placenamesMahoonagh
Caisleán Maí Tamhnach
Mahoonagh, also known as Castlemahon, retains traces of older buildings alongside a church opened in 1961.
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
- Caisleán Maí Tamhnach · Irish · main form · validated name
- Mahoonagh · English · main form
- Castlemahon · English · main form · local name
Place & story
Ruins recorded by the surveyors
The Ordnance Survey name books distinguish two old ruins in the locality. Mahoonagh Castle, also recorded as Castle Mahon Castle, stood in Mahoonaghmore townland. A ruined church and burial ground lay in the glebe of Mahoonaghbeg. These brief descriptions show that the castle and church were separate landmarks already recognised as ruins when the nineteenth-century surveyors recorded local names. [2]
From Saint Nicholas to the school
The diocesan heritage project records that Father Michael Sheehan built Saint Nicholas' Church in the 1830s. In the early twentieth century, Canon Irwin found problems with its foundations, and pins were inserted to keep the walls upright. The national school later occupied the church site, giving the same ground a new role in village life. [3]
Saint John the Baptist
The replacement church, dedicated to Saint John the Baptist, had its foundation stone laid by Bishop Murphy on 26 May 1960 and opened the following year. Michael Raleigh supplied the site. Architect P. J. Sheahan designed the building and J. McCormack was the contractor. The diocesan account records a construction cost of £26,000, marking a substantial parish building project. [3]
Geographic information
Sources & further reading
- Logainm.ie — Mahoonagh. Place names and geographic record, licensed under CC BY 4.0.
- Ordnance Survey name books, parish of Mahoonagh, Book II, miscellaneous, page1289 · Ordnance Survey; Limerick Local Studies archive
- Diocesan Heritage Project, Mahoonagh Parish, Churches · Limerick Diocesan Heritage Project
Name record retrieved 2026-10-25 · Source record modified 2020-08-26. How this page was prepared.