Books about Mohill
There are a number of wonderful books about Mohill and Leitrim, or by people connected to the area. These range from novels to history, and all provide essential insights and knowledge about our people and our past.
The Clainings Tree
Gerry Bohan
The Clainings Tree is a collection of eight stories 'positioned on the cusp of a 'New Ireland' and embedded in Leitrim landscape these stories bring forward and revive ancient lore'.
So much of writing about the countryside and rural life is by outsiders looking on; this is about writing from the inside, looking in.
If you loved John McGahern's depiction of Leitrim, you will devour this. The writing, the thinking, the humanity. Truly mind-opening stories and musings told with a light touch.
Buy it, read it. You'll smile, laugh, learn and generally be the better for it. That goes double if you’re from Mohill or Leitrim.
The book is available to buy locally and directly from Gerry Bohan
By Hereditary Virtues: a History of Lough Rynn
Fiona Slevin
The 3rd Earl of Leitrim lives in local memory as a notorious despot who represented the worst excesses of landlordism in Ireland during the 19th century. Drawing on primary and secondary sources, this book describes how the Lough Rynn estate emerged from early times up to the end of the 19th century. It focuses largely on the 3rd Earl including his management of the Lough Rynn estate, his role during and after the famine and his eventual demise. The story, however, is not just about one man, but rather about all the people who lived and died during an important period in Irish history.
‘A marvellous read. A beautifully-presented, well-researched scholarly work.’ Brendan Kennelly
‘The classic local history, a scholarly mosaic of political, social and cultural life. We need this kind of intelligent, analytical history.’ Professor Michael L. O'Rourke, Trinity College Dublin
‘A must for anyone interested in the social history of 19th Century Ireland.’ Desi Kenny, Kenny's Bookshop (www.kennys.ie)
The book is available to buy from here or from Amazon.
Leitrim: The Irish Revolution
Patrick McGarty
Using a wide variety of sources in Ireland and Britain, Patrick McGarty has produced an absorbing, comprehensive and insightful exploration of County Leitrim during the Irish Revolution. This wide-ranging study details social, political, cultural and military developments from 1912 through the First World War, Irish War of Independence and Civil War.
In Leitrim there was a decisive political transformation with the collapse of the Irish Parliamentary Party and the unprecedented rise of Sinn Féin. McGarty describes how resistance was deployed against British rule, and against the pro-Treaty Irish government. These included political violence and widespread campaigns of boycott and intimidation and this study provides new insights on the nature and implications of both republican and state violence. McGarty offers a novel and compelling account of the Irish Revolution in a so-called ‘quiet’ county.
The book is available to buy locally and at Four Courts Press >>>
Recipes & Remedies of Lough Rynn
Fiona Slevin
Recipes and Remedies of Lough Rynn is based on original journals by the housekeeper at Lough Rynn, dating from the late 1800s.
These old recipe books don’t tell us much about what the vast majority of the people ate. But it is the very difference between the table of the lord and his tenants that is of interest and which raises lots of questions. Like how did they know about Indian Curry in Mohill in 1860? And where did they get their hands on parmesan cheese, and fresh lemons and nectarines? How did they preserve food without refrigerators and freezers? And then there’s the poignancy of comparing the ingredients for Poor Soup, or Rice for the Poor against the abundance and complication of Oyster Sausages or dressed French Beans.
The book is available as a print-on-demand paperback and hardback at Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com.
I have a small number of copies to sell directly, if you prefer to buy directly from me.
The Murder of Dr Muldoon
Ken Boyle & Tim Desmond
Mohill 1923: a priest and his housekeeper abandon a baby girl on a doorstep in Dublin’s north inner city. The two are handed over to the police, charged and sent for trial.
A month later, a young doctor, Paddy Muldoon, is shot dead in Mohill.
Dr Muldoon is carried to his home at Coolabawn House and to the arms of his distraught and grief-stricken wife. His body is laid out in the surgery there, where it remains for a few days while a post-mortem and inquest are carried out.
The book tells the story of the murder and its aftermath. It tells how the IRA, the church and major figures in the emerging state, all colluded in some way to cover up the scandal and help the perpetrators evade justice. Above all, the book is the story of Paddy Muldoon's widow Rita, and her determination and fortitude in challenging those in power as she sought justice for her husband.
Available at good bookshops and at
Mercier Press >>>.
For more on the story, listen to RTÉ's documentary on the story, 'An Unholy Trinity' on the RTÉ player.
That They May Face the Rising Sun
John McGahern
For a flavour of life in this area, read John McGahern's 'That They May Face the Rising Sun'.
"Tea was made. Milk and several spoons of sugar were added to the tea and stirred."
Although describing a way of life that is slowly fading from reality and memory, the book is a masterful meditation and a quiet celebration of the routines and beliefs and interactions that make us who we are.
It is also a reflection on the value of – and sometimes the need for – silence, and keeping one's counsel.
Buy at Kennys.ie >>> and at good bookshops.
Note - this was also published as 'By The Lake' in the US.
