__NOTOC__ Meelick () is a small village and

townland A townland (; Ulster-Scots: ''toonlann'') is a traditional small land division used in Ireland and in the Western Isles of Scotland, typically covering . The townland system is of medieval Gaelic origin, predating the Norman invasion, and mo ...

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

, Ireland, situated a few kilometres north of

Limerick city Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

in the Mid-West Region.

Location

Historically the village of Meelick was located in an area near Stonepark

, where the church is located. In the late 20th and early 21st century, new housing estates were developed in other areas, including at Ballycannon Heights, Elton Court, Kylevoher, Elmwood and Glen Abhainn. Other residential areas near Meelick include Cappantymore, Moneen, Stonepark (the original location of the village centre), Woodcock Hill and Ballycannon North.

History

Evidence of ancient settlement in Meelick and Stonepark townlands include a number of

ringfort Ringforts or ring forts are small circular fortification, fortified settlements built during the Bronze Age, Iron Age and early Middle Ages up to about the year 1000 AD. They are found in Northern Europe, especially in Ireland. There are ...

and enclosure sites. Meelick Bridge, which spans the River Crompaun (Meelick Creek) between Clonconane and Meelick townlands, was built . The parish church at Meelick, the Catholic Church of Saint John the Baptist in Stonepark, was built . From 1956, the area was home to 161 Hungarian

refugee A refugee, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), is a person "forced to flee their own country and seek safety in another country. They are unable to return to their own country because of feared persecution as ...

s fleeing the

Soviet The Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR), commonly known as the Soviet Union, was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 until Dissolution of the Soviet ...

repression in that country (see

1956 Hungarian Revolution The Hungarian Revolution of 1956 (23 October – 4 November 1956; ), also known as the Hungarian Uprising, was an attempted countrywide revolution against the government of the Hungarian People's Republic (1949–1989) and the policies caused by ...

). They were housed in Knockalisheen Camp, a disused army barracks dating from the Emergency. In 1957, complaints and disputes between the refugees and the authorities over living conditions and enforced idleness led to a mass

hunger strike A hunger strike is a method of non-violent resistance where participants fasting, fast as an act of political protest, usually with the objective of achieving a specific goal, such as a policy change. Hunger strikers that do not take fluids are ...

. After three days, the Dáil and the Irish

Red Cross The organized International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement is a Humanitarianism, humanitarian movement with approximately 16million volunteering, volunteers, members, and staff worldwide. It was founded to protect human life and health, to ...

negotiated an end to the strike. By the summer of 1958, most of the refugees were allowed to move to

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

and the USA while a few chose to remain in Ireland. During their stay at the camp, the 51 children attended the local St Munchin's Girls' School where they were taught both the English and Irish languages. Since the 1990s, the camp has again been used to house asylum seekers.

Amenities

The village has a local

GAA Gaa may refer to: * Gaa language, a language of Nigeria * gaa, the ISO 639 code for the Ga language of Ghana GAA may stand for: Compounds * Glacial (water-free), acetic acid * Acid alpha-glucosidase, also known as glucosidase, alpha; acid, an e ...

club and a community centre. Meelick's national (primary) school, Scoil Mhuire, had an enrollment of over 90 pupils as of 2023. While the village also previously had a tavern and shop, these have since closed.

People

* Michael Brennan (Lieutenant-General), the Irish Defence Forces Chief of Staff 1931–1940, was born in Meelick.

References

{{County Clare Towns and villages in County Clare

Location

History

Amenities

People

See also

References