Moydow, Maigh Dumha, Co. Longford

Maigh Dumha · Co. Longford

An old parish village south of Longford town, with two ruined tower houses, a lost saint's cell, and a GAA club older than most of the county.

Moydow is a small village a few kilometres south of Longford town, on the old road toward Athlone. It is the kind of place that is really a parish first and a village second - a church, a couple of pubs, a former schoolhouse turned community centre, a graveyard, and the farmland of south Longford spread out around it. It shares a parish and a football club with Ardagh up the road, and for most practical purposes the two places are spoken of in one breath: Ardagh and Moydow.

The name is Maigh Dumha, the plain of the mound. Underneath that is an older name, Cill-Modhint - the church of St Modhint, or Modan, a figure who is said to have had a cell here around the year 591 and to have been made a bishop. The early church was burned in 1155 and nothing of it survives above ground. What you see instead is the 19th-century village: St Mary's Catholic church with an 1838 date stone in the middle of it, and a disused Church of Ireland church on a site that goes back to the 17th century, rebuilt after a fire in 1831 and closed for worship since 1987.

It is not a tourist village and does not pretend to be. There are two pubs - the village locals, where the parish actually happens - a church, a community centre in the old school, and the GAA. Come for the quiet, the old stone, and a sense of a working rural parish that has been here a very long time. Then drive the few minutes back to Longford town for a bed and a choice of dinner.

Population

A small village; the wider parish held about 1,766 in the 1830s

Founded

Early Christian cell of St Modan, said to be active around 591; parish church recorded by the 1150s

Coords

53.6639° N, 7.7881° W

01 / 07

At a glance.

Three things every local will eventually mention. Read these and you've already understood more than most day-trippers do.

01 The name

Maigh Dumha, and an older Cill-Modhint underneath it.

The name means the plain of the mound. Older still is Cill-Modhint, the church of St Modhint or Modan, a cell said to have been here by the 6th century and burned in 1155. The saint is gone, the ground stayed named for him.

Stories & lore → 02 The towers

Two O'Farrell-era tower houses in ruin nearby.

Mornin Tower House, a four-storey 16th-century O'Farrell stronghold, stands ruined off the roadside south of the village. Castlerea, a short way north, was part of the same estate. Both are private land - look, do not climb.

Stories & lore →

02 / 07

The pubs.

None of these are themed Irish pubs, because they don't need to be. A few that earn the trip:

Moydow's two pubs

Local, not for tourists

Village pubs

Two public houses serve the village - the places where the parish gathers rather than guidebook destinations. They are not widely listed by name online, so ask locally or simply walk in. If you want a choice of bars and a meal out, Longford town is only a few minutes up the road.

03 / 07

Stories & lore.

The reason to come back. The things every local will eventually tell you about, usually after the second pint.

The church under the name

St Modan and Cill-Modhint

Before Moydow was Moydow it was Cill-Modhint, the church of Modhint - usually identified with St Modan, who is recorded around the year 591 and is said to have been made a bishop and to have founded a religious cell here. The early church associated with him was destroyed by fire in 1155. No fabric of it survives. The saint left only his name in the older form of the placename, and the long memory of a Christian site on this ground centuries before the present village or its churches existed.

An O'Farrell stronghold in ruin

Mornin Tower House

South of the village stands Mornin Tower House, also known locally as Moydow Castle - a four-storey 16th-century limestone tower with finely carved stone quoins and pointed ogee-style arches. It was a stronghold of the O'Farrell clan, the Lords of Annaly, who held much of this country before the plantations. The O'Farrells held on through the upheavals of the 1600s but lost Mornin and its lands to the Jessop family in the 1700s after a run of court cases. The tower is ruinous and on private land; it is meant to be viewed from the roadway near its base, with the owner's permission sought before going closer. A short way north is Castlerea tower house, which belonged to the same Mornin estate.

One of the county's oldest GAA clubs

Moydow Harpers

Moydow Harpers is one of the oldest Gaelic football clubs in Longford, first formed in 1887 - among the first handful of clubs affiliated in the county - and named for the ancient Irish harpers, the professional musicians of the Gaelic and Norman-Irish nobility. The club played in the early Senior Championships around 1890, then faded in the 1940s as emigration emptied the parish. It reformed in 1975 and won a Junior championship in 1986. In January 2019 Moydow Harpers and Ardagh St Patrick's, which had been fielding a joint team since 2016, formally amalgamated to become the Ardagh Moydow club. For a parish this size, that is a long sporting line.

04 / 07

Things to do outside.

Wear waterproofs. Bring a sandwich. Tell someone where you're going if it's the mountain.

Village and church loop There is not much ground to cover and that is the point. Walk the centre of the village past St Mary's church with its 1838 date stone, the old schoolhouse now used as the community centre, the disused Church of Ireland church and the graveyard. A short, honest look at a working rural parish. The tower houses are out on private land beyond the village and are roadside views only.

1 km strolldistance

30 minutestime

05 / 07

When to go.

There is no bad time. There are different times.

Spring

Mar-May

Long light over the south Longford farmland and good conditions for a roadside look at the old stone. Quiet, never crowded.

◉ Go

Summer

Jun-Aug

Long evenings and the GAA season in full swing. Pair it with Ardagh and the Corlea Trackway at Keenagh for a fuller day in the area.

◉ Go

Autumn

Sep-Oct

Soft light on the limestone churches and the tower houses. Good walking weather and the roads to yourself.

◉ Go

Winter

Nov-Feb

Short days and little open in the village beyond the pubs. Fine for a quick stop, but base yourself in Longford town.

◐ Mind yourself

06 / 07

What to skip.

Honestly? Don't bother.

If a local was sitting beside you, this is the bit where they'd lean in.

Expecting a town

Moydow is a small parish village, not a destination in its own right. Two pubs, a church, a community centre and a graveyard is the whole of it. Come for an hour, or fold it into a loop with Ardagh and Keenagh, and stay the night in Longford town.

Climbing the tower houses

Mornin Tower House and Castlerea are ruinous and on private land. They are to be viewed from the roadway, with the owner's permission sought before approaching. Do not treat them as a free climb.

Looking for St Modan's church

The early cell that gave the place its older name, Cill-Modhint, burned in 1155 and nothing of it stands above ground. There is no monastic ruin to visit - only the long memory in the name.

Getting there.

By car

Moydow is a few kilometres south of Longford town on local roads toward Athlone, off the N63. Allow about 10 to 15 minutes from Longford town. The village is small; park near the church.

By bus

Public transport is very limited. A Bus Eireann service (route 466) has served the village on Saturday afternoons only; otherwise rely on TFI Local Link rural services into Longford town or a car. Check current timetables before depending on it.

By train

No station in Moydow. The nearest is Longford town, a few kilometres north, on the Dublin Connolly to Sligo line.

By air

Dublin Airport (DUB) is about 2 hours by road. Knock (NOC) is roughly 1 hour 30 minutes for western arrivals.