The Mullichain

Warrior or The Other Fella ?

The Mullicháin   No 20

The Mullicháin is a Mystical character who controls the wheels of life and time in the Mystical Valley of Ross Broc, (St Mullins), a powerful warrior, a magical being, who has been spoken of down through the centuries. Where he came from no one Knows, is he an ancient Celtic God? Is he one person? What we do know is that those who have crossed him regretted their lack of belief in his existence. He often appears at the dusk , a large muscular warrior surveying his kingdom as he wafts like a cloud through the Sky, you can feel his presence ,his power .He also takes the shape of the old man sitting on a  stone wall smoking his pipe and will pass the time of day with you but can just disappear in a blink .There have been reports of the same man in the pub telling tales of old even playing 30(cards) with the local  lads and when he is no longer there no one comments they all know who he is but just carry on playing as if he was never in their presence .The visitor wants to see evidence of the Mullicháins  existence before they will believe ,however they accept that there are otters in the river or foxes in the forest though they have never seen any of the animals of the wild in the flesh.

So yes, we can show him as the old man walking up the hill or sitting on the wall but what about the warrior who has kept the invaders from the Mystical Valley through tricks and magic that baffles all. Armies have vanished in this valley the Viking’s and Norman’s avoided the place like the plague never recording what happened to their men for fear of the Mullicháin. The Normans learned the hard way to believe The Mullicháin was there but never saw him.

The Mullicháin knows everyone and what they are up to who the relations are, the secret service is not at the races when it comes to these lads all-seeing all-knowing observers of mankind. Often across the fields you can see him walking after a few cows blending into the landscape minded by no one and it is a brave man that will try to investigate who he is .There is an understanding in the country in leaving well enough alone, we know who he is leave it at that accept the existence of the Mullicháin  .The outsider will get no help from the local folk ,pushing his nose into country business interfering with what their fathers and his father before him just know to be the real world beyond the understanding of the towns people whose minds have lost touch with the other world .Unlike the Irish Fairies which are in abundance all around Ireland our man is absolutely unique to this Mystical valley where what are considered strange goings on in other places are the norm here. Moling the saint settled here and you would wonder how the lads tolerated this pious fellow well when you hear what the saint was up to putting curses on the locals and pulling the wool over the eye of the king of Leinster you will see how he fitted right in.

It is not by chance that the village of St Mullins never developed into a major town, situated in a very strategic position controlling the river this valley should have been a thriving town. Ohh!!! Yes they tried, the Vikings snuck up the river under the morning mists with muffled oars silently crossing the Scar with vicious intent. But trying to sneak into St Mullins is just not going to happen with every pass guarded and the rivers patrolled by the raven, rook, swallow and swift .The Mullichain is a shape shifter capable of being any animal or person that he desires his real form is a massive 8 foot warrior who can decapitate any foe with a sweep of his hurl .The invaders never had a chance, the annals tell us of a number of battles where hundreds of heads were left behind ,what they omit to tell us that they were Viking heads and that the fear of the Gods was sent through their clans. The Mullicháins protect their Valley and the lands beyond with fearsome power but sometimes by just putting the wind up the invaders like they did with the Normans.

Well after defeating the Viking lads in Wexford and Waterford Strong Bow the leader of the Normans invaders sent his men down to St Mullins where they found this Mound overlooking the river and taught it would be grand and handy to turn it into a Motte and Baily. That’s a kind of IKEA self-assembly fort on top of a mound of earth and stone. There was no resistance from the locals sure they were only waiting for the fun to Start no one in their right mind would think of setting up camp on the entrance to the underworld of the Mullicháins.  Knights disappeared, horses went raving mad, The Dulachán (headless horseman) Rode by every night and soldiers just dropped dead, not a mark on them. Now wouldn’t that put the wind up you? The Little people turned their milk sour and brought a plague of mice on their food your man The Mullicháin has some powerful pals. When reinforcements were sent for, they were met by the greatest knight of them all the Mullicháin himself. The English had a shot at taking over St Mullins they built a Star fort on the hill of Choolhune and The Bald castle down over the quay in St Mullins you might ask where are they now? “Tá siad imithe hiomlán anois “ they are totally gone . 

 So, like all the rest of them they high tailed it out of the valley and St Mullins remains a peaceful and Mystical Valley.

