Myshall is a small historical village in County Carlow. Situated on the R724 regional road, approximately 22 km southeast of Carlow Town.
The name Myshall comes from the Irish word Maigh Íseal, meaning The Low Plain.
Moreover, the village of Myshall is nestled at the foot of Mount Leinster. And overlooked by the Adelaide Memorial Church of Christ the Redeemer. Built as a miniature of Salisbury Cathedral in England. Thomas Duguid of Dover completed this architectural gem in 1913. To commemorate his wife Adelaide who died in 1903, and his daughter Constance who was killed in a riding accident near the village.
So, Myshall forms part of the stunning Mount Leinster Heritage Drive. Which offers beautiful views of Mount Leinster and the Nine Stones vantage point.
Myshall enjoys a long religious history with St. Finian and St. Columbanus both born in the village.
What`s more, Myshall is one of the villages on Carlow’s Trail of the Saints. St. Finian’s Church in Myshall is a pre-Norman church. Named after St. Finian who was born locally around 470 AD. St. Finian, an early Irish monastic saint, was a student of St. Fortchern and spent 30 years studying in Wales. Also, he founded a monastery at Clonard, Co. Meath near the River Boyne. Which grew from humble beginnings to notoriety as the home of ‘the twelve apostles of Ireland’. And at its height taught three thousand pupils. Also, St. Finian was known as “the tutor of the Saints of Ireland”.
Currently, the ruins of the old church stand in its graveyard. Only the western wall remains which houses a beautiful granite arch measuring up to six feet in height. The walls are a mixture of granite and slate. In the graveyard, there is a large double bullaun. It is said to bear the imprints of the knees of a Carlow witch that slid down Mount Leinster. In the mid-17th century, the church was reduced to ruins by Cromwell’s troops.
Furthermore, a small amenity park in the village features a holy well and is dedicated to Saint Brigid. Whilst there was no history of tradition for cures or pilgrimages associated with the well. Also, a pattern was held here annually on the 14th of September for over 200 years. And a sheep fair also held on this day, lasted until the 1960s. The area around the well has undergone some landscaping. And it is now a feature of an amenity park that incorporates a large pond and water wheel.
Source: lovecarlow.ie
In 2018 the Community of Myshall in partnership with Carlow County Council opened Heritage Path Project.
Funded by the Town & Village Renewal Scheme. This is a splendid path between the Adelaide Memorial Church and St Brigid Well.
Myshall also has a strong connection to Saint Columbanus. Who, according to his biographer, was born in Leinster and spent his early years there. The border area between Counties Wexford and Carlow and the village of Myshall in particular, have long been believed to have nurtured the saint. His mission took him from there to the north of Ireland to Bangor, Co. Down. From Bangor, Columbanus set off on his great missionary journey to the continent. Where he founded many monasteries including Luxeuil in France and Bobbio in Italy.
Moreover, St Columbanus is commemorated in a stained glass window in the Church of Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Myshall.
Location of Myshall:
Below are photos I took in January 2022.
