View source for Mohill

{{Short description|Town in County Leitrim, Connacht, Ireland}}
{{See also|Mohill (barony)|Mohill GAA|Monastery of Mohill-Manchan|
Mohill Community College|Cloone}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{More citations needed|date=November 2011}}
{{Citation style|date=September 2025}}
}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2021}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=April 2021}}
{{Infobox settlement
|settlement_type        = Town
|name                   = Mohill
|native_name            = {{lang|ga|Maothail}}
|native_name_lang       = ga
|image_skyline          = Mohill,_County_Leitrim_-_geograph.ie_-_1817301.jpg
|image_caption          = Statue of the blind harpist [[Turlough O'Carolan]] in Mohill
|pushpin_map            = Ireland
|pushpin_label_position = right
|pushpin_map_caption    = Location in Ireland
|coordinates            = {{coord|53.922|-7.866|dim:100000_region:IE|display=inline,title}}
|blank_name_sec1        = Irish Grid Reference
|blank_info_sec1        = {{iem4ibx|N088963}}
|subdivision_type       = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name       = [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]
|subdivision_type1      = [[Provinces of Ireland|Province]]
|subdivision_name1      = [[Connacht]]
|subdivision_type2      = [[Counties of Ireland|County]]
|subdivision_name2      = [[County Leitrim]]
|unit_pref              = Metric
|elevation_m            = 82
|population_as_of       = [[2022 census of Ireland|2022]]
|population             = 1,027
|population_urban       = 
|population_blank1_title= 
|population_blank1      = 
|population_footnotes   = <ref name=cso2016>{{cite web | url = http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=ST2016&Geog_Code=F58A0E24-EBBE-4E0D-8A12-B7F2C2588300 | title = Sapmap Area: Settlements Mohill | work = Census 2016 | publisher = [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)]] | access-date = 21 July 2020 | archive-date = 21 July 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20200721075651/http://census.cso.ie/sapmap2016/Results.aspx?Geog_Type=ST2016&Geog_Code=F58A0E24-EBBE-4E0D-8A12-B7F2C2588300 | url-status = live }}</ref>
}}

'''Mohill''' ({{Irish place name|Maothail}},<ref name=logainm>{{cite web | url = http://www.logainm.ie/en/30331 | title = Maothail/Mohill | work = Placenames Database of Ireland | publisher = [[Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht|Government of Ireland—Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht]] and [[Dublin City University]] | access-date = 9 June 2017 | archive-date = 26 December 2017 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20171226130536/https://www.logainm.ie/en/30331 | url-status = live }}</ref> meaning "soft ground") is a town in [[County Leitrim]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]. The town of [[Carrick-on-Shannon]] is approximately 16&nbsp;km (10&nbsp;miles) away.

==History==
The [[Justinian plague of Mohill]] devastated the local population in the 6th century. Mohill, or ''Maothail Manachain'', is named for [[Manchán of Mohill|St. Manachan]], who founded the [[Monastery of Mohill-Manchan]] here {{nobreak|{{circa| 500–538}}}} AD. Some sources and folklore say the [[shrine of Manchan]] was kept at the Monastery of Mohill-Manchan, before being moved to Lemanaghan in county Offaly for some unrecorded reason.{{sfn|Graves|1874|pp=136}}{{sfn|Jewitt|1876|pp=134}}{{sfn|Irish Press|1939|pp=7}}{{sfn|St. Manchan's School Tubber-Moate|2006|pp=manchan}}{{sfn|St. Manchan's School Tubber|2010|pp=history}} The Monastery was taken over by [[Augustinians]] in the 13th century and was later closed in the 16th century, after the time of [[Henry VIII of England|King Henry VIII]]. The site of the church is now occupied by a [[Church of Ireland]] church and graveyard.

Ownership of the town passed to the Crofton family during the [[Plantations of Ireland|plantations]] and areas around the town were owned by the Clements family (Lord Leitrim),<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.loughrynn.net/ |title=loughrynn.net |access-date=1 November 2006 |archive-date=4 October 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061004011956/http://loughrynn.net/ |url-status=live }}</ref> who built the nearby Lough Rynn estate and was also the owner of what is now [[Áras an Uachtaráin]] (Viceregal Lodge, Dublin). Mohill Poor Law Union was formed 12 September 1839 and covered an area of {{convert|215|sqmi|km2}}. The population falling within the union at the 1831 census had been 66,858.  The new workhouse, built in 1840–42, occupied a {{convert|6|acre|m2|adj=on}} site and was designed to accommodate 700 inmates. During the great famine, [[Anthony Trollope]] wrote a [[Voyeurism|voyeuristic]] narrative on Mohill in his novel ''[[The Macdermots of Ballycloran]]'', an early work.{{sfn|Keen|2005|pp=51-52}}

By 1856, ''Slater's Directory'' described Mohill as a prosperous, thriving market town stating that it contained "several good shops well-stocked with the various articles of fashion and of local requisites.  Great progress is manifest in its general appearance and of its size is considered one of the most stirring, and is certainly the most thriving town of any in the surrounding counties".{{fact|date=September 2025}}