The Pot of Gold

Ahh Always knew The Pot of Gold was hidden in St Mullins The land of The Mullichain

Diarmaid Mc Morough

 

Diarmaid McMorough  No 19

 

This man deserves a page all to himself he is probably the most notorious villain in our history, a megalomaniac, wife stealer, betrayer, untrustworthy just not the kind of guy you would want as a pal. Irish History gives great notoriety to Cromwell another murderous invader from across the water or what about Trevelyan who starved us to death.1847. The difference, McMorough was one of our own chieftains who would do anything to hold on to power, our tyrant, our Mussolini, our Hitler! When we read history or historical type stories that claim to be history, however they tend to white wash the distant past making history the thing of legend. The other Irish chieftains had enough of Dermott’s ways marched on his territory and sent him on the run. Diarmaid made his way to England to plead with Henry11 to help him get his kingdom back. Henry 11 was a French Norman and he was off in France fighting his own battles to keep his kingdom. But Diarmaid got hold of another Norman called Strongbow and promised him the divil including his daughter Aoife in marriage. Sure, Strongbow was delighted gathered his gang together including a shower of Welsh archers and so the invasion of Ireland began

. Giraldus Combrensis an English cleric who visited Ireland in 1169 with Strongbow’s invading army recorded (And he a holy man wouldn’t tell a lie)” Dermot was a man who liked to be feared by all than loved by any a tyrant to his own subjects, hated by strangers, his hand was against every man, and every man’s hand against him”

Diarmaid was a great man for chopping off heads and even the Normans who were a rough lot of mercenaries were shocked at his barbarity dancing on the heads of his defeated enemy.

According to the four masters Diarmaid died of an insufferable disease and he became putrid while living. Nasty! This was all revenge By God and the saints for his nasty ways. Man, they knew how to get you even in the afterlife.

Great stuff! no forgiveness he went the same rotten way as Cromwell but that lad was dug up and hung drawn and quartered after he was dead, lovely carry on. Diarmaids daughter Aoife went on to Marry Strongbow and they are buried in Christ church cathedral in Dublin, down in the basement. You can see their stone caskets.

Diarmaid died about 1 May 1171 and was buried in Ferns Cathedral, where his grave can be seen in the outside graveyard.

A year later Strongbow claimed the kingship of Leinster his daughter with Aoife married William Marshall 11 ex89 and as sole heir to her father’s land and title she made her husband one of the richest men in the kingdom, didn’t he do well.

You just can’t beat the money gang and on it goes

Canal Closures

Changing Times as the Irish canal system is abandoned. Horses pulled barges along the canal paths from 1760 all the way from St Mullins

.Today the tow paths have become recreational areas for Cyclists and walkers .

let it Snow

Will the Snow last. Yes please just a day or two

Mask Rack! Did you ever?

Joe Biden and Kamala Harris Well done

A Big Congratulations to Joe Biden and Kamala Harris you and your families are both invited to join us for a steaming scone just out of the oven and a Greeeat cup Coffee Down at the Mullichain Cafe R95XY93 South County Carlow. Best wishes Martin Emer and Mark

2021

Looking forward to a Greeeat 2021 Down at the Mullichain Cafe R95XY93 South County Carlow 

The Grant

The Grant  17

 “The Grant” was always very popular in Ireland and always announced with great fanfare by government and then came the announcement as to who was going to administer the hand out. Well in fairness the early days of the grant was a total joke and you needed to back scratch someone in the know to get it, so rules had to be invented, and they were and they grew and grew and the organisations to administer them Grew and Grew. Applying for a grant is like signing your own death warrant you will be filling out forms until you scream, quotations, planning, tax clearance, and reports which will cost you a fortune. Who benefits? Organisations that are big enough to run the gauntlet of officialdom or the poor devil who really needs the few bob but hasn’t been there before and has yet to be stung. My Dad always said “Be careful what you wish for.” Avoid grants where at all possible is my advice and save your soul.

A Bit of History 

A County Councillor, we will refer to him as “He” A pillar of society a man of legends. Everyone in St Mullins has a story to tell about this character he was just bigger than life. In small towns lands not a lot happens so every movement every happening no matter how small is a bit of news. “Did you hear?” RTE or Sky television could not and will not replace local gossip its personal, its local we know the characters and we are part of the stage; we all tell a different story about the same story, it’s how you hear it and from whom.

Shakespeare “All the worlds a stage, and all men and women merely players: they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts, his acts being seven ages.” Well the “He” was certainly a man of many parts.

