Manorhamilton

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Town in County Leitrim, Ireland

title: "Manorhamilton" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["manorhamilton", "towns-and-villages-in-county-leitrim"] description: "Town in County Leitrim, Ireland" topic_path: "general/manorhamilton" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manorhamilton" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Town in County Leitrim, Ireland ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox settlement"]

FieldValue
settlement_typeTown
nameManorhamilton
native_nameCluainín
native_name_langga
pushpin_mapIreland
pushpin_label_positionleft
pushpin_map_captionLocation in Ireland
coordinates
image_skylineMain Street, Manorhamilton - geograph.org.uk - 799444.jpg
image_captionMain Street
unit_prefMetric
elevation_m69
subdivision_typeCountry
subdivision_nameIreland
subdivision_type1Province
subdivision_name1Connacht
subdivision_type2County
subdivision_name2County Leitrim
subdivision_type3Dáil Éireann
subdivision_name3Sligo–Leitrim
subdivision_type4EU Parliament
subdivision_name4Midlands–North-West
population_as_of2016
population_footnotes
population_total1,466
blank_name_sec1Irish Grid Reference
blank_info_sec1
blank_name_sec2Dialing code
blank_info_sec2+353 (0)71
::

|settlement_type = Town |name = Manorhamilton |native_name = Cluainín |native_name_lang = ga |pushpin_map = Ireland |pushpin_label_position = left |pushpin_map_caption = Location in Ireland |coordinates = |image_skyline = Main Street, Manorhamilton - geograph.org.uk - 799444.jpg |image_caption = Main Street |unit_pref = Metric |elevation_m = 69 |subdivision_type = Country |subdivision_name = Ireland |subdivision_type1 = Province |subdivision_name1 = Connacht |subdivision_type2 = County |subdivision_name2 = County Leitrim |subdivision_type3 = Dáil Éireann |subdivision_name3 = Sligo–Leitrim |subdivision_type4 = EU Parliament |subdivision_name4 = Midlands–North-West |population_as_of = 2016 |population_footnotes = |population_total = 1,466 |blank_name_sec1 = Irish Grid Reference |blank_info_sec1 = |blank_name_sec2 = Dialing code |blank_info_sec2 = +353 (0)71

Manorhamilton () is the second-largest town in County Leitrim, Ireland. It is located on the N16 26 km from Sligo and 41 km from Enniskillen.

History

Before the Plantations of Ireland, the settlement was known, and continues to be known in the Irish language, as Cluainín or Cluainín Uí Ruairc (meaning "little meadow of O'Rourke"). This lay on the west bank of the Owenbeg. Uí Ruairc (anglicised as O'Rourke) was the local Gaelic chieftain, based in nearby Dromahair, whose land was seized by the English and then granted to Sir Frederick Hamilton for his services in the European wars of the 17th century. As a result of his actions, Hamilton to this day is considered to have been a tyrant by the local people. He began building a new town on the east bank of the river, in the townland of Clonmullen, which he renamed 'Manorhamilton'. After the town emerged, the name Baile Hamaltuin was adopted by Irish speakers and its anglicised form 'Ballyhamilton' was for a time used by English speakers.

;Manorhamilton Castle Manorhamilton castle was erected in 1634 by Sir Frederick Hamilton, who had been granted land in north Leitrim by the British government. The land had been confiscated from the O'Rourkes, the ruling clan of Breifne. Hamilton was a very unpopular overlord and faced frequent native rebellion before the Castle was burned by the Earls of Clanrickard (Burkes) in 1652. The castle ruin has been renovated as a tourist attraction.

Economy and culture

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/51/Manorhamilton_Post_Office,_Cluainin_Ui_Ruairc,_Co.Leitrim_March_1991-Flickr-_sludgegulper.jpg" caption="Manorhamilton Post Office"] ::

Manorhamilton acts as a retail and services catchment for the surrounding rural area. Manorhamilton is also home to several manufacturing businesses, including manufacturers of rubber, plastics, automotive and other products.

Throughout at least the 19th and 20th centuries, a number of annual fairs were held at Manorhamilton on 8 May, 1 July, 7 October and 18 November, with four annual fairs held at nearby Lurganboy on 15 (or 17) May, 21 June, 21 August, 23 September and 21 October.

Farming is still a dominant sector, yet traditional industries and livelihoods are being replaced by new forms of economic activity.

Manorhamilton has several pubs, with many hosting traditional Irish music sessions.

Places of interest

Manorhamilton Castle & Heritage Centre

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7d/Manorhamilton_Castle_-geograph.org.uk-_1495776.jpg" caption="Manorhamilton Castle"] ::

The ruins of Manorhamilton Castle have been renovated and now house a heritage centre and a permanent exhibition, with guided tours of the castle ruins and grounds.

Bee Park Resource Centre

The Bee Park Resource Centre is a facility on the site of the former community centre. The centre has a large main hall which stages concerts and community events. The Bee Park Centre is also used by youth, sport, disability and childcare groups. The North Leitrim Women's Group and The North Leitrim Men's Group are also located here.

Square

A public square has been developed adjacent to Manorhamilton Castle on the former fair green. The square, which incorporates an outdoor performance platform, features an abstract sculpture, sourced from the local Leitrim Sculpture Centre.

