Welcome to Loughrynn.net (and Mohill.com), a website dedicated to the history of Mohill, Lough Rynn and County Leitrim.

Publications

I have published a number of books, including my recent doctoral thesis. To read more click the images below for each book.

If you are based in the Republic of Ireland, you can buy directly from me on the 'Buy the book' page, and pricing includes shipping.

For buyers outside the Republic of Ireland, it is probably easier to buy from Amazon.co.uk or Amazon.com where a print-on-demand version is available, as well as Kindle options.

By Hereditary Virtues: a history of Lough Rynn

By Hereditary Virtues describes how the Lough Rynn estate emerged from early times up to the end of the 19th century. It focuses largely on the role of the 3rd Earl of Leitrim, including his role during and after the famine and his eventual demise. 

Read more >>>

Buy the book

Surviving and Thriving in Post-Famine Mohill

My PhD thesis on post-Famine Mohill is now openly available to download or buy.

The thesis is a study of Mohill's economic growth and prosperity after the Famine. It tracks how people made and spent money, and looks at farm viability, shop credit, household income, emigrant remittances, rents and taxes

Read more >>>

Buy the book

Recipes & Remedies of
Lough Rynn

Recipes and remedies from journals dating from the 19th century and recorded as belonging to the housekeeper at Lough Rynn.

The introduction also includes information on the general diet of people in that era, from the very poor to the wealthy.

Read more >>>

Buy the book

Cherishing Heritage Preserving Community tells the story of the architectural and social history of the Upper Leeson Street Area of Dublin, including the 50-year campaign by residents to preserve the area's heritage.

Read more >>>

Buy the book

‘may Almighty prosper you . . . these gifts will make me all right’: emigrant remittances in post-Famine Leitrim

Ireland’s Famine of the late 1840s decimated Leitrim’s population, through death, disease, land clearance and emigration. Cash sent home by emigrant relatives became, for many, an essential element of household income.

This talk draws on letters from Mohill and Leitrim – like those of the Reynolds and Boyle families – to explore how emigration became embedded as the norm for Irish families. It discusses the expectations on those who left, and on those who remained behind. It assesses the monetary and social value of emigrant remittances back to Leitrim and shows how this foreign-earned cash was used to fund further emigration, pay rent or other debts, and invest in the family farm.

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Tell your story

To continue the research on the emigrant experience and the value of remittances, please consider adding your or your ancestor's story by completing a short questionnaire here >>>

This talk was delivered o23 May 2025 in St George's Centre, Carrick-on-Shannon as part of the Leitrim Gathering. The video was recorded in March 2025, as part of the Rippling Effects of The Great Famine series run by Armagh City, Banbridge & Craigavon Borough Council.


Mohill history

Some excerpts from By Hereditary Virtues: a history of Lough Rynn are published here, including pieces on the Workhouse in Mohill, and Mohill during and after the Famine.

There are also short pieces on the  early history of the Mohill/Lough Rynn area and of Lough Rynn during the 1970s.

Some history

Through the summer of 2020 and again in early 2022, the Leitrim Observer published a series of articles on the history of Mohill and Lord Leitrim. 

Most of the articles focus on the mid-19th century, and cover topics like the Famine, crime, evictions, land ownership, population and town activity.

Read more

Valentine's Day in Mohill

Who knew that one could buy Valentine's Day cards in Mohill in 1858?!  An ad for cards ranging in price from a penny to 5 shillings is intriguing. This article traces the origins of Valentine's Day and the practice of sending cards to lovers in 19th century Ireland.

Read more

Decade of Centenaries

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    Sinn Féin President Éamon de Valera and Harry Boland in Mohill, 1917

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    In  1918, Leitrim elected Sinn Féin’s James Nicholas Dolan

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    Murder of Dr Muldoon, 1923

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    The Black & Tans in Mohill, 1920

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    Pathé film of wedding of Lieutenant General Seán Mac Eoin and Alice Cooney in Longford, 1922.



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    Boycott in Mohill, 1920

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A short, relatively random set of bios on people associated with the War of Independence and Civil War in Mohill and south Leitrim, from the 1918 elections to the War of Independence and Civil War.

For other elements of Mohill's 20th century history, click here >>>.


To read about events commemorated by Mohill History Society,
click here >>>

Decade of Centenaries

The chronology includes a summary chronology of Mohill from the 5th century, and a longer list of dates and events.

The long text was originally published on the mohill.com website in the late 1990s. I have not attempted to edit it, and only a few links have been updated or checked.

Read more

Notable people from Mohill


Read about notable Mohill people like O'Carolan and some lesser known figures like Charles Reynolds and Rev. J.G. Digges.


(Click here to read about Lord Leitrim)

Read more

Celebrating great Mohill women

So much of our history is written by and about men. But women, ordinary women, built families, businesses and created the town and countryside of Mohill that we know today.

In this walk and talk, I told the story of some of those women.

Click on the map below to download a pdf with snippets about some of the great women we remembered and celebrated on the evening. Also published in the Leitrim Guardian 2025.


Read more

Events and activities

Mohill has an active, award-winning historical society and runs frequent events, including walks, talks, and even a film or two. There are also a number of walks, talks and events run as part of Heritage Week, ranging from films and talks commemorating the decade of centenaries, to celebrating the ordinary people of the area through story and song.

Read more here >>>

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Events and activities

Research sources

Books and online repositories

There is a wealth of sources on the history of Co Leitrim.

The Research page provides a guide to sources in Leitrim County Library as well as direct links to online sources, including:

  • Leitrim and the Revolution.
  • Census Returns, Griffith's Valuation, Tithe Applotment Books.
  • NLI digitised rent books from Lord Leitrim’s estate at Lough Rynn.
  • Irish Folklore Commission, The Schools’ Collection 1937-39.
  • Historic 6" and 25" maps of towns.
  • National Library images of Leitrim.
Research sources

Books about Mohill and Leitrim

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There are a number of wonderful books about Mohill and Leitrim, or by people connected to the area. These range from novels to history, and all provide essential insights and knowledge about our people and our past.

Books about Mohill

Young Historian programme

The Young Historian programme for Transition Year students was launched in 2021 by Fiona Slevin and Natalie Fryde, and supported by Leitrim County Library.

The programme is designed to encourage young people to engage with their personal and local history and to develop the skills of history. Young Historian Award winners are announced in May.

Entries are on the theme of 'history on your doorstep', and the YoungHistorian.ie website includes a number of the winning entries telling unusual and personal histories of Leitrim and beyond.

Young Historian