Interested?

A New Genealogical Atlas of Ireland

A Guide to Irish Parish Registers

A Guide to Irish Churches and Graveyards

From Ireland Home page>>Co Carlow page>>Lewis Topographical Dictionary, Co. Carlow>>

St. Mullins Civil Parish, County Carlow

St. MULLINS , a parish, partly in the barony of BANTRY, county of WEXFORD, but chiefly in that of ST. MULLINS, county of CARLOW, and province of LEINSTER, 2½ miles (E.) from Graigue, on the road to Enniscorthy (Wexford) and on the river Barrow ; containing 5895 inhabitants.

Its name is derived from the ancient monastery founded here by St. Moling, or Mullin, at a place called Aghacainid, subsequently ‘Teighmolin,’ or “St. Mullin's House,” about the year 632, or, according to some historians, in the middle of the seventh century. St. Moling, being a native of this part of the island and of the royal race of Leinster, was afterwards made bishop of Ferns. In 951, the church was plundered by the Danes, and the abbey was destroyed by fire in 1138. The remains of the ancient edifices, and the present parish church, occupy a beautiful situation on the eastern bank of the river Barrow, at a spot where its banks are finely elevated, on the opposite side well wooded, and where a small stream merges into it from a deep defile that extends to the church from the village of Glynn, presenting some picturesque scenes.

The parish comprises 13,174 statute acres, of which 998 are common, 423 woodland, 671 waste, 1475 bog, and the remainder arable ; it derives considerable facility for the transit of its produce from the Barrow navigation. Road sessions are held in Glascany ; and fairs at St. Mullins on June 17th and July 25th for the sale of general farming stock.

It is an impropriate cure, in the diocese of Leighlin, and in the patronage of Caesar Colclough, Esq., in. whom the rectory is impropriate. The tithes amount to £600, entirely payable to the impropriator, who allows the curate £32. 6s. 1¾d., per annum. The glebe-house was built by a gift of £380, and a loan of £450, from the late Board of First Fruits ; the glebe comprises 57 acres, The church is a plain building, erected in 1811 by aid of a gift of £800 from the same Board, and has recently been repaired by aid of a grant of £185 from the Ecclesiastical Commissioners ; it contains some elegant monuments to the Kavanagh family.

In the Roman Catholic divisions the parish is partly in the union or district of Borris, and partly a district in itself, containing chapels at Glinn and Drummond.

There are three national schools, in which about 790 children are taught ; and two private schools, in which are about 120 children.

The remains of the ancient buildings consist of the ruins of five small plain structures in the churchyard, extending from east to west, with two walls, once forming part of a sixth, and the broken walls of a seventh outside the enclosure : there is little worthy of notice in these ruins : at the east of the largest are the remains of a stone cross and of a small roofless building, with two steps descending into it. Numerous memorials exist of the Kavanaghs and other ancient Irish families ; and a holy well is enclosed by a stone wall, round which the country people do penance.

Back to top