Famine graveyard

This plot is one of three graveyards opened shortly before and during the Great Famine of 1845 - 1849.

Megalithic sites

The north Leitrim area features a number of pre-historic sites of interest. This includes the nearby O'Donnell's Rock plateau, where several well-preserved stone forts and passage tombs are located. Just off the Leitrim Way, on Tullyskeherny hill, there are two court cairns and two gallery graves. Cairns and other tombs are also visible on Benbo Mountain and at the summits of surrounding mountains. On lower ground, the remains of ringforts and cashels, tombs and other structures are dotted throughout the landscape. Lisdarush Ring Fort is an Iron Age site which can be seen near the Rossinver road approximately 2 mi from Manorhamilton.

Healthcare

::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/Our_Lady's_Hospital,Manorhamilton-geograph.org.uk-_824111.jpg" caption="Our Lady's Hospital"] ::

Our Lady's Hospital is located on the edge of the town. This HSE hospital provides a range of services, and is focused on long-stay and day-care geriatric and rheumatology services.

Transport

Road

Manorhamilton is on the N16 national primary route. This road continues across the border and becomes the A4. The R280 road links the town to Bundoran in County Donegal and to Carrick-on-Shannon in County Leitrim. The R282 road links the town to Rossinver and continues across the border as the B53 to Garrison, County Fermanagh.

The town is served by a number of Bus Éireann routes. The only daily service is route 458 which runs from Ballina to Enniskillen. Route 470 (serving Dromahair) and route 495 (to Ballyshannon) both run on Fridays.

Rail

The nearest railway station to Manorhamilton is , which is served by trains to Dublin Connolly and is operated by Iarnród Éireann. Bus Éireann services from Manorhamilton stop at Sligo bus station, which is beside Sligo railway station.

Manorhamilton previously had its own station, Manorhamilton railway station, which opened in 1880 and formed part of the Sligo, Leitrim and Northern Counties Railway (SLNCR). All maintenance on the line's engines and rolling stock was carried out at the station works, and the railway became a major employer locally. The administrative headquarters of the SLNCR was located in the nearby village of Lurganboy. The railway served as a major business and tourism artery to the area and developed a large trade in livestock exports. The SLNCR, and with it Manorhamilton station, closed on 1 October 1957.

Sport

The local Gaelic football and hurling club is Glencar–Manorhamilton GAA (Gleann an Chairthe–Cluainín). The club has won the Leitrim Senior Football Championship on several occasions, including in 2019. The club's grounds are in Boggaun.

The association football (soccer) club, Manorhamilton Rangers AFC, participates in the Sligo Leitrim Junior soccer leagues. Manor Rangers pitch is located in the Bee Park sports grounds in the centre of the town.

Manorhamilton Tennis Club has all-weather courts in the Bee Park sports grounds. Teams from the club also participate in the Connacht Tennis League.

Other local sports clubs include a boxing club (Sean McDermott Boxing Club), hillwalking club (Holey Soles Hillwalking Club), and others involved in fishing, athletics, basketball, Irish dancing, table tennis and badminton.

Media

Local media organisations include the Leitrim Observer newspaper, and the town and its hinterland is covered by Ocean FM radio station, which had a studio in Manorhamilton until 2017.{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/sligochampion/news/ocean-fm-closes-two-radio-studios-36428069.html |title=Ocean FM closes two radio studios |last= |first= |date=30 Dec 2017 |website=Independent.ie |publisher=Sligo Champion |access-date=15 Nov 2021 |quote=}}

Notable people

References

Primary sources

Secondary sources

  • {{cite book |title=Traveller's New Guide Through Ireland, Containing a New and Accurate Description of the Roads |publisher=Longman |author=Longman |year=1819 |edition=digitized from original in Lyon Public Library [2011] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=R0DnDPUvoAYC&pg=PA405 |access-date=9 September 2017 |archive-date=15 July 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715192812/https://books.google.com/books?id=R0DnDPUvoAYC&pg=PA405 |url-status=live

References

  1. "Census 2016 Sapmap Area: Settlements Manorhamilton". [[Central Statistics Office (Ireland)]].
  2. "Cluainín / Manorhamilton (see archival records)". Placenames Database of Ireland.
  3. "Manorhamilton Castle & Heritage Centre".
  4. "Leitrim Sculpture Centre".
  5. Meehan, Cary. (2004). "Sacred Ireland". Gothic Image Publications.
  6. "BST GIM Mayo/Sligo Hub". Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.
  7. "Route 470 Timetable". Bus Éireann.
  8. "Route 495 Timetable". Bus Éireann.
  9. "Manorhamilton station". Railscot - Irish Railways.
  10. (13 October 2019). "Dolan wins it for Glencar/Manorhamilton in Leitrim". RTÉ.
  11. "Manorhamilton Rangers AFC".
  12. "Crawford, John Willoughby". [[Library and Archives Canada]].
  13. "The Victoria Cross to the 53rd Regiment : India 1857-58". Discovering Shropshire's History.
  14. (9 November 2017). "Tributes paid to Manorhamilton born, Gordon Wilson on 30th anniversary of Enniskillen bombing".
  15. (October 2009). "Durnford, Anthony William". Royal Irish Academy.

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::

manorhamiltontowns-and-villages-in-county-leitrim