O'Callaghan's Mills (), also O'Callaghansmills, is a village in

County Clare County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,81 ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, and a Catholic parish by the same name. It takes its name from the

O'Callaghan O'Callaghan () or simply Callaghan without the prefix (anglicized from '' Ó Ceallacháin'') is an Irish surname. Origin and meaning Munster The surname means descendant of Ceallachán who was the Eóganachta King of Munster from AD 935 until ...

family who were large landowners in the area and a corn and grist mill built by John Coonan on the lands of Cornelius O'Callaghan in 1772.

Geography

The parish of O'Callaghan's Mills, Kilkishen and Oatfield stretches from near

Bodyke Bodyke (; ga, Lúbán Díge) is a village in County Clare, Ireland. It is located in eastern County Clare in the Catholic parish of Bodyke. During the 1880s, a series of evictions in the Bodyke area were widely publicised. Location and ameniti ...

to near

Sixmilebridge Sixmilebridge (), is a large village in County Clare, Ireland. Located midway between Ennis and Limerick city, the village is a short distance away from the main N18 road. Sixmilebridge partly serves as a dormitory village for workers in the ...

. It corresponds roughly to the old parishes of Killuran and

Clonlea Clonlea or Clonleigh () is a civil parish in County Clare, Ireland. The main settlement is the village of Kilkishen. It is part of the Catholic parish of O'Callaghans Mills. Location Clonlea is in the barony of Tullagh. It is to the north o ...

. The parish churches are St Patrick's in O'Callaghan's Mills and St Senan's in

Kilkishen Kilkishen () is a village in southeast County Clare, Ireland. The village is east of Quin and north of Shannon. Demographics According to a report by Samuel Lewis in 1837, Kilkishen had a population of 519. At the 2006 Census the population ...

. The village of O'Callaghan's Mills is in east County Clare, about halfway between Ennis and Lough Derg. It is on the R466 road, about north of

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

City.

History

The village of O'Callaghan's Mills takes its name from the

family who were large landowners in the area. They were displaced from the Mallow area of Cork in confiscations during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in the 1650s when they lost , 20,000 of which was deemed to have been the property of the ruling chief, Donncha O'Callaghan. He and his extended family were transplanted to east Clare, where they obtained land in the barony of

Tulla Lower Tulla Lower (or Tullagh Lower) is a barony in County Clare, Ireland. This ancient geographical division of land is in turn divided into eight civil parishes. Legal context Baronies were created after the Norman invasion of Ireland as divisions ...

. The village of O'Callaghan's Mills records their continued presence.

Parish history

There is a tradition that two priests of the Congregation of the Mission, or Vincentians, escaped from the 1651 siege of

Oliver Cromwell Oliver Cromwell (25 April 15993 September 1658) was an English politician and military officer who is widely regarded as one of the most important statesmen in English history. He came to prominence during the 1639 to 1651 Wars of the Three K ...

's troops, and for several years ministered to the people of the parish near the present church of St Vincent de Paul in Oatfield. The foundation stone of the present church of St Patrick at O'Callaghan's Mills was laid in March 1839. It was dedicated in March 1840. Major renovations were undertaken in 1979-80. The first church in the old Clonlea part of the parish was probably built at Kilkishen very early in the 19th century. It is mentioned in an 1811 report of a dispute that led to violence over who should sit nearest to the altar. Major renovation or reconstruction was completed in 1865. The St Vincent de Paul church was built around 1830, replacing a thatched chapel. The roof was blown away in January 1839 on the

Night of the Big Wind The Night of the Big Wind ( ga, Oíche na Gaoithe Móire) was a powerful European windstorm that swept across what was then the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland, beginning on the afternoon of 6 January 1839, causing severe damage to pr ...

. The building was then enlarged, with the addition of two transepts. In May 1966 Bishop Joseph Rodgers rededicated the church.

Sport

O'Callaghan Mills GAA club has won the Clare county hurling championship on eight occasions. In 1909, the county final was contested by two teams from the village itself; The Fireballs and St Patrick's with the Fireballs claiming victory. Since their last county title in 1937, the club has finished runners-up on 7 occasions. The parish hurling team won the County Clare Senior B Championship in 2017. This was the first county title at senior level that the parish had won since 1937.

Notable people

O'Callaghan's Mills was home to former athlete, politician and GAA administrator Tim Smythe (1905-1982). Smythe won a number of middle to long distance competitions, including 10 All-Ireland titles and a World cross-country title in March 1931. He is commemorated by a plaque at the entrance to the Doonaille housing estate beside St Patrick's National School.

References

External links

O'Callaghan's Mills National School Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:O'Callaghans Mills Towns and villages in County Clare Parishes of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Killaloe