Standing in Gaps
Seamus O'Rourke - A Memoir
'I was born in Leitrim. A very rural and sheltered part of Ireland. This book is about growing up there. To be honest – I’m trying to steal back time. We hadn’t a clue till we got the telly and then we wanted to be like ‘Dallas’. It’s not an angry book. There’s no slander or shame – just a bunch of mad country people trying to make all their ends meet. We were never happy, that we knew of. We were always longing for something else, so we kept doing the same. What we wouldn't do, to go back and give ourselves a good boot up the backside. Those who have read it - say they laughed out loud and lots.'
The Carrigallen man - former carpenter, former county footballer, award-winning writer, director and pandemic survivor - has applied his genius and geniality to produce a memoir of life in Leitrim. Which will resurrect long-buried memories for many who grew up in Leitrim during the 70s. It may or not be a 'story of – mystery and mayhem - courage and corruption - triumph and failure... and loads of drunken sex', but it is guaranteed to deliver a bunch of much needed laughs.
The book is available at
www.seamusorourke.com, and is also available as an audiobook.
Leitrim History & Society
Edited by Lian Kelly and Brendan Scott
Published by Geography Publications, this is one of a series of books on the history of each county in Ireland.
This 910 page handbook is a handsome collection from informed authors, including Pat McGarty, Tommy Moran and Mary Conefrey.
There are 35 chapters in total, covering the history of Leitrim through the centuries, with thought-provoking essays on broader topics from sport to population to contemporary pressures and the quest for a sustainable future for the county.
Available from www.geographypublications.com/product/leitrim-history-society/
Battle of Connacht 1270
Noel MacLochlainn
Seldom has a victory been so successfully erased from the history books as Aedh O'Conchobar's victory over the Normans at the battle of Áth an Chip near Carrick-on-Shannon, in August 1270.
Exactly one hundred years after conquering, and settling most of Ireland, Norman's gathered to crush the defiant gaels of Connacht. A massive army of knights and foot-soldiers, led by no less than the Justiciar of Ireland, marched through county Roscommon, over the River Shannon, into south county Leitrim. Following days of drama and skirmishes, the Gaelic champion Aedh O'Conchobar launched a surprise attack, wiping out the entire Norman army at Áth an Chip. Here, for the first time, the iconic Battle of Connacht at Áth an Chip, and the heroic leadership of both Aedh O'Conchobar and Turlough O'Briain can be revealed.
Available at BookDepository >>>
The MacDermots of Ballycloran
Anthony Trollope
Anthony Trollope travelled through Ireland in the 1840s. He lived in Drumsna for a time, where he found the inspiration for his novel 'The MacDermots of Ballycloran'. He wrote the story between 1843 and 1845, completing it just as the Famine was beginning to take hold. The book was first published in 1847.
The house that inspired the book is actually a house called Headford, which at even at the time was going into decay. The story chronicles the demise of a landowning family. The story is relevant for Mohill in that it mirrors the experience of the tenants of Leitrim, and Mohill itself earns a chapter. Trollope is not altogether complimentary, writing:
'Mohill is a small country town, standing on no high road, nor on any thoroughfare from the metropolis; and therefore it owes to itself whatever importance it may possess—and, in truth, that is not much'.
The book can be downloaded free on Kindle or at www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/29000.
Fág a Bealach | Clear the Way
History of the Mohill GAA Club 1889-2015
Mohill GAA Club was founded in 1889, just five years after the GAA itself came into being. This book is a masterful and thorough celebration of the club - its trials, tribulations and its many, many achievements. It is the result of the work of a voluntary committee and documents and records the teams, events and - most importantly the people - from every single year. It cleverly puts every year in context, introducing the local by providing a glimpse of what was happening nationally and globally. The year-by-year chronicles are interspersed with learned and beautifully written memoirs and articles.
The loyalty, love and immense dedication shine through. As does the humour.
This is a must read for those interested in GAA history, Mohill, but also for anyone who wants to understand what makes and sustains a community across centuries. It sets the standard by which all club histories should be written.
The book is available at local shops but may soon be out of print. Beg, borrow or steal one.
They Laughed at This Man's Funeral
Andy McGovern recounts stories and anecdotes from his father, Jimmy and the people of Aughavas in the 1940's and 50's. Jimmy died in 1984, aged 94 years.
'Jimmy McGovern made people laugh all his life. They laughed even at his funeral, as you will see later! If there is anything good to be said about motor neurone disease, it is that it has been responsible for my writing this book. Enjoy it!' Andy McGovern
'Andy has provided us with a book that is wonderfully beguiling, frequently crazily humourous and which ultimately makes for compelling reading.' Mick Lally, Actor
May be available at
IMNDA.ie
The Parish of Aughavas, Co. Leitrim: Its History and Its People
Published in 1998, Michael Whelan's book presents a comprehensive and authoritative history of Aughavas in South Leitrim. Every period, from earliest times is covered and local stories are treated in a national context.
Out of print, but should be available from libraries
ISBN: 0953397203
The Blue Stone - Memoir of a Childhood in Co. Leitrim
Gerald P Higgins, born in 1933, published this memoir of growing up in Curraun, near Mohill from the late 1930s to the mid-1950s.
This is an important book, providing insight into the life of the time, in the years before electricity and tractors reached the farm. It recounts the final days of the smithy, steam trains, cattle fairs, thresher and the ups and downs of country life.
Published in 2004; now out of print, but should be available from libraries. No ISBN.
© Fiona Slevin | Last updated February 2024
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.