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Mullinavat () is a town in south County Kilkenny,
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 ...
. Its main industries are tourism and agriculture. It has a renowned sporting history, particularly in hurling. The town's name in Irish translates as 'The Mill of the Stick' 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; today that bridge is located on the main road beside the Garda Barracks.


Location and access

The village is located centrally on the R448
Naas Naas ( ; ga, Nás na Ríogh or ) is the county town of County Kildare in Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 21,393, making it the second largest town in County Kildare after Newbridge. History The name of Naas has been recorded in th ...
Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...
road A road is a linear way for the conveyance of traffic that mostly has an improved surface for use by vehicles (motorized and non-motorized) and pedestrians. Unlike streets, the main function of roads is transportation. There are many types of ...
. The town was by-passed in July 2010 when the Kilkenny–Waterford section of the M9 opened. There are link roads to New Ross and
Piltown Piltown (), historically known as Ballypoyle, is a 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. Approaching Piltown from Carrick-on- ...
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 11 km. In the west lies Rathnasmolagh with Listrolin at the eastern extremity, a distance of 10 km.


Transport

Mullinavat railway station opened on 21 May 1853 and finally closed on 1 January 1963. The town is served by Bus Éireann; services on route 4 run from 07:10 until 18.10 on the Dublin Route, and from 00.40 until 22.10 on the Waterford route. Despite campaigns, there is no commuter service to Waterford from Mullinavat, as it is located in the Kilkenny county area.


History

Mullinavat originally comprised the
civil parishes In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority. ...
of Kilbeacon, Kilahy and Rossinan, all located in the barony of
Knocktopher Knocktopher (historically ''Knocktofer'' and ''Knocktover''; ) is a village in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is situated on the R713 road between the villages of Stoneyford to the north, and Ballyhale to the south. It was formerly situated on ...
.


Notable features

Tory Hill (Ir. Sliabh gCruinn, 'Round Mountain') rising to a height of 292 metres 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 A jubilee is a special year of remission of sins and universal pardon. In '' Leviticus'', a jubilee year ( he, יובל ''yūḇāl'') is mentioned to occur every 50th year; during which slaves and prisoners would be freed, debts would be forgi ...
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 situated in the heart of the Walsh Mountains, overlooking Mullinavat,
Mooncoin Mooncoin () is a census town in County Kilkenny, in Ireland. The population was 1,175 in 2016. Historically part of the Gaelic kingdom of Osraige, today it is in the far south of the county of Kilkenny, located in the valley of the River Suir ...
, Kilmacow and Tempelorum. Listrolin and the so-called Walsh Mountains, were acquired by the Walsh family when they landed in Ireland with Strongbow. This area was controlled by the family until
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 ...
invaded the area. It was once full of 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. Around the year 1850, the remains of the old church and graveyard were uprooted and tilled. Clonassey Castle is located nearby, 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 A member of parliament (MP) is the representative in parliament of the people who live in their electoral district. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, this term refers only to members of the lower house since upper house members o ...
for County Kilkenny in the
parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
of 1689. He was slain at the siege of Limerick in 1691. Inchicarron Castle 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 buried in Kilbeacon cemetery.


Sport

Mullinavat Football Club was formed in 1887. Gaelic football 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 was bought in 1953 for £590 at the instigation of Fr. Joseph Gallavan was the driving force behind the purchase and development of the field.


Economy

The main economic activities are services (hardware and machinery hire), tourism, construction and agriculture. Public services include health centres and the Teagasc centre which provides agricultural training and advice. Local authority planning rulings forbid large-scale development in the town. Mulinavat is in an area of productive land, which has been exploited for agriculture and forestry. The main
tillage Tillage is the agricultural preparation of soil by mechanical agitation of various types, such as digging, stirring, and overturning. Examples of human-powered tilling methods using hand tools include shoveling, picking, mattock work, hoein ...
crops are
barley Barley (''Hordeum vulgare''), a member of the grass family, is a major cereal grain grown in temperate climates globally. It was one of the first cultivated grains, particularly in Eurasia as early as 10,000 years ago. Globally 70% of barley p ...
,
oats The oat (''Avena sativa''), sometimes called the common oat, is a species of cereal grain grown for its seed, which is known by the same name (usually in the plural, unlike other cereals and pseudocereals). While oats are suitable for human co ...
,
wheat Wheat is a grass widely cultivated for its seed, a cereal grain that is a worldwide staple food. The many species of wheat together make up the genus ''Triticum'' ; the most widely grown is common wheat (''T. aestivum''). The archaeologi ...
,
miscanthus ''Miscanthus'', or silvergrass, is a genus of African, Eurasian, and Pacific Island plants in the grass family, Poaceae. ; Species * '' Miscanthus changii'' Y.N.Lee – Korea * '' Miscanthus depauperatus'' Merr. – the Philippines * '' Miscant ...
and
maize Maize ( ; ''Zea mays'' subsp. ''mays'', from es, maíz after tnq, mahiz), also known as corn (North American and Australian English), is a cereal grain first domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 10,000 years ago. The ...
. Production of
sugarbeet A sugar beet is a plant whose root contains a high concentration of sucrose and which is grown commercially for sugar production. In plant breeding, it is known as the Altissima cultivar group of the common beet (''Beta vulgaris''). Together wit ...
stopped with the closure of the Carlow sugar plant. Dairy farming is also important with most milk being supplied to the
Glanbia Glanbia plc ( ) is an Irish global nutrition group with operations in 32 countries. It has leading market positions in sports nutrition, cheese, dairy ingredients, speciality non-dairy ingredients and vitamin and mineral premixes. Glanbia produc ...
group. There is also beef or livestock farming. Minority forms of farming include bull breeding (Hereford) and
poultry Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for their eggs, their meat or their feathers. These birds are most typically members of the superorder Galloanserae (fowl), especially the order Galliformes (which includes chickens, quails, ...
. 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, 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 In the fields of horticulture and Botany, the term ''deciduous'' () means "falling off at maturity" and "tending to fall off", in reference to trees and shrubs that seasonally shed leaves, usually in the autumn; to the shedding of petals, ...
woodland using species such as
oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...
, beech and ash.


See also

* List of towns and villages in Ireland


Further reading

* ''Ireland, Slavery & Anti Slavery: 1612–1865'' by Nini Rodgers.


References

{{County Kilkenny Towns and villages in County Kilkenny Census towns in County Kilkenny