Hyde Street is named after Rev Arthur Hyde, grandfather of [[Douglas Hyde]], first President of Ireland, who spent part of his childhood in the town. Through at least the 19th and 20th centuries, an impressive number of annual [[fair]]s were held at Mohill on: 14 January, February 4, [[Manchán of Mohill#Manch.C3.A1n.27s fair .28Monaghan day.29|February 25 (Monaghan Day)]], 8 April, 8 May (or 10 May), 3 June, 1 July, 31 July (or 2 August),  19, 9 and 30 August September, 19 October, 11 November, and 2 December.{{sfn|Longman|2011|pp=405}} Back in 1925, Mohill town had population of 755 people, and contained 29 houses licensed to sell [[alcohol (drug)|alcohol]].{{sfn|Irish Free State|1925|pp=33}}

==Religion==
The [[Roman Catholic Church|Roman Catholic]] parish of Mohill also includes the nearby church areas of Eslin and [[Gorvagh]] and is administered from St Patrick's Church at the top of the town. The area's [[Church of Ireland]] church is located at the bottom (east) of the town where the Augustinian Monastery once stood.{{fact|date=September 2025}}

==Transport==
The town was served by the [[Narrow-gauge railway|narrow-gauge]] [[Cavan and Leitrim Railway]], which closed in 1959. Mohill railway station opened on 24 October 1887 and finally closed on 1 April 1959.<ref>{{cite web | title=Mohill station | work=Railscot - Irish Railways | url=http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | access-date=2007-11-18 | archive-date=26 September 2007 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070926042407/http://www.railscot.co.uk/Ireland/Irish_railways.pdf | url-status=live }}</ref>

The [[R201 road (Ireland)|R201]] regional road runs through the centre of the town, as does the [[R202 road (Ireland)|R202]]. The nearest station is [[Dromod railway station]] on the [[Dublin–Sligo railway line]]. Mohill is served four times daily Monday to Saturday by the Locallink Ballinamore to Carrick on Shannon bus service which also gives two daily connections to Dromod.{{cn|date=February 2022}}

==Sport==
{{unreferenced section|date=October 2018}}
The parish of Mohill currently has two Gaelic Football Clubs: [[Mohill GAA]] club, which plays in Division One, and Eslin GAA, which is a Division Two team.{{fact|date=September 2025}} Mohill GAA club also fields teams in Divisions 3 and 5, whilst Eslin field their second team in Division 5. Both clubs have won Senior titles in the past, and Mohill Faugh-an-Bealaghs won the first-ever Leitrim Championship in 1890, defeating Ballinamore in the final. Eslin won their first title the following year by defeating Mohill in the final. Eslin won the last of their three titles in 1917 but have won several Junior Championships in the meantime. Mohill won the last of their five Senior titles in 2006. Mohill and Eslin sometimes amalgamate for underage competition under the name [[Manchán of Mohill|St. Manachan]]s, named after the patron saint of the parish.{{fact|date=September 2025}}

The former Mohill clubman and Leitrim inter-county footballer, [[Packy McGarty]], was born in Mohill. He played for his county over four decades from 1949 to 1973.{{fact|date=September 2025}}

A former club in the parish, representing Gorvagh, won several titles in the 1920s, including "four in a row" between 1924 and 1928. The top scorer on the Leitrim team in the late 1950s and 1960s was [[Cathal Flynn]] who was born in Gorvagh and formed a partnership with Packy McGarty during this period.

Mohill has a basketball club. The bascketball club's Under 16 Girls team won the national title at the 2008 Community Games.{{fact|date=September 2025}}

Mohill is also home to the South Leitrim Harriers who hunt throughout the winter in the surrounding countryside.{{fact|date=September 2025}}

==Education==
Primary schools in the area include St. Manchan's National School (an amalgamation of St. Joseph's Girls National School and St. Michael's Boys National School which opened in 2005) and the Hunt National School.{{fact|date=September 2025}}

The local secondary school, [[Mohill Community College]] ({{Irish place name|Coláiste Pobail Maothail}}), opened in 2008.{{fact|date=September 2025}}

==Services==
[[Leitrim Fire Service#Mohill|Mohill Fire Station]] has nine retained personnel, with one Scania Class B appliance and one Dennis Class B Appliance. Mohill responds to on average 70 calls per year with 10% [[Traffic collision|RTC's]].<ref>{{cite web | url =http://www.leitrimcoco.ie/eng/Services_A-Z/Fire-Civil-Defence/Fire-Service-Operations/Fire-Stations/Mohill-fire-Station.html | title =Mohill fire Station | publisher =[[Leitrim County Council]] | access-date =25 May 2020 | archive-date =26 May 2019 | archive-url =https://web.archive.org/web/20190526113207/http://www.leitrimcoco.ie/eng/Services_A-Z/Fire-Civil-Defence/Fire-Service-Operations/Fire-Stations/Mohill-fire-Station.html | url-status =live }}</ref>

==People==
Mohill is closely associated with [[Turlough Carolan]], the blind harpist, who lived in the town after his marriage. [[Douglas Hyde]], the first president of Ireland, whose family originated from the town, also spent some of his childhood there. [[Thomas Moran (singer)|Thomas Moran]] from Drumrahill, near the town, was a renowned 20th-century ballad singer whose songs were collected by the [[BBC]].