In sixties the great era of milling came to an end with the closure of Odlum’s mills in St Mullins. Corn flakes had arrived and the big baker with his sliced pan replaced mammy and her out of the oven loaf, the age of convenience had arrived. The Government of the day was trying to reduce the number of flour mills as many were no longer able to make a profit and many were out of date. The Government paid Millers to decommission their mills, meaning they were broken up never to be used for milling again, they paid Odlum’s £40,000 that’s pounds to decommission. Odlum’s sold their mill to St Mullins Mills Ltd for £2,000 however if it was sold it on within 10 years, the purchaser would have to pay them a further £2,000, funny kind of arrangement and he could not reopen as a flour mill again. Well the He whose name shall not be mentioned, didn’t get off to a great start with the locals as he tried to lay claim to the Quay in front of the mills which Odlum’s had on lease from the C.I.E(The state transport company that ran the railroads canals and busses) by storing logs on it however he got the short shift from the locals and C.I.E.

He started a saw mill with a (Grant) and employed many of the ex-Odlum workers and the business appeared to run well for a number of years but it was impossible for people to get paid for their goods including the forestry. One of the men from the saw mill was collecting timber from the woods across the river but the forestry locked him and his truck full of timber into the forest as the logs weren’t paid for .He had to walk over to the bank of the river opposite the mill and roar and shout for someone to row over and pick him up .A week later the bill was paid and the timber collected

He Divided the millers house into apartments (Grant) and rented them out to local people, then he got the grand idea of building a hotel (Grant)using the house as the main reception area. When clearing out the area for the Hotel beside the house he used Gelignite to blast away the bank and in one of the blasts sent stones through windows of the house. He had been advised to put up sheeting to protect the windows but he wouldn’t listen sure wasn’t he able to claim for malicious damages. He dug out the side of house, built two bay windows, erected girders, had a party for the locals many of whom got food poisoning. He then refused to pay for the steel girders and the man came to take them back. The Hotel was never finished and the bay windows can still be seen today.

He started to dig a  hole for an  outdoor swimming pool  on the lawn in front of Odlum’s House and even had plans for a canopy over the pool .Swimmers would be able to look over the wall into the river this was an infinity pool well before its time, the hole was dug that was all.(Grant) He started to build a different swimming pool in the stables building using the original walls putting  wavin pipes (plastic pipes)through the stone wall which were held together with lime putty as the over flow.  . Now if water had ever been put in it the whole building would have collapsed. It was all about codding the lads up in Dublin for the (Grant). The floor of the shed was concreted with a slope for the shallow and deep end but that was that (Grant) received work stopped. The House burned down twice for which the insurance companies paid twice. When the Odlum’s house was built they brought in Italian tillers to tile the hall way which to this day is still perfect even after the house burning down.

        Chickens by the thousand were reared on the mill and Old grain store floors He Started            growing mushrooms with a (Grant) .He proceeded to lay concrete on the wooden mill floors which resulted in the rotting of the timbers as the concrete cracked and the water poured down through the floors and yes the whole lot did collapse and sits there to this day.

At the bend in the Mill Race he got a digger to take away the bank on the river side and then build it up again but it was now weaker and when the flood came it took away the bank .He then claimed a local blew a hole in the race and filed a malicious  claim against the council.

He looked for planning for the boat house as he called it which was the 4-story grain store but sure by giving it a posh name was bound to get it planning permission for a bar. He applied for planning in top field on the way up to St Mullins green for four houses and was turned down twice. You have to hand it to the man when cash was short, he was trying and trying to build an empire, a Donald Trump of his time

The Hotel that never was ,the house now lies in ruins

Café by the river Ireland: Odlums The Millers St Mullins

Café by the river Ireland: Odlums The Millers St Mullins: Odlums the Millers St Mullins 1898-1967  No 15 When we see old derelict buildings, our curiosity is aroused as to who lived there? who worke...

The early Bird

Cock a Doodle Doo to you! 15th Jan 2021 Down at the Mullichain Cafe

The Biggest Mill Wheel in Ireland Odlums St Mullins

The Biggest Mill wheel in Ireland St Mullins No16

In 1853 the biggest mill wheel in Ireland was constructed for the New St Mullin’s mill (Built 1847)–It was 36 Feet in diameter. The mill wheel was driven from a mill race which diverted water from the Aughavaud River and flowed into the River Barrow.” The New Mill” as it was known had many predecessors, it was built by Deveraux of Wexford and later sold to Sutton and Howel then John Jefferson then a man by the name of Bud and finally to Odlum’s in 1898. The Mill wheel and mill stones were replaced by the Turbine and iron roller process which enabled quality and quantity of flour to be increased. A coke fuelled steam engine took over at times from the turbine when there wasn’t sufficient water to provide power for milling and electrification of Ireland saw the demise of the turbine and the end of water generated power in St Mullins

St Mullins was one of the few Mills to modernise to compete with the international market and it continued to produce large quantities of flower up until 1965 when the mill was decommissioned. Douglas Odlum was the last owner.

