonly known as "waterfowl"...

. Many farmers in the area work in a mixture of all the above areas in typical mixed farms.
Some farmers in Mullinavat are active participants in the EU's Rural environmental protection scheme REPS scheme to maintain and improve the rural environment for both commercial farming and the natural habitats.

Large scale afforestation is undertaken by Coillte

Coillte Teoranta

Coillte is a state-sponsored company in the Republic of Ireland, based in Newtownmountkennedy. Coillte is a commercial company operating in forestry, land-based businesses and added-value processing operations....

, the national forestry company. Forestry has been important in Mullinavat since the 1960s, mainly conifer plantations. In recent years, Government policy has promoted the development of deciduous

Deciduous

Deciduous means "falling off at maturity" or "tending to fall off", and is typically used in reference to trees or shrubs that lose their leaves seasonally, and to the shedding of other plant structures such as petals after flowering or fruit when ripe...

 woodland using species such as oak

Oak

An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus Quercus , of which about 600 species exist. "Oak" may also appear in the names of species in related genera, notably Lithocarpus...

, beech

Beech

Beech is a genus of ten species of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia and North America.-Habit:...

 and ash.

Construction

The idyllic rural setting of the town, along with its good service provisions and quality of life have had a dramatic effect on house prices in the area, which rose extremely fast, even by national standards. The demand grew because of proximity to Waterford City, as well as demand from large numbers of British ex-patriots who moved to the area over a short period of time. This in conjunction with appropriately strict planning regulations led to the emergence of some exclusive areas in the surrounding townslands, which became too expensive for locals.

Services

Shops

Bars

Restaurants

Hotel

Broadband HSDPA(2006) ADSL(2007)

Primary School

Health clinic

GP

Veterinary surgeon

GAA club (St Beacons)

Public Park with Playground

Rural Walkways and trek path

Youth Club (Foróige)
Garda Station

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland