placenamesAughnasheelan
Achadh na Síleann
Usually written Aughnasheelin locally, this Leitrim community has sustained a long tradition of gathering, performance and Gaelic games.
The name
These Irish name elements are associated with this record in the Logainm glossary.
An element’s translation is a clue, rather than a complete explanation of the name. Its form and meaning depend on local history and the full Irish name.
Recorded forms
- Achadh na Síleann · Irish · main form · validated name
- Aughnasheelan · English · main form
Place & story
A hall built by local subscription
Aughnasheelin Hall opened on 27 December 1912 as a temperance hall. Local fundraising paid for its construction by John Conefrey of Aughavas, assisted by volunteers. Meetings, political gatherings and alcohol-free dances formed part of its early use. Later generations remember céilí bands and showbands there, including appearances by Larry Cunningham before his recording of Lovely Leitrim. Annual bazaars in the 1960s helped raise money for church restoration, extending the hall’s role beyond entertainment. [2]
Football from the early county organisation
Aughnasheelin GAA traces its beginnings to the Oughteragh Wolfe Tones team in 1889, the first year of organised clubs in Leitrim. Its own history describes the move from playing in Mick Gilhooly’s field to developing facilities in the GAA centenary year of 1984, followed by redevelopment in 2005. Intermediate championship victories in 2008 and 2017 became particular milestones. The club also records a strong Scór tradition, linking Gaelic games with local music and performance. [3]
Seamus Prior’s memories of refereeing
Seamus Prior, who refereed the 1991 All-Ireland senior football final, made Aughnasheelin central to his account for the GAA Oral History Project. Interviewed in 2010, he recalled walking to training, early playing experiences and the club’s acquisition and development of grounds. His testimony also covers administration and the pressures faced by referees. The interview preserves a route from participation in a small rural club to responsibility for matches on the national stage. [4]
Geographic information
- Place type
- Population centre
- County
- Leitrim
- Barony
- Carrigallen
- Civil parish
- Oughteragh
- Coordinates
- 54.06600, -7.86252 (approximate)
- Logainm ID
- 131505 ↗
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Aughnasheelan. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- A century of community: Aughnasheelin Hall, 1912–2012 · Leitrim Observer, 30 July 2012
- Aughnasheelin club history, 2022 Intermediate Championship final programme · Leitrim GAA, 2022
- Seamus Prior interview, GAA Oral History Project, LM/1/5 · GAA Oral History Project, report 15 August 2012
- Aughnasheelan Roman Catholic church, County Leitrim illustration: based on a Aughnasheelan RC Church by Kenneth Allen. AI-assisted watercolour and ink adaptation; cream paper margins added, incidental clutter omitted and fine details simplified. Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0.
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2025-01-10. How this page was prepared.