Mulhussey

Mulhussey Maol Hosae
—  Town  —
Mulhussey Location in Ireland
Coordinates: 53°26′14″N 6°37′21″W / 53.4371483°N 6.6225206°W / 53.4371483; -6.6225206Coordinates: 53°26′14″N 6°37′21″W / 53.4371483°N 6.6225206°W / 53.4371483; -6.6225206
Country	Ireland
Province	Leinster
County	County Meath
Elevation[1]	80 m (262 ft)
Population (2006)
- Urban	281
	(Kilcloon)
Time zone	WET (UTC+0)
- Summer (DST)	IST (WEST) (UTC-1)
Irish Grid Reference	N944425

Mulhussey (Irish: Maol Hosae, meaning "bald Hussey") is a village in County Meath, Ireland. It has a school, a castle with accompanying cemetery, a nearby church (or the 'Little Chapel', as it is commonly known) at the edge of the Kilcloon parish in Kilcock, and a religious antiquity, St Bridgid's Well, located in Calgath, a townland of Mulussey.

History

Mulhussey's first inhabitants were the Husseys, a noble Norman family in the 13th century AD. The king of Trim at the time sent the Husseys to an area outside Maynooth, which at the time was very important, because of the large Norman castle, ownned by the Fitzgeralds of County Kildare.

A tower house and manor was to be built and lived in by the Husseys to look after the land and protect it for the DeLacy family of Trim. Legend has it that toward the end of the 16th century AD, the last inhabitant of the tower house and manor or Mulhussey Castle as it is known today, was a bauld lady. Combining the Irish word for bald, and the Irish name for Hussey (Maol and Hosae) the land protected by the Hussey family was named Maol Hosae, which was anglicised to Mulhussey.

Geography

Mulhussey is located at the very south of County Meath in the parish of Kilcloon, along with neighbouring townlands Jenkinstown, Longtown, Kimmins Mill, Pagestown, Kilclone, Collistown and Rodanstown. An Post deliver mail to people in Mulhussey from Kilcock post office in Kildare, which leads some people to believe Mulhussey is in Kildare county, but this is for postage convenience only. Mulhussey's closest towns and villages are Kilcock and Maynooth, 6 and 8 kilometres to the south respectively, Dunboyne 16 kilometres to the east, Sumerhill 8 kilometres to the north along with Dunshaughlin 18 kilometres to the north. A tributary of the River Tolka flows through Muhussey and Kilclone townlands.

Modern Mulhussey

Mulhussey has experienced an ongoing decline in population since 1991. The Central Statistics office online records state that in 1991, Kilcloon census town had a population of 341, which in 2002 fell to 309 and in 2006 fell again to 281. St Joseph's National School in Mulhussey, (located on the Summerhill road) which was established in 1964, as well as the declining population has experienced a decline in student numbers. Locals fear that if this decline continues, the school which has been a great amenity to the community since its establishment may be shut down. The school website declares 58 pupils attend the school at present with 8 staff members. Mulhussey Castle, or tower house, still stands today on the road from Kilcock. The Mulhussey Graveyard Restoration Society are currently working on restoring the Mulhussey cemetery beside the castle, which holds the remains of the Hussey family and a ruined church.

Demographics

The 2006 census stated that 62% of the inhabitants of this townland 3 years and over could speak Irish, a total 177. 33 of which spoke it on a daily basis, 26 weekly, a majority of 61 rarely, and 51 never. Although no official sources state the breakdown of persons living in Mulhussey by religious beliefs, it is generally accepted that the population is almost entirely Roman Catholic with several Church of Ireland children attending the school at the moment.

See also

• List of towns and villages in Ireland
• County Meath
• Kilcloon
• Batterstown

References

1. ^ http://www.earthtools.org/

• [1]
• Gerard Rice's book 'Kilcloon'
• Maynooth Library
• http://www.cso.ie
• Mulhussey National School