Mullinavat is what a crossroads village looks like when the motorway passes it by - still here, still working, no longer on the main drag. The population is about 210. The Irish name, Muileann an Bhata, means "mill of the stick", referring to a mill on the Glendonnel River that could only be approached by means of a rough stick. That mill is long gone. The village remains.
The place is held together by the GAA club, which has been pulling the community together since 1887. Saint Beacon's Church, built around 1890 in the townland of Garrandarragh, is the spiritual anchor. The N9 runs through here, and the M9 motorway runs just west of it - most traffic takes the motorway and never slows down. This is the village that was left behind, and it is still standing.
Three things every local will eventually mention. Read these and you've already understood more than most day-trippers do.
The N9 runs through here. The M9 motorway passes just west, bypassing the village since March 2010. Most people take the motorway. You are taking the road.
Getting there → 02 Saint Beacon's ChurchA Catholic church built in the late 19th century, dedicated to Saint Beacon (Bécán), a 7th-century hermit whose name is carried by the parish and the school. Small, local, part of the fabric.
Stories & lore → 03 Mullinavat GAAHurling runs deep here. The club won the Leinster Intermediate Championship in 2014. On any evening during the season, the pitch is where the village gathers.
Stories & lore →The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.
Mullinavat is 12 km north of Waterford city on the N9. From Kilkenny city, it is about 20 km south on the N9. The M9 motorway runs parallel just to the west; the village is at junction 11.
Bus Éireann route 4 serves the area, connecting Dublin, Carlow, Waterford, and New Ross. Service is available but not frequent.
The Dublin-Waterford railway line runs through the area, but there is no longer a station. Mullinavat station closed in 1963. Nearest station is Waterford (south) or Kilkenny (north).
Waterford has no airport. Cork Airport (ORK) is 75 km, 1 hour south. Shannon is 200 km, 2h 45m west.