The sluice gates were closed on the Mill race when milling was finished for the day and loads of salmon were left jumping around on the dry race, mill workers just walked along picking up the evening dinner.

In the 7th century St Moling constructed a mill race over a mile in length from Glynn where the river was diverted from the main stream. The present remains of the mill indicated that it was circular in structure and constructed of masonry. 

St Mullins was the greatest of the Celtic Mills to survive in the area, it had many owners and in the last century it was famous for its yellow meal or Indian corn. Grain was imported from Canada as Irish grain was not great for producing white flour. Grain came in from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Saskatchewan and as far off as Australia.

The Irish Government put a quota on the Irish millers for the use Irish grain to encourage them to use local produce after Irish independence. The problem was that the flour turned out yellow so some bright spark came up with the idea of using bleach to make it white. I spoke with one of the mill workers who wishes to remain anonymous as he feels there is still someone out there going to sue him for bleach poisoning.

The sluice gates and weir can be seen from the park below the Abbey grounds and grave yard.

The early Bird catches the worm

Our Morning visitor Down on the Quay St Mullins

Odlums The Millers St Mullins

Odlums the Millers St Mullins

1898-1967  No 15

When we see old derelict buildings, our curiosity is aroused as to who lived there? who worked there? what happened to them? why did St Mullins Mills close is one of those mysteries of changing times. Decedents of our pals the dastardly Norman invaders Deveraux builders from Wexford built the current mill in 1847 and folklore tells us they used the remains of the Bald Castle which was in ruin for its big cut granite stone, none of your preservation orders in them days. The first millers were Sutton and Howel followed by Jefferson ,Budd, and then Odlums in 1898.Acorriding to the census of 1911 Rossmore and Nora Odlum lived in Woodville House and their son Douglas who was the last miller who left in 1967.What did the Normans ever do for us ?they brought the mill wheel and new technology which led to the growth of more efficient milling.

The Odlum family lived in Woodville house from around 1910 when they built a new house the return which was over a cellar formed by the stone wall of the original cottage. They imported exotic trees Holm Oak, Lime tree ,and the daddy of todays London plane the Oriental plane and built a tennis court which fascinated the locals who worked to survive and were at awe of this grandeur .The Odlums had a reputation of being a good employer and a generous family Douglas was the last of the Odlums to run the mill ,his daughter Joan went on to being a Bunratty singer and Owner of Dirty Nellie’s pub in Bunratty.

Odlum’s Logo was designed by the Mill workers of St Mullins.

Odlum’s the Millers ran a competition among the workers in their different mills to come up with a logo for their flour. The logo had to incorporate the Owl which was from the family coat of arms. The men of St Mullins came up with the logo shown below which is used on the Odlum’s brand to this day. Odlums had their own barges to transport grain from the sailing ships in New Ross and flour to inland Ireland. The Naas and the Athy were built in South Wales in 1895 and had steam engines. The Barges were in service for more than 50 years. The Athy came to a sad end and was sold for scrap metal to Hammond lane foundries in Dublin. The Naas was scuttled by the grand Canal Company and used to shore up the Milford weir however it was later refloated and restored and called the Jarra

Every man women and child in Ireland was reared on Odlum’s porridge made with Odlum’s Triumph Oatmeal, there were no fancy cereals like cornflakes or sugar puffs, real Men ate porridge.

Odlum’s Cream Flour, Odlum’s Self-raising Flour Odlum’s Wheat meal were all used for baking bread and cakes because that’s what the mammies did.

Odlum’s Mills in St Mullins was a thriving business which was the largest producer of flour in the country through two world wars. They were the employer for the majority of people in the area and provided housing along the quay, electricity to the homes and farm produce for the workers families. Douglas Odlum sold the Mill in 1967 which ended a dynasty

The introduction of the grain silo did away with the need for drying grain on the grain store floors. Diesel driven grinders were more efficient than depending on water from a mill race or pond. Many believed that the arrival of corn flakes and many varieties of other foods also led to a reduction in our use of flour.

Packaged, pre-cooked flakes have left

A land of that old mill bereft.

The Ghosts that were so local coloured

Hiding behind bags of pollard

Have gone from those empty walls.

The Weir still curves its water falls

But lets them drop in the tailrace

No longer wildly chivalrous

                                                                                                 Patrick Kavanagh

Birds of a feather stick!

Cock a Doodle Doo!!!!! these lads are great for a chat a very positive gang

Blueskys Down in St Mullins R95XY93