Meelick () is a

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 ...

on the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( or archaic ') is the major river on the island of Ireland, and at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of I ...

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

, Ireland. It lies approximately 4 km southeast of the village of

Eyrecourt Eyrecourt, historically known as Donanaghta (), is a village in County Galway, Ireland. It is on the R356 regional road west of the Banagher bridge over the River Shannon. History The Eyres after whom the village is named, as well as other ...

. The townland is in a

civil parish 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. Civil parishes can trace their origin to the ancient system of parishes, w ...

of the same name. According to local sources, it is home to the oldest church still in use in Ireland having been given papal permission and built in 1414 AD (as St. Francis Friary). Meelick is also home to Meelick-Eyrecourt hurling club, which was founded in 1884. Meelick has a small pub which is known locally as "George's/The Shop". The area hosts a kayaking festival each year after the boating season halts in

winter Winter is the coldest and darkest season of the year in temperate and polar climates. It occurs after autumn and before spring. The tilt of Earth's axis causes seasons; winter occurs when a hemisphere is oriented away from the Sun. Dif ...

Built heritage

Oldest Catholic church in use

According to local sources, Meelick has the oldest Irish

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

church, with continuous use since 1414 AD. Founded as a

Franciscan The Franciscans are a group of related organizations in the Catholic Church, founded or inspired by the Italian saint Francis of Assisi. They include three independent Religious institute, religious orders for men (the Order of Friars Minor bei ...

abbey, the church and sacristy are still in use today. The ruins include traces of the transept chapel, friary and small mill. Papal permission for Meelick friary was granted by

John XXII Pope John XXII (, , ; 1244 – 4 December 1334), born Jacques Duèze (or d'Euse), was head of the Catholic Church from 7 August 1316 to his death, in December 1334. He was the second and longest-reigning Avignon Pope, elected by the Conclave of ...

in 1414. The last friar of Meelick was Fr. Bonaventure Francis Reynolds. When he died in November 1852, there was no friar available to replace him. Since then the church has been maintained for weekly services. The Meelick Triduum still exists in early August when the Franciscans return to their abbey.

Castle

An Anglo Norman de Burgo (Burke) Castle was erected close to the church, in the fields to the north of the church. The earthworks relating to this castle can still be seen. The location was chosen because Meelick was one of the few traditional crossing points where the river Shannon could be forded.

Meelick Lock

Meelick Lock, also known as Victoria Lock, is one of the busiest locks on the Shannon Navigation. It is 43.4m long by 12m wide. The rise of water levels is 2.4m. It was built by the Shannon Commissioners in Limestone in the mid 19th century to address a shallows and change of level in the river. The supervising engineer was Thomas Rhodes. The stone used for the lock was excavated from the new canal bed. The canal serving the new lock was built in 1841 by contractor William MacKenzie. When the lock works were being undertaken the workmen went on strike, looking for more pay: they wanted 1s. 3d. per day. The lock was completed in 1843. Originally the gates were made of French oak and planked in northern pine. The lock replaces the earlier Hamilton Lock on the Clonahenoge Canal.

Defences

The river crossing at this location is guarded by several defences. In addition to the de Burgo castle mentioned above, Meelick Martello Tower was constructed along with other

Martello towers Martello towers are small defensive forts that were built across the British Empire during the 19th century, from the time of the French Revolutionary Wars onwards. Most were coastal forts. They stand up to high (with two floors) and typica ...

by the government about 1811. It was built, on Moran Island at

Clonahenoge Clonahenoge (''Cluain Fheannóg'' in Irish) is a townland in County Offaly, Ireland. It is located at the confluence of the Little Brosna River and the River Shannon. Structures of note Hamilton Lock and the Clonahenoge canal were built about 1 ...

on the

County Offaly County Offaly (; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is named after the Ancient Ireland, ancient Kingdom of Uí ...

side of the

, to protect Leinster from a Napoleonic invasion and to control the river crossing at Keelogue. It reinforced existing defences at Keelogue Battery on Innishirkeigh Island. Island. Unusually the tower is cam-shaped with three gun emplacements.

Recreation

Waterways

Meelick is a location for fishing, primarily

salmon Salmon (; : salmon) are any of several list of commercially important fish species, commercially important species of euryhaline ray-finned fish from the genera ''Salmo'' and ''Oncorhynchus'' of the family (biology), family Salmonidae, native ...

and wild brown

trout Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...

. The river here is wide (over 1.5 km from bank to bank at its broadest point) and has a number of islands, weirs, pools and streams. There are islands separating an artificial cut on the County Offaly bank with the main River Shannon at Meelick on the County Galway bank. It has a very small spring

salmon run A salmon run is an annual fish migration event where many salmonid species, which are typically hatched in fresh water and live most of their adult life downstream in the ocean, swim back against the stream to the upper reaches of rivers to s ...

from April into mid-May. Summer salmon arrive generally from mid-June. Runs are moderate and variable from year to year. Meelick is on the route of the Hymany Way, part of the Beara-Breifne long distance walking and cycling trail between the

Beara Peninsula Beara () or the Beara Peninsula is a peninsula on the south-west coast of Ireland, bounded between the Kenmare River (which is actually a bay) to the north side and Bantry Bay to the south. It contains two mountain ranges running down its ce ...

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

and

Blacklion Blacklion (; originally ''An Leargaidh'') is a village in the north-west of County Cavan in Ireland. It is situated on the N16 national primary road, just across the border from Belcoo, a village in the south-west of County Fermanagh. H ...

County Cavan County Cavan ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Ulster and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Cavan and is based on the hi ...

Gaelic games

In 1887, Meelick were one of the first teams to compete for the

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Championship, is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest-tier competition for ...

, the first national championship of the game of

hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...

ever held in

Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

. Representing

in the final, Meelick were defeated by

Thurles Thurles (; ''Durlas Éile'') is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is located in the civil parish of the same name in the barony of Eliogarty and in the ecclesiastical parish of Thurles. The cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Arch ...

, representing

County Tipperary County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...

. The game was held in Birr in

in front of a crowd of 5,000. Patrick Madden, captain of the Meelick side, is commemorated with a plaque on the gable end of his birthplace and lifetime home in the village. Meelick-Eyrecourt is the name of the local

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

club today.

References

{{County Galway Townlands of County Galway Civil parishes of County Galway Populated places on the River Shannon