Meelick, County Galway

Meelick (Míleac in Irish) is a townland on the River Shannon in Ireland. It lies some 4 km southeast of Eyrecourt in County Galway.

Meelick has the oldest Irish Roman Catholic church with continuous use since 1414 AD. Founded as a Franciscan abbey, the church and sacristy are still in use today. The ruins include traces of the transept chapel, friary and small mill. Papal permission for Meelick friary was granted by John XXII in 1414. The last friar of Meelick was Fr. Bonaventure Francis Reynolds. When he died in November 1852, there was no friar available to replace him. Since then the church has been maintained for weekly services. The Meelick Triduum still exists in early August when the Franciscans return to their abbey.

An Anglo Norman de Burgo (Burke) Castle was erected close to the church, in the fields to the north of the church. The earthworks relating to this castle can still be seen. The logic of a castle in this location is that Meelick was one of the few traditional crossing points where the river Shannon could be forded.

Meelick is also a well-regarded location for fishing, primarily salmon and wild brown trout. The river here is wide (over 1.5 km from bank to bank at its broadest point) and full of islands, weirs, pools and streams. Meelick is a known angling location when the salmon are running and has some varied waters ranging from fast runs to glides and pools to slow deep stretches. There are islands separating an artificial cut on the Co. Offaly bank with the main River Shannon at Meelick on the Co. Galway bank. It has a very small spring salmon run: best time April into mid-May. Summer salmon arrive generally from mid-June in normal years and fishing is best up to mid-July and it is at this time that anglers tend to fish the area. Runs are moderate and variable from year to year. Meelick regularly attracts a large number of fishing tourists from England.

Meelick is on the route of the Hymany Way, part of the Beara-Breifne long distance walking and cycling trail between the Beara Peninsula in County Cork and Blacklion in County Cavan.

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