The cleric [[Charles Reynolds (cleric)|Charles Reynolds]], born and reared at [[Monastery of Mohill-Manchan|Saint Mary's Priory of Mohill]], was a leading figure in the 1535 Irish clerical revolt against Henry VIII. Reynolds was attainted of treason in 1536, for persuading the Pope to excommunicate Henry VIII of England.

==Townlands==
[[Townland]]s in the area include:{{fact|date=September 2025}}
* [[Breandrum]]
* [[Eslinbridge]]
* [[Gorvagh]]
* Mohill
* Shannagh
* Treanmore

==See also==
* [[List of towns and villages in the Republic of Ireland|List of towns and villages in Ireland]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Secondary sources===
{{Refbegin}}
* {{cite AFM}}
* {{cite journal
|author-link=James Graves (antiquarian)
|first=James
|last=Graves
|title=The Church and Shrine of St. Manchán
|journal=[[The Journal of the Royal Historical and Archaeological Association of Ireland]]
|jstor=25506649
|volume=3
|year=1874
|issue=18
|pages=134–50
}} {{subscription required}}
* {{cite book
|author-link=Llewellynn Jewitt
|last=Jewitt
|first=LLewellynn
|page=134
|chapter-url=https://archive.org/download/gri_33125006187609/gri_33125006187609.pdf#page=196
|chapter=Ancient Irish Art, The shrine of St. Manchan.
|title=[[The Art Journal]]
|publisher=London: Virtue & Company, Limited.
|volume=XV
|year=1876
|access-date=10 October 2016
}}
* {{cite news
|work=Irish Press
|edition=8 May 1939
|page=7
|year=1939
|url=https://irishnewspapers.com/image/92690728/
|title=8 May 1939, Page 7 - Irish Press at Newspapers.com
|access-date=7 December 2016
|archive-date=3 November 2016
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161103215353/https://irishnewspapers.com/image/92690728/
|url-status=live
|ref={{sfnref|Irish Press|1939}}
}}{{subscription required}}
*{{cite web
|title=St. Manchan, Patron Saint of Tubber Moate
|author=St. Manchan's School Tubber-Moate
|publisher=Eircom
|year=2006
|url=http://homepage.eircom.net/~tubber/manchan.htm
|access-date=7 December 2016
|archive-date=10 May 2017
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170510070858/http://homepage.eircom.net/~tubber/manchan.htm
|url-status=live
}}
*{{cite web
|title=St Manchan, our Patron Saint
|author=St. Manchan's School Tubber
|publisher=Scoilnet
|year=2010
|url=http://tubberns.scoilnet.ie/blog/history/
|access-date=7 December 2016
|archive-date=21 December 2016
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161221032232/http://tubberns.scoilnet.ie/blog/history/
|url-status=live
}}
*{{cite book
|title=Traveller's New Guide Through Ireland, Containing a New and Accurate Description of the Roads
|publisher=Longman
|author=Longman
|orig-year=1819
|year=2011
|edition=digitized from original in Lyon Public Library
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R0DnDPUvoAYC&pg=PA405
|access-date=3 October 2020
|archive-date=15 July 2020
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715192812/https://books.google.com/books?id=R0DnDPUvoAYC&pg=PA405
|url-status=live
}}
*{{cite book
|title=Victorian Renovations of the Novel: Narrative Annexes and the Boundaries of Representation
|volume=15 of Cambridge Studies in Nineteenth-Century Literature and Culture
|first=Suzanne
|last=Keen
|edition=reprint, revised
|publisher=Cambridge University Press
|year=2005
|isbn=0521021472
|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tQdgE11oKF4C&pg=PA51
|access-date=3 October 2020
|archive-date=24 September 2021
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924195203/https://books.google.com/books?id=tQdgE11oKF4C&pg=PA51
|url-status=live
}}
*{{cite book|title=The Gentleman's and citizen's almanack ... for the year|author=Watsons|year=1830|publisher=Dublin, Printed for S. Watson [etc.]|url=https://archive.org/download/gentlemanscitize00wats_0/gentlemanscitize00wats_0.pdf}}
*{{cite report
|title=Intoxicating Liquor Commission Report
|volume=Reports of Committees
|author=Irish Free State
|publisher=The Stationery Office
|year=1925
|url=http://dspace.gipe.ac.in/xmlui/handle/10973/25609
|access-date=21 May 2017
|archive-date=15 December 2018
|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181215070011/https://dspace.gipe.ac.in/xmlui/handle/10973/25609
|url-status=live
}}
{{Refend}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{Official website|http://www.mohill.com/ }}
*[http://www.mohillparish.ie/ Mohill Parish]
*[http://www.loughrynn.net/ Mohill history]

{{County Leitrim}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Towns and villages in County Leitrim]]
[[Category:Places of Conmaicne Maigh Rein]]